Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 103:8

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 103:8. The Lord is merciful — Psalms 86:15.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 103:0 God’s great love

Realizing how easily people forget God, David reminds himself of the many blessings, physical and spiritual, that God has given him. Gratefully, he praises God for them all (1-2). Sin, sickness and the prospect of a hopeless death have been replaced by forgiveness, good health and a renewed enjoyment of life (3-5).
The constant love of God for his people is seen in the history of Israel. He cares for the oppressed and shows mercy on sinners (6-8). If God acted only according to his justice, all sinners would perish. But to his justice he adds his mercy, by which sinners may be forgiven (9-12). God understands human weakness and he is kind to those who fear him (13-14).
Life is short and uncertain, but people can enjoy the everlasting blessings of God’s steadfast love if they are faithfully obedient (15-18). God requires submissive obedience not only of earthly beings, but also of heavenly beings (19-21). In fact, all created things are to praise God. But in the midst of this universal praise, each individual has special cause to praise him (22).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE EXHORTATION FOR ISRAEL

"Jehovah executeth righteous acts, And judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, His doings unto the children of Israel. Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness. He will not always chide, Neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, Nor rewarded us after our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, So hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, So Jehovah pitieth them that fear him."

That the children of Israel are the ones particularly addressed in these lines is evident from the mention of Moses and the specific mention of them in Psalms 103:7.

"For all that are oppressed" The meaning of this may not be restricted to a minority of unfortunates, because the whole nation of Israel is meant. "The whole nation was once in bondage; and the thought here is retrospective to the days of Moses."H. C. Leupold, p. 717.

"Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness" Here are given two of the "Thirteen Attributes of God" as revealed in Exodus 34:6-7; Joel 2:13. Jonah named five of these in his prayer (Jonah 4:2).

"Thou hast not dealt with us after our sins, etc." "Just take a look at what the holy and righteous God did to the fallen angels, the antediluvian world, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the lost generation of Israel in the wilderness, and marvel at how leniently God has dealt with you; and this will surely deepen your gratitude and appreciation for the Divine mercy toward you."Wilson Jones, Vol. II, p. 125.

"As the heavens are high above the earth" Bold as this simile is, it is nevertheless inadequate, because God's kindness to them that love him is infinite.

"As far as the east is from the west" How far is this? Again, we have a suggestion of infinity, because, there is no such thing as getting to the end either of the east or the west. The genius of this simile is that the same thing is not true of the north and the south. When God forgives the sins of his children, he even forgets them (Jeremiah 32:31-35).

"Like as a father pitieth his children" God's pity of his human children is fully merited. The frailty and infirmities of life, its astounding brevity, the pressing necessities of work for survival, the prevalence of temptations, the weakness, uncertainties, doubts, fears and anxieties that continually encroach upon the thoughts of God's children, as well as the inherent danger in the implacable hatred of the righteous by the Evil One, are far more than enough to deserve pity, even from God.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The Lord is merciful and gracious - See the notes at Psalms 78:38. The idea here is derived evidently from Exodus 34:6-7 - that great and glorious statement of God himself in regard to his own character. Our world is a different world under that statement from what it would be if that and kindred declarations had not been made. There is here a “progression” of thought; an “advance” on the previous statements. At first the psalmist referred to his own individual experience Psalms 103:3-5; then he referred to the dealings of God toward the Hebrew people Psalms 103:6-7; and now he rises to the general contemplation of his character as it relates to all mankind. It was a characteristic of God in respect to all, that he was kind, compassionate, and forbearing.

Slow to anger - That is, patient; not soon excited; bearing much, and bearing it long. See James 5:11; compare Exodus 34:6-7.

And plenteous in mercy - Margin, “great of mercy.” The Hebrew word means “much,” or great;” and the idea is, that mercy is not manifested by him in small or stinted measure. It is rich; full; abundant; overflowing; free.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

8.Jehovah is merciful and gracious David seems to allude to the exclamation of Moses, recorded in Exodus 34:6, where the nature of God, revealed in a remarkable way, is more clearly described than in other places. When Moses was admitted to take a nearer view of the Divine glory than was usually obtained, he exclaimed upon beholding it, “O God! merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, slow to wrath, and abundant in goodness.” As, therefore, he has summarily comprehended in that passage all that is important for us to know concerning the Divine character, David happily applies these terms, by which God is there described, to his present purpose. His design is to ascribe entirely to the goodness of God the fact that the Israelites, who by their own wickedness forfeited from time to time their relation to him, as his adopted people, nevertheless continued in that relation. Farther, we must understand in general, that the true knowledge of God corresponds to what faith discovers in the written Word; for it is not his will that we should search into his secret essence, except in so far as he makes himself known to us, a point worthy of our special notice. We see that whenever God is mentioned, the minds of men are perversely carried away to cold speculations, and fix their attention on things which can profit them nothing; while, in the meantime, they neglect those manifestations of his perfections which meet our eyes, and which afford a vivid reflection of his character. To whatever subjects men apply their minds, there is none from which they will derive greater advantage than from continual meditation on his wisdom, goodness, righteousness, and mercy; and especially the knowledge of his goodness is fitted both to build up our faith, and to illustrate his praises. Accordingly, Paul, in Ephesians 3:18, declares that our height, length, breadth, and depth, consists in knowing the unspeakable riches of grace, which have been manifested to us in Christ. This also is the reason why David, copying from Moses, magnifies by a variety of terms the mercy of God. In the first place, as we have no worse fault than that devilish arrogance which robs God of his due praise, and which yet is so deeply rooted in us, that it cannot be easily eradicated; God rises up, and that he may bring to nought the heaven-daring presumption of the flesh, asserts in lofty terms his own mercy, by which alone we stand. Again, when we ought to rely upon the grace of God, our minds tremble or waver, and there is nothing in which we find greater difficulty than to acknowledge that He is merciful to us. David, to meet and overcome this doubting state of mind, after the example of Moses, employs these synonymous terms: first, that God is merciful; secondly, that he is gracious; thirdly, that he patiently and compassionately bears with the sins of men; and, lastly, that he is abundant in mercy and goodness.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 103:1-22 , a favorite psalm of thanksgiving time. I trust that it wasn't so long ago that you have already forgotten how thankful you were.

Bless the LORD, O my soul ( Psalms 103:1 ):

Now this is a command of David, or a command of David, the psalmist to himself. David often was talking to his inward man, talking to his soul. And here he is commanding himself, commanding his soul to bless the Lord, "Bless the Lord, my soul." In one psalm, David, in talking to his soul, said, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you so disquieted within me?" He didn't understand his own feelings. Have you ever been at the place where you didn't understand your own feelings? Why am I feeling this way? Why do I feel upset? Why do I feel discouraged? Why do I feel despondent? Why do I feel blue? What's wrong, soul? Why are you cast down? What is your problem? Do you think God is dead or something? Now it's another vein, "Bless the Lord, O my soul."

and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits ( Psalms 103:1-2 ):

So quickly we forget the benefits of serving the Lord. David then begins to list those benefits. We are not to forget them.

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction ( Psalms 103:3-4 );

That is, He saves you from hell.

who crowns thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies ( Psalms 103:4 );

You see, it isn't just a negative thing. The Christian life is far from a negative experience and too many people are only emphasizing the negative aspects. Looking at the negative aspects, when in reality there are far more positive aspects to it than the negative aspects. I really don't take the negative aspects into much account myself. I'm so excited with all of the positive aspects of serving the Lord that the negative doesn't really come into mind much. "For He crowns thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

He satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, and his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy ( Psalms 103:5-8 ).

Now you have heard people say, "Well, there is the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament is vengeful and wrathful and murderous and so forth. And the God of the New Testament is love, mercy, and grace." Now wait a minute. This is Old Testament. And he declares, "Jehovah is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, plenteous in mercy." And you better perhaps read the fourteenth chapter of the book of Revelation, when the cup of the indignation of the wrath of God is overflowing and He pours out His judgment upon this Christ-rejecting earth. And you'll find that the same God is revealed in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, who is a God of love, a God of mercy, a God of patience, but also a righteous, holy God who is absolutely just.

He will not always chide: nor will he be angry for ever. He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities ( Psalms 103:9-10 ).

How true that is. God has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. God has been merciful to us.

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that reverence him. And as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us ( Psalms 103:11-12 ).

Interesting that he said as far as the east is from the west, rather than as far the north is from the south. Because the north is only about 12,500 miles from the south. You can only go north until you get to the North Pole, then you are going south. And as soon as you get to the South Pole, you are going north again. The distance of about 12,500 miles, that is, unless you are going straight through. But you can start off tonight flying east, and you'll fly east the rest of your life, if you don't change directions. Or you can start flying due west, and you'll be flying west the rest of your life. So I'm glad that he said as far as the east is from the west, rather than as far as the north is from the south, because I want my sins farther away than the north from the south. I like the east and the west bit. I like God just removing completely my sins, my guilt from me. Because of His mercy.

"As high is the heavens is above the earth." Now there is some scientific discussion as to just how high that might be. And every once in awhile the scientists come along and say, "Oh, we've just discovered a new quasar, or galaxy that is beyond anything we've ever known before. It is out there, eight billion light years away, ten billion light years away." All right, keep searching man; you're only expanding the mercy of my God. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high is His mercy over those that reverence Him."

And so I like all these new discoveries, though I think a lot of them are just fanciful kind of interpreting of the data that they have with their own limited knowledge. And I don't think that they know what they are talking about, in many realms, and they've confessed that now. They had all kinds of ideas concerning Saturn and the rings, all kinds of scientific data that was in the astronomy books, and now they have to revise all of the books on Saturn. We've learned so much from this flyby of our little satellite recently. We've learned so many things about the rings and everything else, that all of our theories that we had are out the window now because now we have more data. And so science is changing. The facts are changing, the facts of science seem to often change, but that is totally inconsistent. Facts can't change. So it must be that the scientists were wrong. Oh, but scientists are gods aren't they? And if they said if we evolved from the tadpole, surely they must know. I don't know how high the heaven is above the earth, but however it is, that's just how high God's mercy is towards me.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that reverence him. For he knows our frame; and he remembers that we are dust ( Psalms 103:13-14 ).

Now we don't remember that ourselves often. We think that we are the rock of Gibraltar. We think, "Man, I can stand, you know. Let me at Satan, you know." And we are challenging so oftentimes Satan to do battle with us. "Come on, just... you know. Come on out and fight." And God looks down upon us and He is, number one, merciful, because we reverence Him. And secondly, He pities us, just like a father pities his child. Because God remembers our frame. He knows we are but dust. This body made out of the dust. God remembers that.

Man has a tendency to magnify his body. Oh, this body consciousness; everything is the body of man. We have come into a body worship cult. How man worships the body. We were driving down to Newport Beach the other night and this place down there. I haven't been down to Newport for a long time. All these guys working out in the windows, standing there, curling, you know. Mirrors, all over the walls. The old body cult. Worshipping the body. But God remembers it's just dust. God looks down and says, "O man, just a bit of dust." He knows our frame; He knows we are but dust.

Which means that God doesn't really expect as much out of me as I expect out of myself. And so oftentimes I am so disappointed with myself, and I weep because of my disappointment over myself. "Oh, I thought I was stronger than that, I thought I was better than that and all. Oh God, I am so sorry I disappointed You." He says, "You didn't disappoint Me. I knew you were dust all the time." God wasn't disappointed; I was disappointed in me. But God knew me, He knew me better than I knew myself. He knew that I was but dust. I thought I was Superman. I thought I could I leap buildings with a single bound, and He knows my frame.

As far as our days, we are as the grass: or like a flower in the field ( Psalms 103:15 ).

So for a time, for a moment, we may flourish,

But when the wind passes over it, the grass, the flower is gone, and the place of it remembers it no more. But the mercy of the LORD ( Psalms 103:16-17 )

Now man in passing, we are dust, we are transient, we are passing, like the grass or the flower.

But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting ( Psalms 103:17 )

High as the heaven is above the earth. That is one dimension of it, but from another dimension, it's from everlasting to everlasting, from the vanishing point to the vanishing point, God's mercy. The height of it and the breadth of it. How glorious.

to those that reverence him ( Psalms 103:17 ),

And the key here all the way through is to those that reverence God.

and his righteousness to the children's children [that's my grandkids]; And to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. For the LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless ye the LORD, ye angels, that excel in strength, and do his commandments, harkening to the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all of the places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul ( Psalms 103:17-22 ).

So David calls the angels, the heavenly hosts, in to the praising of God. Those angels that are the ministers of God, doing His will, His pleasure. Then all of his works, all of the places of God's dominion. Then again, as he started the psalm, he ends it, "Bless the Lord, O my soul." "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 103

"The four psalms that close Book Four of the book of Psalms (90-106) emphasize praise to the Lord for several reasons: His benefits to His people (103), His care of His creation (104), His wonderful acts on behalf of Israel (105), His longsuffering with His people’s rebellion (106)." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 276.]

This popular Davidic psalm of individual thanksgiving reviews God’s mercies and expresses confident hope in His covenant promises. It contains no requests. Though there is no real connection between this psalm and the preceding one, this one expresses thanks for answered prayer, which Psalms 102 requested. It was the inspiration for H. F. Lyte’s popular hymn, "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven."

"This [Psalms 103] is perhaps the best-known and best-loved of all the hymns." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 160.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 103:6 is a topic sentence that introduces what follows. Psalms 103:7-8 describe God’s dealings with Israel at Mt. Sinai. The fact that God revealed Himself to Moses and the Israelites indicates His great compassion and grace. Psalms 103:8 quotes Exodus 34:6. It restates four great characteristics about God.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

2. Testimony to God’s compassion to His people 103:6-18

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

The Lord is merciful and gracious,.... So he made himself known to Moses, Exodus 34:6, and so David found him to be, and therefore calls upon his soul to bless his name. God is "merciful" in the most tender and affectionate manner; he has bowels of mercy, which yearn towards his people, as those of a tender parent to its child, as the word signifies; his mercy is free, without any motive or merit in men to engage it; he delights in showing it; he constantly bestows it; it is the source of all good things; it is communicated through Christ; all mercies temporal and spiritual come by him; and this lays a foundation for faith and hope: and he is gracious, as appears in the eternal choice of his people to salvation; in providing a Saviour and a ransom for them; in giving all grace and the blessings of it to them in his Son; in giving him for them, and all things to them with him; in justifying them by his righteousness; in pardoning their sins for his sake; in taking them into his family; in regenerating, calling, preserving, and saving them:

slow to anger, or "longsuffering" d; even to wicked men, to the vessels of wrath, to the old world, yea, to Jezebel, to whom he gave space to repent; which longsuffering being abused and despised, is an aggravation of condemnation: but rather here it intends God's longsuffering to his people, as before conversion, waiting till the time comes that he is gracious to them; and after conversion, notwithstanding their backslidings and revoltings; and this longsuffering is their salvation:

and plenteous in mercy; large and abundant in it, as appears by the various instances of it, and ways and methods in which he shows it; in election, in the covenant, in redemption, in regeneration, in pardon and eternal life; and by the abundance of it which he bestows on every one of his people; and by the vast numbers which do partake of it.

d ארך אפים "longanimis", V. L. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.   7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.   8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.   9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.   10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.   11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.   12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.   13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.   14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.   15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.   16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.   17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;   18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

      Hitherto the psalmist had only looked back upon his own experiences and thence fetched matter for praise; here he looks abroad and takes notice of his favour to others also; for in them we should rejoice and give thanks for them, all the saints being fed at a common table and sharing in the same blessings.

      I. Truly God is good to all (Psalms 103:6; Psalms 103:6): He executes righteousness and judgment, not only for his own people, but for all that are oppressed; for even in common providence he is the patron of wronged innocency, and, one way or other, will plead the cause of those that are injured against their oppressors. It is his honour to humble the proud and help the helpless.

      II. He is in a special manner good to Israel, to every Israelite indeed, that is of a clean and upright heart.

      1. He has revealed himself and his grace to us (Psalms 103:7; Psalms 103:7): He made known his ways unto Moses, and by him his acts to the children of Israel, not only by his rod to those who then lived, but by his pen to succeeding ages. Note, Divine revelation is one of the first and greatest of divine favours with which the church is blessed; for God restores us to himself by revealing himself to us, and gives us all good by giving us knowledge. He has made known his acts and his ways (that is, his nature, and the methods of his dealing with the children of men), that they may know both what to conceive of him and what to expect from him; so Dr. Hammond. Or by his ways we may understand his precepts, the way which he requires us to walk in; and by his acts, or designs (as the word signifies), his promises and purposes as to what he will do with us. Thus fairly does God deal with us.

      2. He has never been rigorous and severe with us, but always tender, full of compassion, and ready to forgive.

      (1.) It is in his nature to be so (Psalms 103:8; Psalms 103:8): The Lord is merciful and gracious; this was his way which he made known unto Moses at Mount Horeb, when he thus proclaimed his name (Exodus 34:6; Exodus 34:7), in answer to Moses's request (Exodus 33:13; Exodus 33:13), I beseech thee, show me thy way, that I may know thee. It is my way, says God, to pardon sin. [1.] He is not soon angry, Psalms 103:8; Psalms 103:8. He is slow to anger, not extreme to mark what we do amiss nor ready to take advantage against us. He bears long with those that are very provoking, defers punishing, that he may give space to repent, and does not speedily execute the sentence of his law; and he could not be thus slow to anger if he were not plenteous in mercy, the very Father of mercies. [2.] He is not long angry; for (Psalms 103:9; Psalms 103:9) he will not always chide, though we always offend and deserve chiding. Though he signify his displeasure against us for our sins by the rebukes of Providence, and the reproaches of our own consciences, and thus cause grief, yet he will have compassion, and will not always keep us in pain and terror, no, not for our sins, but, after the spirit of bondage, will give the spirit of adoption. How unlike are those to God who always chide, who take every occasion to chide, and never know when to cease! What would become of us if God should deal so with us? He will not keep his anger for ever against his own people, but will gather them with everlasting mercies,Isaiah 54:8; Isaiah 57:16.

      (2.) We have found him so; we, for our parts, must own that he has not dealt with us after our sins,Psalms 103:10; Psalms 103:10. The scripture says a great deal of the mercy of God, and we may all set to our seal that it is true, that we have experienced it. If he had not been a God of patience, we should have been in hell long ago; but he has not rewarded us after our iniquities; so those will say who know what sin deserves. He has not inflicted the judgments which we have merited, nor deprived us of the comforts which we have forfeited, which should make us think the worse, and not the better, of sin; for God's patience should lead us to repentance,Romans 2:4.

      3. He has pardoned our sins, not only my iniquity (Psalms 103:3; Psalms 103:3), but our transgressions,Psalms 103:12; Psalms 103:12. Though it is of our own benefit, by the pardoning mercy of God, that we are to take the comfort, yet of the benefit others have by it we must give him the glory. Observe, (1.) The transcendent riches of God's mercy (Psalms 103:11; Psalms 103:11): As the heaven is high above the earth (so high that the earth is but a point to the vast expanse), so God's mercy is above the merits of those that fear him most, so much above and beyond them that there is no proportion at all between them; the greatest performances of man's duty cannot demand the least tokens of God's favour as a debt, and therefore all the seed of Jacob will join with him in owning themselves less than the least of all God's mercies,Genesis 32:10. Observe, God's mercy is thus great towards those that fear him, not towards those that trifle with him. We must fear the Lord and his goodness. (2.) The fulness of his pardons, an evidence of the riches of his mercy (Psalms 103:12; Psalms 103:12): As far as the east is from the west (which two quarters of the world are of greatest extent, because all known and inhabited, and therefore geographers that way reckon their longitudes) so far has he removed our transgressions from us, so that they shall never be laid to our charge, nor rise up in judgment against us. The sins of believers shall be remembered no more, shall not be mentioned unto them; they shall be sought for, and not found. If we thoroughly forsake them, God will thoroughly forgive them.

      4. He has pitied our sorrows, Psalms 103:13; Psalms 103:14. Observe, (1.) Whom he pities--those that fear him, that is, all good people, who in this world may become objects of pity on account of the grievances to which they are not only born, but born again. Or it may be understood of those who have not yet received the spirit of adoption, but are yet trembling at his word; those he pities,Jeremiah 31:18; Jeremiah 31:20. (2.) How he pities--as a father pities his children, and does them good as there is occasion. God is a Father to those that fear him and owns them for his children, and he is tender of them as a father. The father pities his children that are weak in knowledge and instructs them, pities them when they are froward and bears with them, pities them when they are sick and comforts them (Isaiah 66:13), pities them when they have fallen and helps them up again, pities them when they have offended, and, upon their submission, forgives them, pities them when they are wronged and gives them redress; thus the Lord pities those that fear him. (3.) Why he pities--for he knows our frame. He has reason to know our frame, for he framed us; and, having himself made man of the dust, he remembers that he is dust, not only by constitution, but by sentence. Dust thou art. He considers the frailty of our bodies and the folly of our souls, how little we can do, and expects accordingly from us, how little we can bear, and lays accordingly upon us, in all which appears the tenderness of his compassion.

      5. He has perpetuated his covenant-mercy and thereby provided relief for our frailty, Psalms 103:15-18; Psalms 103:15-18. See here, (1.) How short man's life is and of what uncertain continuance. The lives even of great men and good men are so, and neither their greatness nor their goodness can alter the property of them: As for man, his days are as grass, which grows out of the earth, rises but a little way above it, and soon withers and returns to it again. See Isaiah 40:6; Isaiah 40:7. Man, in his best estate, seems somewhat more than grass; he flourishes and looks gay; yet then he is but like a flower of the field, which, though distinguished a little from the grass, will wither with it. The flower of the garden is commonly more choice and valuable, and, though in its own nature withering, will last the longer for its being sheltered by the garden wall and the gardener's care; but the flower of the field (to which life is here compared) is not only withering in itself, but exposed to the cold blasts, and liable to be cropped and trodden on by the beasts of the field. Man's life is not only wasting of itself, but its period may be anticipated by a thousand accidents. When the flower is in its perfection a blasting wind, unseen, unlooked for, passes over it, and it is gone; it hangs the head, drops the leaves, dwindles into the ground again, and the place thereof, which was proud of it, now knows it no more. Such a thing is man: God considers this, and pities him; let him consider it himself, and be humble, dead to this world and thoughtful of another. (2.) How long and lasting God's mercy is to his people (Psalms 103:17; Psalms 103:18): it will continue longer than their lives, and will survive their present state. Observe, [1.] The description of those to whom this mercy belongs. They are such as fear God, such as are truly religious, from principle. First, They live a life of faith; for they keep God's covenant; having taken hold of it, they keep hold of it, fast hold, and will not let it go. They keep it as a treasure, keep it as their portion, and would not for all the world part with it, for it is their life. Secondly, They live a life of obedience; they remember his commandments to do them, else they do not keep his covenant. Those only shall have the benefit of God's promises that make conscience of his precepts. See who those are that have a good memory, as well as a good understanding (Psalms 111:10), those that remember God's commandments, not to talk of them, but to do them, and to be ruled by them. [2.] The continuance of the mercy which belongs to such as these; it will last them longer than their lives on earth, and therefore they need not be troubled though their lives be short, since death itself will be no abridgment, no infringement, of their bliss. God's mercy is better than life, for it will out-live it. First, To their souls, which are immortal; to them the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting; from everlasting in the councils of it to everlasting in the consequences of it, in their election before the world was and their glorification when this world shall be no more; for they are predestinated to the inheritance (Ephesians 1:11) and look for the mercy of the Lord, the Lord Jesus, unto eternal life. Secondly, To their seed, which shall be kept up to the end of time (Psalms 102:28): His righteousness, the truth of his promise, shall be unto children's children; provided they tread in the steps of their predecessors' piety, and keep his covenant, as they did, then shall mercy be preserved to them, even to a thousand generations.