1/19/25 Weekly Bible Lesson: Lord's Throne is Established

Background of Text — Psalm 103 has been called one of the most beloved of all the Psalms. When we read it, we quickly recognize it as the basis of several of our worship songs. The practice of taking the psalms almost verbatim and adding music is a wonderful development in the public worship time. We know the psalms were poems often put to music to be part of the people’s public adoration of their God. Music is a wonderful gift from the Lord for us to connect our hearts in a powerful way to our king who sits upon the throne. It is very similar to Jesus’s statement in John 4:24 that true worshipers of God “must worship in Spirit and in truth.” Psalm 103 has helped the children of God from the days of David to our present age. 

Upon study of the text, there will be many passages that will sound very familiar to those who study God’s Word. These are often quoted to show the action and character of God. In Psalm 103, David will be making references to truths about God that came to completeness only after Jesus Christ’s establishment of the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit used David as a prophet to make proclamations we now enjoy as Christians. 

Verses 1-2 — David begins by saying he wants to praise the Lord with every fiber of his being. In fact, twice he states he wants to bless the Lord before moving forward. Whenever there is a repeating of something in Scripture, we must pay very close attention to the truth being emphasized. David wants his worship to bless the Lord. Too often we call on God to bless us, but the higher aim is we should desire to bless Him. Our lives are meant to bring glory and praise to God. David desires this for himself by calling out his soul, his inner most being, long before he can lead others in worship. We can only lead others as far as we are ourselves. 

Verses 3-5 — In this section, David points the worshipper to five specific blessings that we enjoy because God is our Savior and Lord. The first, and greatest is that our king forgives ALL our iniquity. All people make the choice to sin against God (see Romans 3:23), but when a person repents, God offers the gift of forgiveness of sin. David worships the character of God to offer this gift; we have fully experienced this by the blood of King Jesus (see Ephesians 1:7). 

The second blessing is the healing of all our diseases. While this may be a metaphor to further explain the forgiveness of sins, we must acknowledge the fact that God is capable of healing sickness. Our prayer lists contain physical needs which God’s people are asking the Lord for His help. We must remember that God created this world to be without sickness, and that it is the influence of evil that brought disease into this world. When the Lord restores the sick, it is a reminder of what life should be, and will be again, when God rules. 

David continues to praise God by recognizing the children of God are redeemed from what we deserve, which he describes as the pit. We earn death and separation from God, but rather than receiving what we deserve, David says we are crowned “with faithful love and compassion.” We are not given crowns of authority—that belongs to God alone. The crown we receive is one based on grace that we can enjoy now but will only grow our enjoyment as we experience eternal life. 

The final blessing for a child of God is that He meets the needs of life. Jesus taught in Matthew 6:31-33 there was no need to worry about life because God will provide for us. The young think their own strength can provide everything needed for life, yet the wise person realizes God is the only one that can truly satisfy the good things (Matthew 6:33). 

Verses 6-7 — Having reflected on God’s goodness, David now focuses on God’s desire for righteousness for the down-trodden of the world via the nation of Israel. The Lord desired His people to be different in the world, but that was not the ultimate goal. The goal was to be a blessing to the people of the earth. Unfortunately, Israel rejected that mission, but now God’s blessings are bestowed upon the earth by His Kingdom (the church). 

Verses 8-14 — The final section of our text contains the truths the church needs to bless the world. The world needs to know that God is compassionate, and He does not give us what we deserve. They need to know of His amazing love that sent His Son to die on a cross so they might have forgiveness. In a world that seemingly cannot allow people to get past their past, mistakes, and sin, they need to know His forgiveness casts sin as far as the east is from the west. The Father’s compassion is available to anyone who will turn to Him and allow Christ to be Savior and Lord. 

Consider 

Are we fully worshipping the Lord in every aspect of our lives? Are we bringing glory to the Lord by being a blessing to the world? Are we fully sharing the grace and truth of Jesus to a world that is broken?