(2.) The continuance of the mercy which belongs to such as these; it will last them longer than their lives on earth, and therefore they need not be troubled though their lives be short, since death itself will be no abridgment, no infringement, of their bliss. Let others bless themselves and their idols, but do thou bless the Lord. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all As a father pities his children, See here, (1.) Looking at the negative aspects, when in reality there are far more positive aspects to it than the negative aspects. 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. Or you can start flying due west, and you'll be flying west the rest of your life. WebThis psalm calls more for devotion than exposition; it is a most excellent psalm of praise, and of general use. Many are our faculties, emotions, and capacities, but God has given them all to us, and they ought all to join in chorus to his praise. He calls the fowls, and they come; the beasts, and they hear: the trees, and they spring to obey him. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy ( Psalms 103:5-8 ). Mirrors, all over the walls. Note, Divine revelation is one of the first and greatest of divine favours with which the church is blessed; for God restores us to himself by revealing himself to us, and gives us all good by giving us knowledge. (2.) Under such a weight of obligation the lips can do little; the soul and all its powers must be engaged. Note the many references to "all" and its equivalents in this psalm. Why are you cast down? The redemption of the soul is precious; we cannot compass it, and therefore are the more indebted to divine grace that has wrought it out, to him who has obtained eternal redemption for us. The transcendent riches of God's mercy (v. 11): As the heaven is high above the earth (so high that the earth is but a point to the vast expanse), so God's mercy is above the merits of those that fear him most, so much above and beyond them that there is no proportion at all between them; the greatest performances of man's duty cannot demand the least tokens of God's favour as a debt, and therefore all the seed of Jacob will join with him in owning themselves less than the least of all God's mercies, Gen 32 10. 3. 2. Used by permission. 147:3; [Is. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. continuedTHE ARGUMENT This Psalm contains a thankful commemoration and celebration of Gods mercies to the psalmist himself, and to the people of Israel, and to all good men. Let the holy angels praise him (v. 20, 21): Bless the Lord, you his angels; and again, Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, you ministers of his. A Psalm of David.. 1 Bless a the Lord, O my soul; . WebPsalms 103 Commentary - King James Version Online Psalms 103 Commentary Psalm 103 Gods great love Realizing how easily people forget God, David reminds himself of the many These two go together; for, as for God, his work is perfect and not done by halves; if God take away the guilt of sin by pardoning mercy, he will break the power of it by renewing grace. his holy name(Ps 5:11), His complete moral perfections. What is your problem? This is Old Testament. Where Christ is made righteousness to any soul he is made sanctification, 1 Cor 1 30. WebPsalm 103 . 3 b Who forgives all your iniquities, . Nor punished us according to our iniquities. WebPsalms 103 1 A Psalm of David. He knew that I was but dust. They continually praise him in the upper world; they began betimes to do it (Job 38 7), and it is still their business, from which they rest not day nor night, Rev 4 8. The description of those to whom this mercy belongs. Let me at Satan, you know." What is the crown of glory but God's favour? But you can start off tonight flying east, and you'll fly east the rest of your life, if you don't change directions. These two go together; for, as for God, his work is perfect and not done by halves; if God take away the guilt of sin by pardoning mercy, he will break the power of it by renewing grace. But in the midst of this universal praise, each individual has special cause to praise him (22). It is out there, eight billion light years away, ten billion light years away." But the mercy of the LORD ( Psalms 103:16-17 ). Not content with calling upon his soul (by which he unquestionably means the seat of the understanding and affections) to bless God, the prophet expressly adds his inward parts, addressing as it were his own mind and heart, and all the faculties of both. For the LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Let all my thoughts and affections be engaged, and united, and stirred up to the highest pitch in and for this work. Why are you so disquieted within me?" He exhorteth all creatures to praise him, Psalm 103:20-22. He made known his ways unto Moses, and his acts unto the children of Israel. The lives even of great men and good men are so, and neither their greatness nor their goodness can alter the property of them: As for man, his days are as grass, which grows out of the earth, rises but a little way above it, and soon withers and returns to it again. 1 Bless a the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. 4. [Note: Wiersbe, The . and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Praise for Gods mercy to individuals 103:1-5, "The four psalms that close Book Four of the book of Psalms (90-106) emphasize praise to the Lord for several reasons: His benefits to His people (103), His care of His creation (104), His wonderful acts on behalf of Israel (105), His longsuffering with His peoples rebellion (106)." They are such as fear God, such as are truly religious, from principle. And all that is within me, bless his holy name. Observe, (1.) A Psalm of joyous praise, in which the writer rises from a thankful acknowledgment of personal blessings to a lively celebration of God's gracious attributes, as not only intrinsically worthy of praise, but as specially suited to man's frailty. (3.) and all that is within me, bless his holy name; meaning not only all within his body, his heart, reins, lungs, &c. but all within his soul, all the powers and faculties of it; his understanding, will, affections, and judgment; and all the grace that was wrought in him, faith, hope, love, joy, and the like; these he would have all concerned and employed in praising the name of the Lord; which is exalted above all blessing and praise; is great and glorious in all the earth, by reason of his works wrought, and blessings of goodness bestowed; and which appears to be holy in them all, as it does in the works of creation, providence, and redemption; at the remembrance of which holiness thanks should be given; for he that is glorious in holiness is fearful in praises, Psalm 97:12. The psalmist, I. Stirs up himself and his own soul to First, They live a life of faith; for they keep God's covenant; having taken hold of it, they keep hold of it, fast hold, and will not let it go. How unlike are those to God who always chide, who take every occasion to chide, and never know when to cease! 53:5]; Jer. 4. And every once in awhile the scientists come along and say, "Oh, we've just discovered a new quasar, or galaxy that is beyond anything we've ever known before. Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy desire with good things, So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.". Nothing but divine wisdom can undertake to fill its treasures (Prov 8 21); other things will surfeit, but not satiate, Eccl 6 7; Isa 55 2. I knew you were dust all the time." Come on out and fight." Come, let us read our diaries and see if there be not choice favours recorded there for which we have rendered no grateful return. David is here communing with his own heart, and he is no fool that thus talks to himself and excites his own soul to that which is good. [2.] 34:6, 7; Num. Compare Numbers 6:23-27. How he stirs up himself to the duty of praise, Psalms 103:1; Psalms 103:2. 103 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Repeated in ver. Psalm 103 tells of God who deliversthe nation from bondage (7) and the individual from sin (10-13). By registering for an account, Psalm 103:23 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 b Who forgives all to thy shame be it spoken, thou hast forgotten many of his benefits; but surely thou wilt not forget them all, for thou shouldst not have forgotten any.". Think of the provocation; it was sin, and yet pardoned: how many the provocations, yet all pardoned! All rights reserved. "So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle" (Psalms 103:5). 276. 38:17; 43:25; Zech. Hitherto the psalmist had only looked back upon his own experiences and thence fetched matter for praise; here he looks abroad and takes notice of his favour to others also; for in them we should rejoice and give thanks for them, all the saints being fed at a common table and sharing in the same blessings. David called on himself to bless the Lord wholeheartedly because of all His many blessings. The eagle is long-lived, and, as naturalists say, when she is nearly 100 years old, casts all her feathers (as indeed she changes them in a great measure every year at moulting time), and fresh ones come, so that she becomes young again. 10 He has not punished us as our sins should be punished; he has not repaid us for the evil we have done. Babes may praise the divine goodness, but fathers in grace magnify his holiness. (2.) The distance of about 12,500 miles, that is, unless you are going straight through. A Psalm of David .Doubtless by David; it is in his own style when at its best, and we should attribute it to his later years when he had a higher sense of the preciousness of pardon, because a keener sense of sin, than in his younger days. (3.) David often was talking to his inward man, talking to his soul. 19The Lord has established His throne in heaven,And (P)His kingdom rules over all. 103:1-5 By the pardon of sin, that is and, when he had penned and sung this excellent hymn to his honour, he does not say, Now, O my soul! And forget not He takes cognizance of all the inhabitants, and all the affairs, of this lower world, and disposes all persons and things according to the counsel of his will, to his own glory (Dan 4 35): His kingdom rules over all kings and all kingdoms, and from it there is no exempt jurisdiction. He has never been rigorous and severe with us, but always tender, full of compassion, and ready to forgive. (1.) Psalm 103, a masterful and well-loved composition, is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving, a psalm in which a single voice praises God for Gods goodness to or on behalf of that individual, usually for deliverance from some trying situation. STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS. These first verses are a tuning of the harp, a screwing up of the loosened strings that not a note may fail in the sacred harmony. He bears long with those that are very provoking, defers punishing, that he may give space to repent, and does not speedily execute the sentence of his law; and he could not be thus slow to anger if he were not plenteous in mercy, the very Father of mercies. Pardoned sin is, in our experience, one of the choicest boons of grace, one of the earliest gifts of mercy, - in fact, the needful preparation for enjoying all that follows it. And the key here all the way through is to those that reverence God. Who c heals all your diseases, . All rights reserved. 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