What does it mean to "bless the Lord, O my soul" in Psalm 103:1?

Then follows the burst of praise from Psalms 103, 104, 105, — all praise from earth. When God has done it, there is nothing to do but to light the censer of praise, and waft it back to God who has done it. David could praise, not of David, but of God. I have done nothing, he would say, nothing but failure; but thou hast 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. In Psalm 103 David is tracing up to the root of things. Higher and higher the soul mounts in scaling, as it. were, this mercy, which, after all, is beyond all measure. Thou hast redeemed my life from destruction, fed me, cared for me, guarded me; but, after all, I cannot measure it: "As far as the east is from the west." Man's widest span would be but a poor rule for that mercy which is from everlasting to everlasting. Verse 13 shows that the tenderness of His love is parental: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." Such being His mercy, the practical claim upon the heart is founded on it: "Bless His holy name."

One thing is to be remarked here. It is not merely the ascription of blessing by David to God, but the Spirit of God in David uses the blessing given in order to return praise. It is one thing to make a harp, and another thing to play on it. There are two senses in which the word blessing is used — a man laying his hand upon an instrument to command blessing, and another thing is the speaking well of His blessing. As poor sinners we may bless God, who, instead of destroying us with the thunderbolt of His wrath, has thought what He could do for us, and has given His Son. David here enters into the blessedness of God, and tastes it for Himself. What a God He is to give such a Son! Is not this the thought running through Psalm 103, that the poor sinner entirely ruined has found God as the God of mercy? that a man who had done every evil, even murder, has so tasted of the springs that are in the God of mercy that he can rejoice in it as the blessing rushes into the soul? In Him is the living water, just what I want, pure in itself, though the channel is full of mud; and this living water washes up plenty of the rubbish, and shows me more and more of the evil I have in myself. And can we not each say, This God of mercy, this mercy in God, suits me? The height, and breadth, and depth of it I cannot scan; the heart of another does not equal it. It is from everlasting to everlasting.

There follows now the praise of the restored people. The psalmist calls upon his soul with all its powers to praise Jehovah, the eternal, unchangeable and covenant-God. Love manifesting itself in "all His benefits" awakes the soul to praise Him, while it realizes amid all its joy the weakness and inconstancy of the creature, of which in contrast with His faithfulness it has had such abundant proof: "forget not all His benefits."

The place God has given Psalm 106 is to be seen thus: Psalm 104 celebrates God's "honour," "majesty," "riches," and "glory" in creation; Psalm 105 records His dealings in grace, to the glory of "His holy name;" and, lastly, the dark history of man's utter failure in the best possible circumstances is set forth in Psalm 106. What fits one for the contemplation of this, as well as the glories of God set forth in the preceding psalms, is the knowledge of God's mercy - His loving-kindness. And this is found in a deeper way in Psalm 103. than it could be learned even through the exercises of Psalm 107. It would be disastrous to limit our apprehension of God's mercy or of our need to that measure of it which is realized through afflictions. At the cross it is that man's need and God's love in meeting that need, according to the inexpressible exigencies of His own glory, are fully told out. Christ's death is in view in Psalm 102; not as sin-offering or burnt-offering in atonement certainly, but His cutting off, whose personal glory gave even the burnt-offering its inestimable value. In lowly association with Jehovah's servants (comp. Matt. 3:15) the Messiah takes pleasure in the ruins of Zion, and looks for its restoration. This, not for Zion's sake alone, but for the declaration of the name of the Lord therein. Then how about His cutting off? In reply, God reminds Him of the glories of His adorable person, and finds occasion to pass these glories in review before our souls. (See Heb. 1.) Though cut off in the midst of His years, He is the same whose "years are throughout all generations," who "of old laid the foundations of the earth," whose hands made the heavens. What an astonishment is the death of such an one! Is it any marvel, considering the love that brought Him to this, that Psalm 103 opens with, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!"? Thus are also "benefits" to be recounted, forgiveness, healing, satisfaction, renewal and crowning with loving-kindness and tender mercies, all to be enjoyed as flowing from the cross of Jesus. In view of this also God's "mercy is from everlasting to everlasting." And as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy (loving-kindness) towards them that fear Him. Shall we not in all truth and earnestness re-echo, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!"? J. K.

Having passed through the experience of Psalm 51, David could praise and worship God with a joyful heart according to the strains of Psalm 103 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases; who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies." Thus God's majesty, holiness, and truth have been maintained, sin 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, and more fragrant to the heart of Christ than all spices.

Well may we praise Him. How merciful, and good, and gracious He has shown Himself towards us! There was nothing in us to commend us to Him, nothing but what was abominable and filthy, and obnoxious to Him, and yet to see that He could think of us with compassion, and be at such infinite cost to effect deliverance for us; how it fills our hearts with unspeakable gratitude! What a subject His grace is for our contemplation! What profound wisdom is brought to light in His intervention on our behalf! How He has declared His righteousness, and clothed us with it as with a spotless robe, so that we are no longer naked before Him! How His power has come to light, active on our behalf, when we could have raised no protest had it been put in operation to destroy us! How His love has been declared toward unworthy objects—helpless, ungodly sinners! What new relationships He has brought us into! What new affections He has created within our hearts! What an Object He has set before us in His Only Begotten Son! What deliverance from sin’s unhallowed dominion! What glory awaits us! What an eternity of unspeakable joy, and peace, and light, and love, and blessedness rises up before our vision, and beckons us away from a rebellious and sin-defiled world! What a God we have to do with! Well may each of us say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” in a sense of this great salvation we shall surely exclaim: Arise my soul. Awake with voice of praise The earth, the sea, the vault of heaven above. To God Salvation’s song triumphant raise; Extol His grace, and thought-surpassing love. Sing till the angels hear, faithful and fell. Praise Him who gave His Son to succour thee. On earth to every human being tell How Jesus died to set the sinner free. In life, in death, in resurrection might, In height, in depth, in deserts—everywhere. Morning, or noon, or evening, or night, Ceaseless the riches of His grace declare. Praise Him, whatever be thy earthly lot. The glory shines before thee, O my soul Praise Him with all thy powers. Who would not His boundless and eternal love extol.

Unhindered praise will rise from the hearts of those redeemed and blessed in the millennium, as this psalm shows beautifully. 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? Sad to say, we know our own memories are too short as to these things. May the Lord stir us to a greater appreciation of our many spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord!

The concluding verses indicate that heavenly rule (Dan. 7:9-14; Heb. 1:6) in the manifestation of which the blessing of Israel and the joy of creation can alone be eventually realized. The pervading dominion of Jehovah will be held, in the tenure of the new title of redemption, by the Lord of peace Himself. JESUS will reign. The hearts of His people, touched effectually by the quickening Spirit of grace, desire an acclamation of universal praise. For He is worthy. But, as the believer well knows, the beginning and the strength of perfect praise are evermore in the heart of the conscious receiver of grace. Angels may praise, and so may all the multitudinous creatures of Divine power. They will praise to the utmost limit of their being. Now worship is rendered adequately, according to the intelligent nearness in which the creature stands to God as the known fountain of blessing, and with reference to the kind and measure of the favour thus enjoyed. But what manner of blessing can compare with that which grace bestows on the redeemed? God's richest and unending praises can be sung only in the glory of His presence by the vessels of His own electing love. And again, which of those who have washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb, when pondering his hope as an heir of salvation, would fail to claim for himself a title of preeminence in uttering the praises of One who had not dealt with him according to his sins? And so this lovely Psalm concludes as it began, with "Bless Jehovah, O my soul!"

His kingdom displayed as over all calls for the praise of all, both in heaven and earth. Thus all spiritual beings are summoned to bless the Lord. All His “hosts” — every providential force in nature — are called to bless the Lord. All His created works are called to bless the Lord. And let every individual of the redeemed say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

To trust in prosperity, in earthly riches, is a danger for most if not all saints. It was so in the days of old when prosperity in earthly things was a mark of God's favour. How much greater the folly of trusting to them now, when our true riches are revealed to be heavenly and not earthly! To boast of spiritual gifts and attainments as if acquired by our own skill is even more offensive to the Lord, Who 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.

Forgetting is one of the dangers on a disciple's path. How soon Israel forgot the hardships of Egypt and their grand deliverance, and so started murmuring and crying, 'we shall die in the wilderness'. But are we not in the same danger? We quickly forget the answered prayers of yesterday, the help found in personal need or common trials, and 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)? 'What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?' (Ps. 116:12).