Psalm 103
Bring to mind the mercy of the LORD. Bring to mind the compassion of the LORD. And then praise the LORD, my soul!
BRING TO MIND THE MERCY OF THE LORD
VERSE 1. Praise the LORD, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name!
ICEL translation. My soul, give thanks to the LORD, all my being, bless his holy name.
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VERSE 2. Praise the LORD, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits;
ICEL translation. My soul, give thanks to the LORD, and never forget all his blessings.
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VERSE 3. who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases;
ICEL translation. It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals everyone of your ills,
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forgives all your sins. David is thankful the LORD God forgave his guilt and “saved” him.
Eternal salvation is no small matter. It’s worth celebrating all the days of your life.
heals all your diseases. The Bible seems to promise healing of our illnesses. We should expect miraculous healing. It should be commonplace. But it is not. Why? Read more »
VERSE 4. who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies;
ICEL translation. who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion,
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loving kindness and tender mercies. God is pouring upon us his love and compassion.
VERSE 5. who satisfies your desire with good things,so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
ICEL translation. who fills your life with good things, renewing your youth like an eagle’s.
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with good things. Walking with the LORD God means material blessings. People expect that God would bless godly people with tangible things.
your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Like an eagle that soars high above the vultures and crows that try to annoy it, the LORD God will lift us high above our enemies. Don’t lose hope! Read more »
BRING TO MIND THE COMPASSION OF THE LORD
VERSE 6. The LORD executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed.
ICEL translation. The LORD does deeds of justice, gives judgment for all who are oppressed.
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VERSE 7. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.
ICEL translation. He made known his ways to Moses and his deeds to Israel’s sons.
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made known his ways to Moses. David is meditating on the covenant loyalty the LORD God maintains with us frail sinners.
David begins with Moses. The LORD God revealed himself to Moses as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in covenant loyalty.
VERSE 8. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
ICEL translation. The LORD is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
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The LORD is merciful and gracious. The ICEL translation puts it this way:
The Lord IS compassion and love.
VERSE 9. He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.
ICEL translation. His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for ever.
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VERSE 10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.
ICEL translation. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults.
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VERSE 11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.
ICEL translation. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him.
NAB translation. As the heavens tower over the earth, so God’s love towers over the faithful.
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VERSE 12. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
ICEL translation. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins.
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As far as the east is from the west. That is how far our sins been removed from us. God forgives and forgets.
Yet some Christians worry that God will NOT forget.
They probably got that idea from the way people behave. Often, people say they “forgive.” But they do not “forget.”
It is natural for us to project human traits onto the LORD God. That is called anthropomorphism.
VERSE 13. Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
ICEL translation. As a father has compassion on his sons, the LORD has pity on those who fear him;
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VERSE 14. For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
ICEL translation. for he knows of what we are made, he remembers that we are dust.
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He remembers that we are dust. The LORD God remembers that we are insignificant dust.
Genesis 2:7. The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Qur’an 6:2. He is the One who created you from clay, then He decreed a period of time for you; a time only known by Him. Yet you still deny.
VERSE 15. As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
ICEL translation. As for man, his days are like grass; he flowers like the flower of the field;
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VERSE 16. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.
ICEL translation. the wind blows and he is gone and his place never sees him again.
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VERSE 17. But the LORD’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children;
ICEL translation. But the love of the LORD is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear; his justice reaches out to children’s children
NAB translation. But the LORD’S kindness is forever, toward the faithful from age to age. He favors the children’s children
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from everlasting to everlasting. David sees the eternality of the Lord as a comfort for us frail human beings.
Our hope is not in other fragile creatures, but in the eternal LORD God.
VERSE 18. to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts.
ICEL translation. when they keep his covenant in truth, when then keep his will in their mind.
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VERSE 19. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.
ICEL translation. The LORD has set his sway in heaven and his kingdom is ruling over all.
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AND THEN PRAISE THE LORD, MY SOUL!
VERSE 20. Praise the LORD, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.
ICEL translation. Give thanks to the LORD, all his angels, mighty in power, fulfilling his word, who heed the voice of his word.
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you angels. David believed in angels. He saw them as attentive and obedient, mighty and strong.
VERSE 21. Praise the LORD, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure.
ICEL translation. Give thanks to the LORD, all his hosts, his servants who do his will.
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VERSE 22. Praise the LORD, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul!
ICEL translation. Give thanks to the LORD, all his works, In every place where he rules. My soul, give thanks to the LORD!
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PSALMS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
Deuterocanonical chapter: 151
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, David’s Fasting
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