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Answer
Psalm 103 is a beautiful hymn of praise to a merciful and loving God. The psalmist enumerates various ways in which God shows compassion to His children. Verses 7–12 constitute a section within the psalm that emphasizes God’s forgiveness towards His erring children:
“He revealed his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, overflowing with love.
He does not always accuse,
nor does he hold onto his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
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.”
The expression “as far as the east is from the west” signifies an infinite distance. East and west are opposite directions that never meet. This is unlike north and south—you can only travel north so far (to the geographic north pole) before having to head south; hence, north and south converge at the poles. However, east and west never intersect; regardless of how far east you go, you will never reach a point where your next step is westward. Therefore, in His wisdom, God did not say, “As far as north from south”; instead, He said, “As far as east from west.”
In Psalm 103:11, the psalmist introduces another pair of directions: up and down. God’s love is described as “as high as the heavens . . . above the earth.” Once again, we are presented with a concept of immense magnitude—something that would have been truly immeasurable and unimaginable to the ancients. No matter how high a person could ascend, he would never surpass God’s love.
Complementing this idea is the mention of east and west in Psalm 103:12. The message conveyed is that when God forgives, He forgives completely. Our sins have been forgiven without any trace left.Removed from us as far as is possible to imagine. It is a statement of complete and utter forgiveness. Once our sins have been removed, we will never be held accountable for them. They will never come back to haunt us.
A common theme throughout the Bible is that God has made provision for our sins to be forgiven and for fellowship to be restored with our Creator. The Lord identifies Himself as the One who forgives: “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” «I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. », (Isaiah 43:25). God promises that, under the New Covenant, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” «And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. », (Jeremiah 31:34). King Hezekiah praised God for the forgiveness he experienced: “In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back” «Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. », (Isaiah 38:17). The New Testament details the sacrifice of Christ and points to it as the basis of our freedom from guilt: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” « There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. », (Romans 8:1).ible/king-james-version/romans-8-1″>(Romans 8:1). The statement that there is “no condemnation” implies that individuals in Christ will never be held accountable for their sins because Christ has already settled the debt. “How extensively has the LORD removed our sins from us? Beyond the span from east to west!” «As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us. », (Psalm 103:12, CEV).
