Psalms 103 and 104 in the Book of Psalms and Christian Theology and Life Psalms 103-106 are a quartet of four hymns that wind up Book IV of the psalter. "May the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Psalm 103:1 As the Son has glorified the Father and the Father has glorified the Song of Solomon , so there is a people in whom both the Father and the Son will be glorified. We should have some time set aside each day, to give our praise to Him who has blessed us so richly. In one way, we have here a typical prophetic call story. Praise the Heavenly King! This psalm, with which we are all familiar from our childhood, shines in the firmament of Scripture as a star of the first magnitude. ), he has a particular text in mind — one frequently recalled by Old Testament authors in the midst of sin (Joel 2:12), sorrow (Lamentations 3:21–23), and pain (Psalm 86:15). In fact, it's not even an event from his lifetime. Browse Sermons on Psalm 103:1-8. Forget Not All His Benefits Psalm 103 has been immensely helpful for me as a pattern for commanding my soul in seasons of low affection. b. David’s use of the eagle in verse 5 is an interesting choice. 1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. As Paul Tripp is fond of saying, “no one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do.”. The themes of these two psalms are complementary and offer a summary of what the Bible says about God. Summon your soul to bless the Lord. First the Psalmist sings of personal mercies which he had himself received Ps 103:1-5; then he magnifies the attributes of Jehovah as displayed in his dealings with his people, Ps 103:6-19; and he closes by calling upon all the creatures in the universe to adore the Lord and join with himself in blessing Jehovah, the ever gracious. Moses preached: “take care that you do not forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 6:12) or…”you forgot the God who gave you birth” (Deuteronomy 32:18; see also 4:9, 23). Will you be ready? and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit. Please consider supporting our ministry by becoming a monthly partner. Specifically, the object of the praise is the Lord and the individual rather than the community adjures her or … Continue reading "Commentary on Psalm 103:1-8" 2. Verse 10 indicates that God’s steadfast love is undeserved. Verses 6-10 speak of the inclusive nature of the Lord’s steadfast love which works justice for “all who are oppressed.” Verse 7 recalls the exodus event, the central act of God’s deliverance in the Old Testament and a working out of God’s hesed. David takes us (and himself) back to the most pivotal event he can think of. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. It is a song of praise, yet not the praise of an angel, but the praise of one who has been redeemed from sin and from destruction, and who has experienced that grace which, although sin abounds unto death, doth much more abound unto eternal life. and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 … And it's not in the valley of Elah with three smooth stones in his hand and a sling by his side. a. Psalm 103 is a hymn written by David. You may flee from biblical manhood and womanhood on earth, but you will not finally escape the Masculine. (1-2) Blessing God for all His benefits. (103:19-22) The psalm concludes with yet another picture of God, this time as heavenly king, ruling over all that exists. (Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise). The Psalm begins (Psalm 103:1–2) and ends (Psalm 103:20–22) with David’s exhortation to his own soul to bless the Lord. Psalm 103:1-5[103:1] Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! . That love is high as the sky and wide as the distance from east to west! Psalm 103 King James Version (KJV). 3. Verses 15-18 provide yet another angle on the Lord’s hesed. Then shall mercy be preserved to them. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 4 He saves my life from going down into the grave. In the first part, David tells himself to *praise the *LORD. PSALM 103. 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. In the particularly difficult moments of the day, how do you talk to yourself? This is one of the most popular of the psalms, appropriate especially for times of gratitude or of repentance. Psalm 103 tells of God who delivers the nation from bondage (7) and the individual from sin (10-13). Another picture: that love is like the love of a father for his children; the story of God as “waiting Father” in Luke 15 expands upon this notion. 103 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. (Psalms 103:1, Psalms 103:2.) We tell ourselves what God has done — in history, for us. "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name." These four psalms ascribe praise to the Lord. His righteousness, the truth of his promise, shall be unto children's children, who tread in the footsteps of their forefathers' piety. Psalm 103:1-5. In the fight to command our souls to bless the Lord, we not only call to mind the things in general that are true about the Lord (see Psalm 103:3–5), we follow David’s example to get our arms around concrete, unassailable realities of his work in redemptive history. Psalm 103 is an individual song or hymn of praise. Observations: 1) Historic/Cultural. I don’t mean when you’re wrestling through your taxes or walking through your to-do list. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. At the heart of David’s self-exhortation (cf. 1 I will praise the Lord. God’s steadfast love is everlasting, in contrast to our lives which are temporary. Find specific texts by which you can fight the fight of faith — perhaps some short ones like these: Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5–6; Isaiah 41:10) and long ones (Romans 8:26–39; John 10:7–18; Psalm 103!. Ryan Griffith graduated from Southern Seminary (PhD), and lives in Minneapolis, where he is a member of. He brings us back to the moment when the Lord worked powerfully and victoriously and decisively to redeem his people out of Egyptian bondage. The Psalm begins (Psalm 103:1–2) and ends (Psalm 103:20–22) with David’s exhortation to his own soul to bless the Lord. He cannot keep it in: “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (see Psalm 103:20–22). He therefore said, "And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one" ( John 17:22 ); and again, "All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I am glorified in them." Psalm 104 speaks of God who creates and sustains all life. The *Hebrew words mean ‘my *soul, *praise the *LORD’. David, the shepherd king of Israel, gives the most beautiful and complete exhortation to bless the Lord for His grace and mercy, as he catalogues many unfathomable truths, … But do you talk yourself, really? Who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases? All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. When you’re talking to yourself, are you reminding yourself of what God has done for you in Christ Jesus? Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Introduction. Verse one of Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name” has inspired musical arrangements for generations. A Psalm of David. However, there is a lot more going on here that is worthy of attention. For the preacher or teacher, Psalm 103 (considered as a whole) is the equivalent of a fat pitch, right down the middle, right over the plate. Psalm 103 is one of four psalms which complete the fourth division of the book of Psalms (Psalms 90—106). • Psalm 103:1-3 A Psalm of David. David does something very instructive next. The psalmist reminds us of the everyday benefits God gives: forgiveness, healing, saving from hell (“the Pit”), capping it all off with steadfast love (Hebrew, hesed) and mercy. The old hymn has it right: we blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,         and wither and perish, but naught changeth thee. 2 Psalm 103 Bless the Lord! And while we might argue with our journal or with our memory, God’s work in redemptive history is unassailable. While there is much to draw out of this rich text, I’d like to highlight two observations: 1. God's mercy is better than life, for it will outlive it. Psalm 103 was written by David and expresses his gratitude to the Lord for all His benefits. The imagery here is heroic: “so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (verse 5). We are told it is a psalm of David, and his heart of love for his creator is visible … (Hebrew: nepes) All that is within me, praise (barak) his holy name!” (Hebrew qodes sem) (v. 1). There is no reason to question David’s authorship of the composition. God calls, the prophet objects, God assures (often through a specific action–here, the touching of Jeremiah’s mouth) and then commissions.