The Measure of God’s Mercy
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:11-12 NIV
When our daughter Anna Grace was just a toddler, we would tell her how much we loved her by stretching our hands out as far apart as they could go and saying, “I love you this much!” She would immediately flash her biggest smile, stretch out her little arms and respond in kind—“I wuv you dis much!” Even at such an early age, she understood that our outstretched arms were meant to signify the measure of how much we loved her. In essence, it would not be possible for us to love her any more than we already did.
In Psalm 103 David is expressing his praise to God and his gratitude for the abundance of blessings that the Lord showers on his people. The first benefit that David highlights is forgiveness of sins. As we make our way through David’s discourse, we find that he elaborates further on the extent of God’s forgiveness. In Psalm 103:12 David declares that God removes our transgressions from us. But he doesn’t stop there; he continues with a powerful illustration that portrays the magnitude of God’s mercy toward us.
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David writes, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Why was David inspired to call our attention to the distance between east and west? Why not north and south? As I was meditating on this question, it occurred to me that there is a marked difference between these two comparisons. If you are aboard an aircraft that is traveling due north; when you cross over the north pole you will no longer be traveling north—you will be traveling south. This is significant because it illustrates the fact that the distance between north and south is a finite span that can be measured. The maximum distance between north and south is basically the distance between the north pole and the south pole.
In contrast, if you are traveling on a plane that is flying east or west there will never be a point at which you reach the maximum distance in those directions. If you have enough fuel to fly around the entire world going east—there will never be a point at which you cease heading east. The same is true for traveling west. Why is this significant? Because the expanse between east and west cannot be measured. There is no limit on how far or how long we can travel to the east or to the west.
This verse proclaims an incredibly encouraging and powerful truth. God casts our iniquities so far away from us that the distance between us and our past sins cannot even be measured! Once we have received the Lord’s forgiveness, there is zero possibility that those transgressions will ever again be charged against us! They are gone! Forever!
God’s mercy towards us is immeasurable! This truth should empower us to let go of the guilt over our past sins and live each day in celebration of God’s immeasurable mercy and love! Satan, the accuser, will continually attempt to heap feelings of guilt and condemnation on God’s people for sins that he knows were forgiven long ago. Don’t fall for the enemy’s accusations—trust in what God’s Word reveals about the distance between you and your past. Think of the Lord holding out his hands as far as the east is from the west and saying, “I love you THIS much!”
