Psalm 103
An incredibly thankful human
God gives us good things
A psalm of David[1]
1 I’m thanking the LORD with all my heart.With all I’ve got, I’m thanking him.
And I’m calling him out by name.
2 I’m thanking the LORD with all my heart.
And I’ll not forget the kindness
That comes with his gift of love.
3 You sin. He forgives you.
You get sick. He heals you.
4 You head to the grave. He saves you,
And overwhelms you with relentless love and mercy.
5 He keeps you happy in life
With gifts of good things.
And when you’re older,
He makes you feel young again.
God cuts us some slack
6 The LORD does what’s right.He gets justice for people cheated.
7 He taught Moses how to live.
He did miracles for Israel’s people.
8 The LORD is kind and compassionate.
He’s slow to get mad.
He owns a sky full of mercy.
9 He won’t always give us a hard time.
He won’t stay mad at us forever.
10 He doesn’t punish us like he should.
We deserve worse than we get,
Given the sins we committed.
11 As high as the sky
From earth to heaven,
That’s the depth of God’s mercy
For those who respect him.
12 As far as east is from west
That’s the distance between
Us and our sins.
13 Just as parents show compassion for their kids,
The LORD shows compassion for those who respect him.
14 He knows what we’re made of.
He’s knows that we’re dust
We don’t last, but God’s mercy does
15 The life of a person is like a blade of grass.Like a flower in the field, it blossoms.
16 Then the wind blows it away.
There’s no sign it was ever there.
17 But the LORD’s mercy
Has always been here and will always be here
For those who respect him.
So is his kindness for the generations ahead,
18 For those who keep their agreement[2] with him
And who remember to live the way he taught them.
19 The LORD set up his throne in heaven,
But the kingdom he rules is everywhere.
Every creature, celebrate God
20 Angels, celebrate the LORD.Mighty angels who follow his commands,
Doing whatever he says,
21 Praise the LORD all of you,
Who serve him, and do what he says.
22 Praise the LORD, all creation,
Every being and every creature he commands.
As for me,
I’m thanking the LORD with all my heart.
Notes
The subtitle wasn’t part of the original psalm. And the possible byline “of David,” isn’t necessarily a byline. The vague phrase could mean the song was written by David, about David, or was inspired by David. Almost half of the psalms are attributed to David in this way, 73 of 150. Ancient Jewish history tells of David playing a lyre and writing songs. For one, he wrote a song of mourning at the battlefield death of King Saul and his sons: “How have the mighty fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19-27 New American Standard Bible). An ancient Jewish scroll from about the time of Jesus, discovered among the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, reports that David wrote 3,600 songs.
Deuteronomy 28 outlines the covenant agreement between God and the Hebrew ancestors of the Jewish people, with blessings for obedience and punishment for breaking the agreement. God promised to bless the nation with safety and prosperity. In return, they were to obey the laws God gave them through Moses, which are revealed in the stories reported in the Old Testament books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The covenant actually began with their ancestors Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-21; 17) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15), with promises for a huge family and enough land for a nation of their descendants.
Discussion Questions
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