The LORD Works Righteousness And
Justice For All The Oppressed
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise
the Lord, my soul, and forget not
all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who
redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who
satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the
eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made
known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The
Lord is compassionate and
gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always
accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he
does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For
as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who
fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he
removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:1-12
The writer of
Psalm 103 goes beyond suggesting that people say good riddance to unpleasant
memories. He reminded us that God bids good riddance to our sins. In his
attempt to express God’s vast love for His people, the psalmist used word
pictures. He compared the vastness of God’s love to the distance between the
heavens and the earth. Then the psalmist talked about His forgiveness in
spatial terms. As far as the place where the sun rises is
from the place where the sun sets, so the Lord has removed His people’s sins
from them. The psalmist wanted God’s people to know that His love and
forgiveness were infinite and complete. God freed His people from the power of
their transgressions by fully pardoning them.
Good News!
We don’t have to wait until the New Year to experience Good Riddance Day.
Through our faith in Jesus, when we confess and turn from our sins, He bids
good riddance to them and casts them into the depths of the sea. Today can be a
Good Riddance Day!
What sins do you need to say goodbye
to? How does it make you feel knowing that God infinitely and completely
forgets your sins?
Our Daily Bread – December 28, 2018