A Psalm of Thanksgiving
Turning your Bibles to Psalm 103, a familiar passage to most of us, I would imagine. Psalm 103 is a psalm of thanksgiving. We will, God willing, return to our studies in three days. Third. Well, for tonight, as I said, a Psalm of thanksgiving, beginning in verse one, I'll read the entirety. A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to such as keep his covenant, and to those who remember his commandments to do them. The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this wonderful psalm, we thank you for the life of David that we find in Holy Scripture, and certainly a demonstration of the grace of God Most High, not only in terms of the temporal, the way that you preserved him through all of the many enemies that he had to face in terms of the Philistines, in terms of Saul, but especially we see Your grace magnified in the salvation of a sinful man. And Lord God, as He communicates these things to us now, give us ears to hear and hearts to receive these things, and may we ponder and may we reflect and may daily We understand the gratitude and the thankfulness that we should bring to You, Most High God, for certainly You have not dealt with us according to our sin. You have not rewarded us according to our transgression. You have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, and we rejoice in that. And we pray even now that you would forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness, cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lamb, and fill us by your grace with the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. And we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, as we look at this particular Psalm, we'll notice in the first place, this reminder to bless God in verses one and two. David talks to himself, and I think it's instructive for us to listen in. Secondly, we'll notice the reasons to bless God in verses three to 18. And then finally, we see a reflection upon the kingdom of God, which furnishes another reason to bless God. When we consider his sovereignty, when we consider his government, when we consider the reality of divine providence. But let's just pick up first with reference to the reminder to bless God in verses one and two. Notice he is talking to himself after the inscription of Psalm of David. He says, bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name. This isn't the only place in the Psalter that David speaks to himself. In Psalm 42, and again in Psalm 43, in those Psalms he is undergoing some melancholy. He's of a heavy heart, he is depressed, he is sorrowful. And so he counsels himself this way, Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance. So David speaks to himself to remind himself to do those things that are appropriate as a blood-bought child of God Most High. And notice the self-consciousness of the effort. Bless the Lord, O my soul, all that is within me, bless His holy name. When David comes to bless God, and when we bless God, it's similar to what we have in Ephesians 1, 3, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It means to speak well of him. It means to ascribe praise to him. It means to speak in a manner that is consistent with those who have received the grace of God. We were guilty and undone. God in his grace delivered us. We respond with that gratitude. So when David comes to deal with his own soul, he doesn't want 50% of David. He doesn't want 75% of David. He wants all of David to praise God for all of His grace. And that's the emphasis in verse 1. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Are we oftentimes guilty of holding back? Are we oftentimes guilty of being sluggish in public worship? Sluggish when we come to God in our private worship? Are we sluggish by and large when it comes to our dealings with God? If so, we need to imitate David. We need to take ourself by the scruff of the neck and we need to say, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. As he rehearses the reasons to bless God, we'll see why he does this. It isn't just the case, or it isn't the case that we just give, you know, about 50 cents worth of praise to God. In light of the fact that God has saved us, in light of the fact that God has delivered us, in light of the fact that God has dealt so graciously with us, everything in us should respond in kind. We should praise, we should adore, we should glorify. The most high. Martin Lloyd-Jones in his wonderful book called Spiritual Depression made the observation, have you not realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? You're listening to yourself and becoming a whiner and a grumbler and a complainer. Nothing ever goes the way I think it should. Woe is me. We need to talk to ourselves. We need to overcome that sort of malaise. We need to say with David, bless the Lord. Oh my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. And then notice he reminds himself. He reminds himself or rehearses the reasons to bless God. We see that pattern again structurally in Ephesians 1. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him from before the foundation of the world. In Christ we have redemption through His blood, and the Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee of our purchased possession. So the Lord God Most High gives us great fodder for praise. And so David rehearses the mercies of God so that he has that wherewithal to praise God. He says, forget not all his benefits. Turn back to the book of Deuteronomy. This was something that Yahweh cautioned the children of Israel concerning. They were not to forget God. Dale Ralph Davis says helpfully in one of his commentaries that amnesia leads to apostasy. Amnesia leads to apostasy. When we forget God, when we don't recollect God, when we're not mindful of the mercies of God, we will fall astray. We will go astray. If you look specifically at Deuteronomy chapter 6 at verse 10. So it shall be when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities, which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn out wells, which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you did not plant. Where's the emphasis? It's on God's grace. He's given this to you. He has given this to you. You didn't dig, you didn't build, you didn't work. God, in His grace, based on His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has just benefited you with this greatly. Notice, toward the end of verse 11, when you have eaten and are full, then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. It's an unfortunate reality that plenty, that affluence, that many blessings can promote in us a forgetfulness of God. This is why the proverb writer says, give me neither poverty nor riches. If I'm poor, I'm going to be tempted to go out and steal and dishonor the Lord. But if I'm rich, I'm going to be tempted to forget God. I'm going to think that my hand built this, my hand provided this, my hand delivered these goods. So Israel of old is cautioned against this forgetful attitude that we see David combating in his Psalm of Thanksgiving. Turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 8. Deuteronomy chapter 8, there's exhortation with reference to life in Canaan. And notice in verse 11, beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes, which I command you today. Verse 18, you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers as it is this day. Brethren, you have to recognize the tendency to amnesia, the tendency to forgetfulness, the tendency to not rehearse the great blessings of God. And then turn to the final section of the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 28. The curses of the covenant we see threatened by Yahweh against the children of Israel. Deuteronomy chapter 28, specifically at verse 45. Moreover, all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep his commandments and his statutes, which he commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder and on your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you in hunger and thirst and nakedness and in need of everything." Notice that. One of the reasons that they would be chastened by God is because they would come into that goodly land, they would receive the benefits from the Lord, but they would not enjoy it. Notice, because you did not serve the Lord your God, verse 47, with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything. He didn't give it to you for you to be miserable. He didn't give it for you to not rejoice. He didn't give it to you for you not to praise Him or thank Him or to exercise gratitude. He gave you those things so that you would return glory and honor and praise to Him. So back to Psalm 103, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. He says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits. This is the importance of reminder. in the Christian life. We do this privately when we pray, when we read our scriptures, we do this corporately when we gather together for the worship of God. The Lord's supper is a great time to rehearse and recall and remember the blessing of God most high for us. Do this in what? In remembrance of me. If we're not remembering him consciously, we will be forgetting him. David understands that tendency and David in his own soul wrestling seeks to overcome that. Now notice secondly, in verses three to 18, the reasons to bless God. And I wanna break this down into three sections. First, he identifies the gifts in verses three to five. He then underscores the recipients of the gifts in verses six and seven, but he highlights and camps on the giver of the gifts in verses eight to 18. Notice with reference to the identification of the gifts, you see that in verses three to five. Notice. who forgives all your iniquities. That's the spiritual aspect. That's the spiritual referent. That's the spiritual emphasis. And then the remainder deals with the physical, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Brethren, we typically tend to only focus upon the spiritual, but as those who have received much from God, we ought to imitate David in terms of thanksgiving and blessing. Not only do we bless him for the forgiveness of sins, and that is a recurring theme throughout this psalm, but we bless him for the temporal benefits that he loads us with daily. We have been enriched by the abundance of God most high. We are wanting and lacking for nothing. And so we ought to follow in David's train and praise the Lord and bless the Lord for the good things that he gives us. Let's start with this spiritual blessing. Notice he camps on the forgiveness of sins. Verse three, who forgives all your iniquities. Now, David was a man who was conscious of his own sin. David was a man who was conscious of his own rebellion against the living and true God. David understood what it was to be a transgressor. David wasn't, you know, the Sunday school champ with all the gold stars for having done all his homework and never got in getting out of line. David was a wretch saved by sovereign grace. 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 underscore specifically that apex of sin in the life of David, king of Israel. When the kings went out to battle, as was the custom, David didn't go. David sent Joab and David stayed at home. And from his vantage point, he spied Bathsheba and we know the story. He goes into her, he commits adultery with her, and then he tries to cover up the fact that she is now pregnant with his son. Now, what does David do in order to cover up? He conspires to commit murder. In fact, when Nathan rebukes him, the guilt for murder falls squarely upon David's head. So David understood what it was to be a great sinner who stood in need of great grace. So he had that guilt, but we see the grace of God. You can turn to 2 Samuel 12. 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan comes to him. He tells him the story about that man who had the ewe lamb and the other rich man comes and exploits him and takes the lamb because he wants to barbecue it for his friends that are visiting. And David is outraged. David is upset. David is not happy with this particular scenario. Notice in 12.5, so David's anger was greatly aroused against the man and he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die, and he shall restore fourfold for the Lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity." Does David not, or he doesn't, David does not understand that David is describing David. He had no pity. Uriah the Hittite was a noble man. Uriah the Hittite would not go lay with his wife Bathsheba. Why? Because the Ark of the Covenant, Joab and the armies of Israel were out on the field of battle. So Uriah is not going to take his ease. He's not going to get drunk. He's not going to lay with his wife. He's not going to do any of that. That activated plan B in terms of David. Send him out to the hottest part of the battle and make sure that he dies. So David showed no pity. David had not one drop or ounce of pity relative to Uriah and Bathsheba. Now notice Nathan. This is every preacher's dream to get somebody at this point where they are the man. And so Nathan lets him have it. Then Nathan said to David, you are the man. Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more. See, what God is doing through the prophet here exacerbates the guilt of David's sin. David didn't have any lack. David didn't have any need. David wasn't wanting for anything. God says, I blessed you abundantly. I have profusely provided good things to you. And if it was too little, and if you would have expressed that, I would have given you more. Notice, he says, why have you despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Notice the emphasis. You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword. You have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. "'Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house "'because you have despised me "'and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. "'Thus says the Lord, "'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you "'from your own house. "'I will take your wives before your eyes "'and give them to your neighbor, "'and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this son. "'For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing "'before all Israel before the son.'" We see that played out in the life of David. You see that in the further, exploits of David. So God forgave him of his sin, but the consequences were not remitted. The consequences did not depart. That sword would not be taken away. Certainly he entered heaven. Certainly he was blood bought. He was blood washed, but there would be consequences for this crime of adultery and murder against Uriah and Bathsheba. Now notice David's confession. In verse 13, so David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. Some people think he gets off pretty easily. Well, that's all you got to do is say, I have sinned against the Lord. Notice what David doesn't do. Well, you know, Lord, if Bathsheba hadn't been out there parading her flesh, I would have never gotten into this mess. He doesn't blame Sheff. He's not the victim. He's not the haphazard or the hapless fool that sort of just wandered into this. He doesn't blame Bathsheba. He doesn't blame Uriah. He doesn't blame the Most High. He blames himself. I have sinned against Yahweh. What else could he possibly say? He owns the offense. He owns the transgression. He understands now the grace of God in a way that he had not previously. Nathan said to David, the Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. Atonement has that meaning. It's to cover. It's to put away. And that's what God does with sin. And that's why David blesses the Lord and why he says as he leads off in terms of reasons to bless the Lord, he rehearses God's forgiveness. He does this in Psalm 32, verses 1 and 2. He says, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Or in Psalm 65, verse 3, Iniquities prevail against me. As for our transgressions, you will provide atonement for them. What's the point, brethren? As the people of God who express gratitude to God, what do you think is one of the chief reasons we do so? Because my sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Spurgeon says it this way. He says, he selects a few of the choicest pearls from the casket of divine love, threads them on the string of mercy and hangs them about the neck of gratitude. He says, pardoned sin is, in our experience, one of the choicest boons of grace, one of the earliest gifts of mercy. In fact, the needful preparation for enjoying all that follows it, Till iniquity is forgiven, healing, redemption, and satisfaction are unknown blessings. Spurgeon's right. It is one of the choicest boons of grace to have our sins forgiven, to have Ephesians 1, 7, in whom we have redemption. through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Brethren, that is what Christianity is about. We don't preach a religion of do-good-ism in order to be saved. We preach the cross of our blessed Savior, the second person of the triune God, who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven. He lived for us, He died for us, and He was raised for us, so that we might be forgiven of our sin, and that we might receive the righteousness of God that avails with Him. And as well, the Geneva Bible makes this comment, that is the beginning and chiefest of all benefits, remission of sin. I suspect or I trust that you think the same. If you're forgiven tonight, you have to have your heart soar into the heavenly places with thankfulness to our blessed God. And if you are not forgiven tonight, if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, may I exhort you? May I invite you? May I encourage you to come? Because it is one of the choicest boons of our religion to have our sins washed away, to have them put away, to have them no longer where they're convicting, damning influence in our lives. So David moves them from the spiritual to the physical. He does this in Psalm 68, 19 as well. He says, blessed be Yahweh, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation. Our God is the God of salvation, and to God the Lord belong escapes from death. Now brethren, salvation comes in two forms. Spiritual in terms of us being saved from damnation, from the effect of the devil, from our sin. But salvation comes through physicality as well. How many times in our lives has God saved us? probably more times than you and I are ever conscious of. We get into cars, we jump on freeways, and we travel at a speed that is somewhat dangerous around people that we hope are all there. We hope they're not lunatics. We hope they don't just kind of do that. I mean, there's a great risk out there. Or airlines flying in a plane. You're getting into a tube, going up to about 35,000 feet, traveling what, 600 miles per hour? And again, hoping that the pilot and co-pilot don't have heart attacks and that thing come hurling down from the sky. How many times has God saved us? How many times has God spared us? How many times has God delivered us from calamity? See, for David, that was a no-brainer. Of course he's gonna thank God, not only for the forgiveness of sins, but from having been spared from Saul, from having been spared from the Philistines. In one instance, having been spared from Saul by the Philistines. Go imagine that God uses the Philistines as a savior figure for David from Saul. So David doesn't just sort of live in this life of hyper spirituality that doesn't see the physicality around him. Brother, we're not supposed to either. Our blessed savior taught us to pray that we are to ask for our daily bread. Why does he say that? Because we're physical beings. We're not ethereal, we're not angels, we're not just strumming, you know, sort of harps, laying on clouds. We're physical people that need food, we need medicine, we need exercise, we need rest, we need protection. All those things our blessed God affords, and David does not or is not remiss when it comes to rehearsing this. Notice the fact of physical healing. After, who forgives all your iniquities? And then he goes on to say, who heals all your diseases? Now brethren, again, this is not a universal principle that there will never be disease in the lives of God's people. We know that is just not the way that it is. According to the divine plan, according to the providential order, sometimes we contract diseases and we don't recover. But when it does happen, when it is the case that God brings that, we praise Him. And we praise Him even in the midst of it. We don't know the various reasons, the myriad reasons, why God has us go through the things we do, other than Romans 8. He wants to conform us unto the image of His beloved Son. And that beloved Son learned obedience through what? He learned obedience through suffering. He didn't learn obedience sitting on the beach in Tahiti reading a book on how to be obedient. It was through suffering that our blessed Savior undertook. So David rejoices in physical healing. He rejoices in his protection from calamity. Look at 4a. who redeems your life from destruction. Now, David knew what destruction was. David knew what danger was. David knew it in a way that you and I don't. The Spirit of God comes upon David in 1 Samuel chapter 16, and that's when his problems start. That's when the difficulties and challenges come. I'm sure at a later stage in his life, he would have welcomed the lion and the bear in terms of combat with reference to protecting his sheep. When he had to deal with Saul, when he had to deal with the Philistines, when he had to deal with the myriad problems that were in his life, he understood ultimately that it was God who delivered him. It was God who preserved him. It was God who protected him. I've often reported or suggested that we see that 2 Samuel 4.9, 1 Kings 1.29. So in the midst of David's life and then post Bathsheba, post consequences at the end of David's life, he's able to say, as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity. Now think about that. The redemption from all adversity doesn't mean smiles all the time. It doesn't mean ukulele music and sombreros. It doesn't mean dancing and tacos. When there is redemption from adversity, that doesn't defang the adversity. There's still trial and affliction and hardship. And again, that's the means that God ordains to conform a David under the image of David's greater son. He learned obedience, Hebrews 5.8, through suffering. That's what it's reported of concerning our blessed Redeemer. Notice the crowning with loving kindness and mercy in 4B, and the provision of temporal goods, verse 5, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. It is a most blessed reality. He rehearses the spiritual, he rehearses the physical, and in that he blesses God. He doesn't want any part of him to not bless God for the good gifts that he has received. Those are the gifts. Notice the recipients, verses 6 and 7. The Lord executes righteousness and justice, notice, for all who are oppressed. We see that pattern in the book of Exodus twice, Exodus chapter two and Exodus chapter six. God looks down and sees the oppression of the children of Israel. And it's in that spirit or in that vein that he remembers his covenant. Now, when it says that, God doesn't forget, it's speaking according to the manner of men, but it's for us, it's to instruct us, it's to teach us that God most high is compassionate toward his people. When they are oppressed, when they are suffering, When they are hurting, the Lord God is there for them. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. Brethren, we need to keep passages like this in our minds. We need to reflect upon these when we hear the various reports concerning the persecuted church. When we read of Leah, that captive in Nigeria that's been there for so many years and has two children now by a Muslim man. She's still under arrest because she won't recant her faith in our blessed savior. We need to remember passages like these. The world may forget the Leahs, but God most high never does. And why hasn't he responded more swiftly? Brethren, that is not our question to ask. We are the creature and we are the sinful creature. We have no wherewithal whatsoever to stand in judgment of God relative to His time frame and demand swift action. God acts according to His own purpose and pleasure. We can certainly, with the psalmist, say to God, arouse thyself. We can say, take your hand from your bosom and destroy the wretched. The psalmist says that in Psalm 74. But with reference to God's performance or God's execution, it's according to God's purpose and plan. But we know that he's there for the oppressed. And then notice in verse 7, He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. So the recipients of the gifts are the oppressed, the people of God. Who are the children of Israel in the New Covenant? It's the church, it's the elect, it's the blood-bought, it's the people of God. And our Lord instructs us, and our Lord is there for us. So we see the gifts, we see the recipients. Now notice the giver. And I wanna break this down into two sections. First, who God is, the perfections of God. And secondly, what God does, the blessings of God that he confers upon his people. Notice who he is or his perfections in verse eight. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. The Lord is merciful and gracious. Hmm, that means that the Lord is merciful and gracious. Brethren, any kind of preaching that strips the mercy and grace from God is not Christian preaching. In other words, this is definitionally who God is. He is his attributes. He is his perfections. He is merciful and gracious, which is good news for the people of God and is a reason why the people of God should call upon their souls to bless the Lord and all that is within me. But the fact that he's merciful and gracious is good news to the non-people of God to come to Christ and be counted among the people of God. If he's merciful and gracious, then he will not thwart those who come to him. If he's merciful and gracious, he will receive those who come to him. If he's merciful and gracious, he'll go into the temple in Jerusalem, and on the last day of the feast, the great day of the feast, He will cry aloud and he will say, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Why does Jesus say that? Because he's the great I am. And by that, we know that he's merciful and gracious. So David, as he proceeds down this list of reasons to bless God, first just stops to ponder God. We just need to think a moment about God. Who is God? Well, he's merciful and he's gracious. He abounds in this. He's not miserly. In fact, we might see something corresponding in the way that David speaks in verse one, bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name. And when he says in verse eight, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. The God who abounds in mercy to us deserves all that is within us, blessing his holy name. Turn to Jeremiah the prophet at chapter 32, promise of the new covenant. Look at the language utilized by our blessed God on how he deals with his people. Jeremiah 32 at verse 36. Now, therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel concerning the city of which you say it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence. Behold, I will gather them. out of all countries, where I have driven them in my anger, in my fury, and in great wrath. I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be my people, and I will be their God. Then I will give them one heart, one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good. I will not turn away from doing them good. He abounds in mercy. He does not turn away from doing his children good. He says, but I will put my fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from me. Now notice verse 41. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good. And I will assuredly plant them in this land. Notice with all my heart, and with all my soul." So when God comes to bless, he does it with all his heart and with all his soul. When we come to bless, do we bring 30%? Do we say, okay, arm, go ahead and praise God, or do we say, all that is within me, bless his holy name. So before he proceeds, he wants to just stop and ponder who God is. That, in and of itself, is a most blessed exercise. But then he moves on to the specific blessings that God conveys to his people in verses 9 to 18. Davis makes the observation, he says, biblical prayer seems to ponder God a good deal more than we are prone to do. I don't say that to make you feel bad. I say it to make you consider and think and reflect. Biblical prayer seems to ponder God a good deal more than we are prone to do. Right? Do we just, you know, Lord God, give me, give me, give me. Lord God, gotta have, gotta have, gotta have. I shared before when I was younger and the kids were younger and they'd come home from school or they'd be done with school and they'd come and, you know, say, hey, can we do this, can we do that, can we go here, can we... I'd say, hang on, how about you say hello? How about you just bask in the excellence that is your father? No, that's not what I'm suggesting. But how often do we do that? We come to prayer and all we're there for is to get. The leech has two daughters, as Solomon tells us. Give, give. Now certainly we can make our petitions known to God, we give him our supplications, our intercessions, our giving of thanks, but the adoration, the contemplation, the speculation on who he is, the consideration of his attributes or perfections, and the way that he blesses his people. Notice how David goes. God does not strive with us in verse 9. He will not always strive with us, nor will he keep his anger forever. He deals graciously with us, according to verse 10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. See, I told you forgiveness comes up a lot for David. When you come to bless the Lord, that is the choicest of boons that comes to the forefront. The Geneva Bible again says, who have proved by continual experience that His mercy has ever prevailed against our offenses. We are great sinners, but Christ is a great savior. Notice, he showers his people with great mercy. Verse 11, for as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward those who fear him. Notice that he forgives our sin. According to verse 12, as far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. So never forget the tether, the pole that he's tethered to is verse 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He unpacks that point by point. He unpacks that verse by verse. He gives us detailed explication of what God is to his people. And again, one of those things that just amazes David is as far as the east is from the west, So far has he removed our transgressions from us. The prophet Micah says, who is a god like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy. It's again this concept that I can't go to God, that's only the handful, those frozen chosen, they're the only ones. No, when the Savior stands up at the great day, the last day of the feast and says, if anyone comes, if anyone thirsts, let him come. If you're thirsty, guess what? Come to the one who abounds in mercy. Come to the one who abounds in grace. Come to the one who's about that. So again, he does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Likely, in the mind of the prophet, is when God took the armies of Pharaoh and cast them into the depths of the sea, that menacing army that was on the heels of the children of Israelite as they were flying or fleeing out of Egypt. And so he uses that convention, he uses that imagery, and he says, you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Notice, he says in verse 13, as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. I mentioned the passages in Exodus 2 and 6. God looks down upon the children of Israel and he sees their oppression. As well, Deuteronomy 1, 31, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son in all the way that you went until you came to this place. He is tender toward his children, according to verse 13. And then notice in verse 14, for he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust. Isn't that beautiful, brethren? Our God knows what we're about. Our God knows that the good we wish to do, we don't always do. The evil we don't wanna do, we find ourselves doing. The apostle Paul writes that under inspiration in Romans chapter seven. He writes in Galatians five, that the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit lusts against the flesh. And these two are contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that you want. There is remaining corruption in the lives of God's people. Does God disenfranchise us? Oh, he's born again. He's believed on Jesus. And then he had this thought, so I'm gonna cut him off. I'm gonna cast him away. Brethren, that's not gospel. Any gospel where a saved person can become unsaved reflects poorly upon the Savior. If the Savior cannot do what he's come to do, then it reflects upon him. Now, I'm not suggesting we go out and sin that grace may abound, but I am suggesting he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust. Remember the words of our blessed Jesus, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And then notice, he underscores this in verses 15 to 18 by essentially saying, he's always this way to us. He is never going to stop being this way to us. As for man, his days are like grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. See, there's a transitory nature relative to the creature. There is a transitory nature relative to each and every human being. We're here for a time, and then we're gone. We might begin to think of God's perfections or His attributes or His mercy or His grace in like fashion. Well, it's there for a time. It's there when I'm performing well. It's there when I'm reading my Bible. It's there when I'm going to church. But it may not be there when I take a turn for the worse. when I am prone to wander or prone to leave the God that I love. No, verse 17, the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children, to such as keep his covenant and to those who remember his commandments to do that. So again, this mercy and grace that Yahweh abounds in isn't transitory. It isn't fleeting. It's not just here for a brief season, and then we say, wow, you know, I wish I would have capitalized on that grace when it was available to me. No, God Most High is what He is to His people always. Spurgeon says how vast the contrast between the fading flower and the everlasting God. How wonderful that His mercy should link our frailty with His eternity and make us everlasting too. From old eternity, the Lord viewed His people as objects of mercy and as such chose them to be partakers of His grace. The doctrine of eternal election is most delightful to those who have light to see it and love wherewith to accept it. It is a theme for deepest thought and highest joy. Amen, brother Spurgeon. He ends the Psalm on the high note, the reflection on the kingdom of God. And again, this furnishes yet another reason to bless God. Notice in verse 19, the establishment of God's throne and the scope of his rule. The Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom, notice, rules over all. Not just the church, not just the people of God, but His kingdom rules over all. His empire is universal. It is extensive. It is comprehensive. Now notice, the man who began with himself in verse one, bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name, is now gonna call upon the created order to join with Him, to bless this God for the very reasons that He has given, for the very perfections that He has indicated. Notice in verse 20, bless the Lord, you His angels who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion. And then He ends where He began, bless the Lord, Oh my soul. But he doesn't end where he began without first saying to the angels, to the created order, to everybody, to everything, to us in Chilliwack in this situation, to bless the Lord. And you shouldn't come away from this Psalm saying, well, why David? Because I just told you why, because who God is and because what God does, because he is merciful and because he is abounding in grace. In conclusion, the practical benefits of blessing God and being thankful. I would suggest, first of all, thankfulness keeps us in good company. Thankfulness keeps us in good company. The angels, the servants, the hosts, and all his works, When all around us are complaining and whining and bickering and murmuring, what do we find is a good remedy and antidote to that? It is to bless the Lord. It is to praise God. It is to recognize the calamity going on in the world. It is to intercede on behalf of those very needy situations. but as well, it is a time for us to reflect upon who God is, and upon what God does, and upon the blessed reality that ultimately, this is His project. That is a very liberating thought, brethren. It's a liberating thought for a pastor to realize with reference to the church, you preach, you pray, you do what you're supposed to do, but in the final analysis, God really is sovereign. And the same is true outside the walls of the church. We vote, we get involved, we again intercede, we try to tell people not to be fools and to vote in a particular way. But in the final analysis, isn't it heart blessed to realize that God has got this, to realize what the emphasis of verse 19 indicates. The Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. I would suggest, secondly, Thanksgiving directs us to God and keeps our eyes off of self and sin. I think Lord Jones is right. One of the biggest problems we have is that we listen to ourselves instead of talking to ourselves. And we tend to listen to ourselves all the time, because at root, we're narcissists. It's all about me, myself, and I, that unholy trinity. Well, what does thankfulness do? It causes us, at least for a time, to stop looking at ourselves and to look to God, to thank God, to bless God. with all that is within us. Thirdly, thankfulness keeps our eyes and affections upon God. James 5, is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing Psalms. What does James say? He says in various situations, in various difficulties, in various times of rejoicing, the same focus, the same orientation is necessary. You're to be consumed with and concerned for the glory of God most high. And then Thanksgiving promotes the proper disposition for God's children. It promotes praising the Lord. See, that threefold sort of, you know, breakdown of the catechism, guilt, grace, gratitude. We ought not to be shy with the gratitude, brethren. We ought not to be stingy or miserly with the gratitude. We're not Ebenezer Scrooge. We have been graced immeasurably by God Most High, which evokes or should evoke from us that gratitude given to God. It promotes the fear of the Lord. We see that in verse 13, as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. and it promotes dependence on the Lord. Verse 17, the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children. And then the final thing, you can turn to the book of Colossians. We'll end in just a moment. Colossians chapter one reminds us that thanksgiving keeps us ever mindful of the blood of Christ. Colossians chapter one, specifically at verses nine to 14, Paul gives the characteristics of a worthy walk. You've been saved by grace through faith in Jesus. How then are you supposed to function? How then are you supposed to live? Well, he tells us you're to be fruitful in every good work, 10b. You're to increase in the knowledge of God, 10C. You're gonna be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power for all patience and long suffering with joy, verse 11. And then he highlights thankfulness. Notice verse 12, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the life. Don't miss the connection. What are the characteristics of a worthy walk? Yes, you're supposed to be fruitful in good works. Yes, you're supposed to grow in the knowledge of God. Yes, you're supposed to be strengthened so that you can deal with the various turmoils and hardships in life. But you're supposed to be thankful. You're supposed to have gratitude. That is a characteristic of a worthy walk before God Most High. And then he rehearses specific things in terms of giving of thanks. Notice. giving thanks, verse 12, to the Father, who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints and the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. So this disposition, this proclivity, if you will, to thankfulness causes us to reflect upon that precious blood. Jesus, or rather David, reflects on the forgiveness of sin that he has as a result of our blessed Savior. We must do likewise. We must muse, we must contemplate, we must reflect and rehearse these great blessings so that we can live a life of gratitude and thankfulness to our blessed God. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you so very much for this psalm of thanksgiving. We thank you so very much for all that you've done in our lives. This emphasis in Colossians on this transfer from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of your love. What a glorious reality, what a blessed truth. And God, as we were reminded in David's psalm, the place of forgiveness of sins and the temporal provision and protection that you afford to your people. God help us to see your blessings each and every day. Help us to be a thankful people and help us to bring glory and honor and praise unto you. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation.