Toward Those Who Fear Him

Psalms 103:1-19

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and all that is within me,

    bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

    who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” (Psalms 103:1-5 ESV)

If we were to read Psalms 103 under the New Covenant relationship that God now has with his people Israel (both Jew and Gentile by legitimate walks of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord), the “you” and “your” would be in relation to those who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to his righteousness, by his grace.

For this is speaking of those whose lives have been redeemed from the pit of hell. And Jesus Christ shed his blood for us on that cross in order to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery (addiction) to sin so that we would now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. Thus, sin is no longer to have mastery over our lives where we obey its desires. For if we obey sin, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, its end is eternal life with Jesus Christ.

So, it is only by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ that any of us are able to be delivered out of bondage to sin, to have our sins forgiven, and to be healed emotionally, mentally, and spiritually (and sometimes physically, too) of sin’s attacks on our minds, emotions, and bodies. And this faith comes from God and is defined by God and not by us, and the Scriptures teach that this faith requires that we die to sin daily and that we walk in obedience to our Lord in holy living, or else die in our sins.

[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23]

“The Lord works righteousness

    and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

    his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

    nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

14 For he knows our frame;

    he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalms 103:6-14 ESV)

Now, please read all of Psalms 103 in its full context, and please do not take certain verses out of context to make them say what they do not say if taught in the proper context. For all of these promises of God, and all of these benefits of being in relationship with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – although given as gifts to us by God, have conditions that we must meet in order for us to receive what our Lord has promised. And the main condition mentioned here is: “to those who fear him.”

So, what does that mean? It means that we must be people of God who reverence the Lord, who worship him in spirit and in truth, who walk in his ways and in his truth and righteousness, who honor him as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, and who serve him in the ways by which he has called us to do so. We take him and his word seriously to obey it. We believe him, and not only his promises, but his warnings, too, and we take them to heart, and we behave accordingly. For we love God with our whole being.

And who are “the oppressed,” in this context? They are those who are being persecuted for righteousness’ sake, who are harassed (as Jesus was), tormented, baited, wronged, mistreated, bullied, falsely accused, lied about, gossiped about, betrayed, slandered, treated as dirt, treated as though they are nothing of value at all, ignored, and cast aside as unwanted. Satan is hot on their trail, “pulling out all the stops,” in hopes to destroy them and their reputations so that people will no longer listen to the truth that they speak.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

“As for man, his days are like grass;

    he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

    and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

    and his righteousness to children's children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

    and remember to do his commandments.

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

    and his kingdom rules over all.” (Psalms 103:15-19 ESV)

But those who go after the Lord’s servants and messengers, to destroy them, and to silence them, and to turn others against them so that others will stop listening to them, God will destroy, if they do not repent of their wicked ways, and if they do not die with Christ to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness in walks of obedience and in surrender to the will of God for their lives. For the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear (honor) him, as Lord, not just speak his name.

But to honor the Lord means to obey him, for if we do not obey him, but we go our own way, instead, we will die in our sins, regardless of whether or not we profess Jesus as our Savior and Lord. We must keep his New Covenant commandments, which are listed for us all throughout the New Testament. So first we must love God above all else with our whole being, and to love him is to obey him. And then we are to love our fellow humans with that same love which prefers all that is holy, righteous, godly, and morally pure.

Rejoice, the Lord is King!  

Lyrics by Charles Wesley, pub. 1744

Music by John Darwall, pub. 1770

Philippians 4:4; Psalms 103:19

Rejoice, the Lord is King!

Your Lord and King adore;

Rejoice, give thanks, and sing,

And triumph evermore;

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns,

The God of truth and love;

When He had purged our stains

He took His seat above;

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail,

He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,

The keys of death and hell

Are to our Jesus giv’n;

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope!

Jesus the Judge shall come,

And take His servants up

To their eternal home;

We soon shall hear the archangel’s voice;

The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N0iVysrykU

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