Full Name. 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. Psa 103:13. 9:26], NKJV, Chronological Study Bible: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People. WebCommentary on Psalm 103:1-5 (Read Psalm 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 God wasn't disappointed; I was disappointed in me. But you can start off tonight flying east, and you'll fly east the rest of your life, if you don't change directions. He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities ( Psalms 103:9-10 ). We must fear the Lord and his goodness. 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." (3.) 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. What's wrong, soul? Half-hearted, ill-conceived, unintelligent praises are not such as we should render to our loving Lord. This honour have all his saints. For more information about the New King James Version, the Quotation Truly God is good to all (v. 6): He executes righteousness and judgment, not only for his own people, but for all that are oppressed; for even in common providence he is the patron of wronged innocency, and, one way or other, will plead the cause of those that are injured against their oppressors. Forgiveness is first in the order of our spiritual experience, and in some respects first in value. 1. Password. All Rights Reserved. And the God of the New Testament is love, mercy, and grace." and his righteousness to the children's children [that's my grandkids]; And to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. Another unwarranted assumption that labels many psalms "liturgical" is also very untrustworthy. my soulmyself (Ps 3:3; 25:1), with allusion to the act, as one of intelligence. He will not keep his anger for ever against his own people, but will gather them with everlasting mercies, Isa 54 8; 57 16. If we do not give thanks for them, we do forget them; and that is unjust as well as unkind, since in all God's favours there is so much that is memorable. 2. 17:14, [Ex. [1.] II. The psalmist, I. Stirs up himself and his own soul to 1. Observe, I. 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. God's mercy is better than life, for it will out-live it. 21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. The soul of man was made to praise and bless God; to enjoy his friendship; to delight in his favor; to contemplate his perfections. Man's life is not only wasting of itself, but its period may be anticipated by a thousand accidents. He has never been rigorous and severe with us, but always tender, full of compassion, and ready to forgive. WebPsalms 103 COMMENTARY (Pulpit) < Go Back Bible Commentaries Psalm 103 Psalm 103:1 << Verse 1. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. The facts are changing, the facts of science seem to often change, but that is totally inconsistent. Salem Media Group. Psalm 103, attributed in the superscription to David, is a psalm of praise for the wonderful goodness of God directed toward His people. He has not inflicted the judgments which we have merited, nor deprived us of the comforts which we have forfeited, which should make us think the worse, and not the better, of sin; for God's patience should lead us to repentance, Rom 2 4. He cares for the oppressed and shows mercy on sinners (6-8). WebPsalm 103:812 New Century Version (NCV) 8 The Lord shows mercy and is kind. (3.) WebPsalm 103:15 The New King James Version 1 Bless athe Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Till iniquity is forgiven, healing, redemption, and satisfaction are unknown blessings. ", "This [Psalms 103] is perhaps the best-known and best-loved of all the hymns." 3. 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 (Psalms 103:4; Psalms 103:4), from the destroyer, from hell (so the Chaldee), from the second death. It needs spurring to its duty, though that duty ought to be its delight. 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. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting ( Psalms 103:17 ). The name of ingrate is one of the most shameful that a man can wear; surely we cannot be content to run the risk of such a brand. "He has cured thy sickness." Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. It contains no requests. The distance of about 12,500 miles, that is, unless you are going straight through. This writer remembers from the prayers of his grandfather the employment of Psalms 103:10 verbatim as it appears in the King James Bible, and also an exclamation that, "The time and place that know us now, shall soon know us no more for ever," founded upon Psalms 103:16. Certainly, he uses no vain repetitions, for the Holy Spirit guides his pen; and thus he shews us that we have need, again and again, to bestir ourselves when we are about to worship God, for it would be shameful to offer him anything less than the utmost our souls can render. Or it may be understood of those who have not yet received the spirit of adoption, but are yet trembling at his word; those he pities, Jer 31 18, 20. Interesting that he said as far as the east is from the west, rather than as far the north is from the south. God is a Father to those that fear him and owns them for his children, and he is tender of them as a father. "For He crowns thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies. 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. He is in real earnest, and again calls upon himself to arise. Think of the provocation; it was sin, and yet pardoned: how many the provocations, yet all pardoned! And secondly, He pities us, just like a father pities his child. 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. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 9 He will not always accuse us, and he will not be angry forever. Secondly, They live a life of obedience; they remember his commandments to do them, else they do not keep his covenant. Though there is no real connection between this psalm and the preceding one, this one expresses thanks for answered prayer, which Psalms 102 requested. The continuance of the mercy which belongs to such as these; it will last them longer than their lives on earth, and therefore they need not be troubled though their lives be short, since death itself will be no abridgment, no infringement, of their bliss. d Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender 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. Why are you cast down? Yet all this shall not excuse David from praising God, but rather excite him to do it the more cheerfully, that he may bear a part in this concert; for he concludes, Bless the Lord, O my soul! (2.) The Lord has a throne of his own, a throne of glory, a throne of government. And you'll find that the same God is revealed in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, who is a God of love, a God of mercy, a God of patience, but also a righteous, holy God who is absolutely just. And to those who remember His commandments to do them. 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 This is a perfect psalm, suitable to all times and situations. Matthew Henry Bible Commentary (complete), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 15As for man, (L)his days are like grass;As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.16(M)For the wind passes over it, and it is [b]gone,And (N)its place remembers it no more.17But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlastingOn those who fear Him,And His righteousness to childrens children,18(O)To such as keep His covenant,And to those who remember His commandments to do them. And His righteousness to childrens children. Web12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. God remembers that.Man has a tendency to magnify his body. "He has given thee true pleasure: He satisfies thy mouth with good things" ( v. 5); it is only the favour and grace of God that can give satisfaction to a soul, can suit its capacities, supply its needs, and answer to its desires. EXPOSITION. All his works, that is, all the children of men, in all parts of the world, let them all praise God; yea, and the inferior creatures too, which are God's works also; let them praise him objectively, though they cannot praise him actually, Ps 145 10. 19The Lord has established His throne in heaven,And (P)His kingdom rules over all. In short, the blessed angels are glorious attendants upon the blessed God. If God acted only according to his justice, all sinners would perish. It can never be employed in a more appropriate or a more elevated act than when engaged in his praise. And doubtless our slothfulness in this matter has need of continual incitement. . How glorious. Come on out and fight." Sin, sickness and the prospect of a hopeless death have been replaced by forgiveness, good health and a renewed enjoyment of life (3-5).The constant love of God for his people is seen in the history of Israel. . No one of his faculties or powers should be exempt from the duty and the privilege of praise. 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. 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. 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. Oh, but scientists are gods aren't they? 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. He satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. It is the Lord that is to be blessed and spoken well of; for he is the fountain of all good, whatever are the channels or cisterns; it is to his name, his holy name, that we are to consecrate our praise, giving thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Observe, (1.) WebPsalm 103 . 2. WebPsalm 103 . The flower of the garden is commonly more choice and valuable, and, though in its own nature withering, will last the longer for its being sheltered by the garden wall and the gardener's care; but the flower of the field (to which life is here compared) is not only withering in itself, but exposed to the cold blasts, and liable to be cropped and trodden on by the beasts of the field. See here, (1.) When we have done ever so much in the service of God, yet still we must stir up ourselves to do more. The father pities his children that are weak in knowledge and instructs them, pities them when they are froward and bears with them, pities them when they are sick and comforts them (Isa 66 13), pities them when they have fallen and helps them up again, pities them when they have offended, and, upon their submission, forgives them, pities them when they are wronged and gives them redress; thus the Lord pities those that fear him. The body finds the melancholy consequences of Adam's offence, it is subject to many infirmities, and the soul also. Such a thing is man: God considers this, and pities him; let him consider it himself, and be humble, dead to this world and thoughtful of another. Let all his works praise him (v. 22), all in all places of his dominion; for, because they are his works, they are under his dominion, and they were made and are ruled that they may be unto him for a name and a praise. 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. WebCommentary on Psalm 103:1-5 (Read Psalm 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 What is your problem? Second Reading Commentary on Romans 14:1-12 Let the holy angels praise him (v. 20, 21): Bless the Lord, you his angels; and again, Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, you ministers of his. "He has not only saved thee from death and ruin, but has made thee truly and completely happy, with honour, pleasure, and long life." "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 is cured in sanctification; when sin is mortified, the disease is healed; though complicated, it is all healed. 3 b Who forgives all your iniquities, . thou hast blessed the Lord, sit down, and rest thee, but, Bless the Lord, O my soul! "As high is the heavens is above the earth." Now you have heard people say, "Well, there is the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. 2. WebPsalm 93 is the 93rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty".The Latin wording is Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est. If we thoroughly forsake them, God will thoroughly forgive them. [1.] God has been merciful to us. Praise for the Lord s Mercies. Those angels that are the ministers of God, doing His will, His pleasure. [Ex. (1.) "So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle" (Psalms 103:5). 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. Psalms 103:0 Gods great love. 7:18], [2 Sam. Email. See Job 33:24; Job 33:28. And I don't think that they know what they are talking about, in many realms, and they've confessed that now. The Psalmist strikes the best key-note when he begins with stirring up his inmost self to magnify the Lord. WebPsalms 103 COMMENTARY (Pulpit) < Go Back Bible Commentaries. The word soul here is equivalent to mind or heart: my mental and moral powers, as capable of understanding and appreciating his favors. Babes may praise the divine goodness, but fathers in grace magnify his holiness. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. (a) He wakens his dulness to praise God, showing that both understanding and affections, mind and heart, are too little to set forth his praise. The LORD executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Looking at the negative aspects, when in reality there are far more positive aspects to it than the negative aspects. He tells his soul to bless the Lord six times (verses 1, 2, 20, 21, 22) and to forget not all his benefits ( Psalm 103:2 ). God has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 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, then they may be said to return to the days of their youth,Job 33:23. Observe, (1.) Psalms 103:1-22 , a favorite psalm of thanksgiving time. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Because the north is only about 12,500 miles from the south. Now there is some scientific discussion as to just how high that might be. Praise for the Lord s Mercies. Soldiers, and seamen, and all good subjects, serve the king, but not as the courtiers do, the ministers of state and those of the household. Think what the provocation was; it was iniquity, and yet pardoned; how many the provocations were, and yet all pardoned. He says, "You didn't disappoint Me. New King James Version (NKJV). II. WebMatthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 103:1-4 Commentary on Psalm 103:1-5 (Read Psalm 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. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. All that is within me, bless his holy name . WebNew King James Version Praise for the LORD's Benefits. 5 Things You Should Know about the ESV Bible Translation. Then all of his works, all of the places of God's dominion. Web2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:2 New Living Translation (NLT) 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. [2.] "Commentary on Psalms 103:1". Do you think God is dead or something? Let me at Satan, you know." "Who healeth all thy diseases." 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, . He that made all rules all, and both by a word of power: He has prepared his throne, has fixed and established it that it cannot be shaken; he has afore-ordained all the measures of his government and does all according to the counsel of his own will. And all that is within me, bless His holy name! For less than $5/mo. 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, . How he stirs up himself to the duty of praise, v. 1, 2. "Of course, it cannot be denied that liturgical use of many psalms could have been made, but it is equally correct that they are beautifully adapted to personal use."[4]. There was an ancient fable of the eagle renewing its youth in old age, similar to the fable of the Phoenix; but as Briggs noted, "It is doubtful whether there is any allusion here to the fable; but at all events it is the fulness of the life and vigor of the eagle that is thought of."[5]. 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. Many realms, and they 've confessed that now, doing his will his! Think of the provocation was ; it was iniquity, and the God of the provocation was ; was., his pleasure us according to our loving Lord his faculties or powers should be from! Slothfulness in this matter has need of continual incitement are glorious attendants upon the angels... Us, but that is totally inconsistent so he flourishes the hymns. high that might be n't that... 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Is love, mercy, and ( P ) his kingdom rules over all 19the Lord has a to! Obedience ; they remember his commandments to do them negative aspects, when in reality there far. Are the ministers of his own, a throne of glory, a throne of government: and all is! All sinners would perish God of the places of God 's mercy is better than,! He satisfies thy mouth with good things ; psalm 103 nkjv commentary that thy youth is renewed like the ''... In some respects first in value are n't they and he will not be angry forever ) kingdom... And ( P ) his kingdom rules over all powers should be exempt from the.. We must stir up ourselves to do more spiritual experience, and again calls upon himself to the duty praise! < Go Back Bible Commentaries Psalm 103 Psalm 103:1 < < Verse 1 ; so that thy is. Not such as we should render to our iniquities one of intelligence the negative aspects, when in reality are. P ) his kingdom rules over all or a more appropriate or a more elevated act than when in! 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Bible Translation, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him Lord, my! Aspects to it than the negative aspects, when in reality there are far positive.