Psalms 103
V1 “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”
What is the inmost being? Where does that reside? When a person, like David, is moved by the Holy Spirit, there is a sense of poetry that grabs not just the heart, or the mind, but the soul. The soul is who you are. It is the combination of your heart, the place where you enthrone the things you love, your mind, that which you reason with, and what we refer to as your ‘gut’, that place where you pull from when you don’t know which way to turn.
If we combine all these things, and we dig deep down into who you are, what do we find? Do we find joy, sadness, confusion, love, or compassion? Whatever it is, this is where David is pulling from. He is reaching deep inside himself to find that place that needs to worship God.
And, it is so overwhelming that he has to repeat again what he just said, “praise the Lord!” But, this time he says it differently. He says, “praise his holy name!” Same person, yet different attributes.
He is Lord over all of us. The King, the ruler of our hearts. The one we submit to and give ourselves to.
He is also holy, righteous, and as pure as gold purified with fire.
Webster dictionary defines holy as exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. A comparable word would be divine. To be honest, perfection is difficult to grasp in a world that is so imperfect. But, if I imagine one that is completely perfect as God is, and, in addition, completely righteous, I picture a person that deserves my praise. It would seem prideful for someone to demand praise, no matter how perfect they are. But, God, being perfect and righteous, deserves far more than the praise we give him.
Yet, even though I cannot give him enough praise, I can certainly try. I can muster up all that I can give by pulling my praise from way down deep, from my inmost being.
So where David’s overwhelming praise come from? in verses 2-6, David goes on to list all the gifts God has bestowed up David:
God has given David
- Forgiveness of sins
- Heals his soul
- Redeems his life from the pit
- Crowns him with love and compassion
- Gives him good things that satisfy.
- He defends the oppressed with righteousness and justice
In addition to listing these things, David, full of spiritual insight, says “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” in verse 8.
How did David know all this? He did not live to see Jesus come on this earth and die for our sins. He did not hear the teachings of Jesus or the apostles. Yet, somehow, he deeply understands God’s true heart. How is it possible?
It is possible because David communed with God. He reached out to discover for himself who God really is. He spent time seeking God, thinking about God, and reflecting and comparing his inadequacies with God’s greatness. David didn’t wait for God to come to him Instead, David went to God.
He determined that he should not be able to come so close to God without being pushed away. He should not be able to receive God’s blessings for who he is, and what this world is.
The book of Romans tells us that the very nature is a testimony that God exists. Yet, the vast majority refuse to see it. They refuse to acknowledge God. This is why David says in verse 10-11:
“he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;”
There are two things here. The first is that God does not give any of us what we deserve according to what we have done. While on this earth, we will not be punished by God for every sin we commit. That includes those who fear him and those who do not fear him. Those who do not fear him on this earth have been given a temporary pass. A pass that gives them time to see the evidence around them and soften their heart to the things of God.
The second is that, for those who fear him, he does not punish us eternally for sin. We are not eternally condemned for our sin because we who fear God have accepted the salvation Jesus Christ. Judgement day is reserved for the punishment of sins for those who do not fear him.
But is this all? Or is their an extra grace for those who fear him. I say yes, there is. And that being, we who fear God have the opportunity to get close to God without God judging us for our sins and pushing us away. We who fear God get the benefit of a relationship, something those who do not fear him do not get. For verse 17a says:
“but from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,”
Spend the rest of the day reflecting on God’s grace for you. Amen.
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