Forget Not

Draft, under review

Psalm 103:1–14

1Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.

2Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—

3He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,

5who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

7He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.

8The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.

9He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.

10He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

14For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.

Berean Standard Bible. Read the full chapter

Reflection

David begins by preaching to himself. He tells his own soul to bless the Lord, with everything inside him, and not to forget a single one of God's benefits (Ps 103:1–2). He knows how easily gratitude leaks away. Forgetting is the quiet enemy of thanks.

So he makes a list. God forgives all our sins, heals our diseases, rescues our lives from the pit, crowns us with steadfast love and compassion, and satisfies us with good things (Ps 103:3–5). Each line is a specific mercy, not a vague feeling. The healing he mentions is real mercy, and its full completion waits for the resurrection, when our bodies are made new (Rom 8:23). It is not a promise that every illness will be healed now.

Then David widens the lens to God's character. The Lord showed His ways to Moses (Ps 103:7). He is tender and gracious, patient rather than quick-tempered, and overflowing with faithful love (Ps 103:8; Exod 34:6). He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve. He puts our wrongs as far from us as sunrise is from sunset (Ps 103:10–12). Like a father with his children, He has compassion, because He remembers that we are dust (Ps 103:13–14).

There is a beautiful contrast here. We are told not to forget, and God is the one who remembers our frailty. Try David's practice today. Name your mercies one by one, out loud. Start with the cross, where the forgiveness in verse 3 was won (Col 2:13–14), and keep going.

Word study: verified (STEPBible)

gemul (Hebrew, Strong's H1576): benefit, dealing, what is done for someone (Ps 103:2). David's list unpacks it. In Ps 103:13, God's compassion is racham (H7355), and His love in Ps 103:4 is chesed (H2617).

Cross-reference trail

  1. Exod 34:6-7: God's self-description to Moses.
  2. Deut 8:10-11: Bless the Lord and do not forget.
  3. Mic 7:18-19: Sins hurled into the deep ocean.
  4. Col 2:13-14: The record of debt nailed to the cross.
  5. Jas 1:17: Every good gift from the Father.

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Prayer

Lord, I don't want to forget. Thank You for forgiveness, for daily mercies, and for remembering that I am dust.

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