Psalm 103:11-12 NKJV
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Charles Spurgeon
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” O glorious verse, no word even upon the inspired page can excel it! Sin is removed from us by a miracle of love! What a load to move, and yet is it removed so far that the distance is incalculable. Fly as far as the wing of imagination can bear you, and if you journey through space eastward, you are further from the west at every beat of your wing. If sin be removed so far, then we may be sure that the scent, the trace, the very memory of it must be entirely gone. If this be the distance of its removal, there is no shade of fear of its ever being brought back again; even Satan himself could not achieve such a task. Our sins are gone, Jesus has borne them away. Far as the place of sunrise is removed from yonder west, where the sun sinks when his day’s journey is done, so far were our sins carried by our scapegoat nineteen centuries ago, and now if they be sought for, they shall not be found, yea, they shall not be, saith the Lord. Come, my soul, awaken thyself thoroughly and glorify the Lord for this richest of blessings. Hallelujah. The Lord alone could remove sin at all, and he has done it in a godlike fashion, making a final sweep of all our transgressions.
_____________
Enduring Word
For as the heavens are high above the earth: This is a description of the abounding mercy of God mentioned in Psalm 103:8. The distance from the earth to the heavens measures the greatness of His mercy toward those who fear Him. By instinct, we often think of God’s mercy as less than it really is. (Guzik)
i. There were three concepts of heaven in the ancient Biblical world. The first heaven is the blue sky, the atmosphere with its sun. The second heaven is the night sky, the stars and constellations. The third heaven is the place where God dwells and is enthroned. It’s interesting to wonder which of the three concepts of heaven David had in mind with this wonderful statement. (Guzik)
As far as the east is from the west: This is a description of the great forgiveness of God mentioned in Psalm 103:10. We have no idea if David knew the shape of the earth, but the Holy Spirit who inspired David to write this did, and the nature of the earth and our way of describing directions makes this statement particularly inspiring. (Guzik)
i. As far as the east is from the west is much greater than saying as far as the north is from the south, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. If you travel north on a globe, you begin to travel south as soon as you go over the North Pole. But if you travel east, you will continue east forever. Given the true shape of the earth, east and west never meet – and this is how far God has removed our sins from us! (Guzik)
ii. “As the east and the west can never meet in one point, but be forever at the same distance from each other, so our sins and their decreed punishment are removed to an eternal distance by his mercy.” (Clarke)
_____________
Barnes
Verse 11
For as the heaven is high above the earth – See the notes at Psalms 57:10. Compare the notes at Isaiah 55:9. The literal translation of the phrase here would be, “For like the height of the heavens above the earth.” The heavens – the starry heavens – are the highest objects of which we have any knowledge; and hence, the comparison is used to denote the great mercy of God – meaning that it is as great as can be conceived; that there is nothing beyond it; that we cannot imagine that it could be greater – as we can imagine nothing higher than the heavens.
So great is his mercy toward them that fear him – To those who reverence and serve him. That is, His mercy is thus great in forgiving their offenses; in imparting grace; in giving them support and consolation.
Verse 12
As far as the east is from the west – As far as possible; as far as we can imagine. These are the points in our apprehension most distant from each other, and as we can conceive nothing beyond them, so the meaning is, that we cannot imagine our sins could be more effectually removed than they are. The literal meaning of the Hebrew is, “like the distance of the east from the west” or, “like its being far.”
So far hath he removed our transgressions from us – That is, he has put them entirely away. They are so removed that they cannot affect us anymore. We are safe from all condemnation for our sins as if they had not been committed at all. Compare the notes at Isaiah 43:25; notes at Isaiah 44:22.
_____________
John Gill
Verse 11.
For as the heaven is high above the earth,…. Which is the greatest distance known, or can be conceived of; the space between the heaven and the earth is seemingly almost infinite; and nothing can more illustrate the mercy of God, which reaches to the heavens, and is in heaven; though this is but a faint representation of the largeness and abundance of it, and which indeed is boundless and infinite:
so great is his mercy towards them that fear him, or, his mercy hath prevailed over them that fear him; as the waters of the flood prevailed upon the earth, and reached and overflowed the highest hills, Genesis 7:18, so abundant and superabundant is the grace of God over them that “fear” him. Which character is given, not as being the cause of their obtaining mercy, but as descriptive of the persons that partake of it; on whom it has such an effect, as to cause them to fear the Lord and his goodness; and is mentioned to prevent obstinate and presumptuous sinners expecting it, or trusting to it.
Verse 12.
So far hath he removed our transgressions from us; which removed men and angels from God, and set them at a distance from him; and which, if not removed, are such burdens as must sink men down into the lowest hell; and yet cannot be removed by anything that they can do; not by any sacrifices, services, or duties of any kind; nor in any other way, nor by any other person, than the Lord himself: and this is to be understood not of a removal of the being of sin out of his people, for that is not done in this life; rather of the removal of the guilt of sin, by a special application of pardoning grace and mercy; see 2 Samuel 12:13, but, best of all, of a removal of sins to Christ, and of them by his sacrifice and satisfaction: Christ engaged as a surety for his people; Jehovah the Father considered him as such; and therefore did not impute their sins to them, but to him; and when he sent him in the likeness of sinful flesh, he removed them from them, and laid them upon him; who voluntarily took them on himself, cheerfully bore them, and, by bearing them, removed the iniquity of the land in one day; and carried them away to the greatest distance, and even put them away for ever by the sacrifice of himself; and upon the satisfaction he gave to divine justice, the Lord removed them both from him and them; justified and acquitted him, and his people in him: and by this means so effectually, and so far, are their transgressions removed, that they shall never be seen any more, nor ever be imputed to them, nor be brought against them to their condemnation; in consequence of which, pardon is applied to them, and so sin is removed from their consciences, as before observed; see Leviticus 16:21.
_____________
Matthew Henry
The transcendent riches of God’s mercy (v. 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 favor 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, Gen. 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.
The fulness of his pardons, an evidence of the riches of his mercy (v. 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.
_____________
Geneva Bible 1560
Psalm 103:11-12
11 For as high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is his mercie toward them that fear him.
12 As far as h the East is from the West: so far hath he removed our sins from us.
h As great as the world is, so full is it of signs of God’s mercies toward his faithful, when he has removed their sins.
- Exploring the Beauty of Psalms: Insights and Commentaries
- Monthly Breakdown of Our Blog Content
- Psalms Commentary: Faith and Inspiration
Jude:
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Posted on 1/7/2025 by Bill Stephens
Follow me on twitter – @billstephens_59
Leave a Reply