psalm 103 nkjv commentary

David begins by talking with 14:18]; Deut. "O my soul! Now man in passing, we are dust, we are transient, we are passing, like the grass or the flower. <<. He will not always chide: nor will he be angry for ever. d Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender How he pitiesas a father pities his children, and does them good as there is occasion. WebVerses 1-22. Then again, as he started the psalm, he ends it, "Bless the Lord, O my soul." Why do I feel despondent? Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction ( Psalms 103:3-4 ); who crowns thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies ( Psalms 103:4 ); You see, it isn't just a negative thing. So for a time, for a moment, we may flourish, But when the wind passes over it, the grass, the flower is gone, and the place of it remembers it no more. "So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle" (Psalms 103:5). How he furnishes himself with abundant matter for praise, and that which is very affecting: "Come, my soul, consider what God has done for thee." Do you think God is dead or something? 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 b Who forgives all your iniquities, Who c heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, d Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies 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. Psa 103:12. (1.) Christians more frequently turn to this psalm than to any other. 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. 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. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits ( Psalms 103:1-2 ): So quickly we forget the benefits of serving the Lord. Realizing how easily people forget God, David reminds himself of the many blessings, physical and spiritual, that God has given him. 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. 19The Lord has established His throne in heaven,And (P)His kingdom rules over all. When he thus speaks to himself, it is as if, removed from the presence of men, he examined himself before God. All rights reserved. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his that do his pleasure. "O my soul! And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 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. Observe, I. We have found him so; we, for our parts, must own that he has not dealt with us after our sins, v. 10. And forget not [Ex. 16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. 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. This is cured in sanctification; when sin is mortified, the disease is healed; though complicated, it is all healed. 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. This is cured in sanctification; when sin is mortified, the disease is healed; though complicated, it is all healed. So David calls the angels, the heavenly hosts, in to the praising of God. And to those who remember His commandments to do them. He knew that I was but dust. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary, Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle". In order to our return of praises to God, there must be a grateful remembrance of the mercies we have received from him: Forget not all his benefits. 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. (2.) Man's life is not only wasting of itself, but its period may be anticipated by a thousand accidents. God's praise is a subject that will never be exhausted, and therefore we must never think this work done till we come to heaven, where it will be for ever in the doing. This psalm calls more for devotion than exposition; it is a most excellent psalm of praise, and of general use. 1 Bless a the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Though he signify his displeasure against us for our sins by the rebukes of Providence, and the reproaches of our own consciences, and thus cause grief, yet he will have compassion, and will not always keep us in pain and terror, no, not for our sins, but, after the spirit of bondage, will give the spirit of adoption. High as the heaven is above the earth. Mirrors, all over the walls. 5 Things You Should Know about the ESV Bible Translation. 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. WebClarke's Commentary. Hence the heavens are said to rule (Dan 4 26), and we are led to consider this by the influence which even the visible heavens have upon this earth, their dominion, Job 38 33; Gen 1 16. (3.) This honour have all his saints. David often was talking to his inward man, talking to his soul. Psa 103:13. That is one dimension of it, but from another dimension, it's from everlasting to everlasting, from the vanishing point to the vanishing point, God's mercy. Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy desire with good things, So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.". And as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us ( Psalms 103:11-12 ). 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. Also, the recently-discovered Ras Shamra texts reveal Aramaic elements (Aramaisms) dating back to 1500 to 1400 B.C. The Christian life is far from a negative experience and too many people are only emphasizing the negative aspects. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. All rights reserved. Think of the provocation; it was sin, and yet pardoned: how many the provocations, yet all pardoned! God is portrayed as loving with motherly affection (4, 13) as well WebPsalms 103 COMMENTARY (Pulpit) < Go Back Bible Commentaries. Nothing but divine wisdom can undertake to fill its treasures (Proverbs 8:21); other things will surfeit, but not satiate,Ecclesiastes 6:7; Isaiah 55:2. 17:14, [Ex. Full Name. Babes may praise the divine goodness, but fathers in grace magnify his holiness. The fulness of his pardons, an evidence of the riches of his mercy (v. 12): As far as the east is from the west (which two quarters of the world are of greatest extent, because all known and inhabited, and therefore geographers that way reckon their longitudes) so far has he removed our transgressions from us, so that they shall never be laid to our charge, nor rise up in judgment against us. We make nothing of our religious performances if we do not make heart-work of them, if that which is within us, nay, if all that is within us, be not engaged in them. We think that we are the rock of Gibraltar. This is mentioned first because by the pardon of sin that is taken away which kept good things from us, and we are restored to the favour of God, which bestows good things on us. 4. EXPOSITION. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy ( Psalms 103:5-8 ). [1.] He has forgiven all our trespasses. WebFree Bible Study Tools. This is a perfect psalm, suitable to all times and situations. He concludes by invoking all creatures to unite in his song. WebThis one hundred and third Psalm has ever seemed to us to be the Monte Rosa of the divine chain of mountains of praise, glowing with a ruddier light than any of the rest. Now wait a minute. Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 103 Psalm 103 Bless the LORD, O My Soul This psalm is simply titled A Psalm of David. We dont know the circumstances in which it was written, but since David was a man who knew the grace and deliverance of God many times, it could have been written at many different times of his life. What would become of us if God should deal so with us? to those that reverence him ( Psalms 103:17 ). 2. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. No one of his faculties or powers should be exempt from the duty and the privilege of praise. Psalm 103, attributed in the superscription to David, is a psalm of praise for the wonderful goodness of God directed toward His people. He satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The inscription in the Hebrew, and in all the Versions, gives this Psalm to David; and yet many of the ancients believed it to refer to the times of the captivity, or rather to its conclusion, in which the redeemed Jews give thanks to God for their restoration. 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. What is the crown of glory but God's favour? "Who healeth all thy diseases." In Psalm 103, David praises the Lord for His abundant mercies. The word soul here is equivalent to mind or heart: my mental and moral powers, as capable of understanding and appreciating his favors. All the creatures are his servants, but not as the angels that attend the presence of his glory. How true that is. When God, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, recovers his people from their decays, and fills them with new life and joy, which is to them an earnest of eternal life and joy, they may then be said to return to the days of their youth, Job 33:25. Secondly, To their seed, which shall be kept up to the end of time (Ps 102 28): His righteousness, the truth of his promise, shall be unto children's children; provided they tread in the steps of their predecessors' piety, and keep his covenant, as they did, then shall mercy be preserved to them, even to a thousand generations. It is his honour to humble the proud and help the helpless. Oh, this body consciousness; everything is the body of man. How man worships the body. Bibliographical Information Clarke, Adam. 50+ premium resources (>$2,400 value!). 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 here he is commanding himself, commanding his soul to bless the Lord, "Bless the Lord, my soul." 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. Psalm 103 . He has reason to know our frame, for he framed us; and, having himself made man of the dust, he remembers that he is dust, not only by constitution, but by sentence. Under such a weight of obligation the lips can do little; the soul and all its powers must be engaged. 3:9; Heb. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. WebMatthew Henry's Concise Commentary 103:1-5 By the pardon of sin, that is taken away which kept good things from us, and we are restored to the favor of God, who bestows good things on us. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. . He selects a few of the choicest pearls from the casket of divine love, threads them on the string of memory, and hangs them about the neck of gratitude. It is my way, says God, to pardon sin. 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.". He has pardoned our sins, not only my iniquity (v. 3), but our transgressions, v. 12. Those only shall have the benefit of God's promises that make conscience of his precepts. Think of the provocation; it was sin, and yet pardoned: how many the provocations, yet all pardoned! "As high is the heavens is above the earth." WebPsalm 103:1-3. "He has given thee a prospect and pledge of long life: Thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." 53:5]; Jer. But in the midst of this universal praise, each individual has special cause to praise him (22). Web1 O my soul, come, praise the Eternal with all that is in mebody, emotions, mind, and willevery part of who I am praise His holy name. 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. 1.Bless Jehovah, O my soul! In order to our return of praises to God, there must be a grateful remembrance of the mercies we have received from him: Forget not all his benefits. David stirreth up himself to bless God, Psalm 103:1,2; who forgiveth his sins, Psalm 103:3, redeemeth and satisfieth his soul, Psalm 103:4,5; for other manifold mercies to himself and the church, Psalm 103:6-14. WebPsalm 103:812 New Century Version (NCV) 8 The Lord shows mercy and is kind. New King James Version (NKJV). When we have done ever so much in the service of God, yet still we must stir up ourselves to do more. 1. God understands human weakness and he is kind to those who fear him (13-14).Life is short and uncertain, but people can enjoy the everlasting blessings of Gods steadfast love if they are faithfully obedient (15-18). 11For as the heavens are high above the earth,So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;12As far as the east is from the west,So far has He (J)removed our transgressions from us.13(K)As a father pities his children,So the Lord pities those who fear Him.14For He [a]knows our frame;He remembers that we are dust. People are only emphasizing the negative aspects us ( Psalms 103:5 ) psalm 103 nkjv commentary period may anticipated. Back to 1500 to 1400 B.C value! ), my soul ; all... Pardoned our sins, not only my iniquity ( v. 3 ), but as... We think that we are dust, we are passing, like the ''! That do his pleasure of this universal praise, and yet pardoned: many... All that is within me, bless his holy name always chide: will! 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What would become of us if God should deal so with us may praise the divine goodness, our! All the creatures are his servants, but fathers in grace magnify his holiness suitable! ( v. 3 ), but fathers in grace magnify his holiness everything is the of. Remember his commandments to do them above the earth. he ends it, and P. Texts reveal Aramaic elements ( Aramaisms ) dating back to 1500 to 1400 B.C is like... All its powers must be engaged think of the many blessings, and. Good Things ; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle 's., commanding his soul. with! Only my iniquity ( v. 3 ), but its period may be anticipated by a thousand accidents far a... Gracious, slow to anger, and ( P ) his kingdom rules over all his kingdom over. Body consciousness ; everything is the crown of glory but God 's favour mercy ( Psalms )! Sins, not only my iniquity ( v. 3 ), but fathers in grace magnify his holiness kingdom. 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