Psalms · psalm 103 of 150
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Psalm 103 is a hymn of David that addresses his own soul to bless the Lord and forget none of his benefits: he forgives all iniquity, heals, redeems from the pit and crowns with steadfast love. It declares that God is merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love, that he removes our transgressions as far as the east is from the west, and that his love is eternal though human life is brief.
Psalm 103 bears David's name in its title and is counted among the best-loved psalms, alongside Psalm 23. It is in Book IV, right after the prayer of the afflicted in Psalm 102, and answers it with a praise that looks back to what God did for Moses and Israel and ahead to the eternity of his love. It opens and closes with the same call: bless the Lord, O my soul.
David begins by speaking to himself: bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of his benefits. He lists them: the Lord forgives all your iniquity, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, and satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Then he moves from the personal to the communal. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed and made known his ways to Moses and his acts to the people of Israel. Here is the central description of God: merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse nor keep his anger forever; he does not deal with us according to our sins. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him, for he knows our frame and remembers that we are dust.
Human life is like grass, it flourishes like a flower of the field, the wind passes over it and it is gone. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children. His throne is established in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all. The psalm ends by calling the angels, the heavenly hosts and all his works to bless him, and once more his own soul.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
David tells himself not to forget the Lord's benefits: he forgives all his iniquity and heals all his diseases. Forgiveness and healing are mentioned together, as gifts of the same compassionate God.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. These are the words with which God made himself known to Moses in Exodus 34:6, and the rest of the psalm unfolds them.
His steadfast love is as great as the heavens are high above the earth, and he removes our transgressions as far as the east is from the west. It is a picture of the complete forgiveness God grants to those who fear him.
As a father shows compassion to his children, the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him, for he knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. God knows our frailty and does not use it against us.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: To his own soul, which he tells to bless the Lord and forget none of his benefits. — Psalm 103:1-2
Answer: God forgives iniquity, heals diseases, redeems from the pit, crowns with steadfast love and satisfies with good, renewing youth. — Psalm 103:3-5
Answer: Merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. — Psalm 103:8
Answer: As far as the east is from the west. — Psalm 103:12
Answer: To a father who shows compassion to his children. — Psalm 103:13
Answer: To grass and to a flower of the field, which the wind carries away. — Psalm 103:15-16
Psalm 103 invites a simple spiritual discipline: remembering. David tells himself not to forget what God has done. In a small group we can make a list aloud of the benefits we have received, forgiveness, health, provision, care, and give thanks. Ingratitude begins with forgetting.
It also comforts anyone carrying guilt. The psalm says that God does not deal with us according to our sins and that he has removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west. That does not excuse sin, but it keeps repentance from turning into despair. Christians see in the cross of Christ how that forgiveness was made possible, and in a God who is Father the assurance that he knows and pities us.
Psalm 103 ends with all creation blessing the Lord. Psalm 104 continues in that line with a hymn to God as Creator: his wisdom, his care for the earth and its creatures, and the invitation to bless the Lord again with the soul.
It is a picture of renewed vigor. God gives new strength to those who seek him, as Isaiah 40:31 says of those who wait for the Lord. It does not promise that the years do not pass, but that God renews the spirit and strength of his people.
Because his steadfast love forgives and does not repay each person what they deserve. The psalm does not minimize sin but shows God's goodness, which is completed in the work of Christ, who bore our sins on the cross.
The title attributes it to David and tradition has accepted that. Some scholars point to features of the language that relate to later texts, but the text gives no data to decide. In any case it is a personal testimony of gratitude.