The Beneficence of God
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PSALM 103 THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD Steve Williams ANY PEOPLE have extolled the beauty of stress the positive and the beautiful. They be- M Psalm 103 as it proclaims the beneficence of come less rigid and judgmental. Since it is pos- God: sible that David wrote this psalm in his old age, maybe that is one reason it is not grouped with As in the lofty Alps some peaks rise above all other psalms of his in the earlier portion of others, so among even the inspired psalms there Psalms. are heights of song which overtop the rest. Our attempt at exposition is commenced under The psalmist begins: an impressive sense of the utter impossibility of doing justice to so sublime a composition; . Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within There is too much in the psalm for a thousand me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, pens to write, it is one of those all-comprehending and forget none of His benefits (vv. 1, 2). Scriptures which is a Bible in itself, and it might 1 almost suffice for the hymn-book of the church. The wholehearted blessing of the Lord with which the psalm begins and ends is prompted This psalm calls more for devotion than exposition.2 by God’s goodness which is outlined in the middle of the psalm. Probably David has re- This Psalm is one of singular beauty. Its ceived some great blessing from God for which tenderness, its trustfulness, its hopefulness, his heart is pouring out thanksgiving. Several anticipate the spirit of the New Testament. It does clues in the first few verses point to recovery 3 not contain one jarring note. from a serious, life-threatening illness. As one commentator argued, “It is difficult to believe The title of Psalm 103 says that its author was that the six marks of returning health in verses David. While this is doubted by many modern 3 through 5 . are mere coincidences or ‘stylis- writers, it is not impossible. We will assume that tic’ traits. The psalmist has been ill, is conva- he did write it. According to the Syriac, David lescing, and in grateful wonder calls upon him- wrote Psalm 103 in his old age. Older people self never to forget the experience but to ‘bless often mellow with age. They do not necessarily the Lord’ henceforth.”4 change their way of thinking so much as they Even if our guesswork on the setting of the psalm is not accurate, it does highlight a wonder- 1 C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David (London: Mar- ful way in which Psalm 103 might be used. shal!, Morgan & Scott, n.d.; reprint, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1978), vol. 4, 447. Anyone who has recovered from a serious ill- 2Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, vol. 3, ness or has seen a terrible tragedy averted might Job to Song of Solomon (London: Religious Tract Soc., n.d.; well use this psalm as a prayer of praise to God. reprint, McLean, Vir.: MacDonald Publishing Co., n.d.), 622. 3F. Kirkpatrick, The Book of Psalms (Cambridge: Univer- 4R. E. O. White, A Christian Handbook to the Psalms sity Press, 1891), vol. 3, 600. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Paternoster Press, 1984), 156. 1 As we study it, let us notice the positive at- God satisfies us with good. God is a giving tributes of God in the psalm which show His God, a blessing God. He wants to give us good beneficence, kindness, and graciousness. things if we will only be receptive to Him. Doug Parsons told about Morris Siegel, a typical Los A HEALING GOD Angeles street person. Morris slept outside and Our God is one “who heals all your diseases, carried everything he owned in an old shopping who redeems your life from the pit; who crowns cart. He died on December 14, 1989, from natural you with lovingkindness and compassion” (vv. 3, causes and was found in an alley. But Morris was 4). David had probably recovered from a serious not a typical street person. He died with illness after praying to God, so he extols God as one $207,421.00 in the bank! who can heal diseases. Even though we live in a Ten years earlier Morris Siegel’s father had post-miraculous age, we are to pray to God for help died and left him a small fortune. Morris never when we are ill. We cannot expect a miracle, but we showed up to claim the money. Finally, the Di- can pray for the healing providence of God. vision of Unclaimed Property traced him down. A man who worked for my father believed in They forced him to accept it, even though he did miracles, or at least he talked about “miracles” not show up for the ceremony to receive the frequently. My father finally said, “Recently when money. He did take enough money to buy an old you were ill with a virus, you went to the doctor, car in which he slept during bad weather. Rela- got some medicine, rested in bed several days, and tives rented an apartment for Morris, but he prayed to God the whole time that you would get never went there. He died with $3.00 in his well. That is what I believe. And when your wife pocket and an untouched fortune in the bank. broke her ankle, you took her to the hospital. They We all agree that Morris was crazy, but are took an x-ray, set the break, put a cast on it, and not many whom we know even crazier? Long gave her other treatment. She took care of the ago our heavenly Father ratified a will which break, praying to God the whole time that she provides us with a much greater fortune than would recover, and the injury healed. That is what Morris Siegel’s. In Christ, we have a much greater I believe.” The man who worked for my father fortune and inheritance both now and in the never again raised the subject of miraculous heal- future. Yet, to this day lost people shuffle around ing. It was obvious that he did not believe in this world, walking up and down blind alleys of miracles at all, for His actions betrayed him. sin, living lives of empty existence, refusing the Verse 4 may hint at a belief in the resurrec- wealth that God would give them. They reject tion and life after death, but little teaching about Christ and an eternal inheritance. Our God is a the afterlife is in psalms, if any at all. (See 16:9-11; giving, blessing God, if we will only live in such 49:7-9, 13-15.) This verse probably refers to God’s a way as to receive His gifts. healing David from his illness, even though he was near death. David’s illness was life- A JUST GOD threatening, but God’s mercy redeemed him from it. The Lord performs righteous deeds, and judgments for all who are oppressed (v. 6). A GIVING GOD Our God is a just God. He is not a respecter of Our God is one “who satisfies your years with persons, so the lowly and oppressed know that good things, so that your youth is renewed like they will receive fair treatment from God. God the eagle” (v. 5). God will give us good things will balance the scales of justice, if not in this life, such as strength and vigor which are described then in the next. here in a comparison with an eagle. Since an eagle is able to fly long and high, it is a symbol of A REVEALING GOD strength. In the previous psalm, the misfortunes of the psalmist are compared to an owl (102:6). In He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to this psalm, the blessings from God turn the owl the sons of Israel (v. 7). into an eagle. “He who sat moping with the owl in the last psalm, here flies on high with the eagle.”5 5Spurgeon, Treasury, vol. 4, 450. 2 God is hidden in that we cannot see Him, yet heavens are high. When He forgives, He re- He has revealed His nature and His will to us in moves our sin as far away as the east from the various acts in history and in His Word through west. On our earth we can measure the distance inspired writers of the Bible. His greatest revela- from north to south by means of the poles, but tion was in Jesus Christ. As the writer to the there is no east pole or west pole. Hebrews said: “God, after He spoke long ago to Kipling wrote, “East is east, and west is west, the fathers in the prophets in many portions and and never the twain shall meet.” By this we can in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us mean that two cultures are so different that a in His Son” (Hebrews 1:1, 2). unifying mesh between them seems impossible. As I sat in a recently opened McDonald’s ham- A MERCIFUL GOD burger place in Bangkok, Thailand, in the mid- 1980s, a missionary friend who had spent over The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to twenty years in Thailand looked around in anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will amazement and remarked, “East is east, and not always strive with us; nor will He keep His anger forever.