Funeral: "Bless the Lord" (Ps 103:1-5)

FUNERAL MEDITATION: "BLESS THE LORD" (Ps 103:1-5)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2010

Where below you read "the deceased" Pastor Manuel

inserted the name of the individual.

Who is God? What is He like? ...Some people go their whole lives without even considering those questions. Other people spend their whole lives in search of an answer. For those in that second group, those who want to know God, He promises success in their quest. He says...

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)

King David was such an individual, someone the Bible describes as "a man after [God's] own heart" (1 Sam 13:14a; Acts 13:22b). He knew God well, and he wrote extensively about Him. One of those descriptions is in Ps 103, where David calls others, including us, to Bless the Lord.

 

While other psalms of David hint at the reason he wrote them, this one offers no such clues. It is likely there was no specific occasion; it was simply in recognition that because of God's presence with David, life is good. In the opening verses, the reason he does give for his optimism is...

 

I. The Character of God (Ps 103:1-2)

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. (vv. 1-2)

David had a deep and abiding relationship with God, developed over many years. During that time, the king had come to know what God is like, including the one particular divine trait mentioned here, that God is good.

 

If we were familiar only with the later years of David's life, we might think that he had it relatively easy, especially given what the biblical author writes:

David became greater and greater, for the LORD of hosts [was] with him. (1 Chr 11:9)

Were that a descriptive of his whole life, his positive attitude in this psalm would be quite understandable. God had favored him with success and prosperity, and David recognized it. But that passage in Chronicles was not descriptive of his whole life, only the latter part. Earlier, he faced numerous hardships and heartaches, from his persecution and banishment by King Saul to his loss of family and friends. David had a difficult life, but through it, he learned about the character of the God he served, that He is good. Despite whatever hardships God's people face, He favors those who serve Him. That was David's confidence, and God responded positively, enabling him to get through those difficult periods.

 

I came to know the deceased later in her life, and her sweet spirit impressed me. Our conversations in church and in her home indicated a person who walked long with the Lord. Only later did I learn that, like David, her earlier journey included numerous hardships and heartaches. The deceased, too, had a difficult life, and those of you who have lived here longer than I, may be familiar with some of the details. Yet, also like David, through it, she learned about the character of the God she served, that He is good. Despite whatever hardships God's people face, He favors those who serve Him. That was the deceased's confidence, and God responded positively, enabling her to get through those difficult periods.

David develops his assertion about the character of God by describing...

 

II. The Commitment of God (Ps 103:3-5)

 

...to His people, and he addresses the next three verses to those hearing the psalm, saying, God is the one...

Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, [so that] your youth is renewed like the eagle. (vv. 3-5)

In these three verses, David cites five examples of God's goodness:

• He pardons.
• He heals.
• He redeems.
• He crowns.
• He satisfies.

God is not simply present for the difficulties of life, He is powerful enough to help His people through them, providing whatever they need, from forgiveness to fulfillment, from satisfaction to salvation. David is probably speaking from personal experience. As he looked back on his life, the things in this list were benefits he had received from God.

 

I imagine this is what may have made the psalm a favorite for the deceased. She, too, found God present for the difficulties of her life and powerful enough to help her through them, providing whatever she needed. She never tired of hearing this psalm and its rehearsal of the benefits God provides.

 

In the months before her passing, especially as she saw little improvement in her condition, she would ask me why God did not simply take her home. She was ready. I wished I could give her a satisfying answer, but I could not. Sometimes there is no answer, at least not from our vantage point in this life. All I could offer is the assurance of Paul from his letter to the church in Rome which, I discovered later, was another of her favorite passages.

God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).

The deceased knew this included her, because she loved God, and He had called her to be His child. Paul goes on...

If God [is] for us, who [can be] against us? ...[For] in all...things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.... [And nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:31b, 37, 39b)

The deceased may have wondered about the delay of God, but she never doubted the goodness of God.

 

We will remember different things about the deceased. She was always in church. She loved to ring the bell. What stands out most to me is what she would say during the opening of Sunday School, reminding us about the character of the God we serve and calling us to respond. This is something she would want us to remember, an attribute that appears in Ps 103 and Rom 8, and it is something she now knows is true more than ever. Who is God? What is He like? You know. You can probably hear her say it.

 

God is good

All the time,

And all the time

God is good.

 

For a pdf see here.