Read: Psalm 103:1-6; Exodus 3:7-12
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. (Ps. 103:6)
I have already mentioned Henry F. Lyte’s paraphrase of Psalm 103 in his hymn, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven,” and its four-word summary of Psalm 103’s first five verses: “ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven.” If you’re a believer, then know that God has done all this for you, too, and be thankful.
But when we come to verse 6, the psalmist’s outlook broadens. Up to this point, he has been focused on the personal blessings he has received from God. These are wonderful, to be sure. But now the psalmist turns to God’s mighty acts of deliverance for his people as a whole; in short, he invites us to recall the story of the exodus. Salvation starts when God sees the plight of the oppressed, as he tells Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt . . . I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land” (Exod. 3:7-8).
The God of the Bible is on the side of the oppressed. When we think of God’s judgment, we often grow uneasy and worry about condemnation—at least I do. When the people of Israel thought about God’s judgment, they grew impatient and worried about rescue and vindication. You see, how you look at judgment depends entirely upon whether you consider yourself one of the oppressed or fear you may be one of the oppressors.
As you pray, confess your own sin and thank God for his justice.
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including God of My Days,Why Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
