Bible Study - Name - YAHWEH Our FATHER -Psalm 103 - December 9,2012

Bible Study – Name – YAHWEH Our FATHER – December 9, 2012

This is lesson two (2) in our series entitled, “What’s in a Name?”

Our scripture is Psalm 103:2-6, 8-13, 17-18.

Bible scholars differ on who wrote Psalm 103. Some say David and others believe it was written later by an unknown author expressing thanks to GOD for delivering them from captivity. There seems to be more who believe it was David based upon the style of writing and that it was written by David in his latter years to reflect the frailty of life.

The key point is regardless of who wrote it, it reflects the heart of the person who has walked with GOD and knows GOD from experience. As we travel through life and look back at our interaction with GOD, what would we write? I think David wrote this Psalm and as such, my remarks will refer to David.

David used the word “soul.” Soul can be defined in several different ways. Here is the way I think of the soul. Mankind is made up of the body, soul and spirit. The meaning of soul is breath. In Genesis 2:7:

7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

When GOD made Adam, Adam was made to live forever. I believe Adam’s eternal life depended upon his personal relationship with GOD and possibly the fruit from the tree of life. GOD provided the Spiritual nourishment and the tree of life provided the physical eternal nourishment.

The tree of life was in the garden and was fully available, with no restrictions, to Adam and Eve to eat its fruit. Apparently, they had never eaten its fruit. GOD gave Adam the freedom to eat the fruit from any tree in the garden except one, which was the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. GOD told him, “For in the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” GOD gave Adam the responsibility of taking care of the garden. Adam was accountable to GOD and in turn Adam was responsible for Eve. Eve, his wife, was tempted by Satan and she ate of the fruit from the forbidden tree. She gave it to Adam. Both had a choice whether or not to eat it. Both ate it. But nothing happened until Adam ate it. Just as GOD promised, Adam, Eve and all of mankind lost their special and unique relationship with GOD through Spiritual death which is separation from GOD because of sin. Sin separates every human from GOD, just as death separates us from our loved ones that die.

As many of you know, our precious son Ted died this past August. Although we know that Ted is with our LORD in heaven, we still miss him sorely. I was having a serious discussion with GOD about his death and became very frustrated and screamed “I HATE DEATH!!” In a flash and a flood of words, the LORD said, “SO DO I!!! In fact, I hate it as much or more than you do and I did something about it. I sent MY Only SON to earth to conquer death for all who will believe in HIM as their Savior!” HE said, “Since you have lost your son Ted, who you love deeply and miss greatly, you know how I feel toward ever person that rejects CHRIST. You know that one day you will be united with him again but you know the pain of being separated from him in physical death. Those who reject MY Only SON as their Savior are Spiritually dead and will never be united with ME, as I intended.”

I never knew the pain that GOD feels for those dead to HIM because of sin. John 3:16 came to my mind and I saw the love that GOD has for all of mankind:

16 “For God loved the world •in this way: He gave His •One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.19 “This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

Truth is manifested in CHRIST. Do we accept the light of the world, CHRIST and HIS redemption from death and receive the free gift of eternal life or do we remain in the darkness of sin and death, which is eternal separation from GOD? The choice is ours to make. CHRIST is GOD’S love reaching down to all of mankind to redeem anyone that will accept CHRIST as their Savior by faith. Once, a person takes that step of faith, GOD secures that faith with the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Let’s consider the person that rejects CHRIST and GOD’S love of redemption and restoration. GOD’S desire is to restore every person to the original life HE intended for every human before Adam and Eve sinned. When the person that rejects CHRIST dies he/she will know that there is GOD who loved them more than they can ever conceive or comprehend. When we are separated from those we love, we grieve. To me there would be nothing more tormenting than to know that CHRIST and GOD are real, They loved me and I rejected Them. I could have been redeemed, restored and enjoying the benefits They had planned for me but now I am cut off/separated from Them for eternity because my sin remains. After death there are no second chances, only judgment for non-Christians. To me the flames of Hell would be welcome relief over knowing that I rejected GOD’S love. Am I saying there is no Hell? Absolutely NOT!!! There is Hell and it is not a place anyone wants to be. Some say, “but my friends will be there.” That is Satan’s lie, there will be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Picture the worst place you could ever be, Hell is worse and it will be for eternity. This not intended to frighten but to enlighten. To me nothing compares to knowing that we had a choice to accept CHRIST and we rejected HIM, HIS amazing love and the free gift of being with HIM and our FATHER for eternity. The choice is yours. Please choose CHRIST as your Savior now.

This lesson is about the benefits of following GOD. When David wrote this Psalm, CHRIST had not come to earth but HIS coming had been prophesied. All the benefits David has listed are available to Christians as they walk with HIM during our lifetime.

As we study this Psalm, it was written to express what David had learned through his personal walk with GOD. As already mentioned, what would we write about our journey with GOD through CHRIST? Christians cannot ride on the faith and walk of others. It is our walk. Our relationship with GOD is personal and begins when we accept CHRIST as our Savior. Our scripture reveals the attributes of GOD through the eyes and life of David.

Let’s read Psalm 103:2-6:

The Forgiving God

Davidic.

1 My soul, praise •Yahweh, and all that is within me, praise His holy name.a Ps 30:4; 97:12; 104:1
2 My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.b Dt 6:12; 8:11
3 He forgives all your sin;c  Isa 43:25He heals all your diseases.d Jr 30:17
4 He redeems your life from the •Pit;e  Ps 49:15He crowns you with faithful love and compassion.f Ps 5:12
5 He satisfies youg Lit satisfies your ornament; Hb obscure with goodness;h  Ps 107:9your youth is renewed like the eagle.i Isa 40:31
6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.j Ps 147:7
7 He revealed His ways to Moses,k  Ex 33:13His deeds to the people of Israel.l Ps 78:11; 99:7

As mentioned earlier, mankind is made of body, soul and spirit. David began his Psalm referring to his soul. The soul and spirit are closely related and often hard to distinguish from each other. The Bible reveals in Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and effectiveo Jr 23:29; 1Pt 1:23 and sharper than any double-edged sword,p Isa 49:2; Eph 6:17; Rv 1:16; 2:12 penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow.  

The word Hebrew word for soul is breath. I think of the soul as the psyche. The soul is the result of the combination of the body, the flesh and the unredeemed spirit. The spirit is the spark of life which comes from GOD. It is the spirit that must be redeemed from the death penalty. The redemption of the spirit is only possible by the shed blood of CHRIST, which requires a decision by each person. (I believe GOD has special provisions for unborn children, children and others. GOD is not eager to send anyone to Hell. I am not saying everyone is going to heaven. But that discussion is for another time.)  When you accept CHRIST as your Savior, it results in the miracle of the rebirth of your unredeemed spirit. This is called re-birth. When that happens, you become a child of GOD and that relationship will never change because you have received the gift of eternal life and passed from death to everlasting life.

When David and Christians realize this great gift from GOD, it is overwhelming and erupts in praise and expressions of gratitude to the extent a human can.

David lists some of the benefits that only GOD can give to those who obediently walk with HIM by faith. These benefits are the same benefits that Christians discover as they walk with CHRIST because walking with CHRIST leads to knowing and understanding both CHRIST and GOD. It takes time and a variety of circumstances to discover these benefits:

-         Forgiveness for sin begins the process of discovery.

-         Heals all disease – spiritual and physical

-         Redeems us from the Pit – Destruction or anything that can take your life. Redeems from Sheol, the place of the departed dead.

-         Crowns with faithful love and compassion. Crowns means surrounds. Faithful love means mercy or grace. Compassion means attentive kindness. GOD surrounds HIS children with HIS faithful love and compassion.

-         Satisfies you with goodness. Satisfies means to receive more than enough – to be filled.

-         Your youth is renewed like an eagle. The word “you” in Hebrew references the soul. The eagle symbolizes strength, vitality and long life. When a person yields his/her life to CHRIST, he/she stops fighting and allows the indwelling Holy Spirit to fill him/her. This in turn energizes and invigorates his/her physical life.  

-         Executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. Righteousness relates to GOD fulfilling HIS covenant. Justice refers to vindicating HIS people who have been wronged. GOD’S benefits extend to those who are oppressed.

-         GOD revealed HIS ways to Moses and HIS deeds to the people of Israel. When we read about the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and slavery by GOD, it reveals some of the capabilities of GOD to all who trust GOD. When Christians build an intimate, personal relationship with GOD, they behold the HIS ways and HIS deeds. It is an awesome journey. GOD reveals Himself and HIS handiwork as Christian’s journey with HIM. As Christians grow and mature Spiritually, it builds a foundation for greater Spiritual growth and maturity. Some Spiritual things cannot be understood or comprehended until a Christian has experienced certain prerequisites. As a human, we study our ABC’S to learn to form words, which in turn form simple sentences, which leads to more complex sentences and paragraphs. Spiritual growth and maturity is no different. 

David continued his list of the benefits for obediently serving GOD.

Let’s read Psalm 103:8-13:

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in faithful love.m Ex 34:6; Nm 14:18; Neh 9:17
9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.n Isa 57:16; Jr 3:12; Mc 7:19
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses.o Ezr 9:13; Lm 3:22
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who •fear Him.p Ps 36:5; 57:10
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.q Isa 43:25; Mc 7:19

David’s list of benefits which flow from GOD continued:

-         The LORD is compassionate and gracious. Compassionate means is merciful. Gracious is to “show favor” when it is not deserved.

-         HE is slow to anger and rich in faithful love. GOD is forbearing and long suffering with our sins. HE does this because HE is rich in faithful love, which is loving kindness. HE deals with each person to give him/her every opportunity to come to HIM through CHRIST.

-         He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. The Bible is very clear that GOD punishes those who belong to HIM. He brings wrong doing to a person’s attention but HE will not dwell upon it.

-         HE has not dealt with us according to what we deserve based upon the sins we have committed or repaid us according to our offenses. Sin is missing the mark of GOD’S standard of righteousness. GOD, as a loving Father, desires for HIS children to learn when they miss the mark of righteousness according to GOD’S standard.

-         For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is HIS love toward those who fear HIM. The love of GOD is boundless. HE will never leave us or forsake us.

-         As far as the east is from the west, so far has HE removed our transgressions (sins) from us. Only GOD can forgive sin and when we confess our sins, HE not only forgives but forgets. Transgressions are acts of rebellion or defiance against GOD’S authority.

Let’s read Psalm 103:13-16:

13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.r Mal 3:17
14 For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.s Gn 3:19; Ps 78:39
15 As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field;t Jb 14:2; 1Pt 1:24
16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.u Lit place no longer knows itv Isa 40:6-7

David thought of his relationship with GOD as the ideal relationship children should have with their earthly father. The ideal father has compassion for his children and especially for his children who show him respect and honor. GOD is the ideal Father and shows compassion on those who reverence HIM.

This is so precious. GOD realizes our limitations. HE knows and understands that humans are made from dust and subject to the dictates of the flesh. HE realizes the frailty of our human nature and of life itself. Humans are mortal and life is but a vapor that appears for awhile and then disappears. GOD realizes that living as a human is not easy.

Let’s read Psalm 103:17-18:

17 But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildrenw Ex 20:6; Dt 5:10; Ps 25:6
18 of those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His precepts.x  

The faithful covenant love of GOD is never ending toward those who honor and respect HIM. Not only is HIS love never ending but HE extends HIS covenant love and righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who have walked faithfully with HIM. GOD extends HIS love, HE also holds generations accountable as we see in Exodus 34:5-7:

5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

David listed the benefits of GOD being our Father but it was a two-way relationship. GOD being our Father means that we are to keep HIS covenant and observe HIS precepts. This means more than remembering, recalling and lip service but to put into action what you know to do.

It is all about having an intimate, loving, dynamic relationship with GOD through CHRIST. When David thought of that relationship, he thought of the ideal father and son or daughter relationship. GOD can only be the Father of those who are HIS children through the miracle of rebirth through CHRIST. Rebirth is step one. The ideal relationship is to make CHRIST the LORD of your life and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your life in obedient service to HIM.

The Christian’s Father is Yahweh. Christians are included in the covenant GOD has made with Abraham and Yahweh keeps HIS covenants. Christians serve an awesome GOD, Who loves them so much that HE gave HIS only SON to die for all who will believe in HIM, so that they might have eternal life.

JESUS stated in John 5:24:

24 “I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal lifec Jn 6:53; 12:25; Ac 13:48; 1Jn 2:25 and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.”

This is the ultimate benefit of having GOD as your Father through CHRIST. Christians have eternal life and will not come under judgment because they have already passed from death to life. Why? It is because GOD has made all who accept CHRIST, as their Savior, righteous as the Apostle Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

21 He (GOD) made the One (CHRIST) who did not know sinn 1Jn 3:5 to be sino Or be a sin offering for us,p Rm 8:3; Gl 3:13; 1Pt 2:24 so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Blessings!