A long of nose God. Yes, that is, thankfully, the God we worship. I should probably explain…

In our previous article, we learned that Psalm 103 is a “todah” or thanksgiving psalm meant to be sung in formal worship as moral mandate to renew or refocus the heart and mind on the covenant that God established with Israel. In the first five verses, David directs his soul to passionately bless or verbally adore the Lord through worship because of all His benefits toward him. Now, in verses 6-14, the Psalmist shifts from the individual soul magnifying the God of heaven to the congregation of Israel and calls upon them to do the same in corporate worship – notice the shift in the use of the personal pronouns “my” and “your” to the plural pronouns “us” and “our”.

In this section of the psalm, the Psalter roots the worship of Yahweh, not only in what He does but also in who He is – God’s character and nature. Let us walk through the thoughts of the next few verses.

God’s Works (vs. 6-7)

The Lord works righteousness and justice; that is, He accomplishes righteousness and justice. The word “works” means to do or accomplish, but the form of the word used here coveys the thought of “the one who continually does” or “the one who is actively working”, meaning that righteousness and justice are an on-going, habitual divine activity and not a one-time act. Much could be said here but what we are able to rest in is the fact that God is always working and what He does He always accomplishes. This divine working is accomplished and culminates in Christ.

God’s Character (v. 8)

“The Lord is…” directs our attention to more than what God does and accomplishes to the character and nature of God. This is an ontological statement presented in credal form, meaning it is a confession concerning the being of God. Merciful and gracious are more than virtues that God exhibits in His dealings with man; they are the demonstration of Who God is – mercy and grace, slow to anger, and steadfast love are rooted in the heart and character of God. Let’s quickly define these four descriptors of the Lord.

-     Merciful means to move to pity, but what is interesting is that the root of this Hebrew word means “the womb”; that is, God is full of tender, parental compassion.

-     Gracious means to show favor or to stoop in kindness

-     Slow to anger comes from the idiom “long of nose or nostrils” (the English word anger is translated from a Hebrew word that that means the nostrils or nose, as when the nostrils flare when someone is angry). God is slow to get angry with His children

-     Steadfast love is God’s loyal, unfailing, covenantal love to His people.

As a Father, God pities His children in our failings, shows mercy, gives grace, and is patient and longsuffering with us. Since these actions are rooted in the nature of God, who is immutable, He will always show covenantal fidelity to those He adopts as His own.

Illustrative Language (vs9-13)

The Psalmist, under inspiration, now uses hyperbolic language in the following verses to illustrate the love and mercy of God in the forgiveness of sin. “As high as the heavens” so is His steadfast, unfailing love; “as far as the east is from the west” is the distance of how far removed our sin is from us. In Hebrew thought, North and South were finite and enclosed by the poles of the earth, but the directions of East and West were infinite – never ending, never meeting together. Such is the nearness of the sin of God’s people. The blood of Christ shed removes the sin, guilt, and shame of the believer and never to be remembered again.

Concluding Thought (v14)

This is the hope and peace of God’s people – The Lord is merciful concerning the sin of those who fear Him and abounds in love toward those who have been brought into covenant with Him.

He remembers our frame – that we were created from the dust of the earth, but in that dust is the image of the One who created him. The hands that formed and fashioned man from the dust of the ground are the same hands that stoops down and lifts us from the pit and redeems our lives (v. 4). This, of course, is accomplished in and by Christ. For in Jesus, who was made lower than the angels, the eternal God condescends to man in grace and redeems His people through His life, death, and resurrection.

May our souls bless the Lord, for the measure of His love and mercy are not found in our worthiness but in the heart and nature of a covenant-keeping, immutable, patient, long of nose God.