Canonical Reading Plan for Jul 3, Psa 103-105

Today’s readings are Psa 103-105.

Psa 103 - David's praise for God's forgiveness

Let's look at Psalm 103 and how it is structured, for a moment. There is a literary device, in Hebrew poetry, known as a chiasm, an intersection of two divergent literary paths. There are usually two paths, one leading up to the main point and the other leading away from it. In a chiasma, the point of intersection is the primary point of the passage. Generally, it can be seen in the grouping of two or three verses, running in a pattern like this: A > B > C > B > A, with the "C" group being the primary emphasis. Psalm 103 is a large chiasm. It is structured like this;

A-Praise (v 1)
     B-The God who meets our needs (v 2-5)
          C-The God who does right (v 6)
               D- The God who reveals Himself to Israel (v 7)
                    E-The eternal mercy of God (v 8-9)
                         F-How God does not deal (v 10)
                              G-Comparisons to God's excellencies (v 11-14)
                              G¹-Comparisons to man's frailties (v 15)
                         F¹-How God does not deal (v 16)
                    E¹-The eternal mercy of God (v 17a)
               D¹-The God who does right (v 17b)
          C¹-To those who do His precepts (v 18)
     B¹-All God rules is to bless Him (v 19-22a)
A¹-Praise (v 22b)

The Psalm starts out with praise (A), leads up to the main point of comparing God's excellencies to man's frailness (G, G¹) then leads back to praise (A¹). 

Chiasms are sometimes labeled chiasmata. Both words are also used as medical terms. As a literary device, they require some hard work but can be very rewarding. 

Psa 104 - Praise (The Psalmist extols God's providential care)
Psa 105 - Praise (The Psalmist extols God's wonderful works)