November 2, 2025 | Psalm 103
Psalm 103
Psalm 103
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 iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! (ESV)
Isaias Viñales opens Psalm 103 as a call to worship grounded in remembrance. He urges the soul to bless the Lord for concrete graces: God forgives all sin, heals and restores, redeems from the pit, and crowns His people with steadfast love and compassion. The Lord does not repay us as our sins deserve. His love reaches higher than the heavens, and He removes our transgressions as far as east from west. Like a father, He knows our frailty and pities us, while His mercy outlasts our brief days. Because His throne rules over all, the fitting response is wholehearted praise and steady encouragement for those who fear Him in Christ.
Transcript of Psalm 103
Isaias Viñales: Thank you, brother. Please feel free to turn open your Bibles to Psalm 1 0 3, Psalm 103.
Introduction: The Need for Remembrance
Isaias Viñales: Some of you in here today are discouraged. Your heart aches. You hardly made it to church this morning, and perhaps your attendance is out of sheer will or habit. In fact, during this season, you've perhaps wondered and marveled how you've found the strength to drag yourself out of bed in the mornings.
And as we sang, there were some of you who longed to feel, or maybe you were just so cold that you simply went through the motions without feeling anything at all. Still, others whose hearts soared as we sang, will be shortly heading into a season where you'll be tempted to forget God's mercies because of the difficulties that lie ahead.
Others of you, if you were honest, you feel neither hot or cold. You feel lukewarm like tap water, whatever your situation you are like me and you are like David. We are fickle creatures, prone to forgetfulness and in constant need of remembrance. My prayer has been that this psalm would encourage your heart this morning by way of remembrance.
Now, forgetfulness can be a very dangerous thing, okay? According to reports from the US Fire Administration, inattention or carelessness, which include forgetfulness, result in approximately two thirds, okay? Of all house fires. Just think about that. For those of us who are married, we don't need to be told that forgetfulness in our marriages can be damaging and harmful.
In fact, for much of the big things in life, we simply can't afford to be forgetful, can we, and I believe that this is something that the sweet Psalmist of Israel understood as he penned Psalm 1 0 3. So please let us read it together.
Reading of Psalm 103
Isaias Viñales: Bless the Lord on my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord on my soul. And forget not all his benefits. Who forgives all your iniquity. Who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit. Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the Eagles, the Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children. So the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him for he knows our frame. He remembers that we are touched. As for man, his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field for the wind, tasses over it and it is gone and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord. Oh you his angels. You mighty ones who do his word, obey the voice of his word. Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers who do his will. Bless the Lord, all his works and all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord. Oh my soul.
Oh God. We want to take the time to bless you, God, as we've been doing this morning, and to say you are worthy. Help us to see that this morning, to see that you are worthy. And I ask it for your honor and glory and our good in Jesus' name. And the saints say amen.
A Call to Worship Without Petitions
Isaias Viñales: Now, I wonder if you notice that there are no petitions in all 22 verses of this psalm. There is not a single prayer request in the form that we typically find it or think of it.
There is however a voice, okay, beckoning and calling for action. There is an encouraging cry, a call to worship, arousing him from the King of Israel, demanding praise to the king of the universe three times. In the first two verses alone, we come across this command. To bless. To bless.
And to whose ears I ask Is the call first given? Well, it's to David's own soul. It's his own soul. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. And this exhortation, I found it so earnest that if I'm honest, I feel like it demands my de my devotion more than it does explanation. Amen? And I, and I feel that this morning.
Blessing God's Holy Name
Isaias Viñales: I'm so keenly aware of that. But what is David calling for here? Well, some translations have in the place of bless, praise, celebrate, adore him and notice it's, he's concerned not merely for the external, not merely to be praised with the lip, but are very life and soul. Indeed. Let all that is within me bless his holy name. David arouses all of his faculties, his his mind. His heart and will to speak well of God, to bless God to express his gratitude because nothing less is worthy of our God.
Now, I don't want there to be any confusion about this this morning, guys. When we worship God, we should be offering our all for His all. We should be offering our all for His all. And we should not be content when, when we're not engaged in this awe filled praise from the inmost steps of our being, and notice who it is that we are to bless. God's holy name. By name David here refers to the character of God, the revealed character of God, who God is.
The Worthiness of Christ
Isaias Viñales: One man, put it this way, God's holy name is put for himself, okay? Or that by which he is known, and this is where our worship begins. It begins with a recognition that Yahweh, God alone is worthy of worship. But think of this because we're Christians, are we not? What does that say about Jesus Christ? Think of this with me, when after he walked on water and calmed the storm in Matthew chapter 14, his disciples worshiped him.
Or what does it say that after his resurrection, when just mo uh, moments before he gives the great commission, we're told that they worshiped him. What do the scriptures reveal of Jesus Christ? When the four living creatures who seem to be these mighty angelic beings and 24 el uh, 24 elders in heaven cry out worthy, are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you, were slain and by your blood, you ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priest to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.
I ask you, church, if God is to be worshiped, what does it say of Christ? When John sees and hears around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering, myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory. And blessing.
I ask you again dear Berean, what does it say of Jesus? Our beloved Jesus, when John heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them saying to him, who sits on the throne and to the lamb and hears a word, be blessing. And honor and glory and might forever and ever.
Oh, brethren, you guys know the four living creatures, their response. Amen. Amen. And the elders fell down and the word of God tells us they worshiped. This is where worship begins with blessing. The one who alone is worthy, who alone is holy. What does that say of your Christ?
God's Benefits: Forgiveness of Sin
Isaias Viñales: Now that God is holy and is worthy to be praised? I think as we as Christians, that's a given, but the way that he makes himself known a A as worthy is by his benefits. Okay? His dealings with us, you just heard that in Revelation chapter five, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for that is because you were slain and because that is by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And because you have made them a kingdom and preached toward God and they shall reign on the earth. And the same thing is happening here in Psalm 1 0 3.
David is calling on himself to worship God. But church worship is never arbitrary. We always have reasons to bless and worship God. We always have ample reasons to bless and worship God.
Now, in verse three, the first benefit mentioned in in 1 0 3 is the forgiveness of all our iniquity. For David, think about what that included.
The red sin of murder in the death of Uriah. And adultery through his sin with Bathsheba and many, many more besides to be sure. But I want you to consider what's on your list this morning. Think on that with all seriousness, what is on your list this morning? Let that rest on you for just a second. Now, if you are in Christ, you can give the Lord praise for the forgiveness of all your sins. Amen.
Praise the Lord for that. If I'm, if I'm honest, I don't know which word I like more forgiveness or all there, but here's the thing, we don't have to choose between the two. They're both there. They're both there.
And there's more that I want you to notice here with these, the tenses of these verbs and these benefits. It's not merely that the Lord forgave the sins of the past. Okay. It's that the Lord is ever forgiving. It's not merely he who forgave. That's not how the text reads, but he who forgives and he will go on to apply that same tense to all the benefits he mentioned.
And some of you need to hear that because some of you go, well, the sins of the past, the Lord has forgiven. But you are guilty of certain things that you go, you struggle with that reality today and the here and now. But God is the God who forgives today and the here and now your inequity.
Everything Flows from Forgiveness
Isaias Viñales: Now, likely, the reason he places forgiveness first is because everything flows from this, okay? Everything flows from this.
Now, if you think about it, our dearest relationships can be strained if there's unforgiveness. You know, just weeks ago, a Jed preached, uh, through the parable of the prodigal son. But what if the father harbored unforgiveness and was ready to stone his, his returning son? There would be no comfort in those titles.
Do you see? Unforgiveness has been the cause of divorce. You guys know it's been the cause of murder in this world. And so everything begins here with the forgiveness of our sins and and respect for our relationship with God.
Praise Through Healing And Sickness
Isaias Viñales: Now with that being said. That phrase in the end of verse three, who heals all your diseases? It, listen, this is a wonderful phrase, but it's also mysterious. Okay? Uh, almost all the commentators see this as a reference to both the healing of the soul. In other words, God not only forgives and he restores, he transforms, okay? And we can praise God for that. We would be miserable if he didn't liberate us from the power of sin.
But it also refers to the healing of the body. Okay, but with the latter, with the healing of the body, what we have to recognize is that God heals as he wills. He's in fact the Lord, our healer, even in this life. So that when you recover from a sickness, some of you have recovered from things like cancer. Who should you praise? You should give credit and glory to God. Okay?
But here's the thing. We know dear saints that have been called home to be with the Lord through things like cancer and sickness, and so we must reject the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. We have brothers and sisters who have gone home to be with the Lord through sickness.
And Paul, in two Corinthians four 16, he wrote, we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away. Our inner self is being renewed day by day. Okay, but hear, listen, we're subject to decay. We're subject to mortality because of the fall, but there's gonna be a day just like we sing. Praise God for that song.
Thank you for that song. Uh, he, by the way, he didn't know that I was going to bring up Revelation. So I re I, I, uh, I appreciate that. But there's going to be a day when there's gonna be no more sickness, no more death, nothing that causes pain. And remember Paul's words. That he wrote in one Thessalonians chapter four.
We're supposed to comfort each other with this, with this great thought. That there is a coming day when the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God, when the dead in Christ will rise, when we will be with him forever and ever, with nothing to separate us.
So you, some of you struggle with chronic pain, some of you struggle with. Pain in your joints and your ligaments. Some of you currently have cancer. If you are in Christ, listen well, as surely as there is a day where sin entered the world in the fall with it, there is a day where that will be no more, where there will be a glorious end to that.
And so the Lord is our healer. And we need to be, we need to be thankful for the health in our bodies, but we should be all the more thankful as Paul, uh, as I quoted from Second Corinthians chapter four, that there is this inner transformation, transformation and healing that is happening day by day in our lives.
Deliverence From the Pit
Isaias Viñales: Verse four, for God's benefits continue. This is wonderful, is he who delivers her life from the pit, from destruction. From ruin, from death, from the things that threaten our, threatens our lives, physical and spiritual. Again, now I've shared with you many times I feel is like now at least my personal testimony.
Does anybody remember the verse revolves around? Go ahead and say it if you remember. John something. John three. That's the, that's the hint. John three what? There you go. Now can you just repeat John three 16 for me.
Amen. We should never grow tired and weary of hearing that you see salvation. We see it here in Psalm three, but it's pictured in both what we're being saved from and what we are saved to. Okay. And we should never forget that the wages of sin is death, as we're told in Romans 6 23. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Crowned with Steadfast Love and Mercy
Isaias Viñales: Now think about how big of a blessing those things are. Okay, your sins are forgiven. You have the Lord at work in your life, bringing healing and restoration, all these kinds of things, but it's like. That's not enough for God to demonstrate his love for us. Uh, he goes above and beyond and he crowns us. I mean, do you, do you see that? That's remarkable. Who redeems your life from the pit. Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
Some of us feel so unworthy, like the prodigal son, but listen, you are an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ. You have God's own love and mercies as jewels upon your head. Think about that. I struggle with this. Seeing myself from heaven's vantage point, some of you feel so loathsome. I get it. I feel that way sometimes.
Listen to this, centuries ago, Matthew Henry commenting on this wrote. What greater dignity is a poor soul capable of than to be advanced into the love and favor of God? This honor have all his saints. What is the crown of glory but God's favor. How beautiful.
And what is steadfast love and mercy, like what are these things that we're crowned with? The former, okay, so steadfast love is centered in the will of God. This is a love of commitment. It is unchanging, unwavering, just like we sing about.
The latter is the love of the heart, surging, booming, and emotional, and it's translated compassion. So the ESV reads mercy, but if you have the NAS, the CSB, the NIV, and probably a couple others, the NAT, it's compassions. That's. God's heart that is set upon you. Dear child of God.
He's for you. He's for you in an unwavering fashion. And his heart, as it were, does it leaps to move towards you to bless you.
Is that not what we read of in the Prodigal son? When the father, when his son was still a long way off, saw him and he felt what? Compassion, and he ran to him and he embraced him. He fell upon his dear son's neck with kisses and with an embrace and as the son. Was giving his confession as he had rehearsed the father, father cuts him off as it were, and he calls for the servants and he calls for the robe and he calls for the ring, and he calls for the sandals upon his feet, and he calls for the slaughtering of the fatten calf.
My son, which is dead, is now alive. Rejoice with me. Rejoice with me. Can you imagine the commotion? Can you imagine? Folks, this is not a fancy, this is God's love for you.
Satisfaction and Renewal
Isaias Viñales: How beautiful. Verse five, he satisfies you so that your youth is renewed like the Eagles. Now, the Hebrew is so, so odd, okay? It literally reads, he satisfies with the good of your ornaments, or he satisfies your ornaments. Okay. That's reflected in almost no English translation because commentators dunno what to do with that.
Uh, the, the best that I've found is that it has likely connection to the crown just mentioned prior, okay. To the crown mentioned in verse four. But either way, what is clear is this, is that the Lord satisfies us.
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Apologies for the equipment failure.
God's Anger and Mercy
Isaias Viñales: So he may have anger. But towards his children, he will not abide it forever. Whereas the Lord would've had legitimate cause for striving with Israel. And he indeed, he indeed did. And it's the same thing with us. He does not carry this through to the bitter end. He has cause to strive against us. You know, we sin against the Lord daily, but praise God. He does not always chide. Neither does he keep his anger forever.
What the reason for this, excuse me, I got, I got ahead of myself. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. Now the wages of sin is death. God could repay us.
There are people who don't, who are without the mercy of God, you know? But God has been merciful to us. And what's the reason? Look at this in verse 11, for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. The reason is his love. Isn't that remarkable? The reason is his love for us.
Now, when I think about that, that's like I can't calculate that. My eyes, when I look up, it just seems unending. It just the sky seems to go on forever and ever and ever, and ever and ever. And this is being used to communicate the depths and the heights of God's love for us.
The Greatness of God's Love
Isaias Viñales: In fact, that word great. So great is the word used in Genesis chapter seven to talk about the flood prevailing on the earth. And I thought, wow, great. Was the flood, was it not? And in the same way, the greatness of that flood and those waters for those 150 days enveloped the earth. So are we enveloped in God's love?
So are we enveloped in God's love? As far as the east is from the West so far, does he remove our transgressions from us. Jed, I don't know if you'll remember this, I don't know if you've ever, um, got to ta talk to Pastor Limp about this verse, but he, he, he made a mention of this to me and it stuck with me and actually came across a commentator saying the same thing.
But he said it's interesting that he doesn't say north and south, but east and west, you know, if you travel north. You can only travel north so much until it becomes south. When you travel south, you can only travel. So Mount, uh, you know what I'm trying to say, travel south so much until it becomes north.
But here's the thing, if you're traveling east, you just keep traveling. East. East never turns into West, and if you're traveling west, west is just always west. It never turns into east. And so it's a curious thing. I wonder if David really understood that. But isn't it remarkable that in God's providence that's what it is and it's to say your sins are utterly removed from you.
Christian, utterly removed. They're never reconciled. East and west are never reconciled in that kind of way. We may be reconciled to the Lord, but we're we're not reconciled to our sins.
As a father shows compassion to his children. So the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him as a father. This verse has meant more to me lately as I think of my children and their frailties and their weakness and their needs and all this and that. So the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
These Benefits Are For Those Whose Faith is in Christ
Isaias Viñales: Now notice in verse 11 and hear again in verse 13. These are wonderful benefits, but it's for those who fear him. It's for those who have this reverence for God. This is really one of the old Testament ways of alluding to repentance and faith. These benefits are wonderful, but it's those who have faith in Christ Jesus.
I don't want you to take that for granted. There's a reason he keeps bringing it up. It's to those who fear him. And so my prayer is, I'm sure is probably the case in a room this size is as I know there's probably someone in here who is yet to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You hear these benefits and you go, that's wonderful.
This. It can be yours. These benefits can be yours in Christ Jesus. But listen, only in Christ Jesus, turn away from your sin. Place the whole of your confidence upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. And with David and with us as a church, you could be grateful and thankful for these wonderful, wonderful blessings.
God Knows Our Frame
Isaias Viñales: Notice this for he knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. This is given as a reason why the Lord is compassionate to us. If I'm honest, and maybe you can sympathize with me a little here, you're tempted to despise weakness. You've ever been there when? You're confronted with lack, with need, with inadequacies, with deficiencies. You're tempted to despise it. You're tempted to look down upon that, which is weak.
But notice verse 14, he knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. And rather than David bringing this up, that's to say the Lord despises you because you're weak. It moves him to compassion. It moves him to compassion.
As for man, his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field for the wind passes over and it is gone and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him. Here we have a contrast. We are like the grass of a flower, the flower of the field that is gone, and what a fitting thought in the midst of fall.
The the leaves have bloomed in spring and the flowers have come. Some of you ladies especially worked so hard during the spring or maybe before the spring prepping, right? You've had your flower pots, you had all this and that. And if I were to say, Hey, where are those flowers? Well, they're gone. They're gone.
But in contrast to that, oh, praise be God. In contrast to that, the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. It knows no end. It knows no end.
And his righteousness to children's children. Of course, the Lord did promise blessing to the generations of Israel. And to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments, we see that God did visit, uh, the people with discipline as they were disobedient and that he rewarded their obedience.
God's Kingdom Rules Over All
Isaias Viñales: The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules overall. Man, I, I gotta admit, when we were singing. I was like, why aren't there like five more songs? Because it was just wonderful. The Lord Jesus Christ was truly exalted, not just as savior, but as king. Okay?
And I want you to think about this for a second. There's nowhere where you or I can step foot on the face of this earth where Jesus doesn't reign as Lord. What is it that he told his disciples before he sent them out. All What? Authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, right? Go. Therefore, in light of who he is, go, therefore, and David, he's pretty much doing the same thing in light of who God is. He's blessing the Lord. He's praising the Lord.
All Creation Called to Worship
Isaias Viñales: And I love how he pivots because it's not just us human beings created in God's image. We're called to praise God. Listen to this. I don't, I've never thought about this before. I don't think, I mean, I've loved Psalm 1 0 3, I've read it however many times, but he charges angels, and it reminded me of the verse where Paul says, we'll, we'll, judge Angels, okay.
But he says, bless the Lord, owe you his angels. You mighty ones who do his word, obey the voice of the of His word. He charges angels, the heavenly hosts, the creatures to, to worship God because God is worthy even of their worship and of their praise. Of course, even the rocks will cry out if we don't bless the Lord.
All his hosts, his ministers who do his will, bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion, bless the Lord oh my soul. So it encompasses everything.
So we see this movement. From David admonishing his own soul to him considering in particular God's dealings with Israel in the Exodus, and then he even moves out to the general character of God, okay, the Lord being great, gracious and so forth, and then he turns his attention to, he turns his attention to heaven and all of creation to worship God.
Because he's worthy. And then in close, he closes the way he started. Bless the Lord. Oh my soul.
Pointing One Another to the Lord
Isaias Viñales: Now I have the wonderful privilege of being a member of this church, of serving on the staff of this church, and worshiping with you guys and walking alongside you all, and you with me. I've been encouraged by you all. The way that you've sought Christ, the way that you have come alongside one another. I hear these stories and they warm my heart, but I wanna encourage us to be a people, to continue to be a people, to are ever pointing one another to the Lord and all that he has done for us.
That when we see a brother or a sister seem as though they have forgotten. What God has done for them to remind them, this is what your God has done. This is who your God is to you and for you, and to glory in that together. Please pray with me.
Closing Prayer
Isaias Viñales: Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank you so much for your word and for Psalm 1 0 3. And for David's example where he, Lord, he served himself up to worship where he reminded himself of all the blessings. God, your dealings with him and with your people. Father, please help us to be a people who don't forget it's dangerous to forget to come along. Side each other and to encourage each other in the Lord. Thank you so much.
It's, we have more reasons, Lord, than we know that we can number and I think about your, your blessings, God, and honestly, forgive me Lord. Sometimes I've treated them like the drippings from a leaky faucet where they're more like a gushing and bubbling spring that has the power to transform the entire landscape.
And Father, I just pray that these blessings would transform the landscape of our lives and that you would help us. Father, you were good. And Jesus, thank you. Blessed Lamb for sinner slain, for what you did for us, for how you've prevailed and conquered for us. And thank you Holy Spirit, for coming and making your abode with us.
The church is the temple of the living God. You're here in our midst. You're among us. You are helping us, and I thank you for that. Help us to bear your fruit. Oh Holy Spirit, to the honor, glory and praise of God. Amen.