TEXT : Psa 103:1  A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psa 103:2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psa 103:3  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Psa 103:4  Who redeem eth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Psa 103:5  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 

THEME : CHRIST OUR REDEEMER

 

Bless the LORD! It is the polar extreme of what we typically pray - "LORD, bless me." Yet, it is fitting to "bles s God" [as though He could receive any blessing], because praise and thanks is all we can give Him. He doesn't need our praise, but desires it. Praise, singing, and worship are the wholesome and uncorrupted indications of both faith and gratitude. Worship is "singing faith." It is faith put to song, music or both.

 

"Bless the Lord, O my soul." Soul music is the very soul of music. The Psalmist strikes the best key-note when he begins with stirring up his inmost self to magnify the Lord. He soliloquizes, holds self-communion and exhorts himself, as though he felt that dulness would all too soon steal over his faculties, as, indeed, it will over us all, unless we are diligently on the watch. Jehovah is worthy to be praised by us in that highest style of adoration which is intended by the term bless - "All thy works praise thee, O God, but thy saints shall bless thee." Our very life and essential self should be engrossed with this delightful service, and each one of us should arouse his own heart to the engagement. Let others forbear if they can: "Bless the Lord, O my soul." Let others murmur, but do thou bless. Let others bless themselves and their idols, but do thou bless the Lord. Let others use only their tongues, but as for me I will cry, "Bless the Lord, O my soul." "And all that is within me, bless his holy name." 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. Half-hearted, ill-conceived, unintelligent praises are not such as we should render to our loving Lord. If the law of justice demanded all our heart and soul and mind for the Creator, much more may the law of gratitude put in a comprehensive claim for the homage of our whole being to the God of grace. It is instructive to note how the Psalmist dwells upon the holy name of God, as if his holiness were dearest to him; or, perhaps, because the holiness or wholeness of God was to his mind the grandest motive for rendering to him the homage of his nature in its wholeness. Babes may praise the divine goodness, but fathers in grace magnify his holiness. By the name we understand the revealed character of God, and assuredly those songs which are suggested, not by our fallible reasoning and imperfect observation, but by unerring inspiration, should more than any others arouse all our consecrated powers. [C.H. Spurgeon]

 

In praise, we indicate a strong love for the LORD. Songs and singing are always a conduit to release your emotions and feelings on any subject a song writer or musician compose. How much more then, when you sing to or about the LORD? In praise, you show your love, affection, faith, need, want, etc. to the LORD. Singing to Him shows your desperate need of Him in this world and the next. You display your innermost feeling about God through song, singing, and music.

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul - The word "bless," as applied to God, means to praise, implying always a strong affection for him as well as a sense of gratitude. As used with reference to people, the word implies a "wish" that they may be blessed or happy, accompanied often with a prayer that they may be so. Such is the purport of the "blessing" addressed to a congregation of worshippers. Compare Num_6:23-27. The word "soul" here is equivalent to mind or heart: my mental and moral powers, as capable of understan ding and appreciating his favors. The soul of man was "made" to praise and bless God; to enjoy his friendship; to delight in his favor; to contemplate his perfections. It can never be employed in a more appropriate or a more elevated act than when engaged in his praise. And all that is within me ... - All my powers and faculties; all that can be employed in his praise: the heart, the will, the affections, the emotions. The idea is, that God is worthy of all the praise and adoration which the entire man can render. No one of his faculties or powers should be exempt from the duty and the privilege of praise. [Albert Barnes]

 

When you bless the LORD in prayer or song - you must always remind yourself of all of His benefits. Many a professing Christian are too long on the hardships of walking with Christ and too short on remembering the rewards. Thus, you must keep in remembrance ALL His benefits. Truly, they are many! Therefore, you must not forget any of them less you find yourself among the "scorners" who either forget they [are] blessed, or are on their way in the opposite direction from God and cannot remember when the y were blessed. In either case, we do not want to found among complainers who do not acknowledge the supremacy and mercy of the One True God - Jehovah. This you can do through blessing the LORD.

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,.... Which is repeated to show the importance of the service, and the vehement desire of the psalmist, that his soul should be engaged in it: and forget not all his benefits; not any of them; the least of them are not to be forgotten, being such as men are altogether unworthy of; they flow not from the merit of men, but from the mercy of God; and they are many, even innumerable; they are new every morning, and continue all the day; and how great must the sum of them be, and not one should be forgotten; and yet even good men are very apt to forget them; as the Israelites of old, who sung the praises of the Lord, and soon forgot his works: the Lord, knowing the weakness of his people's memories, has not only, under the Gospel dispensation, appointed an ordinance, to be continued to the end of the world, to commemorate a principal blessing and benefit of his, redemption by his Son; but has also promised his Spirit, to bring all things to their remembrance; and this they should be concerned for, that they do remember what God has done for them, in order both to show gratitude and thankfulness to him, and for the encouragement of their faith and hope in him. [John Gill]

 

Also, how can you forget the forgiveness of EVERY sin you ever committed against Him? This alone is a cause for great praise. The penalty of sin is death; that is - life forever separated from the LORD in a Lake of Fire. Yet, mercifully, He forgave you of EVERY sin! Remind yourself of this, and you will have cause to "bless the LORD!" Plus, you have the additional privilege of going to Christ to receive healing when you are sick in body. This is your DAILY benefit - each day, every day of your life!

 

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities." Here David begins his list of blessings received, which he rehearses as themes and arguments for praise. He selects a few of the choicest pearls from the casket of di vine love, threads them on the string of memory, and hangs them about the neck of gratitude. 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. Till iniquity is forgiven, healing, redemption, and satisfaction are unknown blessings. Forgiveness is first in the order of our spiritual experience, and in some respects first in value. The pardon granted is a present one - forgiveth; it is continual, for he still forgiveth; it is divine, for God gives it; it is far reaching, for it removes all our sins; it takes in omissions as well as commissions, for both of these are in-equities; and it is most effectual, for it is as real as the healing, and the rest of the mercies with which it is placed. "Who healeth all thy diseases." When the cause is gone, namely, iniquity, the effect ceases. Sicknesses of body and soul came into the world by sin, and as sin is eradicated, diseases bodily, mental, and spiritual will vanish, till "the inhabitant shall no more say, I am sick." Many-sided is the character of our heavenly Father, for, having forgiven as a judge, he then cures as a physician. He is all things to us, as our needs call for him, and our infirmities do but reveal him in new charac ters. "In him is only good, In me is only ill, My ill but draws his goodness forth, And me he loveth still."

 

God gives efficacy to medicine for the body, and his grace sanctifies the soul. Spiritually we are daily under his care, and he visits us, as the surgeon does his patient; healing still (for that is the exact word) each malady as it arises. No disease of our soul baffles his skill, he goes on healing all, and he will do so till the last trace of taint has gone from our nature. The two alls of this verse are further reasons for all that is within us praising the Lord. The two blessings of this verse the Psalmist was personally enjoying, he sang not of others but of himself, or rather of his Lord, who was daily forgiving and healing him. He must have known that it was so, or he could not have sung of it. He had no doubt about it, he felt in his soul that it was so, and, therefore, he bade his pardoned and restored soul bless the Lord with all its might. [C.H. Spurgeon]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "CHRIST REDEEMS YOU FROM DESTRUCTION!"

 

Christ rescued you [past tense] is rescuing you now [present tense] and will continue to rescue you [future tense]from ALL destructions! Believe this truth and joy will enter you - immediately, just as healings came on those who believed in Christ in the days of His ministry on earth. There is no destruction, that is, there is no manner or type of destruction Christ cannot or will not rescue you from! Nothing is impossible to Him! He is your Savior. Believe in Him and He will protect you and provide for you - always!

 

Where Christ is made righteousness to any soul he is made sanctification, 1Co_1:30. 3. "He has rescued thee from danger." A man may be in peril of life, not only by his crimes, or his diseases, but by the power of his enemies; and therefore here also we experience the divine goodness: Who redeemed thy life from destruction (Psa_103:4), from the destroyer, from hell (so the Chaldee), from the second death. 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. See Job_33:24, Job_33:28. 4. "He has not only saved thee from death and ruin, but has made thee truly and completely happy, with honour, pleasure, and long life." (1.) "He has given thee true honour and great honour, no less than a crown: He crowns thee with his lovingkindness and tender mercies;" and what greater dignity is a poor soul capable of than to be advanced into the love and favour of God? This honour have all his saints. What is the crown of glory but God's favour? [Matthew Henry]

 

Who can satisfy you as the LORD does? No one can! Nothing can satisfy the thirst and hunger of the inner man [the spirit and soul] as God can! He completely pleases, gratifies, and gladdens you with good things. No one else but the LORD can do this. Not the closest friend, not the most loving father or mother, not the dearest lover! He, and He alone truly satisfies the soul - that is, the man or woman who seeks Him with all the heart!

 

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things,.... With the good things in the heart of God, with his favour and lovingkindness, as with marrow and fatness; with the good things in the hands of Christ, with the fulness of grace in him, with pardon, righteousness, and salvation by him; with the good things of the Spirit of God, his gifts and graces; and with the provisions of the Lord's house, the goodness and fatness of it; these he shows unto his people, creates hungerings and thirstings in them after them, sets thei r hearts a longing after them, and then fills and satisfies them with them: hence the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions render it, "who filleth thy desire with good things": the word used has sometimes the signification of an ornament; wherefore Aben Ezra interprets it of the soul, which is the glory and ornament of the body, and renders it, "who satisfieth thy soul with good things"; which is not amiss: "so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's"; not the youth of the body, or the juvenile vigour of it; nor the outward prosperity of it; but the youth of grace, or a renewal of spiritual love and affection to divine and heavenly persons and things; of holy zeal for God, his ways and worship; for Christ, his Gospel, truths, and ordinances; of spiritual joy and comfort, strength, liveliness, and activity, as formerly were in the days of espousals, in the youth of first conversion, or when first made acquainted with the best things; so that though the outward man may decay, yet the inward man is renewed day by day: and this is said to be "like the eagle's", whose youth and strength are renewed, as some observe (a), by dropping their feathers, and having new ones, by feeding upon the blood of slain creatures; and whereas, when they are grown old, the upper part of their bill grows over the lower part (b), so that they are not able, to eat, but must die through want; Austin (c) says, that by rubbing it against a rock, it comes to its use of eating, and so recovers its strength: but there is no need to have recourse to any of these things; for as the old age of au eagle is lively and vigorous, like the youth of another creature; so it is here signified, that saints through the grace of God, even in old age, become fat and flourishing, and fruitful, and are steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, run and are not weary, walk and faint not, Isa_40:31, all which are inestimable mercies, and the Lord is to be praised for them.  [John Gill]

 

"No thank you, I'm full." Who hasn't stated this at least on one occasion in life to a gracious and generous host? Still, no one fills us as God does. Thus, we should bless Him, and not forget His benefits. They are as previously stated - MANY! So many in fact, that I cannot enumerate them here. Perhaps saying they are without number paints a better picture. No wonder the Psalmist said - "Oh that me n would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" His goodness cannot be compared to anyone else on earth. In addition, nothing the LORD gives is superficial or vain. Truly the LORD is great and greatly to be praised!

 

"Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things," or rather "filling with good thy soul." No man is ever filled to satisfaction but a believer, and only God himself can satisfy even him. Many a worldling is satiated, but not one is satisfied. God satisfies the very soul of man, his noblest part, his ornament and glory; and of consequence he satisfies his mouth, however hungry and craving it might otherwise be. Soul-satisfaction loudly calls for soul-praise, and when the mouth is filled with good it is bound to speak good of him who filled it. Our good Lord bestows really good things, not vain toys and idle pleasures; and these he is always giving, so that from moment to moment he is satisfying our soul with good: shall we not be still praising him? If we never cease to bless him till he ceases to bless us, our employment will be eternal. "So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Renewal of strength, amounting to a grant of a new lease of life, was granted to the Psalmist; he was so restored to his former self that he grew young again, and looked as vigorous as an eagle, whose eye can gaze upon the sun, and whose wing can mount above the storm. Our version refers to the annual moulting of the eagle, after which it looks fresh and young; but the original does not appear to allude to any such fact of natural history, but simply to describe the diseased one as so healed and strengthened, that he became as full of energy as the bird which is strongest of the feathered race, most fearless, most majestic, and most soaring. He who sat moping with the owl in the last Psalm, here flies on high with the eagle; the Lord works marvellous changes in us, and we learn by such experiences to bless his holy name. To grow from a sparrow to an eagle, and leave the wilderness of the pelican to mount among the stars, is enough to make any man cry, "Bless the Lord, O my soul." [C.H. Spurgeon]