Ps. 103.6-7 (performing and making known)

Yhwh performs / saving deeds
winning justice / for all victims of oppression
he made his ways known / to Moses
to the Israelites / his actions. 

From the personal, the psalmist now expands his horizons out toward “all victims of oppression” and then to Israel. As he makes this transition his language changes. When he spoke about his own personal redemption and blessing by Yhwh, it was couched in personal terms; there was no ‘proclamation’ about it. Here, however, the first line speaks of Yhwh’s “performance”, then of “winning justice” and finally of his “making known his ways”. What we need to see in this, I think, is that as the psalmist looks toward this more public horizon of Yhwh’s actions, he sees them as a public act by Yhwh. They are meant to be seen. They take place ‘in the open’. Unlike the personal redemption and blessing, these acts are acts of proclamation. That signals, in a sense, the ‘discontinuity’ between the personal and the communal. The continuity is equally, if not more, important—what Yhwh did for the psalmist, he performs for “all victims of oppression”. We find again, here, the language of ‘totality’. If Yhwh “all” of the psalmist’s iniquity, and “all” ailments, he saves “all” victims of oppression. Yhwh’s redemption is ‘total’ in both the personal sphere and in broader sphere of all humanity. Those that are oppressed, either by iniquity and ailments or oppression, find in Yhwh their salvation. This points to a second form of continuity. When Yhwh acted personally toward the psalmist he is described as ‘redeeming’ him “from the Pit”. This act of ‘redemption’ signals, in some form, to an exchange; to ‘redeem’ someone is to pay a price and essentially ‘buy’ their release. Here, in the ‘public’ section, Yhwh “wins justice” for all oppressed. In both what we see is Yhwh engaging against forces that are opposed to his victims. In the first, he ‘pays a price’; in the second, he does battle. Interestingly, the party Yhwh engages is not mentioned; on some level, I think this points to the fact that even though Yhwh must engage them, they do not represent a real act of defiance against Yhwh’s mastery. In other words, they remain nameless because they do not represent a real obstacle to Yhwh. 

From ‘all the oppressed’ the psalmist then narrows his focus to Moses and Israel. While every oppressed person is saved by Yhwh, Moses is granted something more. To Moses Yhwh “makes his ways known”. In the context of this psalm, Yhwh’s ‘ways’ must refer to his covenant obligations. That is not immediately apparent, here, but the psalm will repeatedly refer them and Moses is understood as the primal ‘law-giver’. Importantly, these covenant obligations are not merely expressions of Yhwh’s ‘will’; they are, rather, his ways—they accurately and intimately reveal Yhwh’s ‘person’. More deeply than his saving acts, or even his blessing, his ‘ways’ reveals Yhwh ‘interiority’. It is this ‘intimacy’ that is granted Moses and Israel. They are given, in other words, his Name, which must be understood as being granted to the same person to whom the ‘law’ is given—Moses. And this, understood from a broad perspective, is what the interior life of the covenant involves—the ‘unveiling’ and communion of Yhwh with his people. This ‘gateway’ into Yhwh is important to grasp. The lines that follow will exhibit the inner dynamic of the relationship between Yhwh and his people. As we will see, it displays an immensely rich and prodigal and lavish concern of Yhwh for his people.