Scripture Daily

Context No. 1493 of 4322 · Psalms

Context · Reflection

Psalms 103:1-16: in context

1Praise the LORD, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! 2Praise the LORD, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits, 3who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, 4who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, 5who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6The LORD executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed. 7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel. 8The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. 9He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. 10He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. 11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. 12As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. 14For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust. 15As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.

This psalm calls the soul to bless the LORD and not forget his benefits: he forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases, redeems your life, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger; he does not deal with us according to our sins; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions. And then a tender line: as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him, for he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

The line that comforts is the one about our frailty: he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. God does not deal with us as though we were stronger than we are. He knows exactly what we are made of, remembers that we are dust, frail, weak, easily broken, and his compassion takes our weakness into account. The image the psalm gives is a father's compassion; a good father does not expect of a small child the strength of a grown man, but is gentle with the child's frailty, patient with its stumbling, because he knows what it is. So God, the psalm says, is with us. He remembers we are dust, and his dealings with us are shaped by that tender knowledge; he pities rather than crushes, is patient rather than exacting, gentle with the weakness he understands better than we do. There is deep comfort in this for those who are all too aware of their own frailty and failure. God is not surprised by our weakness, not disappointed to discover that we are dust; he knew it all along, remembers it always, and deals with us in the light of it, with a father's compassion. He does not expect the dust to be granite. And because he knows our frame, his mercy is gentle, patient, understanding of the weakness that so troubles us. The God who removed our sins as far as east from west is the God who remembers we are dust and pities us as a father pities his children.

Do I fear that God is harsh with my weakness and disappointed by my frailty, or can I rest in this tender truth, that he knows my frame and remembers I am dust, and deals with me not as granite but with the gentle compassion of a father who knows exactly what his child is made of?

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