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Psalm 103. The focus of the psalmist in 
this particular psalm is thanksgiving for the mercy of God, a good 
theme for us to consider on this Lord's Day Sabbath this evening 
as we enter into a new week. Certainly, as God's people, we 
ought to manifest a disposition of thankfulness. That was the 
reason for the reading in Colossians 1, several times in that brief 
epistle, the apostle Paul. tells the people of God. They 
are to be thankful, certainly as those who have received the 
grace of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We ought to be 
a thankful lot, and we ought to return praise to our God. 
I'll begin reading in Psalm 103 at verse 1. 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 lovingkindness and tender 
mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your 
youth is renewed like the eagle's. 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. Well, let us pray. God, we thank 
you for the written word. We pray now for the Holy Spirit, 
the Giver of the Word. We ask that He would help us 
to understand these things and move us to a thankfulness, a 
disposition of gratitude to the God who has saved us by His grace 
and for His glory. May we be an appreciative people 
in light of a crucified and risen Savior. May we indeed be able 
to look through the trying times in which we live and see enthroned 
at the right hand of the majesty of God on high, our King of kings 
and our Lord of lords. Cause us as your people to reflect 
your goodness and cause us as your people to manifest thankfulness 
to you. And may others see this and may 
others be struck by this, that we are a people who acknowledge 
the graciousness and the mercy and the kindness of our good 
God. And we pray that you would be with us now, forgiving us 
of all of our sins and our transgressions, and encouraging our hearts by 
your grace and for your glory. And we ask these things through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, I believe this psalm 
breaks down into three primary parts. The first is the reminder 
to bless God in verses 1 and 2. David speaks to himself. David 
talks to himself. In these days of Bluetooth, this 
is a good thing. Bluetooth enables us to be able 
to talk to ourselves without people thinking we're nuts. Because 
if they see us talking to ourselves in our vehicles, typically they 
suspect that we're on the phone. But those of us who have made 
it a practice of talking to ourselves for many years are thankful for 
that welcome relief, that not everybody thinks we're nuts because 
we're moving our mouths in a car where we're the only ones. But 
David reminds himself. David calls upon himself to bless 
God, verses 1 and 2. Secondly, he provides reasons 
for himself to bless God. In other words, not only does 
he remind himself, but he gives him the fodder necessary to provoke 
and promote that blessing of God. And then in the third place, 
there is a recognition of the Kingdom of God in verses 19 to 
22. It's very intriguing. He starts 
off by talking to himself. He starts off by reminding himself. And then in verses 19 to 22, 
after highlighting the sovereignty of God Most High, he calls upon 
the entire created order to bless the Lord along with Him. So what 
begins as a soliloquy, what begins as talking to oneself, becomes 
a means by which David then calls upon angels, the hosts, the ministers, 
all of God's works to bless His holy name. Now certainly the 
word bless, as we understand it, when it comes from God to 
us, when He blesses us, that means He prospers us, He makes 
us happy, He multiplies good things to us. When we bless God, 
it means to speak well of Him. It means to magnify His name. 
This is the thrust in Ephesians 1, where the Apostle says, 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. 
So as God blesses us, we then bless Him. We don't give Him 
things. We don't add to Him in any sense 
or shape whatsoever as if we could possibly add to God, but 
we ascribe praise to Him. And at the root of all of this 
is a thankful heart, a heart of gratitude for what the Lord 
has done in the lives of His people. So let's look first at 
this reminder to bless God in verses 1 and 2. It's a psalm 
of David. The inscription there tells us 
as much. Now that's the first verse in the Hebrew Bible. Unfortunately, 
at least my new King James doesn't number those superscriptions. That psalm of David is actually 
verse one. It is inspired scripture. You 
may have a chapter heading there that says, praise for the Lord's 
mercies. That's not inspired. But the 
psalm of David is inspired. It ought to be read. It ought 
to be heard. It ought to be listened to. So it's David, that man after 
God's own heart, who is speaking praise to the Lord. Notice, he 
says, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless 
His holy name. It's a very intriguing statement. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. In other 
words, God is so worthy and so excellent and so glorious, it's 
not just a part of us that ought to respond. It's not just a Sunday 
part. It's not just a heart part. It's 
not just a little part. It's not just the religious aspect. 
But he says, bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within 
me. The Lord God Most High has redeemed 
us. The Lord God Most High has saved 
us. The Lord God Most High has indeed 
forgiven us of our sins, and as a result, the people have 
got up to bless the Lord, not with just a part, not with just 
a piece, not with just a little bit, and not just on one day, 
but all that is within us ought to bless his holy name." He practices 
this talking to himself elsewhere in Psalms 42 and 43. There he 
says, why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope thou in God. David was no stranger to these 
soliloquies, to this self-discussion, to this encouragement and exhortation 
from himself to himself. C.H. Spurgeon says, soul music 
is the very soul of music. The psalmist strikes the best 
key note when he begins with stirring up his inmost self to 
magnify the Lord. He soliloquizes, holds self-communion, 
and exhorts himself as though he felt that dullness would all 
too soon steal over his faculties, as indeed it will over us all 
unless we are diligently on the watch. This is a helpful remedy 
to protect ourselves from falling prey to a laziness, to a slothfulness, 
to a forgetfulness. This may need to be practiced 
in public worship. We may need to talk to ourselves. 
If you start opening your mouth and you start doing that, and 
I know there's not Bluetooth here, I might think you're a 
little nuts. But we might need to talk to ourselves and say, 
we're not supposed to think about tomorrow. We're not supposed 
to be thinking about the debate tonight. We're not supposed to 
be thinking about this contract this week. We're supposed to 
be paying attention, because God the Lord has promised His 
blessing wherever people gather together and wherever the preaching 
of the Word comes. We need to rouse ourselves to 
attentiveness, and we need to rouse ourselves to a commitment 
to our Lord. Martin Lloyd-Jones says, 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? I love that. David talks to himself. Lloyd-Jones says, have you not 
realized the most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that 
you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself? 
Now, certainly you'd say, well, if I'm talking to myself, I must 
be listening to myself. But the priority is noteworthy. We need to talk to ourselves. 
We need to rouse ourselves. We need to say, bless the Lord, 
O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. And 
in case David didn't get it the first time, David repeats it 
in verse 2. He says in verse 2, bless the 
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Isn't that 
something? David acknowledges the propensity 
or the tendency within the heart of a redeemed sinner to forget 
the Lord's benefits. Is it possible that we fall prey 
to that? Is it possible that we're not 
a more thankful people? That we don't exercise this gratitude 
more faithfully and diligently? That we don't rouse ourselves 
up in the totality of our redeemed humanity to bless the Lord because 
we fall in prey to that? We have forgotten the Lord's 
benefits. Perhaps in the mind of David 
is what God commanded Israel. Deuteronomy chapter 6. You can 
turn there. It's very important because I 
think the command is there for a reason. Well, all commands 
are there for a reason, but certainly the Lord saw the potential. If 
Israel forgets God, if Israel forgets His benefits, then Israel 
is going to go astray. Notice in Deuteronomy chapter 
6, specifically at verse 12. Well, beginning in 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. 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." You see the temptation. 
You see the possible trajectory. They reap the benefits of the 
kindness of God, they enjoy the vineyards, they enjoy the houses, 
they enjoy the stuff, and they forget the giver. They forget 
the reality that it was the Lord who handed these things to them. And there is a beware here. Beware 
of forgetting this goodness of our God. Notice as well, Deuteronomy 
8, verse 11. Same idea, 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. You 
see the close connection there. 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. You forget God, and 
you engage in covenant breaking. You remember God, and hopefully 
you'll serve Him, adore Him, honor Him, and bless His holy 
name. Look at those covenant curses in Deuteronomy 28. We've 
said much about those in recent days in our morning worship. 
But specifically, Deuteronomy chapter 28, verse 47. One of the aspects of the unfaithfulness 
of Israel is described in 2847. 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. And he will put a yoke of iron 
on your neck until he has destroyed you. Look at that. Because you 
did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart 
for the abundance of everything. Because they forgot. because 
they thought that their hands had provided this. It's because 
they thought that they somehow were worthy of this, or that 
they somehow deserved this. And because they forgot God, 
they did not serve God with joy and gladness of heart. So back 
to our psalm, David rouses his soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul, 
and forget not all His benefits. Brethren, you need to recognize 
in your own heart there is a tendency, a propensity, and yea, maybe 
even the reality of a forgetfulness of who God is. We need to rouse 
ourselves. We need to speak to ourselves. 
We need to take the psalm and make it our own. Now note the 
second place, the reasons to bless God. The end of verse 2, 
he says, forget not all his benefits. It seems fitting that David will 
now list his benefits. It seems fitting and appropriate 
that David will now tell us, or tell himself, what God has 
done. These are the reasons why you 
ought to bless the Lord. These are the reasons you ought 
to praise the Lord. These are the reasons you ought 
to worship the Lord. This is the stuff that thankfulness 
feeds upon. And note in the first place the 
spiritual blessing. After saying, forget not all 
his benefits, we move into the reasons to bless God in verses 
3 to 18. Note that chief boon in verse 
3. Who forgives all your iniquities? We could just stop right there, 
couldn't we? David could have stopped right there. Well, he 
wants to magnify the mercy behind this forgiveness. That's the 
bulk of the psalm. It is to magnify God for His 
mercies to David. Think about that. He says, who 
forgives all your iniquities? You know the Heidelberg Catechism. 
Many of you grew up memorizing it or going to classes and hearing 
it taught and expound it. There is a pattern or a structure 
involved in that catechism that reflects redemptive reality. The first section deals with 
guilt, our guilt before a holy God, our sin before a holy God, 
our breaking of His law, the reality that we don't keep His 
law, that we don't love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and 
strength, that we don't love our neighbors as ourselves. Guilt 
is the first section. And then it moves on to grace. 
How God overcomes the guilt of man, the sin of man, the transgression 
of man, by His gracious activity in the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. The application of redemption 
comes to vile, guilty, helpless sinners. It doesn't come to the 
upright, it doesn't come to the polished, it doesn't come to 
the well-performed, it rather comes to guilty sinners. Guilty, 
vile, helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He. Full atonement, 
can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior. And 
then after guilt and after grace, then comes what? Gratitude. That is the redeemed sinner's 
response to the goodness of our God. Gratitude. We thank the 
Lord. We praise the Lord. We bless 
the Lord. We obey the Lord in all that 
He says by the Spirit and according to His will. Spurgeon comments 
on this aspect of forgiveness. He says he selects a few of the 
choicest pearls from the casket of divine love, threads them 
on a string of memory, and hangs them about the neck of gratitude. 
Isn't this why we love Spurgeon? That's a beautiful statement, 
isn't it? It's just so wonderful. He selects a few of the choice's 
pearls from the casket of divine love, threads them on the string 
of memory, and hangs them about the neck of gratitude. He says, 
pardoned sin is, in our experience, one of the chiefest 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. So David starts with this conspicuous 
reference to the spiritual aspects of God's dealings with him. But he doesn't stop there. Notice 
he goes on. Verse 3b, who heals all your 
diseases. Now, I don't think that's a general 
maxim that every single person ought to apply that's a believer 
in Christ. In other words, if you have cancer, 
you have some terrible malady, you can't come to Psalm 103, 
verse 3b, and say, well, God hasn't healed my disease. This 
isn't a Benny Hinn proof text. This isn't the health, wealth, 
and prosperity proof text. This is probably true in David's 
life, and certainly it is a general principle in terms of God's faithfulness 
in his dealings with his people. But we do err and we do come 
into some grief when we take these things and we press them 
and we prosecute them and we say that God is not fit or God 
is not legit with reference to His promise here. Now David is 
pronouncing a general maxim, who heals all your diseases. Again, the experience of Israel 
was such. They were protected by God while 
they were in Egypt from all of the various diseases that were 
in Egypt. God brings them out and he tells 
them that those particular things, dysentery and elephantiasis and 
all those wretched, horrible things that were in Egypt, they're 
not going to be upon you in the land of Canaan, the land of promise 
that you inherit by God's grace and mercy. Notice, not only the 
fact of physical healing, but he says in verse 4, who redeems 
your life from destruction. The protection from calamity. 
I wonder at times how many times we've been spared from a horrible 
car crash. Do you ever wonder that? How 
many times we should have bought it, humanly speaking? How many 
times has God delivered us? How many times has God redeemed 
our lives from destruction? Again, David knew this very, 
very intimately, because David was hunted like a dog by Saul. 
David knew what it was to be on the run. David knew what it 
was to be in danger. Toils, trials, tribulations, 
and twice in David's history, inscripturated for us, he says 
that Yahweh has delivered me from every adversity. prior to 
his incident with Bathsheba, and even after the incident with 
Bathsheba and Uriah. Twice in his history, David says, 
the Lord has delivered me from every adversity. He has delivered 
us as well. He has preserved us. He has kept 
us. He keeps us safe. Notice in 4b, 
who crowns you with lovingkindness. That's that chesed, that steadfast 
love, with lovingkindness and tender mercies. He crowns us. He doesn't just put a sock on 
our feet with it. He crowns us with these things. 
The tender mercies of God. The loving kindness of God. He 
causes to fall upon us richly. You see, we need to appreciate 
that. And I think that this psalm promotes an appreciation of that. 
That God, in His dealings with sinners, is not miserly. He's 
not scrooge-like. He doesn't just apportion out 
a few units. But rather, He is abundant. The 
psalmist says that. He is abundant. He begraces us. This is Paul's language in Ephesians. The God of heaven and earth has 
bestowed largely upon us. And this is what David is rehearsing 
as he blesses the Lord. And then notice in verse 5, the 
provision of temporal goods. Verse 5, Who satisfies your mouth 
with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. 
Similar to what Jesus teaches us to pray, doesn't he? Give 
us each day our daily bread. David says this is the case. 
David says that this happens. He satisfies our mouth, not just 
with things. I love that Matthew-Henry quote. I think it's at the time when 
Boaz invites Ruth to dip her bread in the vinegar, to make 
it tasty. And Matthew-Henry says something 
to the effect that, you know, she could have just had the bread. 
She could have just had the nourishment and the sustenance, but no, you 
have the taste with it. You savor the goodness of it. 
That's our God, brethren. Everything could have tasted 
like dirt. Everything could have provided the exact appropriate 
portions of protein and carbs and fiber. We could have got 
daily biscuits that would have satisfied our nutritional requirements. But we would never have had a 
steak, grilled onions. We never would have had a mango 
or an avocado. We never have those blessings 
from on high. You see what David is saying? 
God gives you these good things, and you're not going to bless 
Him? You're not going to thank Him? You're not going to say, 
God Almighty, I love you, and I want to return praise to you, 
because you've given me not only that which is necessary to sustain 
life, but it's delicious, it's enjoyable. I, a wretched sinner 
that deserves the damnation of hell, get to feast like a king 
in this lower world. Praise God is what David is saying, 
from whom all blessings flow. So those are the gifts received, 
verses 3 to 5. Notice the receivers of the gifts 
highlighted in verses 6 and 7. The Lord executes righteousness 
and justice for who? For all who are oppressed. We're 
oppressed, brethren. We're oppressed by the world, 
by the flesh, by the devil. The most dangerous being, the 
flesh. There's a time and a sense where 
we could go hide on an island and be away from the ravages 
of the world. The devil isn't an omniscient, omnipotent being, 
so there may be a season or a time when he's not actually messing 
with us. But we've always got this flesh, we've always got 
this remaining corruption, or if we're outside of Christ, we 
have this reigning corruption. And the Lord comes to deliver 
these mercies and these graces and these benefits and these 
kindnesses to those who are oppressed. The people of God, described 
in verse 7, He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the 
children of Israel. So the reasons to bless God involve 
the gifts received, verses 3-5, the receivers of the gifts, verses 
6-7, and now note, His emphasis is on the giver of the gifts 
in verses 8-18. This is the reason we bless the 
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. This is the reason 
we bless the Lord, and forget not all His benefits, because 
He's this God, portrayed here for us in verses 8 to 18. Notice, in the first place, He 
is the merciful and gracious God. Verse 8. The Lord is merciful 
and gracious. Those words are very parallel, 
aren't they? Mercy and grace. They're very closely connected. 
Mercy and grace. Grace, as I'm sure you've heard, 
ad nauseum, is unmerited favor. It is God's gift to the recipient. Mercy seems to contain the nuance 
that this gracious gift comes to one who deserves punishment, 
to one who deserves wrath and curse and damnation, but God 
deals with them mercifully. God shows him pity. God shows 
him compassion. Mercy seems to include not only 
the guilt, but also the misery because of sin. I almost called 
him the apostle because he sounds like Paul here, but what David 
says in verse 8, Yahweh is merciful and gracious. This is who He 
is. God is His essence, God is His 
attributes. He is merciful and gracious. And note what He says concerning 
this in verse 8. He is slow to anger and abounding 
in mercy. Don't you love that? I've already 
pointed it out. But our God doesn't just show 
us mercy, He abounds in it. He abounds in it. He doesn't 
look at us and say, okay, you get, you know, two portions today 
because I'm really upset with you. No, he's slow to anger and 
he bounds in mercy. Do you understand that's your 
God? I think this is a tough lesson 
for the people of God to get. You mean I can come back to him 
even when I've sinned? To whom shall you go when you've 
sinned? It's like Peter to Jesus in John 6, when the Lord says, 
are you going to leave me too? And Peter says, Lord, to whom 
shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. This is where we must go. It 
is to the God of heaven and earth, who abounds in mercy. Again, 
Spurgeon. He bears no grudges. The Lord 
would not have his people harbor resentments, and in his own course 
of action, he sets them a grand example. When the Lord has chastened 
his child, he is done with his anger. He is not punishing as 
a judge, else might his wrath burn on. But he is acting as 
a father, and therefore, after a few blows, he ends the matter." 
Beautiful, isn't it? After a few blows, he ends the 
matter. He gives us the blows because he's a father who loves 
us. Right? You spare the rod, you hate the 
child, according to Solomon. Well, God loves the child, so 
he gives him the blows. The blueness of the wound scours 
away evil, according to Solomon, in Proverbs 20. But after a few 
blows, he ends the matter and presses his beloved one to his 
bosom as if nothing had happened. Now, lest you say, well, that's 
just Spurgeon with his poetic ability, musing and meditating 
and contemplating. How do you know this is the case 
with reference to the Scriptures themselves? Just look at Luke 
15. Just look at that account of that prodigal son. Just look 
at that account of that young man who's smelling like pig, 
smelling like sin, looking like filth, says, I know what I'll 
do. I'll go back to my Father and 
I'll cast myself upon His mercy. Now brethren, I do not believe 
the young man is converted here. He is not saying, I'm going to 
go and confess my sin and forsake it and live a life of righteousness 
and godliness. He wants a hot meal. He wants 
to be treated as one of his father's servants. He knows this much 
about his father that his father hires day laborers. And if the 
son, with this mercenary spirit, comes back to him and says the 
right things, then maybe he will get the place or position of 
a hired servant, and he'll at least get to eat food each day. That's the context. That's the 
situation. And yet, when he's a long way 
off, the father sees him, the father runs to him, the father 
falls on him, the father kisses him, the father takes him back 
to his house, the father orders that a ring be put on his finger 
and orders that a robe be put on his back. He orders that a 
fattened calf be slain so that they can celebrate and rejoice. 
You see, if you ever question the abundant mercies of our God, 
you're not reading the right Bible. You need to read the Scriptures, 
because it displays for us not a miserly God, but a very gracious 
God who abounds in mercy. Spurgeon goes on, or if the offense 
lies too deep in the offender's nature to be thus overcome, he 
continues to correct, but he never ceases to love. And he 
does not suffer his anger with his people to pass into the next 
world, but receives his erring child into his glory. Praise 
God that he is the God of Psalm 103. So David sets forth that 
reality, the attribute of God, or the attributes of God vis-à-vis 
His mercy and His grace. Now, look at what he does in 
verses 8 to 18. He magnifies. He says, let's 
just put mercy under the microscope now and let's parse it out. Let's 
dissect it. You kids, when you're growing 
up, you take frogs and cut them up and put them under microscopes 
and you check them out further. You investigate it more comprehensively. You've got your pencil and you've 
got your notepad, or probably now you've got your iPhone or 
your computer or your tablet or whatever it is you're recording 
notes with, but you want to investigate the inner workings of that frog 
even more. This is what David's doing here. I've mentioned His mercy. I've 
mentioned that He abounds in His mercy. Let's just explore 
this mercy. Why would this be important for 
David? Why would David want to throw the mercy of God under 
the microscope, as it were, and give it a further inspection? 
Because David is blessing the Lord. Because David is praising 
the Lord. Because David is expressing his 
gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord. And as David rehearses 
not only the Lord's kindness, he rehearses his own sinfulness. 
And David knew that mercy firsthand. David knew that mercy experientially. David knew it when he was first 
brought out of darkness into marvelous light, and he knew 
it every step of the way. He knew it when he fell into 
sin with Bathsheba. He knew it when he fell into 
sin by murder. He didn't fall, he jumped into 
these sins. And when he murdered Uriah. And 
when the prophet Nathan comes to reprove him, David understands 
this, and he says, I have sinned against Yahweh. And the prophet 
says, God has put away your sin. He knew mercy, he understood 
mercy, and he saw that he stood by mercy. Notice David's rehearsal 
of the manifestation of God's mercy in verses 9 to 18. Just before we get to these particulars, 
Ralph Davis makes this observation. He says, biblical prayer, this 
is what Psalm 103 is, biblical prayer seems to ponder God a 
good deal more than we are prone to do. Biblical prayer seems 
to ponder God a good deal more than we are prone to do. In other 
words, as we look at David, and we can see him here in his prayer 
closet, what's he doing? He's pondering God. You think 
perhaps there's a connection there? The more that we ponder 
God, the more that we'll praise God? The more that we know of 
God, the more that we'll worship God? In other words, is there 
a connection between theology and doxology? Absolutely, positively. When we rehearse the attributes 
of God in the prayer closet, when we consider His abounding 
mercy to us in our misery, and in our sin, and in our wretchedness, 
when we see the power of God delivering us, when we see the 
power of God preserving us, when we see the power of God feeding 
us on a daily basis, then hopefully we respond the way that David 
responds. Note in the first place, his 
mercy is such that he does not strive with us. Verse 9, he will 
not always strive with us, nor will he keep his anger forever. Brethren, I think as parents 
we ought to model our parenting after what we find in Psalm 103. If your child has been chastened, 
if your child has been disciplined, if you have forgiven him, then 
forgive him. Don't brood and emotionally punish 
him for six more months and make him feel bad because of what 
he's done. That's not what God does. Penance is Romish. Forgiveness is Bible. We don't 
have to walk around beating ourselves on the back. The Lord Christ 
took the punishment due for our sins. The Lord Christ bled on 
our behalf. The Lord Christ was buried, and 
the Lord Christ was raised on the third day, such that we don't 
have to put ashes in our soup to atone for our sins. We don't 
have to erect poles and sit in the wilderness in order to atone 
for our sins. The Lord our God does not strive 
with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. Notice, secondly, 
His mercy is toward the undeserving. Verse 10, He has not dealt with 
us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our 
iniquities. In some sense, it's tautological. A tautology is when you say the 
same thing over again. And in a sense, that's what this 
means. His mercy is toward the undeserving. Well, by definition, mercy comes 
to the undeserving. In other words, the one that 
is shown mercy deserves wrath, deserves hell, deserves judgment, 
deserves condemnation. But God doesn't visit that upon 
him. So we can say, with verse 10, that mercy is definitely 
toward the undeserving. He has not dealt with us according 
to our sins. Isn't that your reality? Don't 
you understand that? Haven't you mused on that many 
times yourselves? You know, we hear of certain 
things going on in this world, and oftentimes as Christians, 
we're quick to go, wow, that's terrible, without reflecting 
upon ourselves. We have sinned a great deal against 
a holy God, and He doesn't deserve, or He hasn't, we don't deserve 
this mercy. He has not dealt with us according 
to our sins, nor has He punished us according to our iniquities. 
Notice as well, His mercy is infinite. Verse 11, God is His 
attributes. God is His attributes, and His 
mercy is infinite, as God is infinite. Note verse 11, for 
as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy 
toward those who fear Him. I don't think heavens there means, 
you know, Pluto. Once you get to Pluto, then the 
mercy ends. You know, you're good until Pluto. Well, I don't 
know, Pluto is not a planet anymore, so whatever, the next to last, 
I know the planets, I don't want to rehearse them though, Neptune, 
right? That's the almost last one now. The heavens means the heavens 
of God. His mercy is infinite. It doesn't 
wear out. There's not a cap. There's not 
a limitation. You've used it all up, you've 
exhausted the mercy of God, no more for you, too bad for you, 
out you go. His mercy is infinite. As the 
heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward 
those who fear Him. Notice as well, His mercy is 
thorough. Verse 12, as far as the East 
is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions 
from us. It's thorough. He doesn't leave 
some there. He doesn't leave some unatoned 
for. He doesn't leave some unforgiven. But as far as the East is from 
the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Notice as well, His mercy is 
tender. I think I love verse 13. It's 
probably not, I don't think I love it. I do love it. But in my mind, 
this is one of those, those boons above the boons with reference 
to Psalm 103. As a father pities his children, 
so the Lord pities those who fear him. Don't we need pity? 
I mean, we're pitiable creatures, aren't we? We're wretches. And 
the fact is, our God pities us. Look at Deuteronomy 1 for just 
a moment. Deuteronomy chapter 1. Beautiful 
image of what God is to Israel. Deuteronomy chapter 1. specifically verse 26. Nevertheless, 
you would not, I'm sorry, verse 29. Then I said to you, do not 
be terrified or afraid of them. The Lord, your God who goes before 
you, he will fight for you according to all he did for you in Egypt 
before your eyes 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. Do you know how many times the 
children of Israel whined and grumbled and complained when 
they were in the wilderness? Do you know that in the wilderness 
this was a season of God's great blessing, God's great provision, 
God's great protection? 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. 
Aren't these images in our Bibles to promote in our hearts an appreciation 
for the fatherhood of God, that He is what is described in Psalm 
103, 13, as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities 
those who fear Him. His mercy is sympathetic, verse 
14, for He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. 
He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. 
I think at times, brethren, we need to rehearse this And we 
need to recall this, and we need to understand this, and we need 
to roll it in our minds and our hearts, because we forget who 
God is. We forget the reality set forth 
in Psalm 103. And instead of blessing the Lord, 
instead of praising the Lord, instead of thanking the Lord, 
we ask questions like, where is the Lord? Why is the Lord 
doing this? Well, the Lord is in this for 
your good. He pities you. He knows your 
frame. He knows that you are but dust. And then notice finally, 
with reference to the mercy of God in the microscope, His mercy 
is enduring. Verses 15-18. 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. Man comes and man goes, but the mercy of God is enduring. and His righteousness to children's 
children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember 
His commandments, to do them." Spurgeon again, 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 become 
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. That mercy endures forever. So those are the reasons to bless. 
After the reminder to bless, finally and quickly notice The 
recognition of the Kingdom of God, verses 19 to 22. He speaks of the establishment 
of the throne of the Lord. Verse 19a, Yahweh has established 
His throne in heaven. He notes the scope of His rule 
in verse 19b, and His Kingdom rules over all. Comprehensive 
sovereignty, absolute universal lordship. There's not one square 
inch that's not under the direct control of our sovereign God. 
That right there is a reason to bless, a reason to praise, 
a reason to celebrate, and a reason to adore Him. But then He moves 
from that, to call upon a universal summons to bless God. Verses 
20 to 22. Bless the Lord, you His angels, 
who excel in strength, who do His work. Think about this. David, 
creature. Angels are creatures, but they're 
of a higher order of creature. So the lower order David says 
to the angels, you need to bless the Lord. That's not arrogance 
on David's part. That's a recognition of the infinite 
worth and exceeding value and the glory of God most high. Not 
that the unfallen angels needed to be reminded by David. They're 
just saying, absolutely, we'll bless him. We will bless Him 
because He's worthy. That is their job, to bless God. Bless the Lord, you His angels 
who excel in strength and who do His work, 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 and all places of His dominion. And then he 
ends where he begins, bless the Lord, O my soul. He's gone full 
circle. He has rehearsed the reasons, 
he has recognized the kingdom, and he calls upon all the inhabitants 
of the earth, all the created order, to bless God. And he ends 
with reminding himself once again to bless the Lord. Well, in conclusion, 
I think there are several things, and I don't mean a several half-hour 
several, but just a quick several things that we ought to consider 
with reference to Thanksgiving. In the first place, Thanksgiving 
keeps us in good company. Thanksgiving keeps us in good 
company. I don't mean particularly that tomorrow. I hope you're 
in good company. I hope it's not misery and turmoil 
and chaos and throwing turkey legs at each other. But the idea 
is that Thanksgiving keeps us in good company. In other words, 
when we're thankful to God, we're where we're supposed to be. We're 
with the men like David. We're with the men like Paul. 
We're with the men like Peter. We're with the men that instead 
of grumbling and whining and complaining, we're blessing the 
Lord. We're in good company in terms of the angels. If the angels 
never tire and never cease of saying, holy, holy, holy is the 
Lord of hosts, then certainly we ought to join in their company 
and praise the Lord God as well. It keeps us in good company. When all around us are bickering, 
complaining, whining, and getting sidetracked, let us join the 
created host and bless the Lord. I thought about this this morning, 
got up early, and I was sitting there, and I heard a bird tweeting 
outside. It wasn't a crow. Crows seem to do their thing, 
no matter what the situation is. But it's been particularly, 
you know, rainy weather over the last few days. I think you 
could explain yesterday as rainy weather. And I heard this one 
soul bird singing away. And I'm not a bird guy, it's 
not something, I didn't have a moment, but I just thought, 
you know, that's kind of like a Christian who's thankful. Because 
everybody else in the world is whining, rumbling, complaining, 
sniveling. That one lone Christian is singing praise to God. When 
the world's falling apart, the world looks like a mess, there's 
all kinds of things going on, but there's that one bird chirping, 
singing, and praising the God of heaven and earth. I think 
Christians are like that, the thankful ones. You know them, 
you've met them before. They're thankful. They sound 
like a bird when all the other birds are doing whatever it is 
they do when the rains come. Brethren, thanksgiving keeps 
us in good company. Secondly, thanksgiving directs 
us to God and keeps our eyes off of self and sin. In other 
words, if we are thanking God, or if we are blessing the Lord, 
or if we are composing Psalm 103, guess what we're not doing? 
When David was writing Psalm 103, he wasn't going into Bathsheba. 
When David was writing Psalm 103, he wasn't having Uriah murdered 
on the field of battle. This aspect of gratitude directs 
us to God and keeps our eyes off of self and sin. One of the 
reasons why salvation is by grace is to provoke and promote thankfulness 
on the part of the recipients. You see, if it wasn't by grace, 
we would be applauding ourselves. We would be like Tyre, boasting 
in our beauty. We would be like Tyre, boasting 
in our accomplishments. We would be like all those devilish 
fiends that take pride in themselves. But thankfulness directs us to 
the one who is worthy. As well, thirdly, thanksgiving 
keeps our eyes and our affections upon God. Very similar to number 
two, but in some sense a shade different. Two, directs us to 
God, keeps our eyes off of self and sin. Three, thanksgiving 
keeps our eyes and affections upon God. That's where they're 
supposed to be. That's what we're supposed to 
be about. That's the point. In 1 Peter, He calls you out 
of darkness into marvelous light. Why? So you can lay around on 
the couch eating Cheetos? No. He's called you out of darkness 
into marvelous light that we may proclaim His praises, that 
we may proclaim His excellencies. That's one of the reasons you've 
been saved. Yes, so that you don't go to 
hell. Yes, so that you don't suffer the wrath and judgment 
of God. But yes, so that in Philippians 2 you are shining as lights in 
a crooked and perverse generation. In fact, turn there to Philippians 
chapter 2 and note this particular connection. Philippians chapter 2, specifically, 
I just referred to it, verse 15. You may become blameless 
and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of 
a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights 
in the world, holding fast or holding forth the word of life 
so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I may not 
run or have not run in vain or labored in vain." Now note verse 
14, do all things without complaining and disputing. So that's the 
antithesis of verses 15 to 16. If you're doing all things with 
complaining and disputing, you're not going to be blameless and 
harmless. You're not going to be these children of God without 
fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. You're 
not going to be those shining as lights in the world. There 
is a close connection between the two parts of the verse. Do 
all things without complaining and disputing that you may be 
this sort of person. Guess what complaining and disputing 
keeps you from being? Guess what complaining and disputing 
keeps you from doing? It keeps you from being the sort 
of man or woman that Paul envisages here in verses 15 and 16. So 
Thanksgiving keeps our eyes and affections upon God. Fourthly, 
Thanksgiving promotes the proper disposition for God's children. 
It puts him in a posture of praise to the Lord God. It promotes 
the fear of God in his heart. And as well, it promotes dependence 
upon the Lord God. And then finally, Thanksgiving 
keeps us ever mindful of the blood of Jesus Christ. You ever 
get that? You know, you say to someone, 
one of the practices in our home is when we sit down to eat, you 
know, name one thing that you're thankful for. Really, just one 
thing? I mean, we got... Do we have 
time? We got so much to be thankful 
for. And in some sense, I have this, you know, innate opposition 
to a Thanksgiving day. Not because I'm anti-turkey or 
ham or anything like that, but I just think every day ought 
to be Thanksgiving for a Christian. I think every day ought to be, 
bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless 
His holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all 
His benefits. So many times we forget His benefits. So many times we just live as 
if there are no benefits. So many times we forget the reality 
that Christ our Savior shed His blood on our behalf. Certainly 
that's the position we're in when we opt for sin. We're forgetting 
His benefits, or we're purposefully shutting His benefits out so 
that we're not conscious of God, so that we'll pursue this act 
of wickedness or treason. Brethren, take a Davidic disposition 
and bless the Lord. Forget not His benefits. Rouse 
your soul to a daily thanksgiving, not just October 10th, but each 
and every day, the believer ought to rise and praise God Almighty 
for His goodness, His grace, and that attribute that is on 
full display in Psalm 103. His mercy. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
this, Your Word, and we thank You for this amplification of 
the mercy of God. And I pray that You would help 
us to bless Your holy name, help us not to forget Your benefits, 
help us to remind ourselves, and help us to join that wonderful 
chorus of those who do indeed bless the Lord Most High. Go 
with us and watch over us and grant us grace to serve you as 
the Apostle says there in Philippians chapter 2. And we pray these 
things through Christ our Lord. Amen.