Psalms 103
Big idea: A man giving his own soul instructions. Praise Yahweh, my soul — and don't forget all his benefits, which he then lists so nothing can be forgotten: forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies. The two measurements at the centre are chosen with care. As far as the east is from the west is not a distance you can travel to the end of; north and south have poles, east and west do not. And the reason God is patient is not that we improve: he knows how we are made; he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103 blesses God for what he does for people. Psalm 104 blesses him for everything else that is alive.
103:1–7 — Don't forget all his benefits
The psalm opens by talking to itself, which is worth noticing — it is not describing gratitude but manufacturing it, and the instruction is against forgetting. Then five participles, all describing what God habitually does: forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies. And the list is deliberately un-hierarchical — sins and diseases in the same breath, with no ranking of which matters more.
1 By David. Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! 2 Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, 5 who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.
103:8–14 — As far as the east is from the west
The centre of the psalm quotes Exodus 34 and then works out what it means with three measurements. The heavens above the earth for the size of the loving kindness; east from west — the one distance that has no meeting point, unlike north and south — for how far the sins have gone; and a father's compassion for the manner. Then the ground of all three: he REMEMBERS that we are dust.
8 Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. 9 He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him. 14 For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
103:15–22 — Praise Yahweh, all you works of his
The last movement widens in stages until the psalm is much bigger than the man who started it. Grass and a flower for how long we last; everlasting to everlasting for how long the loving kindness does; and then a summons that reaches past humans entirely — angels, armies, all his works, everywhere. And the very last line returns to the one soul it began with.
15 As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more. 17 But Yahweh’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts. 19 Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all. 20 Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word. 21 Praise Yahweh, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure. 22 Praise Yahweh, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise Yahweh, my soul!
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).