Psalms 103:6 - Meaning and Application

Until now, the psalmist had looked back mainly on his own experiences and used them as fuel for praise. Here he looks outward and notices God’s kindness to others too. We should rejoice in those blessings and give thanks for them, because all the saints are fed at one common table and share the same gifts.

God is truly good to all (Psalm 103:6). He carries out what is right and just, not only for his own people, but for all who are oppressed. Even in ordinary providence, that is, God’s daily rule of the world, he stands up for the innocent who are mistreated. In one way or another, he will defend those who are hurt and oppose their oppressors. It is his honor to bring down the proud and help the helpless.

He is also especially good to Israel, to every true Israelite, meaning anyone with a clean and honest heart. He has shown himself and his grace to us. He made known his ways to Moses, and through Moses he made known his acts to the children of Israel, not only by his mighty deeds to the people of that time, but by Moses’ writing to later generations. Divine revelation, God making himself known, is one of the first and greatest gifts the church receives, because God brings us back to himself by showing us who he is, and he gives us every other good thing through that knowledge. He has made known both his acts and his ways, that is, what he is like and how he deals with people, so we may know both what to think about him and what to expect from him. Or, as some explain it, his ways are his commands, the path he wants us to walk, and his acts, or plans, are his promises and purposes for us. In all this, God deals with us openly and fairly.

He has never been harsh or severe with us, but has always been tender, full of compassion, and ready to forgive. This is his nature. The Lord is merciful and gracious, and this is the same way he made known to Moses at Mount Horeb when he proclaimed his name (Exodus 34:6, 34:7), answering Moses’ request, “Show me your way, so I may know you” (Psalm 33:13). God’s answer is, in effect, “My way is to pardon sin.” He is slow to anger. He is not quick to notice every fault in a way that seeks punishment, and he does not rush to take advantage against us. He bears long with people who keep provoking him, delays judgment to give room for repentance, and does not quickly carry out the sentence of his law. He could not be so patient unless he were rich in mercy, truly the Father of mercies.

He is not angry forever, either. He will not always chide, though we always offend and deserve correction. He may show his displeasure through the troubles of providence and the rebukes of our own consciences, and that brings real grief. Yet he will have compassion and will not keep us in pain and fear forever, even for our sins. After a spirit of bondage, he gives the spirit of adoption, the gracious assurance that we are his children. How unlike God are people who are always scolding, who seize every chance to rebuke and never know when to stop. What would become of us if God dealt with us that way? He will not keep his anger forever against his own people, but will gather them with everlasting mercies (Isaiah 54:8; Isaiah 57:16).

We can say from our own experience that he has not dealt with us according to our sins. Scripture says much about God’s mercy, and we can all confirm it by what we have lived through. If he had not been a patient God, we would have been in hell long ago. He has not rewarded us according to our iniquities. He has not given us the judgments we deserved, or taken away the comforts we had forfeited. That should make us hate sin more, not less, because God’s patience is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

He has pardoned our sins, not only my iniquity (Psalm 103:3), but our transgressions as well (Psalm 103:12). We should take comfort in that mercy for our own sake, but we should also give God glory for the blessing others receive through it. His mercy is beyond measure. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high is his mercy above the merits of those who fear him. The distance is so great that there is no real comparison at all. The best works of human duty cannot earn even the smallest sign of God’s favor as something owed, so all the descendants of Jacob should join in saying they are less than the least of all his mercies (Genesis 32:10). And this mercy is shown to those who fear him, not to those who treat him lightly. We must fear the Lord and his goodness.

His pardons are full, and that shows how rich his mercy is. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us, so they will never be charged against us or rise up in judgment against us. The sins of believers will be remembered no more. They will not be brought up against them again. They will be searched for and not found. If we truly turn from them, God will fully forgive them.

He has also had pity on our sorrows (Psalm 103:13, 14). He pities those who fear him, meaning all who truly belong to him and may suffer much in this world, not only because they are born into trouble, but because they are born again into a life of faith. It may also include those who have not yet received the spirit of adoption, but are still trembling at his word; he pities them too (Jeremiah 31:18, 31:20). He pities them as a father pities his children and does good to them whenever they need it. God is a Father to those who fear him and claims them as his children, so he is gentle with them as a father is. A father pities children who are weak in understanding and teaches them, pities them when they are stubborn and bears with them, pities them when they are sick and comforts them (Isaiah 66:13), pities them when they fall and helps them up, pities them when they have done wrong and, when they submit, forgives them, and pities them when they are mistreated and gives them justice. That is how the Lord pities those who fear him.

He does this because he knows our frame. He has good reason to know it, because he made us. Since he formed man from dust, he remembers that we are dust, not only by our make-up, but also by the sentence spoken over us: “Dust you are.” He takes into account the weakness of our bodies and the folly of our souls, how little we can do, and expects only what we can truly give. He also knows how little we can bear and lays his dealings with us accordingly. In all this, his compassion is plainly seen.

He has also kept his covenant mercy going and, through that, provided help for our weakness (Psalm 103:15-18). Here we see how short human life is and how uncertain its length can be.

The lives of even great and good people are like this, and neither greatness nor goodness changes that truth. Human life is like grass, which grows up from the earth, rises only a little, and soon withers and returns to the ground again (Isaiah 40:6-7). Even at its best, life is only a little more than grass. It flourishes for a time and looks bright, but it is still like a field flower, which fades with the grass.

A garden flower is usually more prized and may last longer because it is protected by walls and cared for by a gardener. But a field flower, which is the image used here, is not only weak and short-lived on its own, it is also exposed to cold winds, can be trampled, and may be eaten by animals. So it is with human life. It wastes away by itself, and it can also end early through many sudden dangers.

When the flower is at its best, a silent wind may pass over it and it is gone. It droops, drops its petals, shrinks back into the ground, and the place that was once proud of it no longer knows it. This is what man is like. God sees this and has pity on us. We should also think about it and respond with humility, becoming less attached to this world and more thoughtful about the next.

God's mercy to his people is different. It lasts longer than their lives and continues beyond their present state (Psalm 103:17-18). Those who receive this mercy are the ones who fear God, that is, those who are truly religious in heart and life. They live by faith, keeping God's covenant. They have taken hold of it and keep firm hold of it, because they value it as their treasure, their portion, and their life. They also live in obedience, remembering his commandments in order to do them. If they do not obey his commands, then they are not truly keeping his covenant.

Only those who make conscience of God's commands will enjoy the benefit of his promises. The people with a good memory here are not just those who can repeat God's words, but those who remember them in order to obey them and be guided by them (Psalm 111:10). The mercy that belongs to such people will last longer than their lives on earth. So they need not be troubled if their lives are short, because even death will not cut short their blessing. God's mercy is better than life, because it outlives life itself.

This is true for their souls, which never die. The Lord's mercy is toward them from everlasting to everlasting, from his eternal purpose before the world was made to the glory that will come when this world is gone. They are chosen for this inheritance (Ephesians 1:11), and they look for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life. It is also true for their children, who will be kept through the ages (Psalm 102:28). His righteousness, meaning the truth of his promise, will remain for their children's children, if they follow the faith of their fathers and keep his covenant too. Then his mercy will continue to them, even to a thousand generations.