([A Psalm] of David.) Bless Jehovah, O my soul; and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name!
David does not open this psalm by speaking to God, and not to other people either. He turns and speaks to himself, ordering his own inner life to bless the LORD. Commentators hear the line as one man's private song and as the voice of a whole restored nation. They also ask what makes such praise possible at all.
The call is not to a passing feeling but to everything the psalmist has, directed at God under His covenant name.
The psalmist calls on his soul, with all its powers, to praise Jehovah — the eternal, unchangeable, covenant-God. Love showing itself in "all His benefits" wakes the soul to praise Him. Yet even in the middle of its joy, the soul feels how weak and changeable the creature is. It has had plenty of proof of that, set against His faithfulness.
One writer pictures the singer at the altar of incense, certain of salvation, looking back and forward from there.
In Psalm 103 a poor sinner stands, in spirit, at the golden altar with his incense of praise. That is, he stands in the full certainty of salvation. From that happy place he looks over the past and future dealings of the same Lord. This is the Lord who had blessed him like this in all His works and ways, both in creation itself and among His people.
That certainty is not cheap. Another writer traces the song back to David's experience in Psalm 51, and names what comes first before a heart can sing like this.
David had passed through the experience of Psalm 51. After that he could praise and worship God with a joyful heart, in the strains of Psalm 103. So God's majesty, holiness, and truth stood firm. Sin was judged in the light, the conscience cleared, the heart made happy, full communion restored, and the soul established in grace. The tears may have been more bitter than myrrh, but the results are sweeter than honey.
David brings nothing of his own to this song. The mercy behind it runs past all measuring.
When God has done it, there is nothing left to do but light the censer of praise and send it back to God who has done it. David could praise, not about David, but about God. I have done nothing, he would say, nothing but failure; but You have done it all. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" … Man's widest reach would be a poor measuring rod for mercy that runs from everlasting to everlasting. … Because His mercy is like this, it lays a practical claim on the heart: "Bless His holy name."
One writer asks whose voice this really is, and where the forgiveness behind it comes from.
No doubt the Spirit of Christ leads these praises, for His praise shall be of Jehovah in the great congregation. But the psalm speaks in the name of all Israel. They have forgiveness and mercy through the tender compassions and mercy of Jehovah. … Now Jehovah owned them with loving-kindness and tender mercies. All their sins were utterly removed from them.
The psalm opens with one person and ends the same way. In between, it widens out to everything God has made.
It begins with the individual, as always. It follows the forgiveness of all iniquities with the healing of all diseases. … It is not only that Jehovah's mercy is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. His throne also stands firm in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. So His angels, His hosts, and all His works are to bless Jehovah everywhere, as his own soul did — and so it ends.
A soul that needs this order can also forget God.
The psalmist calls on his own soul to bless the Lord, and all that is within him. Being so greatly blessed, how could God's people ever forget His benefits? And how can we today forget the great blessing with which God has blessed the Church of God? Sadly, we know our own memories are too short about these things. May the Lord stir us to a greater appreciation of our many spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord!
- Bless — with all of you. The call is to the soul with all its powers, not to a mood; nothing inside is exempt.
- Bless — from solid ground. This praise rises from full certainty of salvation. It comes the hard way: sin judged, conscience cleared, communion restored.
- Bless — for His doing, not yours. "I have done nothing but failure; You have done it all." The only offering left is the praise itself.
- Bless — with a whole nation, led by Christ. The Spirit of Christ leads this song, and it speaks in the name of all Israel, whose sins are all removed.
- Bless — until everything joins. It starts with one soul and ends with angels, hosts and all His works, because His kingdom rules over all. So refuse the short memory.
Bless Jehovah, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
In Psalm 103 David turns and speaks to his own soul. Verse 2 repeats the call and adds a warning: praise lives on memory. Why must a heart that has received so much hear the command twice?
Praise starts with a man speaking to his own soul. One writer notes that David had nothing of his own to show — only failure:
Then comes the burst of praise from Psalms 103, 104, 105 — all praise from earth. When God has done it, there is nothing left to do but light the incense of praise and send it back up to God who has done it. David could praise, not about David, but about God. I have done nothing, he would say, nothing but failure; but you have done it all. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name." When we can speak of nothing else, we can speak of God.
The second call is not repetition for its own sake. It admits something about the one praising:
The psalmist calls on his soul, with all its powers, to praise Jehovah — the eternal, unchangeable, covenant God. Love showing itself in "all His benefits" wakes the soul to praise Him. Yet even in the middle of its joy, the soul sees how weak and changeable the creature is. It has had abundant proof of this, set against His faithfulness: "forget not all His benefits."
Forgetting is not harmless. It shows up in how we face the next trial.
Forgetting is one of the dangers on a disciple's path. How quickly Israel forgot the hardships of Egypt and their great deliverance! They started grumbling and crying, "we shall die in the wilderness". But are we not in the same danger? We quickly forget the answered prayers of yesterday. We forget the help found in personal need or in shared trials. And we dishonour our Lord through "little faith". May we not join in the prayer of David, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Ps. 103:2)?
So what are the benefits? One writer names them by the two titles this psalm gives to God:
In Psalm 103 he blesses Jehovah as the Forgiver and Healer of His people. In Psalm 104 he blesses Him as the glorious Creator. In Psalm 105 he blesses Him as faithful to His covenant with the fathers, and to His promises.
One writer shows the same pair — pardon and healing — given together in a single scene:
His first words to the paralysed man were not words of healing but of pardon. Had their spiritual sight been clear, they would have recognised that Psalm 103:3 had come true before their eyes: "who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases". Every tongue would then have exclaimed, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."
The psalm also looks ahead to a coming age when praise will meet no obstacle.
This psalm shows it beautifully. Unhindered praise will rise from the hearts of those redeemed and blessed in the millennium. The psalmist calls on his own soul to bless the Lord, and all that is within him. Being so greatly blessed then, how could they ever forget His benefits? And how can we today forget the great blessing with which God has blessed the Church of God? Sadly, we know our own memories are too short about these things.
Remembering benefits can go wrong in a second way — the gifts can crowd out the One who gave them.
To trust in prosperity, in earthly riches, is a danger for most believers, if not all. How much greater the folly of trusting them now, when our true riches are shown to be heavenly and not earthly! To boast of spiritual gifts and attainments as if we had gained them by our own skill offends the Lord even more. He alone gives as it pleases Him. It is to put God's blessings and favours in the place of God Himself. If the perishable things of this life are His gift, how much more the spiritual and eternal! Forget not all His benefits, but bless the Lord.
- Remember — the double call speaks to a heart that is weak and changeable. Memory is the fuel praise runs on.
- Benefits — the psalm names them: forgiveness and healing. It calls the Lord the Forgiver and Healer of His people.
- Fulfilled — Jesus pardoned the paralysed man and healed him. The psalm came true in front of witnesses.
- Forgotten — forget yesterday's answered prayers, and today you show "little faith". That dishonours the Lord.
- Blessed — the last danger is keeping the gifts and losing the Giver. Bless the Lord Himself, not only His benefits.