Praise our God - Part Three

Introduction

Isaiah 57:15 ESV

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Psalm 103 ESV

Of David. 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, 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. 6 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. 15 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. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

PRAYER

Bless Our God (Review of Verse 1-2)

Psalm 103:1–2 ESV

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,

Praise, honor, worship the LORD (Yahweh), the covenant keeping God, from the inner man with all that I am. Honer, praise and worship him for who he is. Praise, honor and worship, the LORD (Yahweh) from the inner man with who I am and fail not to recall and recollect all that he as done for me that is beneficial.

Isaiah 57:15 ESV

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

God Personally Interacts with His People

David speaking about Yahweh’s personal interaction with him. If you notice, David writes, who forgives, who heals, who redeems, who crowns and who satisfies. David has experienced a personal interaction with God in relationship to his sin, his diseases, hi s life, his standing in God’s grace and the fulfillment of his personal longings. These show that is personally involved in the lives of his people.

We see this especially in the following verses:

Psalm 103:13 ESV

13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Psalm 103:14 ESV

14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 50:14–15 ESV

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

God Purposefully Interacts with His People

What I am observing from the text is that God what he does with purpose and on purpose. I think this is most plainly seen with the repetition of the work “Steadfast Love”. This is certainly a word, but it is one of the most amazing concepts in the Scriptures as it related to God’s interaction with his children.

Psalm 103:4 ESV

4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

Psalm 103:8 ESV

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 103:11 ESV

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

Psalm 103:17–18 ESV

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.

Sense - Loyal love - an unfailing kind of love, kindness or goodness; often used of God’s love that is related to faithfulness to his covenant. loyalty, faithfulness, goodness, graciousness, godly action

Iain Duguid writes: Yet the most precious use of the word hesed in the Old Testament is as a description of what God does. Having entered a covenant relationship with His people, God bound Himself to act toward them in certain ways, and He is utterly faithful to His self-commitment.

Psalm 136 explores what the Lord’s hesed means in its broadest possible terms, for each line concludes with the words: “his hesed endures forever.” Because of the Lord’s hesed, He created the universe, and He rules it daily through His providence (Pss. 136:5–9, 25). Because of His hesed toward Israel, He redeemed them out of Egypt and brought them through the Red Sea and the wilderness into the Land of Promise. For the same reason, He hurled the Egyptians into the sea and struck down the Canaanite kings before them (vv. 11–21). Both His deliverance of His people and His destruction of their enemies are aspects of the Lord’s faithfulness to His promise to make Abraham a mighty nation, blessing those who bless him and cursing those who curse him (Gen. 12:1–3).

Even when His people sin against Him and face the consequences of their sin, they may still appeal to the Lord’s hesed, as the writer of Lamentations does in the midst of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Surrounded by the evidence of the Lord’s faithfulness to judge wickedness, rebellion, and sin, he casts himself on the unchanging character of God, affirming, “The hesed of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–23).

In Psalm 23:6, the psalmist declares that the Lord’s goodness and hesed will pursue him all the days of his life. The word pursue normally describes the action of pillaging armies and covenant curse, but the psalmist is convinced that instead of the covenant curse he deserves, the Lord’s faithful love and goodness will hunt him down relentlessly instead.

God Powerfully Interacts with His People

We see all through this Psalm the power and sovereignty of God. What do I mean by power?

(Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680)

Daniel 4:35 ESV

35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatever He pleases, whatever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatever the infinite purity of His will may resolve. As holiness is the beauty of all God's attributes; so power is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the divine nature. How vain would be the eternal decrees, if power did not step in to execute them. Without power— His mercy would be but feeble pity, His promises an empty sound, His threatenings a mere scarecrow. God's power is like Himself--infinite, eternal, incomprehensible; it can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.

As His essence . . . is immense--not to be confined in place; as it is eternal--not to be measured in time; so it is almighty--not to be limited in regard of action.

He can pardon an immeasurable number of transgressions. he can cure every disease, even death. He can deliver from the great hole. He can royally bless his people with love and pity. He can fulfill the deepest desire of the soul. he can give renewal to broken bodies. He can settle all the injustices and lack of rightness in the earth. He can reveal himself to a sinful people. He is overflowing with pity, favor and long-suffering. He can relent from his anger against us. He mercies us instead of judging us. He is superabundant with permanent love to his people. He can be sensitive to his people as a patient, loving dad. He can be intimately acquainted with our frailty and weakness. He can be eternally committed in love to his people.

Psalm 103:19 ESV

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

God Publicly Interacts with His People

Psalm 103:7 ESV

7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.

Psalm 136:10–22 ESV

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; 11 and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; 12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; 13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; 14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; 15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever; 16 to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever; 17 to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; 18 and killed mighty kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever; 20 and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever; 21 and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever; 22 a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever.

God Prophetically Interacts with His People

We know that what David is writing here is true, but the question we should ask is, “How are these things true?”

These words were written by David about 1000 years before Jesus’ time. However, every benefit that is mentioned in this Psalm requires the incarnation of the eternal, Second person of the Trinity for them to stand, to be firm and to be trusted. The life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return of Jesus secures all these benefits for everyone that calls on him.

Jesus is the most personal interaction we have from God the Father. He is the purpose of all things God does with us and for us. He is the most powerful display of God’s omnipotence. He is the most public interaction we have with God.

Let’s just think about one aspect. Forgiveness. How can we be forgiven?

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Practical Application

The more near your are to God personally, the more he changes you. Spurgeon, “Nearness to God brings likeness to God. The more you see God, the more of God will be seen in you.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Worship God for his purpose

Romans 8:28–30 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Ask God to help you walk in his power.

Ephesians 3:14–19 ESV

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Be a display of God interaction

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

It is all about Jesus

1 More about Jesus would I know, More of His grace to others show; More of his saving fullness see, More of His love who died for me.

Refrain: More, more about Jesus, More, more about Jesus; More of His saving fullness see, More of His love who died for me.

2 More about Jesus let me learn, More of his holy will discern; Spirit of God, my teacher be, Showing the things of Christ to me. [Refrain]

3 More about Jesus in His Word, Holding communion with my Lord; Hearing his voice in ev'ry line, Making each faithful saying mine. [Refrain]

4 More about Jesus on his throne, Riches in glory all His own; More if His kingdom's sure increase; More of His coming, Prince of peace. [Refrain]