Rhapsody of Compassionate Mercy - Nov. 9th & 13th, 2022

Savoring the Psalter  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  37:43
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Personally and actively guarding against the tendency to forget the Lord’s “benefits”: (1) Keeps you in a place to continue to receive His compassionate mercy personally; (2) While making a difference in the lives of others corporately because you fear Him and keep His Words in your daily walk with Him; (3) And leads you to join the great choir of angels and the hosts of His heavenly servants who praises Him by hearing, heeding, and honoring His Kingship in your life.

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Pre-Introduction: You’re enjoying the Services of the First Baptist Church of Westminster. This is the Co-Pastor bringing the Sunday Evening message entitled “Rhapsody of Compassionate Mercy.” We invite you to follow along with us in your Bible in the Book of Psalms, Psalm 103.

Introduction:

[Start Low]
A. Get Attention - Striking Statement:
PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN
Henry F. Lyte, 1793–1847
Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul. (Psalm 103:22)
The Christian life that is joyless is a discredit to God and a disgrace to itself.
Maltbie D. Babcock
A life of praise and an inner joy and contentment are interwoven—they are complements of each other. Such a life is the result of being absorbed with God. For such an individual the pursuit of God’s glory, the Lordship of Christ, and the worship and praise of our Creator-redeemer become a natural way of living. To this person the blessings of God never become commonplace.
. . .Although Henry Lyte, the author of this hymn text, experienced many difficulties in life, including a frail body, this hymn helps us realize that we as believers can rise above our problems and lift voices of praise in spite of any circumstances. The text is a summary of the psalmist’s admonition in Psalm 103 to praise and to remember all of the good things about God. It first appeared in Lyte’s collection of new paraphrases of the Psalms, published in 1834. Interestingly, the hymn has the distinction of being the requested processional for the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, exactly 100 years after author Henry Lyte’s death.
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; to His feet thy tribute bring; ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore His praises sing: Alleluia! Praise the Everlasting king!
Father-like, He tends and spares us, well our feeble frame He knows; in His hands He gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes: Alleluia! Widely yet His mercy flows!
Angels in the height, adore Him; ye behold Him face to face; Sun and moon, bow down before Him, dwellers all in time and space: Alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace!
. . . Remember—A cheerful word of praise and encouragement will mean more to those with whom we live than acres of flowers we may give when they are gone. Carry this song of triumph with you.
[Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996), 332.]
Weiser has called this psalm “one of the finest blossoms on the tree of biblical faith.” . . . “The praise of heaven is the tuning fork for our earthly praise. The brevity of human life is painted in relief against God’s eternity. God’s love is the reason for his works.” ~ C. Hassell Bullock
However, we can easily become deaf to its music if we do not engage our soul to act on God’s compassion.
B. Raise Need - Illustration:
Forgetting God’s “benefits” puts you on the fast track in failing to “fear” Him, which in turn leads to failure to hear and heed His Word, which consummates in your missing out on His everlasting mercy. He is the King of the Universe, you are at His mercy, never forget who He is, and what He has and will yet do for them that love and obey His Word.
C. State Purpose-
Doctrinal/Devotional - I want my hearer to personally, actively guard against forgetting ALL of God’s compassionate “benefits” so they will remain motivated to “bless His holy name” by hearing and heeding His Word along with the rest of His obedient creation.
D. Orient Theme-
David invites “all that is within me” to bless the LORD: On a Personal Level because of all of His “benefits” (Ps. 103:1-7); On a Corporate/National Level because of He “pitieth” them that fear Him (Ps. 103:8-14); On a Universal Level because of His “Everlasting Mercy” in light of His Transcendent Sovereignty (Ps. 103:15-22).
Main Thought:
Personally and actively guarding against the tendency to forget the Lord’s “benefits”: (1) Keeps you in a place to continue to receive His compassionate mercy personally; (2) While making a difference in the lives of others corporately because you fear Him and keep His Words in your daily walk with Him; (3) And leads you to join the great choir of angels and the hosts of His heavenly servants who praises Him by hearing, heeding, and honoring His Kingship in your life.
Sub-introduction:
Psalm 103 is the first of four songs of praise that form the conclusion to Book 4. It is appropriate for the book that celebrates the kingship of the Lord to come to a close on such a high note of praise. Two invitations to praise the Lord (103:1–2 and 103:20–22) surround the central section of the poem (103:3–19), which contains the praise called for in the introduction and conclusion. The central section shares with Psalm 102 the alternating perspectives of the individual (103:3–5) and the community (103:6–19). The good things the Lord does for the individual are celebrated in the context of the good things God does for the community as a whole. [Futato, CBC]
“Even though people are sinful and frail, when they remember the mercies of the LORD toward them they renew their hope in his covenant love and their commitment to praise and serve him faithfully.” ~ Allen P. Ross
“In the galaxy of the Psalter these are [fraternal] twin stars of the first magnitude." ~Kidner, of Psalms 103-104.
Campbell Morgan said that Psalm 103 was perhaps the most perfect psalm of pure praise to be found in the Bible; Charles Spurgeon said, “It is one of those all-comprehending Scriptures which is a Bible in itself, and it might alone almost suffice for the hymnbook of the church.”
In 1 Samuel 23:16, David was in deep trouble. Several disasters had befallen him, and he was distraught. His friend Jonathan came and “strengthened his hand in the Lord.” Later, in 1 Samuel 30, David again found himself in terrible distress. This time Jonathan was unable to come, and there was no one to encourage him. First Samuel 30:6 says, “David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” This is an important technique to learn. Sometimes there’s no one around us to uplift us, and we must learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord. We must learn to give ourselves pep-talks, to talk ourselves out of depression and despair. That is what Psalm 103:1 teaches us. [NAPS, 2003]
Body:

I. Your Personal Invitation to Bless the Lord for All His Benefits (Ps. 103:1-7).

[Go Slow]

A. Is Your “All that is within me” Moved by All His Personal Benefits? (Ps. 103:1-5)

Stanza First: David’s Individual Personal Invitation to Bless Jehovah for All His “Benefits” (Ps. 103:1-7). (Note the singular pronouns)
Seven We come now to the great number of spiritual perfection. A number which, therefore, occupies so large a place in the works, and especially in the Word of God as being inspired by the Holy Spirit. . . . As a number the actual word and number “SEVEN” is used as no other number is. Seven and its compounds occur in multiples of seven in the Old Testament. . . . It is, however, when we come to consider its significance that the true glories of its spiritual perfection are revealed.
We have just seen that six is the number which is stamped upon all things human, as being emphatically the number of man. Let us first observe the use of the two numbers.
Six and Seven Together
as combining and contrasting what is human and what is spiritual. [Bullinger, Number in Scripture]
Bless Him from Thy Innermost & Forget Not Thy Personal “Benefits” from Jehovah (Psalm 103:1-5):
1. David’s Personal Invitation to His Soul (Ps. 103:1-2).
Psalm 103:1–2 KJV 1900
1 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:
Verse 1.—“Bless his holy name.” The name of God frequently signifies his nature and attributes, in Scripture. Now, holiness is the glory of this name; the purity of God is that which beautifies all his perfections, and renders them worthy to be praised. His eternity, and knowledge, and power, without justice, and goodness, and truth, might indeed frighten and confound us; but could not inflame our love, or engage us to hearty blessing. But when infinite mightiness, and unerring wisdom, and eternal dominion, are mixed with unchangeable love, and inviolable veracity and goodness, which exalts itself above all his works; when thus it becomes a holy name, then the divine perfections are rendered truly amiable, and suitable objects of our hope and confidence and loudest songs; so that you see how elegantly the Psalmist upon this occasion mentions the purity of God: “Bless his holy name.” [Spurgeon, ToD]
BEN´EFIT, n. [Primarily from L. beneficium, or benefactum; but perhaps directly from the Fr. bienfait, by corruption.] 1.An act of kindness; a favor conferred. ~ ADEL, Webster’s 1828
Note that the word is in the same family of Chesed.
2. Image - Thine Forgiven Iniquities & Healed Diseases (Ps. 103:3);
Psalm 103:3 KJV 1900
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases;
O my soul, if I should cut thee up into as many parts as an anatomist, and examine the infirmities of every part, should I not have cause, just cause, to cry out with Saint Paul, O wretch that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin? Who shall heal me of all these infirmities? for whether we call them sins, and then God forgives them; or call them infirmities, and then he heals them; they are to us, all one benefit; in God, all one kindness; that as either of them is well worth remembering; so for both of them, we have just cause to bless him and to praise his name.—Sir Richard Baker. [Spurgeon, ToD]
3. Image - Thy Redemption from Destruction & Crowning with Chesed & Racham (Ps. 103:4);
Psalm 103:4 KJV 1900
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
4. Image - Thy Satisfaction with Good Ornaments & Renewed Strength like an Eagle (Ps. 103:5).
Psalm 103:5 KJV 1900
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

B. Remember the Righteous Executioner & Judge for the Oppressed, His Unblemished Record Bears This Out (Ps. 103:6-7).

Bless Jehovah Because He Is the Righteous Executioner and the Reliable Revelator of His Ways & Acts (Ps. 103:6-7).
1. Righteous Executioner & Judgment for the Oppressed (Ps. 103:6).
Psalm 103:6 KJV 1900
6 The Lord executeth righteousness And judgment for all that are oppressed.
2. Revelator of His Ways to Moses & to Children of Israel, His Acts (Ps. 103:7).
Psalm 103:7 KJV 1900
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.
Application:
Verse 3.—“Who healeth all thy diseases.” In one of the prisons of a certain country, was a man who had committed high treason: for this crime he was in due time tried, and, being found guilty, was condemned to die. But more than this; he was afflicted with an inward disease, which generally proves mortal. Now we may truly say, that this man is doubly dead; that his life is forfeited twice over: the laws of his country have pronounced him guilty of death, and therefore his life is forfeited once to the laws of his country, and, if he had not died in this way, he must die of his disease; he is, therefore, “twice dead.” Now suppose that the sovereign of that country had made up his mind to wish to save that prisoner’s life, could he save it? He could indeed take off the penalty of the law; he could give him a free pardon, and so restore the life, as sure as it is forfeited by the just sentence of the law; but, unless he could also send a physician, who could cure the man of his disease, he would die by that, and his pardon would only lengthen out for a few weeks or months, a miserable existence. And if this disease were not only a mortal disease, but an infectious one, likely to spread itself by the breath of the patient, and a contagious one, likely to spread by the touch of the patient’s body or clothes, then it would be dangerous to others to come near that man; and unless he were cured, and thoroughly and entirely cured, the man, though pardoned, would still be a fit inmate only for the pest-house, and could not be received into the houses of the healthy. You have seen such a case as this, brethren; you are at this very moment, perhaps, sitting close by a person in this case; yes, and perhaps you are in this very case yourself! Perhaps, do I say? I should say, you are in this very case, unless you are really and truly a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus.—W. Weldon Champneys, 1842. [Spurgeon, ToD]
Transition:
Having considered your Personal invitation to bless Jehovah for all His benefits, we now continue as David provides his hearers with,

II. Our Corporate Invitation to Contemplate the Lord’s Fatherly Compassion (Ps. 103:8-14).

[Climb Higher]

A. Behold His Mercy and Grace on Display All Around Us (Ps. 103:8-12).

Stanza Second: David’s Corporate National Meditation on Jehovah’s Compassion (Ps. 103:8-14). (Note the plural pronouns)
The Result of Jehovah’s Compassionate Mercy & Grace (Ps. 103:8-12).
1. His Characteristic of Compassionate Mercy (Ps. 103:8-9).
a. His Long-fuse [lit. nose], and His “great of mercy”-ness means (Ps. 103:8),
Psalm 103:8 KJV 1900
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
b. That His quarrel against us will not endure for ever, neither will He be angry for eternity (Ps. 103:9).
Psalm 103:9 KJV 1900
9 He will not always chide: Neither will he keep his anger for ever.
2. His Characteristic of Grace: We have not received the full punishment we deserve for our sins and iniquities (Ps. 103:10).
Psalm 103:10 KJV 1900
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
3. His Chesed Is Immeasurable (Vertical) (Ps. 103:11).
Psalm 103:11 KJV 1900
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
“As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy” (Ps. 103:11). If, in the scale of things, earth were the size of a grape or marble, the sun would be the size of a beach ball 163 yards away. Jupiter would be about the size of a grapefruit, five blocks up the road. The nearest star would still be 24,000 miles away. If the earth were a grape, the Milky Way, reduced to proportionate size, would still be 55 billion miles wide. Who can imagine the size of the universe? Who can tell how high the heavens are above the earth? Who can measure the distance between east and west? [NAPS, 2003]
4. His Removal of our Transgressions Is Infinite (Horizontal) (Ps. 103:12).
Psalm 103:12 KJV 1900
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Note the chiasmus of imagery in vv. 11-12 with v. 17 = Vertical (heavens)-Horizontal (Linear East-West)/Horizontal (Linear Everlasting-Everlasting)-Vertical (Children’s Children).

B. Behold the Centerpiece of His Fatherly Compassion (Ps. 103:13-14).

The Song’s Centerpiece: Jehovah’s Fatherly Compassion (Ps. 103:13-14).
1. David’s Comparative Illustration: Image - Like as a father has continual compassion on his children, so Jehovah has continual compassion on them that reverence and obey Him; attitude is everything (Ps. 103:13).
Psalm 103:13 KJV 1900
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
2. He knows what we were created from; He remembers our frailties (Ps. 103:14).
Psalm 103:14 KJV 1900
14 For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.
Application:
William Law, in his Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (Eerdmans) writes, “Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms, or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God willeth, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.” [Olford, Ex. Pr. Outlines, Vol. 5]
Transition:

III. A Universal Invitation to Bless the Lord with the Rest of Creation by Hearing & Honoring His Word (Ps. 103:15-22).

[Take Fire]

A. Remember Who Is Who. Man: Finite, Forgetful, & Forgotten; the Lord: Infinite, Omniscient, & Sovereign (Ps. 103:15-19).

Stanza Third: David’s Conclusive Universal Invitation to Bless Jehovah for His Everlasting Mercy in View of His Transcendent Sovereignty (Ps. 103:15-22)
David’s Contrastive Illustration: Finite Forgetful Forgotten Man v. Infinite Omnisciently Righteous Jehovah (Ps. 103:15-19).
1. Image - Man’s Days Frail Like Grass and Flourishing Flowers of the Field (Ps. 103:15).
Psalm 103:15 KJV 1900
15 As for man, his days are as grass: As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
2. Image cont. - Man’s Days Forgotten - Like Dry Desert Wind that Shrivels the Grass and Flowers (Ps. 103:16).
Psalm 103:16 KJV 1900
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; And the place thereof shall know it no more.
Illustration: Wildflowers from Recent Moffat Hike
The largest category of references to grass in the Bible is based on the dramatic changes of fortune that grass undergoes in a dry climate. Grass in shallow soil, subject to the vagaries of drought and rain, is a changeable phenomenon, quickly green when it has moisture and just as quickly brown when it lacks water. In such a climate even the morning dew can renew grass (Ps 90:5). Another factor is the grass that grows on housetops. Seeds inevitably sprout on the roofs of mud houses, but soon after appearing with the rain they wither, for their roots are shallow, and they cannot endure the sun and winds (2 Kings 19:26; Ps 129:6; Is 37:27). Although the ability of grass to flourish quickly usually implies its imminent destruction, sometimes the quick growth is a positive image of prosperity (Is 66:14).
Mainly, though, references to grass use climatic conditions as a metaphor for human frailty and transience. In Palestine the rainy season (October through April) is followed by a long dry season. Little grass endures the dry heat, so the green grass that soon dries up becomes a fitting symbol of all that is short-lived. The most obvious quality of grass in a dry climate is that it withers (Ps 102:4, 11; 129:6) and fades (Ps 37:2). For the psalmist the oppression of the wicked is made easier to bear by the thought that they are like grass; that is, they will soon fade and wither (Ps 37:2). More often than not, however, Scripture employs the theme as a warning for the righteous. We are to face our mortality and the swiftness with which our lives pass. All flesh is like grass (Is 40:6–8; quoted in 1 Pet 1:24–25). As Psalm 90:5–6 has it, to be human is to be like grass and like a dream that quickly disappears. Elsewhere the psalmist acknowledges that he is like an evening shadow that withers away like grass (Ps 102:11). We flourish only momentarily (Ps 103:15); then like the grass, we die (Is 51:12). To live as though it were otherwise would be folly (cf. Jas 1:10, where the rich are warned that they, like the flowers of the grass, will fade away in the midst of their pursuits). [DBI]
3. David’s Poetic Anomaly of Jehovah’s Everlasting Mercy (Ps. 103:17-18).
a. The Extent (Horizontal & Vertical) and the Object of His Chesed (Ps. 103:17).
Psalm 103:17 KJV 1900
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, And his righteousness unto children’s children;
Note that verse 17 is the only line in the poem with NINE words (3 sets of 3 words each, triunity of triunities). Number of Conclusion, Finality, or Judgment; Nine (3x3) perfect movement of spirit, of renewal.
Note that “Jehovah” occurs exactly five times before and after the instance in verse 17, also drawing the reader to that verse.
Note the anomaly of vv. 17-18 = The opening of the final climactic stanza, and perhaps the very heartbeat of the song. Everything in the Psalms appears to hinge on these two verses.
b. The Recipient of His Chesed (Ps. 103:18).
Psalm 103:18 KJV 1900
18 To such as keep his covenant, And to those that remember his commandments to do them.
4. David’s Report Concerning Jehovah’s Transcendent Sovereignty (Ps. 103:19).
Psalm 103:19 KJV 1900
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all.
Note that verse 19 is the only verse that begins with the word Jehovah.

B. Lift Up Your Own Rejoinder of Universal Ovation of Jehovah (Ps. 103:20-22).

David’s Grand Finale: An Invitation to Universal Ovation of Jehovah (Ps. 103:20-22).
1. Perfection of Jehovah’s Praise Among His Angels & Ministers (Ps. 103:20-21).
ten is one of the perfect numbers, and signifies the perfection of Divine order, commencing, as it does, an altogether new series of numbers. The first decade is the representative of the whole numeral system, and originates the system of calculation called “decimals,” because the whole system of numeration consists of so many tens, of which the first is a type of the whole.
Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete. [Bullinger, Number in Scripture]
a. Amongst Those Obedient in the Heavenlies (Ps. 103:20).
Psalm 103:20 KJV 1900
20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, That excel in strength, that do his commandments, Hearkening unto the voice of his word.
b. Amongst Those Obedient in His Hosts (Ps. 103:21).
Psalm 103:21 KJV 1900
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
2. Perfection of Jehovah’s Praise Throughout His Dominion (Ps. 103:22).
Psalm 103:22 KJV 1900
22 Bless the Lord, all his works In all places of his dominion: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
a. Amongst All His Works (v. 22a).
b. Within My Innermost Person (v. 22b).
Note the inclusio of “mercy . . . LORD” of v. 17 with “Bless . . . LORD” of v. 22.

Conclusion:

A. Call to Act/Summary of Message/Application:
Note that the total words in twenty-two verses counted: 147
Middle words: 73 before and 73 after = v. 13 כְּרַחֵ֣ם אָ֭ב - “Like as a father pitieth” or “to love/have compassion on”
1.The Quality of His Mercies. Tender (verse 4).
2.The Measure of those Mercies. Plenteous (verse 8).
3.The Extent of His Mercies (verse 11).
4.The Duration of His Mercies (verse 17).
5.The Receivers of those Mercies (verse 11), viz., “On them that fear Him.”
6.The Freeness of His Mercies. They are to be received, and not earned (2 Cor. 4:1).
7.The Place to receive His Mercies is at the Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16). [Smith, Lee, Handfuls on Purpose]
Personally and actively guarding against the tendency to forget the Lord’s “benefits”: (1) Keeps you in a place to continue to receive His compassionate mercy personally; (2) While making a difference in the lives of others corporately because you fear Him and keep His Words in your daily walk with Him; (3) And leads you to join the great choir of angels and the hosts of His heavenly servants who praises Him by hearing, heeding, and honoring His Kingship in your life.
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