Psa 103:12 | KingComments | STEP | David in has given thanks to the LORD for all the benefits He has done to his soul. Nor is it just any benefit, but a great benefit, namely, that a reversal has taken place in his condition. First he was on the way to destruction, sick because of God’s discipline over his iniquity. The great beneficence of the LORD is that He has delivered him from all this and has showered him with such great blessings that it is impossible for him to remain silent about this great salvation. He now proceeds to sing of the “righteous deeds” of the LORD ( ). These righteous deeds involve His “judgments for all who are oppressed”. They are manifested when He provides justice to the oppressed by redeeming them, while this also includes punishing the oppressors. We still live in a world today that is full of unjust acts and injustice. This does not come from the LORD, but from man living without Him. When the LORD reigns, when He sits on His throne ( ), there will be an end to all injustice. He will put an end to it by doing “righteous deeds”, which are the righteous judgments by which He will punish and remove injustice. “For all who are oppressed”, who have suffered injustice for the sake of His Name, He will do justice. He will lead them into the peace and blessing of the realm of peace. God has plans for the future. This includes two things: firstly, deliverance from the hand of the enemy and secondly, pardon of iniquities. He has “made known … to Moses” the plans for the future of His people and the ways in which He will realize them ( ). Moses went to Him to show him the tabernacle ( ; ). In it He reveals His plan, and that is that He wants to dwell in the midst of a redeemed people. “To the sons of Israel” He has made known “His acts”. He did so by delivering them out of the bondage of Egypt and bringing them into the promised land. The people had to be delivered from an outward enemy, but also from their iniquities. Only then could the LORD dwell in their midst. Likewise it will be in the future. There is deliverance from the hand of the wicked, both those of the nations and those of their own people, but above all there is deliverance from their iniquities. All the ways and deeds of the LORD show that He is “compassionate and gracious” and “slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” ( ). This is the glory of God that He demonstrated to Moses when Moses marveled at how the LORD could spare the people after the sin with the golden calf ( ). Each time His people have turned away from Him and begun to serve idols, He has shown His mercy and grace by sparing them. How often His patience has been tested. That He did not exterminate them is because He is “abounding in lovingkindness”. God “will not always strive” ( ; ). With the people of Israel, the LORD could come and dwell in their midst by virtue of the day of atonement ( ). What happened on that day, the sacrifices that were offered, points to the Lord’s work on the cross, as explained in Hebrews 9-10 ( ). This applies to all who have confessed their sins. The moment the high priest, who appeared before God on behalf of the people, returned by the power of the blood, the people knew for certain that for that one year their sins had been taken away. Thus Christ, our High Priest, was raised from the dead for our justification ( ). The believer may know that His sins were borne by the Lord Jesus on the cross ( ). God called Him to account and gave Him the righteous judgment for those sins. As a result, they were blotted out and put away. The full heat of His anger on those sins has gone over His Son. Therefore, He does not keep His anger on the repentant sinner forever, but forgives him and blesses him. In a contact with someone who adheres to the false teaching of the universal atonement, these verses were quoted by him as proof that God saves everyone. ‘For’, he claimed, ‘God is compassionate and gracious, patient and rich in mercy, and He does not keep His anger forever’. This way of interpreting the Bible is a great deception with fatal consequences. We are saved from such ‘own interpretation’ when we understand that the actions of God in this psalm are illustrated in the feast of the day of atonement in Leviticus 16. On that day, something is done to two goats. The first goat is slaughtered. This speaks of satisfaction to God’s honor being restored. This is what the Lord Jesus did. On that basis, reconciliation can be offered to all people . The second goat is sent into the wilderness after the high priest confessed the sins of Israel while laying his hands on the head of this goat. This, too, the Lord Jesus did by taking the sins upon Himself of every person who, repenting of his sins, confessed them to God. This speaks of substitution , that is, forgiveness of sins only actually takes place for each person who with repentance confesses his sins to God. Only those who believe receive forgiveness of sins, for only of them are the sins actually reconciled by the sacrifice of Christ. With those sins He was burdened and on them He received God’s judgment. We must remember that here David is speaking as the mouth of the faithful remnant of Israel in the future. He praises God for the forgiveness of his sins. He is aware that his iniquities have been forgiven. He knows that his life has been redeemed from the grave. He experiences because of the forgiveness, that God is not angry forever. He is freed from Gods wrath, which afflicts everyone who is unrepentant. Every person who believes that Christ has borne the wrath of God for him, will praise God for it forever! Psalm 103 speaks of a man who has repented and done penance and is aware of forgiveness. What David says in it, no unconverted man says and will say in eternity no man who has not repented on earth. On earth repentance must happen and on earth sins must be forgiven and not in the hereafter ( ). Those who have confessed their sins and received forgiveness are deeply aware that it is only grace that God did not deal with them according to their sins and did not reward according to their iniquities ( ; cf. ). David speaks here in the plural, “us” and “our”. He is here expressing the feelings of the faithful remnant who have entered into the blessing of the realm of peace. They are not there by virtue of any merit of their own. What the believing remnant says applies to an even greater degree to the New Testament believer. He will also partake of all the blessings of the realm of peace ( ). Above and beyond this he is blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. These were given to him by pure grace from God “Who is rich in mercy” and “because of His great love” ( ). Shall we not give Him eternal praise for this and begin with it now on earth? Who can measure the distance between the earth and heaven ( )? It is a distance immeasurable to humans. No one has ever been able to discover the ‘ceiling’ of heaven. As immeasurably “high as the heavens are above the earth, that great is His lovingkindness [that is Adonai, covenant faithfulness] toward those who fear Him”. All who “fear Him” – this phrase occurs three times in the psalm ( ) – are the object of the power of His lovingkindness. (This is, by the way, another proof of the lie of the universal atonement.) God has worked in them the fear, that is the awe, of Him. It is all His work. The remnant here praises the power of His lovingkindness. Now that Christ has laid the foundation of the covenant through the blood of the new covenant, the power of God’s lovingkindness or covenant faithfulness is so infinitely great that the Lord Jesus can declare: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” ( ). In the unbounded power of His lovingkindness God has fulfilled all His promises to a failing people. He has mercifully taken care of them in a mighty way, while they completely forfeited the right to all of God’s promises. His power has become visible in His Son, the Mediator of the new covenant, Who has fulfilled all the conditions of God’s covenant. What is impossible for man to do, namely, to save himself, God is able to do ( ). For the transgressions done by the people, He, in the power of His lovingkindness, also provided ( ). Transgressions require retribution. That retribution He has asked for and received from His Son. Christ confessed the transgressions of those who believe in Him toward God as His own and suffered the judgment of God for them ( ). This means that God no longer sees sin in those who have confessed them, because Christ died for them. He received the wages for it ( ). The remnant is aware that their sins have been carried away. They indicate the distance between them and their transgressions by pointing to the distance between “the east” and “the west”. This does not mean a geographical distance, but a distance between the west, where the offeror stands, and the east to which the goat laden with the people’s sins has been sent away through the East Gate of Jerusalem toward the wilderness in the east. The goat is let loose in a secluded wilderness never to return. That the forgiven transgressions will never come back to haunt them is confirmed in other ways by other verses in Scripture ( ; ; ; ).

‏ Psalms 103:12

Judgments and Lovingkindness

David in Psa 103:1-5 has given thanks to the LORD for all the benefits He has done to his soul. Nor is it just any benefit, but a great benefit, namely, that a reversal has taken place in his condition. First he was on the way to destruction, sick because of God’s discipline over his iniquity. The great beneficence of the LORD is that He has delivered him from all this and has showered him with such great blessings that it is impossible for him to remain silent about this great salvation.

He now proceeds to sing of the “righteous deeds” of the LORD (Psa 103:6). These righteous deeds involve His “judgments for all who are oppressed”. They are manifested when He provides justice to the oppressed by redeeming them, while this also includes punishing the oppressors. We still live in a world today that is full of unjust acts and injustice. This does not come from the LORD, but from man living without Him.

When the LORD reigns, when He sits on His throne (Mt 25:31), there will be an end to all injustice. He will put an end to it by doing “righteous deeds”, which are the righteous judgments by which He will punish and remove injustice. “For all who are oppressed”, who have suffered injustice for the sake of His Name, He will do justice. He will lead them into the peace and blessing of the realm of peace.

God has plans for the future. This includes two things: firstly, deliverance from the hand of the enemy and secondly, pardon of iniquities. He has “made known … to Moses” the plans for the future of His people and the ways in which He will realize them (Psa 103:7). Moses went to Him to show him the tabernacle (Exo 25:40; Heb 8:5). In it He reveals His plan, and that is that He wants to dwell in the midst of a redeemed people. “To the sons of Israel” He has made known “His acts”. He did so by delivering them out of the bondage of Egypt and bringing them into the promised land.

The people had to be delivered from an outward enemy, but also from their iniquities. Only then could the LORD dwell in their midst. Likewise it will be in the future. There is deliverance from the hand of the wicked, both those of the nations and those of their own people, but above all there is deliverance from their iniquities.

All the ways and deeds of the LORD show that He is “compassionate and gracious” and “slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (Psa 103:8). This is the glory of God that He demonstrated to Moses when Moses marveled at how the LORD could spare the people after the sin with the golden calf (Exo 34:6-7). Each time His people have turned away from Him and begun to serve idols, He has shown His mercy and grace by sparing them. How often His patience has been tested. That He did not exterminate them is because He is “abounding in lovingkindness”.

God “will not always strive” (Psa 103:9; Isa 57:16). With the people of Israel, the LORD could come and dwell in their midst by virtue of the day of atonement (Lev 16:1-34). What happened on that day, the sacrifices that were offered, points to the Lord’s work on the cross, as explained in Hebrews 9-10 (Heb 9:1-28 ; Heb 10:1-22). This applies to all who have confessed their sins.

The moment the high priest, who appeared before God on behalf of the people, returned by the power of the blood, the people knew for certain that for that one year their sins had been taken away. Thus Christ, our High Priest, was raised from the dead for our justification (Rom 4:25).

The believer may know that His sins were borne by the Lord Jesus on the cross (1Pet 2:24). God called Him to account and gave Him the righteous judgment for those sins. As a result, they were blotted out and put away. The full heat of His anger on those sins has gone over His Son. Therefore, He does not keep His anger on the repentant sinner forever, but forgives him and blesses him.

In a contact with someone who adheres to the false teaching of the universal atonement, these verses were quoted by him as proof that God saves everyone. ‘For’, he claimed, ‘God is compassionate and gracious, patient and rich in mercy, and He does not keep His anger forever’. This way of interpreting the Bible is a great deception with fatal consequences.

We are saved from such ‘own interpretation’ when we understand that the actions of God in this psalm are illustrated in the feast of the day of atonement in Leviticus 16. On that day, something is done to two goats. The first goat is slaughtered. This speaks of satisfaction to God’s honor being restored. This is what the Lord Jesus did. On that basis, reconciliation can be offered to all people.

The second goat is sent into the wilderness after the high priest confessed the sins of Israel while laying his hands on the head of this goat. This, too, the Lord Jesus did by taking the sins upon Himself of every person who, repenting of his sins, confessed them to God. This speaks of substitution, that is, forgiveness of sins only actually takes place for each person who with repentance confesses his sins to God. Only those who believe receive forgiveness of sins, for only of them are the sins actually reconciled by the sacrifice of Christ. With those sins He was burdened and on them He received God’s judgment.

We must remember that here David is speaking as the mouth of the faithful remnant of Israel in the future. He praises God for the forgiveness of his sins. He is aware that his iniquities have been forgiven. He knows that his life has been redeemed from the grave. He experiences because of the forgiveness, that God is not angry forever. He is freed from Gods wrath, which afflicts everyone who is unrepentant. Every person who believes that Christ has borne the wrath of God for him, will praise God for it forever!

Psalm 103 speaks of a man who has repented and done penance and is aware of forgiveness. What David says in it, no unconverted man says and will say in eternity no man who has not repented on earth. On earth repentance must happen and on earth sins must be forgiven and not in the hereafter (Mt 9:6).

Those who have confessed their sins and received forgiveness are deeply aware that it is only grace that God did not deal with them according to their sins and did not reward according to their iniquities (Psa 103:10; cf. Exo 34:7). David speaks here in the plural, “us” and “our”. He is here expressing the feelings of the faithful remnant who have entered into the blessing of the realm of peace. They are not there by virtue of any merit of their own.

What the believing remnant says applies to an even greater degree to the New Testament believer. He will also partake of all the blessings of the realm of peace (Heb 11:40). Above and beyond this he is blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. These were given to him by pure grace from God “Who is rich in mercy” and “because of His great love” (Eph 1:3 ; Eph 2:1-10). Shall we not give Him eternal praise for this and begin with it now on earth?

Who can measure the distance between the earth and heaven (Psa 103:11)? It is a distance immeasurable to humans. No one has ever been able to discover the ‘ceiling’ of heaven. As immeasurably “high as the heavens are above the earth, that great is His lovingkindness [that is Adonai, covenant faithfulness] toward those who fear Him”.

All who “fear Him” – this phrase occurs three times in the psalm (Psa 103:11 ; 15 ; 17) – are the object of the power of His lovingkindness. (This is, by the way, another proof of the lie of the universal atonement.) God has worked in them the fear, that is the awe, of Him. It is all His work.

The remnant here praises the power of His lovingkindness. Now that Christ has laid the foundation of the covenant through the blood of the new covenant, the power of God’s lovingkindness or covenant faithfulness is so infinitely great that the Lord Jesus can declare: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18).

In the unbounded power of His lovingkindness God has fulfilled all His promises to a failing people. He has mercifully taken care of them in a mighty way, while they completely forfeited the right to all of God’s promises. His power has become visible in His Son, the Mediator of the new covenant, Who has fulfilled all the conditions of God’s covenant. What is impossible for man to do, namely, to save himself, God is able to do (Lk 18:25-27).

For the transgressions done by the people, He, in the power of His lovingkindness, also provided (Psa 103:12). Transgressions require retribution. That retribution He has asked for and received from His Son. Christ confessed the transgressions of those who believe in Him toward God as His own and suffered the judgment of God for them (2Cor 5:21). This means that God no longer sees sin in those who have confessed them, because Christ died for them. He received the wages for it (Rom 6:23a).

The remnant is aware that their sins have been carried away. They indicate the distance between them and their transgressions by pointing to the distance between “the east” and “the west”. This does not mean a geographical distance, but a distance between the west, where the offeror stands, and the east to which the goat laden with the people’s sins has been sent away through the East Gate of Jerusalem toward the wilderness in the east. The goat is let loose in a secluded wilderness never to return. That the forgiven transgressions will never come back to haunt them is confirmed in other ways by other verses in Scripture (Isa 38:17b; Jer 50:20; Mic 7:19; Heb 8:12).