Psalms 103:1. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name,
We ought to be always blessing God; this sacred employment should be like an atmosphere surrounding us at all times. Yet there are special seasons when we feel as if we must wake ourselves up, and brace ourselves up, for some special adoration, talking to ourselves as the psalmist does here
Psalms 103:2. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Alas! that forgetfulness of God's benefits is an evil kind of worm that eats into the very heart of our praise. Oh, for a retentive memory concerning the lovingkindness of the Lord! Come, my heart, thou hast been thinking of many things whilst thou hast been away from the house of prayer; now forget them. Perhaps thou hast even dwelt upon thy sorrows, and remembered the wormwood and the gall; if so, now let those sad memories vanish, «and forget not all his benefits.»
Psalms 103:3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
What a great «all» that is! From thy childhood until now, thou hast been full of iniquities, and the Lord has been equally full of forgiveness.
Psalms 103:3. Who healeth all thy diseases;
There is no other physician like him; and all human physicians, whatever skill they may possess, derive it from him. Blessed be the healing God!
Psalms 103:4. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
Else hadst thou, long ago, gone down into the pit; but redemption has kept thee out of it. Thy natural life and thy spiritual life have both been preserved to thee through the precious blood of Christ.
Psalms 103:4. Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
We talk about crowned heads; there are many such here in this assembly. Let everyone whose head is crowned «with lovingkindness and tender mercies» magnify the name of the crowning Lord.
Psalms 103:5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.
Thou wast down on the ground lately, with all thy feathers shed, but they have grown again, and thou art up on the wing once more. Thy youth has been given back to thee; renew, then, thy praises of thy God; with the dew of thy youth restored to thee, let the dew of thy gratitude also abound. Who would not bless the Lord when he knows the blessedness of sin pardoned, a wounded spirit healed, the life redeemed from destruction, youth restored like the eagle's, and the whole being crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies?
Psalms 103:6. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
Therefore, let the oppressed praise him. Let the justice, which adorns his throne, be the subject of our constant delight. There is no act of oppression, on the part of the great ones of the earth, at which he will wink: «The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.»
Psalms 103:7. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
Bless him for having thus revealed himself, giving us his Holy Word, in which we see him as in a mirror. When God makes himself known to his people, then is the time for them to praise him. You can scarcely worship an unknown God; but when he makes himself known by special revelation in your heart, then you must and you will praise him.
Psalms 103:8. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Therefore, again praise him. All who know and love the Lord should form a great orchestra continually magnifying his holy name.
Psalms 103:9. He wilt not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
So that, if you are just now being chidden by him, if you have some consciousness of his anger, begin to bless him that it wilt not last long: «He will not always chide,» Behold the rainbow painted on the storm-cloud, and bless the name of the Lord even while you are under his afflicting hand.
Psalms 103:10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Therefore, praise him again and again. Had he dealt with us as we deserve, we should not have been here; but we are still here, on praying ground, and on pleading terms with the Most High; therefore, let us praise him.
Psalms 103:11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
Such great mercy as this should have the highest praise of which we are capable. This verse speaks of the height of God's mercy; the next one tells of its breadth.
Psalms 103:12. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
They are gone never to return; it is impossible that they should he imputed against us any more for ever; therefore, praise him to the very utmost.
Psalms 103:13. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
Notice that, as this sacred song rises, it gets more tender; if it is not quite so jubilant, the praise is all the deeper, and quite as thrilling. One of the sweetest thoughts that we can have concerning God is that which relates to his fatherly tenderness toward his children.
Psalms 103:14. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
Let his name be praised for this. Dust must be handled daintily, lest it should resolve itself into its separate particles, and God thus delicately handles us.
Psalms 103:15-16. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
Yet doth God think of us, even as he doth of the grass; and as he giveth to each blade of grass its own drop of dew, so do we seem to feel hanging about each one of us a glistening drop of mercy, for which let us praise his holy name as the sunlight of his favor sparkles in every drop of his lovingkindness.
Psalms 103:17-18. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
Then, surely, we must bless God for his favor to our posterity, for his lovingkindness, not only to ourselves, but also to our children, and our children's children. As we look back, we praise the God of our fathers; and as we look forward, we praise the God of our children's children.
Psalms 103:19. The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
For which again let us say, «Hallelujah!» The Lord of hosts is no dethroned monarch; he hath not lost his power to govern all whom he hath made: «His kingdom ruleth over all.»
Psalms 103:20. Bless the LORD, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Magnify him more than ever, if that is possible, ye mighty hosts who,-« Day without night Circle his throne rejoicing.»
Psalms 103:21-22. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.
The praise is spread widely now, over all the universe; yet, O my heart, do not thou forget thine own personal note in it: O Bless the Lord, O my soul.»