Psalms in Poetic Form: PSALM 103

Click here to read PSALM 103 in poetic form.

Background

Psalm 103 is the fourteenth in the Numbers Book of the Psalms, which goes to Psalm 106. God’s rest is a major theme of these 17 Psalms, and in this specific Psalm, we see God establishing the Messiah’s kingdom and the blessings that he will bring. This may be one of the most beloved Psalms, for it is full of the Lord’s blessings and care for His people.

Structure

(Verses 1-5) Bless the Lord, O my soul, for His benefits and works

(Verses 6,7) God sending His prophet Moses to give His commandments

(Verses 8-16) The Lord’s mercy: forgiving man’s weakness and sins

(Verses 17,18) The Lord’s mercy: giving righteousness with a covenant and commandments

(Verse 19) God sending His Messiah to rule over all things

(Verses 20-22) Bless the Lord, O my soul, for His benefits and works

Key Scriptures

Verse 3—“Who forgiveth all…Who healeth all.” Jesus understood the relationship between forgiveness and healing. Luke 5:23-25: Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

Like the original Passover lamb, Jesus Christ came to bring forgiveness of sin and physical healing (I Corinthians 5:7). John the Baptist declared who Jesus was and what he was to do. He was the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Jesus Christ shed his blood for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28). His body was broken for our physical healing. Jesus Christ bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17).

Isaiah prophesied long ago of what Christ would do for us. Isaiah 53:5: But he was wounded [broken open] for our transgressions [rebellion], he was bruised [crushed and smitten] for our iniquities [perversity and evil thinking]: the chastisement [rebuke, instruction] of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes [wounds] we are healed.

Our redeemer, Jesus Christ, was “broken open” and poured out his sinless blood (Matthew 27:4; I Peter 1:19) to overcome our rebellious actions. No matter what we have ever done contrary to God’s will, it can be forgiven by the outpoured blood of Christ. His open wounds forgave our open transgressions.

Our advocate, Jesus Christ, was “crushed and smitten” to nullify our perversity and evil thinking. He overcame the death-dealing power of the Devil (Hebrews 2:14). No matter what evil thoughts we have ever entertained or hidden darkness we have concealed from others, they are forgiven by the inner contusions and unseen ruptures that Christ endured. His bruises brought release from our iniquities.

Our lord, Jesus Christ, took the most vicious “rebuke” imaginable. For almost forty hours, he was subjected to the taunts and vile cursing of devil-possessed Roman soldiers and Judean religious leaders. Even as he hung dying, he was mocked to come down from the cross and save himself as he had saved others (Matthew 27:42; Mark 15:31; Luke 23:35). Yet, because he knew that the Father was with him, he maintained a peaceful heart. It was God’s goodness and the joy set before him that gave him the strength to endure (Hebrews 12:2). No matter what devious methods Satan uses to wreak turmoil within our souls, we can stay peaceful in Christ’s atoning work. His chastisement brought us a peace that “passeth all understanding” to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).

Our savior, Jesus Christ, had his face beaten and his body ripped apart. His “stripes” brought the utmost in pain and suffering. What an immense price that our loving heavenly Father paid for our physical healing. Because we are so precious to Him, He gave us the precious gift of His Son. And Jesus Christ freely gave himself for our healing. By his stripes we have been healed (I Peter 2:24).

Verse 4—“Who redeemeth thy life.” Jesus Christ is the great redeemer (Titus 2:14) who bought us back from the deceit and violence of the Devil. The Hebrew word for “redeem” refers to a next of kin in Eastern culture. This person could buy back land, carry on a relative’s family (as Boaz did in Ruth), avenge wrongdoing, and save those under duress. Ruth 4:14: “And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman [Hebrew word for “redeemer”], that his name may be famous in Israel.”

Verse 5—”Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” There have been many explanations put forth for the renewing like an eagle. Some facts about the bald eagle show that it is constantly changing its feathers at different seasons of life, yet God provides the perfect plumage at each stage.

During its first four weeks, the eaglet’s fluffy white down transforms to a gray and woolly down. One week later, brown and black feathers start to grow, and it gets all of its feathers after 10 weeks. During its first year, the juvenile eagle is dark in color, and over the next four years progressively changes until it has its adult feathers. Even its eyes change from a gray-black to a bright yellow. Whereas the dark and speckled feathers of the juvenile allow it to blend in to its surroundings for protection, the white head and tail of the adult show that it is able to fend for itself.

The key is that God constantly renews the eagle as is needed throughout its life. The same is true for those who trust in the Lord and remember His wonderful benefits.

Verses 11,12—“as the heaven is high above the earth” “As far as the east is from the west.” God’s loving kindness is higher than heaven above the earth. He has cast away our transgressions as far as east from west. These are terms that show infinity. Heaven cannot be attained in a human journey from earth. East and west never meet (although north and south have poles) as the earth spins on its axis. God love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness are unending.

Verse 19—”The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” This refers to the throne of God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. God is ruler over all for all time.  He promised that David’s heir, the Messiah, would sit upon David’s throne forever. The Prophet Nathan spoke this vision to David (II Samuel 7:16; I Chronicles 17:12); Solomon declared this promise (I Kings 2:45); and the Prophet Isaiah reminded God’s people of it (Isaiah 9:7).

All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!

FOR FURTHER STUDY

All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!

The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.