Praise the Lord with thanksgiving (Ps 103)

Praise the LORD with thanksgiving

Psalm 103:1-22

Key verse 103:2, 8

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving Day. Meister Eckhart, a German theologian, said, "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice." This shows that nothing can make us happier and enrich our life better than thanksgiving. So, Paul also said, in 1 Thes 5:18, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Today, I would like to speak about thanksgiving based on Psalm 103.

This is a psalm David wrote, which came out of his deep personal experiences with God. In this psalm, he remembers what the LORD has done for him. He is so thankful that he praises God and invites all God’s creatures to join him. I pray that through this passage, we may also remember what God has done for each of us this year. May God fill your hearts with thanks, joy, and praise.

1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

Now David bursts into joy and thanks and his inmost being praises the LORD. Why?

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

David praises the LORD, remembering all the benefits God has given him.

First, the LORD forgives all his sins. David was a great man but he was not without sins. His greatest sin was that he committed an adultery with the wife of Uriah his loyal man and then killed him to cover up his sin. This sickened God so much. God was so displeased with David who abused his power and authority to gratify his sinful desire. After being rebuked by Nathan, David realized his great sin and suffered from his guilty conscience. His soul was totally crushed by the fear of God’s judgment. In Psalm 38, he described his pain this way:

3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. 4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.…7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. 8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

As such, the consequences of sin is so painful. Even such a great king David was not an exception. He should have been punished for his sin and could have been forsaken by God as Saul was. Yet, God was gracious to him and forgave his sin when he repented. (Ps 51; 2 Sam 12) What else could be more thankful and joyful to David than being forgiven?

There are many thanksgiving topics we have, but none of them can be greater than God’s forgiveness. With sins, I would not be happy at all even if I were fruitful in my ministry or bought good stuff with a great discount at Black Friday. With sins, you cannot be happy with your success in school or at work. How can we happy in the fear of God’s judgment? When God forgives our sins, however, we are truly happy. So, God’s forgiveness is what David first praises God for. Forget not how much and how often God forgave our sins this year. You will see that God forgave your sins numerously.

Second, the LORD heals David’s diseases. We don’t know what diseases David suffered. But God healed him when he was suffering from diseases. The diseases here, however, are not limited to physical ones. More likely, they are related to his sin and its consequences. Sin is like diseases. Even after we are cured, we need recovery. Likewise, after being forgiven, it is necessary for our spirit to be restored from our sinful desires and habits. We are often frustrated with ourselves or others because of that. But that is not what we humans can heal. Thankfully, God not only forgives us but also heals us. He continues to purify us and sanctify us through his word and the Holy Spirit. We still have pain while living on earth. This year you might have suffering and difficulties. But know that God uses all this to heal us from our sinfulness so we can be thankful for that too.

Third, the LORD redeems David’s life from the pit. The pit here refers to destruction or death. David was a warrior but he suffered from the fear of death when he was in battle and when he was surrounded by evil men who tried to harm him. (Ps 56) For years, he was hunted by Saul and faced dead ends. But God saved him from death each time and preserved his life.

There are times in life when we feel we fall into a deep pit. But our God always provides us with a way out. When we think this is the end, God is with us and saves us from harm and destruction.

Fourth, David remembers that God satisfies his desires with good things. God provided him with all his needs. When he wandered in the desert, God provided him with food, shelters, and his people. Then, he became a shepherd and a king for God’s people. Some people think about only what they lost. But remember how much God has provided you. We do not lack anything. He knows our needs and provides for us.

As such, God sustained David and so his strength was renewed like the eagle’s. (Isa 59:31) What strengthened David was not his power, authority, healthy food, or his life in palace, but God’s forgiveness, protection, provisions, and care. What strengthens you? Exercise, good food, watching movies and listening to music, sports, living in a good house? No! It is God who strengthens you.

Do not forget what he has done for you and praise him with thanks as David did. Do you know what makes both God and us happy? William Law said,

"Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world: It is not he who prays most or fasts most, it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God's goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it."

Thanksgiving doubles our happiness and renders glory to God. I hope that we all share thanksgiving testimonies this week and double our joy.

While remembering all the benefits, David realizes that there is one more thing, which is much more important than his benefits.

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

David sees all the benefits God has given him, and then he goes further and sees who God is and why God blesses him. The reason God forgave, healed and redeemed David was not because he deserved it. It is because of God’s love and compassion. David knows that by God’s love and compassion he is what he is. There is nothing he can boast about himself because God gives him everything. David’s heart is overwhelmed by God’s love and compassion. God did not give David just a little bit of love and compassion but crowned him with love and compassion.

This is what we should do also. God gives us success. God gives us life. God gives us everything for us to sustain our life. Then, why? Why does God do so? We should be thankful for all his benefits but much more for who he is. I pray that we may know God lavishes his love and compassion on all of us. We are crowned with his love and compassion. Let’s thank God for this all the more.

So far, David has praised God for what he has done for him. Now David extends his praise beyond himself and turns to Israel.  

6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

These are based on the Exodus of Israel. As he saved and protected David, God also rescued Israel from the oppression of Egypt and did justice to them. God had a great plan to use Israel as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. For that, he showed himself to them in glory and made a covenant with them. But as soon as they made a covenant with God, Israel made an idol and worshiped it as their God, which was so egregious. God was so angry with them that he was about to forsake them out of justice. But he eventually forgave them and embraced them again. At that time, Moses asked God, “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” Then, God forgave Israel and showed to Moses who he is. He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Ex 33:6) That was his ways and deeds for Moses to make known to Israel - God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. Here in verse 8, David quotes it.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

David experienced this from what God did for him and for Israel. His praise extended from his benefits to who God is – his loving characters, on which we should also base our ultimate praise.

We write down thanksgiving topics every year around this time. However, our thanks should not be just a list of good things God has done for us. What is more important is to thank God more about who he is – his compassion, grace, and love. These three characters are the most important attributes of God we should understand and know and acknowledge in our life. In some sense, knowing God means knowing his compassion, grace, and love. These three sound very similar and are used interchangeably. Definitely, they share a common element, which is love, but with some differences. Let’s talk about each of them.

First, God is God of compassion. The word compassion (רַחּם: raham) is also translated as mercy. The original meaning of this is womb. This word describes the relationship between the baby in the womb and the mother. The baby totally depends on the mother and the mother provides nutrition and protection for the baby. The mother does not know how the baby looks like, how he/she will be later – whether good or bad. But the mother somehow protects and delivers the baby, sometimes risking her life. In January, one mother in Arizona was delivering quadruplets. She had suffered miscarriage before so she wanted more to give birth to the four babies though it was risky. But unfortunately she died one day after the delivery because she lost too much blood. The mother switched her life with her babies. Another mother found out that her baby in her womb was not normal. Her doctor advised her to remove the fetus. But she decided to deliver the baby though it means a lot of pain and suffering to her. A mother does not forsake her baby even if it involves unimaginable suffering and there is no guarantee that her baby will grow to be a good. This relationship begins from the womb and continues unconditionally and one-sidedly. During the Koran War, one family was running from the war. Then, they realized that a bomb was dropping toward them. Do you know what the father did at that moment? He instantly jumped into a ditch to save his life. But the mother jumped onto her children to cover them from the bomb. Mother’s strong attachment to children cannot be broken no matter what happens.

This is God’s compassion for us. God gives us life. He bears us in his image. He cares for us as a mother takes care of her baby. Though we rebel him, disobey him, or disrespect him, he still has compassion on us and does not give up on us. As we humans got far away from him, he came to us in flesh and sacrificed himself. God’s compassion is the love that cannot be broken or given up no matter what happens. It is because he has an inborn relation with us. So he has compassion on us no matter how much we mess up.

God said in Isaiah 49:15, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” And verses 13-14 also says, “13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” He does not judge our sins immediately because he understands our weaknesses and has compassion on us.

Second, God is God of grace. The Hebrew word for grace is hanun (חַנּוּן) or hen (חֵן), which means to allow someone to come into the tent and protect his life. When I visited Israel years ago, it was summer. Walking outside under the scorching sun was so hard. My body temperature went up quickly and soon I became exhausted. Then I found the shade of a house-like object and went in it. Amazingly, soon I felt cooled down and refreshed. In ancient times, the tent was a place of rest and protection for nomadic people like Israel who lived in the wilderness. So, if someone you don’t know lets you in his tent when you walk outside under the sun, it is a great favor. That is the meaning of grace. In other words, grace is the favor that is given to a stranger or one who does not deserve it at all. 

Gen 6:8 reads, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” In Noah’s time, people were so evil and wicked that God was about to wipe out the whole world. But God showed his grace to Noah, by saving him in the ark, which was like a tent. In Romans 11, Paul said that the reason we Gentiles can be saved is God’s grace. The reason we are saved is not because we deserve it or we did great things to God. Not at all! It is by God’s grace. It is 100 percent his grace.

The reason we are here today and serve God is his grace. We are not here because we are qualified to worship God. I am not preaching today because I am knowledgeable or better than others. It is only by God’s grace and mercy. The reason we have come this far this year is his grace, isn’t it?

Third, God is God of love. The original word for love here is hesed (חָ֫סֶד). The English word love does not convey the true meaning of this word. So, this is translated into goodness, kindness, faithfulness, loyalty, steadfast love, etc. People understand this word in a different way than what it really means. Hesed has to do with God’s covenant with Israel. Though Israel broke the covenant continually, God never broke it because he committed himself to the covenant. Israel was unfaithful but God is faithful. So, hesed should be understood in regard to God’s unchanging love and his truthfulness.

We are like grass and flowers. When spring comes in Israel, the land is covered with all kinds of flowers. However, when the hot and dry wind blows from the south in summer, they all quickly wither and disappear. Likewise, our life is changeable and short. When I was in my twenties, I thought that I had plenty of time. But soon I became 30, 40 and I am in my 50’s now. But God’s covenantal love does not change but lasts forever. Many couples swear their love to each other and break up for many reasons. But God’s love does not depend on our conditions. He is faithful to his covenant and so to us even if we are unfaithful.

So far, we have learned that God is God of compassion, grace, and love. This was well revealed when he forgave Israel at Mount Sinai. He did show the same love to us today. He sent his son Jesus for our sins. He has made a new covenant with us through Jesus’ blood. This covenantal relationship cannot be broken. His love never changes and he will love us continually with grace and mercy. So, David expounds God’s compassion, grace and love like this.

9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Though we commit sins, God forgives us and does not accuse us or harbor our sins forever. There is no backup of our sins in his system. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. He removes our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west and then he never remembers it. He does not love us conditionally. He loves us unconditionally and completely. His love is as high as the sky. That is why we can come to him at any time regardless of our repeated sins. Praise the LORD!

We are already at the end of this year. It is time to look back this year. We might have regrets, pains, and failures. But we have good reasons that we should still be thankful. God bore our sins; he cured our wounds inside; he protected us from dangers; he provided for us faithfully. This is God’s love, his compassion and grace. This cannot be eclipsed by any of our failures or problems.

So, in verses 19-22, David invites all God’s creatures – his angels, heavenly hosts and even his works, to praise him. In this psalm, David says five times, “Praise the LORD” – twice in the beginning by himself and three times at the end together with all God’s creatures. Praising God means kneeling down giving our reverence and thanks to him, who rules over the heaven and the earth with love and compassion.

Do not forget all his benefits and who he is, and then we cannot but thank him and praise him. Tell God how thankful you are. Give him honor due him. Again, thanksgiving is not just to list good things to us but to remember who God is and honor him as God.