Benefits from God

(Psalm 103:3-7)

Mike Johnson

Speaking about God, Psalm 103:3-7 says, “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.”

A person working a job might complain about how little he makes.  Someone might remind him, “Don’t forget your benefits.”  An excellent employee benefits package can be valuable.  One writer referred to verses 3-7 as “The Divine Benefits Package.”  This passage lists many benefits that God offers.  It is not a complete list but a representative sample.  Note them now.

1. Forgiveness – Verse 3a says, “Who forgives all your iniquities . . . .” Most people asked to list blessings from God, would probably put forgiveness at the top.

It is interesting to note that David says, “all” iniquities.  In another passage, Psalm 25:18, the Psalmist asks, “Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.”  In the New Testament, 1 John 1:9 reassures us by saying, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Titus 2:14, speaking of Christ, reveals, “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”  It does not matter how bad we think a particular sin is or how many transgressions we have committed; forgiveness is obtainable.  God forgave Paul’s sins even though he had been a persecutor of Christians, and he even referred to himself as the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).  Even the people who killed the son of God could receive forgiveness (Acts 2:22-23, 37-40).

We are comforted by knowing that God will forgive all of our sins.  Knowing that we are laying up treasures in heaven and have an eternal rest waiting because of being forgiven, is a great benefit.

2.  Heals – “Who heals all your diseases” (3b). God does not heal all physical diseases; we cannot expect the healing of every illness for the rest of our lives.  Eventually, we will die –– death is an appointment (Heb. 9:27).

Some think David is speaking about his experiences, but the Bible does not mention David having a disease.  David does possibly allude to having physical issues in some of his Psalms (Ps. 6:2; 22:14-17; 30:2-3; 86:13).

We read about Christ, and others, performing miracles to heal people, but He did not heal everyone, and miraculous healing was for a limited time (1 Cor. 13:8-10, Acts 8:17-18).

Another way God heals (both the righteous and unrighteous) is through the immune system, which He gave us.  Our lymph system and white blood cells serve a vital function.  Because of this, a cold, for instance, will not last a lifetime.  Consider the following quote.

“Your immune system steps in, like a bouncer who means business.  It releases white blood cells and other chemicals that destroy these threats.  Or it causes a reaction, like a sneeze, to boot out a virus in your nose.  It’s an elite squad of agents that zap invaders –– like bacteria, viruses, and fungi –– ASAP.  They zoom through your body and defend you.”  (Web MD)

God can heal us physically, even today (2 Cor. 12:7, Phil. 2:25-27).  He can intervene, through His providence, which is why we ask God to heal others and ourselves.

Consider the entire verse: “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases” David may be speaking metaphorically of being “healed” of sin.  The Bible does compare sin to disease (Is. 53:5), and he may be using parallelism, often used in poetic language.  In this case, “forgives” and “heals” means the same, and “iniquities” and “diseases” are the same.  Thus, God heals (forgives) our diseases (iniquities).   Regardless of the intent, both approaches are biblically correct.

3.  Redeems – “Who redeems your life from destruction. . . .” (4a). Some translations translate destruction as “pit.”

Many times the Old Testament refers to God as the Redeemer of Israel.  For example, in Psalm 19:14, David appeals to God, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”  In Deuteronomy 9:26, Moses appealed to the Lord, “. . . O Lord God, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”

What does redemption mean?  One use is in the sense of “buying back” something such as land (Lev. 25:26; Ruth 4:4 ff).  It also may refer to buying back what needs rescuing (Num. 3:51, Neh. 5:8).  When applied to God, it means to deliver from sin, death, or danger.  For example, God redeemed the children of Israel from the Egyptian bondage (2 Sam. 7:23).

David probably meant this more in a physical sense than a spiritual intent. David could probably recall many occasions in his life when God delivered him from danger and death.   He may not have understood the details concerning the ultimate cost of redemption for humanity, the death of our Savior.

In the New Testament, we learn the details about Christ as our Redeemer.  He is our Deliverer; He paid the price, His blood, for our sins.  Ephesians 1:7 assures us, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”  1 Peter 1:18-19 explains, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

4.  Crowns – “. . . Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (4b). Thus, God gives us a crown –– not literally but figuratively.  (The original word carries with it the concept of “surround.”)  He speaks of God bestowing honor, dignity, and favor.  He crowns us with “lovingkindness” and “tender mercies.”  One writer put it like this, “The idea here is not merely that God is the source of these blessings, but that there is something of beauty, of dignity, of honor, as in the conferring of a crown or garland on anyone” (from Barnes’ Notes).

 Although not reflected in every translation, the Hebrew used here carries with it the idea of a continuing or steadfast action.  Some translate (ESV, NRSV) as “who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”  Also, note Lamentations 3:21-23, where the writer declares, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,  his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  (Note also Ps. 23:6.)

Thus, God’s kindness is loving, and His mercy is tender.  We need God’s forgiveness today; we have offended God with our sins and deserve punishment.  Since God is merciful, however, we can be forgiven. In Psalm 86:15, the Psalmist proclaims, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”

Today, God crowns His people with lovingkindness and tender mercy.

5.  Satisfies – “Who satisfies your mouth with good things (5). The word, rendered “mouth” (NKJV) seems to be a difficult word to translate.  Various renderings of the term are: “your desires” (NIV), “you” (ESV), and “your years” (NASB).

What does this mean?  The basic idea is that God will satisfy us, for as long as we live, with good things.  The “good things” here does not refer to physical blessings, although God will supply these (Mt. 6:33).  In the context, he speaks of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, and all else that He has done for us.

Generally, when people are satisfied with something, they do not want a replacement.  A person happy with his house does not wish for another.  The same is true with our cars, clothes, and computers.  David is saying that the Lord satisfies him, so he will live for and glorify Him.  Are we satisfied with the Lord?  If so, we should serve Him and no other.  No alternatives exist.

Verse 5b says, “So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”  Eagles can live for 40 years or more and continue to have vigor.  They are a picture of strength, even in their old age (Is 40:31).  The idea is that followers of God, even in their old age, will have strength.

6.  Executes – “The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed” (6). The Psalmist probably intends the children of Israel as the primary application (Note verse 7).  Oppressed as slaves, God heard their “groanings” and acted. Exodus 2:23b-25 points out, “. . . the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.”  God’s deliverance, however, was not always immediate.  They often had to suffer consequences for their sins, and a factor in God’s deliverance was repentance.

Also, God expects us, to the best of our ability, to do what this verse says, i.e., to execute righteousness and justice for all.  Isaiah, quoting the Word of the Lord, admonished the people of his day to, “Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor;  defend the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Is. 1:17).  Zechariah 7:9-10 tells us we are to execute justice, show mercy and compassion to the oppressed.  Various New Testament passages make clear the importance of doing good and helping others (Mt. 25:31-46; Rom. 2:7, 10; Gal. 6:10).

We must remember that God is there whatever the oppression might be.  Barnes points out such circumstances.  He says, “By harsh laws; by unjust governments; by slavery; by unrighteous decisions in courts; by the pride and power of wicked people” (Barnes’ Notes).

7.  Reveals – “He made known His ways to Moses . . .” (7). Moses appealed to God for revelations.  In Exodus 33:13, he called to God, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” The Lord spoke to Moses on numerous occasions.  The phrase, “the Lord spoke to Moses” is found over forty times in the book of Exodus.  He guided Moses and the children of Israel throughout their time in the wilderness.  They also learned about God through His acts (7b).

We should have a strong desire, like Moses, to know God’s will.  We learn about God, to some degree, through “natural” revelation (Ps. 19:1).  For example, we learn about His power.  Yet, it goes beyond that as He also has revealed Himself to us by “special revelation,” through the Scriptures (Eph. 3:3-5).  Here, we learn about how God created the earth, sin, His love, mercy, and what He expects of us today.  We should be thankful for God’s revelations.

Conclusion

Most appreciate an excellent benefits package from their company.  These benefits, however, only pertain to life here on this earth and pale in comparison to what God offers, which relates to things of an eternal nature.  How is your benefits package?