Psalm 103:6-19
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Reflect
David King, author
I heard a story about a father and his little daughter who were walking together on a clear, winter night. The little girl said, “Daddy, I am going to count the stars.” The father heard her count to 225. Then he heard her sigh and say, “Oh dear! I had no idea that there were so many. I don’t believe I can ever count them all.”
The wise father said, “The stars are just like God’s benefits. God showers us with his blessings and benefits day by day. There are so many of them that we can never count them all.”
That assessment is so true, and God does bless us in ways we have yet to discover. Yesterday, we saw as David listed in Psalm 103 some of the personal blessings. Now, he progresses to list some of the national blessings that God has given to His people.
- There is the national blessing of God’s justice – David describes this in verses 6 and 7: “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel….” Do you remember when God brought the children of Israel out of bondage, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land? Divine intervention like that has been repeated many times without number throughout the history of the human race. God is still judge of all the earth, and we can trust him to do righteously when we call upon his name.
- There is the national blessing of God’s mercy – Verse 8 says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
- There is the national blessing of God’s patience – “He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to out iniquities” (Psalm 103:9-10). Were it not for the suffering and patience of God, every nation under heaven would have the same result as Sodom and Gomorrah. We should be thankful that God is patiently waiting for men and women to turn to him.
- There is the national blessing of God’s pardon – Verses 11-12 say, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” David speaks here using the plural pronoun. There is such a thing as national sin, just like there is such a thing as personal sin. That is why David’s son, Solomon, wrote: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people” (Proverbs 14:34). We should thank God that he is willing to forgive a nation just like he is willing to forgive an individual. He longs to bless the peoples of the earth.
- There is the national blessing of God’s pity – Verse 13 tells us, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him….” David goes on and discusses the frailty and brevity of man’s human existence. Man is compared in verses 14-18 to the grass that grows up in one day and is scorched the next; but yet in mercy and pity, God looks down upon humankind in all of its weakness, and he blesses all who keep his covenants and obey his commands.
- There is the national blessing of God’s power – Verse 19 says, “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” For the most part, God’s power is ignored by nations on this earth today. No nation in the UN fully acknowledges God’s power. They may acknowledge an individual’s right to believe it, but they refuse to adopt this truth.
If only we believed that God Omnipotent reigns, and that he causes things to happen in response to the prevailing prayer of his people, then we could see some wondrous things happen in our time. Unfortunately, many have forgotten that a nation can be blessed or that a nation can be removed. We no longer recognize the God of justice and of mercy. When we speak of thanksgiving, we often think of it as only a holiday. It has become a meaningless word. We must, once again, speak of the attributes of God and specify the benefits of God. There is another thing that we must do, and we will look at that tomorrow.
Respond
Why is it important that we look, not only at personal blessings from the Lord, but national blessings?
Do you believe God has blessed nations on this earth is spite of how they have treated him and their people? Why do you believe what you believe?