Psalm 103:13 says that as a Father has compassion on His children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who have a deep respect for him. I do not translate the word fear as many modern translations do. Fear is one of those things that the care and nurture of Yahweh takes out of the life of the believer. What it leaves in its stead is a deep respect.
Fear is not a fruit of the Spirit; love and peace are. Verse 14 serves as commentary on the previous verse. It says He knows our frame and He remembers that we are dust. That is He remembers we were formed of the dust of the ground; we have experienced the effects of the fall; we are trapped in confusion and weakness. He not only knows that, but He emotionally senses that.
In the Old Testament, a father was obligated to take care of his children. It was a mark of his character. In the same way, God the Father not only is obligated to care for us, but there is also a profound emotional connection with us. Any father can raise a perfect child. In fact, a perfect child can raise himself. But God is the perfect Father of the imperfect. God is the greatest of fathers, because He is not afraid of the sin of His children and He has the skill and resources to work with them as they really are.
