He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalms 103:10-14
This psalm is a beautiful tribute to the mercy of God towards weak, sin-sick humanity. As such, it stands in stark contrast to the false accusations many unbelievers level against the God of the Bible. From beginning to end, David uses rich descriptive language to portray God’s purely benevolent intentions in His dealings with us. Building the case line-by-line, David highlights God’s forgiveness and healing (vs. 3), redemption, lovingkindness, and tender mercies (vs. 4), provision of good things and renewal of youthful strength (vs. 5), execution of justice and righteousness for the oppressed (vs. 6), mercy, grace, and patience (vv. 8, 17), pitiful forbearance of punishment and removal of sins (vv. 10-12), and His pity upon those who fear Him (vs. 13).
When we ponder the righteousness of God over against our sinful habits, we ought to respond like Isaiah did when he recognized his close proximity to the God of heaven (Isaiah 6:1-5; 59:1-2; Romans 3:23; 6:23). Indeed, in Psalm 103, David’s case for the benevolence of God is strengthened by the fact of His purity and power. Were it not for the dreadful consequences of rebellion against God, words such as forgiveness, healing, redemption, forbearance, mercy, pity, etc. would not carry the meaning they do. Each of these implies that we truly are in grave danger because of our rejection of God’s will in sin.
Were it not for the fact that God is all these things above, we would remain a people “dead in trespasses and sins…children of wrath…having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:1, 3, 12).
Thankfully, God is all the above and He treats us with such pity because He knows that the fall left us with a constitution of weakness, ignorance, rebellion, and a tendency to yield to Satan’s temptations (cf. Genesis 3:22-24; Romans 5:12). In Psalm 103:14, David compares God to a loving father who recognizes the frailty of his children and has pity upon them. This is no excuse for sinful behaviors as is evident in the fact that we desperately need a Savior. The result of His tender mercies is the complete removal of our sins “…as far as the east is from the west…” (Psalms 103:12). Hezekiah said of God, “You have cast all my sins behind your back” (Isaiah 38:17). Paul stated it as a resurrection from spiritual death to life (Ephesians 2:4-9).
As a man who received God’s forgiveness though he had committed adultery followed by an attempted cover up via murder by proxy (2 Samuel 11-12), David was especially well-positioned to expose the grandeur of God’s tender mercies and lovingkindness. The point is, no matter how far you may have fallen, if you will come to God on His terms (i.e. the gospel of Christ, Romans 1:16-17), He knows your frame, and He will remove your sins as far as east is from west as well. Therefore, the greatest question of your life is, have you obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1-7; Galatians 3:26-27), and if so, are you walking in the light of His word that He can continue to cleanse you (1 John 1:7-9)? If the answer is no to either of these questions, I urge you to stop what you are doing and be sure you can change that answer to a firm yes to both.