I remember a sermon that my uncle preached once from Psalm 103. "Forget not all of His Benefits!" Every time I read it I am taken back to that time. I can hear him so eloquently saying, pleading nearly, for us not to forget all of the Lord's benefits. The writer of this Psalm begins by summoning his soul, and everything that is within himself to bless the Lord, to praise His Holy Name, and to not forget all the benefits that come with knowing Him. We must constantly remind ourselves of the good things because we tend to not keep track of the good things so well. Bad things... no problem! The enemy reminds us constantly of them. But of the good things, we have short-lived memories, especially those good things which are continuous. We get used to things and it is necessary to be reminded of just how blessed we are. So the writer begins to list the benefits in verse 3. "Who forgives all your iniquities". The word for forgives here is a word that means 'to be indulgent towards' or 'forgive, pardon or spare'. To be indulgent means that one puts up with something they don't like because of a greater love for the one who is doing it. Think of an indulgent parent who allows a child to continue in a habit that isn't fruitful, yet still loves that child. My parents did so with me. I did the same with my kids. God does so with me. He does so with you too. That doesn't mean that He approves, it just means He still loves us, despite our sins. It also doesn't mean that He will allow us to always continue in our sin. There are always consequences for sin. He forgives. He has pardoned us. He has spared us from the punishment that we deserve. I read a story of a mother in Africa whose son was killed. The man who killed him was sentenced to die by hanging. But just as the noose was being placed around his neck, the woman came forward and forgave him. He was pardoned. That...is what Jesus did for us. He stepped up and we get to walk away from the gallows. We don't get nailed to a cross. We don't have to feel the flames and torment of an eternal punishment in hell. The 2nd half of the verse ends with "Who heals all our diseases." A statement, not a question. There is some debate over this part of the verse as to its meaning of physical or spiritual healing. No doubt, spiritual healing takes place with God's forgiveness, and the word 'all' in both the former phrase and this latter phrase covers everything completely. All of our sin, not just part. All of our diseases, not just some. The earthly doctor is mistaken sometimes. Why? Because he isn't the one who made us. Who better to heal the body than the One who made it? The Omnipotent Physician knows what He is doing. Don't push His hand away. Allow Him to heal your soul with His forgiveness. Allow Him to heal your diseases with His tender care. "God's benefits will not be before our eyes, unless our sins be before our eyes." - Augustine
