By Pamela Rose Williams
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and [let me] forget not all his benefits:
As is true of many of the Psalms, Psalm 103 is an encouraging song of David. David was the king of the Israelites and in this Psalm, we see him offering his gratitude to God for His mercy and goodness to not only himself, but to many others. Let’s take a closer look.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.
First, we see praise and worship for David’s own person. In verses 1 & 2 he offers praise to the LORD and asks Him to help him to remember all His benefits. And in verses 3-5 he gets specific about those benefits. He meditates on the blessings of:
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- Forgiveness
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- Healing
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- Redemption
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- The LORD’s lovingkindness
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- The LORD’s tender mercies
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- Satisfaction
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- Renewal and rejuvenation
Next, we see David remember others in his thanksgiving in verses 6-18. When you look close enough you can see that David is praising the LORD on behalf of “all” good men and he thinks about how they (we) used to be and how we are now that we are in Christ.
If I were to paraphrase this passage, I would say:
The LORD made known his ways to Moses and the children of Israel. But since God is merciful, and gracious, slow to anger, and so merciful his judgment for the oppressed was fair and loving.
Not only is the LORD slow to anger but His anger and chastisement is quick and temporary. And His mercy toward them that respect His position as the One and Only Almighty True God is so great that it is higher than high and wider than wide. Because of this immeasurable mercy he has removed (past tense) their sin!
The LORD has great compassion on his children, and He knows them better than anyone. He knows that man’s life is temporary on this earth, but His mercy is everlasting just as life is everlasting for His children (those who have trusted Jesus for salvation John 1:12; Galatians 3:26, 28; Romans 5:1-21, 8:4-19).
And then comes that little verse 19 that helps us to remember that God is the Supreme Ruler, and we are part of His government that He has placed on the shoulders of Jesus (Isaiah 9:6-7) whose rulership has no end.
I love how David ends his Psalm of praise by inviting the angels and everyone to bless the LORD with him (verse 20-22).
Things to Think About and Do:
1. How many times throughout the day do you say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul?” How many times in Psalm 103 did David say it?
2. Can you find at least 3 more Bible passages that talk about blessing (or praising) the Lord?
3. Challenge: Commit to saying, “Bless the LORD, O my soul” every day for the rest of the month, even before your feet touch the floor when you wake up in the morning. Meditate on these words!
