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Psalm 103 - Bless the Lord, O My SoulOur first psalm is a familiar one, a psalm that has spawned dozens of hymns and choruses. It is attributed to David: Bless the Lord (103:1)The first line introduces the psalm: "Praise the LORD, O my soul; More familiar may be the Authorized Version that translates the verb as "bless": "Bless the LORD, O my soul: "Bless" (KJV, NRSV, NJB) or "praise" (NIV) is bārak, which we examined in chapter 8, meaning "bless, praise, salute," here, "to declare God the origin of power for success, prosperity, fertility," that is, to "praise God."1 When Aaron the high priest blessed the people, he lifted his hands toward them as an act of conferring a blessing (Leviticus 9:22). When Jesus blessed his disciples at his ascension, he lifted his hands toward them (Luke 24:50). When we bless God, we often extend our hands to him in prayer and worship, following the pattern of both the Old Testament saints and the early church.2 But this blessing was no mere gesture. The psalmist prays with his whole heart; he pours out his heart before God in worship. "Within me" (KJV, NRSV), "inmost being" (NIV), "depths of my being" (NJB) is qereb, "midst, among, inner part," denoting the internal. It is often used as a parallel to "heart" and "soul." He blesses Yahweh's "holy name," that is his holy person, his sacred being. The psalmist calls upon his soul, himself (nephesh), to bless God. Sometimes our body seems tired, our spirit dull, our attitude "bummed out," depressed. Sometimes we have to tell ourselves to praise. We don't praise because we feel like it, but because God is worthy. Usually, after we've offered praise for awhile, our spirit gets in tune with God's Spirit and we begin to feel like worshipping. By our will we command ourselves to worship. Forget Not All His Benefits (103:2-5)"Praise the LORD, O my soul, Now David begins to enumerate all the benefits4 that the Lord brings to us: "3... who forgives all your sins A look at the verbs in this list tells the story, suggesting themes that are developed throughout the Bible:
The result is: "... so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." (103:5b) The renewal15 to one's youthful state16 is compared to that of an eagle. References to a renewing of youth here and in Isaiah 40:31 may stem from the fact of the eagle's longevity or perhaps its fresh appearance in new plumage following moulting.17 Kidner notes that verse 5b "is not implying (as RSV's apostrophe suggests and as some ancient commentators believed) that eagles have the power of self-renewal; only that God renews us to be 'young and lusty as an eagle' (Prayer Book Version, 1662) -- the very picture of buoyant, tireless strength which Isaiah 40:30-31 takes up."18 You've tasted of God's forgiveness, his healing when you've been sick, rescue from life-threatening experiences. You've felt his love, sensed his compassion, found that he supplies your physical needs. All these, the psalmist affirms, are the benefits that Yahweh bestows on us, and for all these we bless him. The God of Righteousness and Justice (103:6)He goes on to talk about Yahweh's moral standard of rightness and truth that stand out like a beacon of light against the backdrop of man's sleazy compromises and equivocations. "The LORD works righteousness If you and I are ever placed in positions of power, we dare not take advantage of the poor, for our God will be working against us. He is the one who stands up for and defends the cause of the poor, the fatherless, the prisoner, the foreigner in our midst (Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Psalm 72:4, 12; 109:31; 146:7; Proverbs 22:22-23; Isaiah 58:6-7; Jeremiah 7:6; Ezekiel 22:7). Our God is righteous and just and demands the same of his people. The God Who Revealed Himself to Israel in the Exodus (103:7)"He made known his ways to Moses, What we know about God is not merely deduced from nature (though we can learn something about God from his creation, Romans 1:19-20; Psalm 19:1-4). The Judeo-Christian faith is a revealed faith, God speaking to and through men his truth as well as demonstrating his faithfulness in his actions. The Gracious and Merciful God (103:8-9)The next verses encourage us when we struggle with sin and are based on God's revelation to Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness.: "8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, The "God of the Old Testament" is sometimes caricatured by unbelievers as an angry, spiteful, unforgiving God, but that is the opposite of how he actually revealed himself to his people. The definitive revelation of God's nature is found at the second giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai in Exodus, when Yahweh reveals himself to Moses with the words: "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." (Exodus 34:6-7)19 This passage is referred to as a summary of God's character often in both the Psalms (86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; 116:5; and 145:8) and the rest of the Old Testament (Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:7; 2 Chronicles 30:9). Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God is known as the merciful and compassionate God. "Compassionate" is raḥûm, from reḥem/raḥam, "womb" as the seat of one's emotions.20 "Gracious" is ḥannûn, "gracious," from ḥānan, which depicts "a heartfelt response by someone who has something to give to someone who has a need."21 Aren't you glad that love lies at the basic character and value system of our God? The God Who Forgives Us Completely (103:10-13)Now come some of the most refreshing words to the repentant sinner that one can imagine: "10He does not treat us as our sins22 deserve David employs two similes to illustrate the completeness of God's forgiveness:
It's interesting how the graphic nature of these comparisons can help us grasp the abstract and take hold of it! The Lord Has Compassion on Us as Children (103:13-14)The psalmist's next simile is one of a father and his children: "13As a father has compassion on his children, "Has compassion" (NIV), "pitieth" (KJV) is rāḥam, "love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate," formed from rehem, "womb," thought of as the seat of the emotions, the verb form of the adjective we saw in verse 4b above. God has deep, heartfelt compassion because he is our Father as well as our Creator, who formed us from "the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7). We don't have value based on the mineral and biological content of our bodies. We have value because the Lord breathed his own breath into us, gave us life, and values us as his children, created in his own image. The Transitory and the Eternal (103:15-18)Now David contrasts man's tenuous, transitory existence to eternity: "15As for man, his days are like grass, 17But from everlasting to everlasting24 the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children -- 18with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." (103:15-18) Our time-bounded life may define us -- unless we can see beyond this life to the never-ending nature of God's love for us. His love lasts beyond the grave and so do we. Yes, love is the chief of his "benefits" for which we praise him. The Lord Is King over All (103:19)Again and again in the Psalms we see an affirmation that Yahweh reigns! He is a "great King" above all gods (Psalm 95:3) and over all the earth (Psalm 47:2; 48:2). "The LORD has established his throne in heaven, Jesus' proclamation that the Kingdom of God is "at hand" in his own person (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; Luke 21:31; 17:21) follows this same theme. Let Angels, Creation, and My Own Soul Bless the Lord (103:20-22)The King is served by angels, heavenly hosts (armies), and servants of all kinds. They and all his works are to offer him praise. "20Praise the LORD, you his angels, All creation praises Yahweh the revealed God, the compassionate God, the Creator, and the King. The psalmist ends where he began -- with his own need to praise. And so he calls his own soul -- whether he feels like praising or not -- to join with the chorus of heaven and earth in fulsome praise: "Praise the LORD, O my soul." (103:22)
Psalm 145 - I Exalt You, My God the KingOur next psalm that extols God's character is also attributed to David and is titled: "a psalm of praise." In its themes it has some similarities with Psalm 103, but it is a completely different style -- more didactic rather than personal. An Acrostic PsalmPsalm 145 is one of nine psalms (9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145) which are structured as an acrostic, with each verse or section beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. As we have observed, the intricacy of patterns in the psalms is considered part of their poetic beauty, so adding the level of complexity presented by an acrostic contributes another level of aesthetic pleasure to those who used this psalm in their worship.26 Thus verse 1 begins with a word beginning with Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, verse 2 begins with Beth, and so on.27 Beyond the acrostic structure, the psalm consists of a series of alternating calls to praise followed by grounds for praise.28 We won't spend as much time on the details of this psalm, just enjoy it for how it extols Yahweh's nature and character. I Extol You, My King (145:1-2)David begins by extolling God: "1I will exalt you, my God the King; Each of these key verbs we've met before -- exalt,29 praise/bless,30 and extol.31 Praise is on the psalmist's lips. Your Greatness Is Beyond Reckoning (145:3-7)Next he meditates on how one generation will tell another of Yahweh's greatness and mighty works. He is probably thinking especially of the amazing events of the Exodus -- one mighty miracle after another. "3Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; How do we pass on our faith to the next generation? Partly through the stories we tell of God's faithfulness, both in our lives and in the history of God's people. If we keep our Christian experience to ourselves, we may well cripple the transmission of our faith to our children. The Lord is Gracious and Compassionate (145:8-9)As David rehearses the character of Yahweh, he repeats the characteristic description that we saw in Psalm 103:8 above and many other places in the Old Testament: "8The LORD is gracious and compassionate, All He Has Made -- Yahweh the Creator (145:9b, 13b, 17b)Notice the phrase "all he has made" in 9b. The phrase is repeated three times in Psalm 145, each with a different characteristic of God's grace.
The phrase "all he has made" is the noun ma‘ăseh, "deed, act, workmanship ... that which is done or made." This noun is derived from the verb ‘āśā, "do, fashion, accomplish," often used in the creation accounts.39 The Glory of Yahweh's Kingdom (145:10-13a)The same word, "All you have made" (ma‘ăseh) is picked up in verse 10 as well. This passage praises the Kingdom of God. Note how many times kingdom and dominion occur: "10All you have made will praise you, O LORD; Yahweh is King over an everlasting kingdom. And when Messiah Jesus began his ministry, he proclaimed the coming of just this Kingdom of God. The Faithful Character of Our God (145:13b-16)The next group of verses describe Yahweh's graciousness and benevolence. If you were to consider this in the same way as "all his benefits" in Psalm 103:2, you would have quite a list. Behold the character of our God: "13bThe LORD is faithful to all his promises 17The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. 18The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (145:13b-20) We've seen nearly all these verbs and adjectives scattered throughout the psalms we've explored so far. Here they are all together in a paean of praise of God's character. The Lord Is Near (145:18-20)I especially like the promise in verses 18-20: "The LORD is near to all who call on him, Do you feel far away from God? Here is a promise for you. The operative words are:
Call on him in full sincerity and surrender (that is, "in truth") and he promises to be near you and deliver you from whatever trouble you find yourself in. He also promises in verse 20a to "watch over" (NIV, NRSV), "guard" (NJB) or "preserve" (KJV) you. The verb is shāmar, "keep, guard," with the root meaning, "to exercise great care over." We examined this word in chapter 6 in Psalm 121:3-8 My Mouth Will Speak in Praise of the Lord (145:21)The psalm ends in praise (tehillâ42) as it began -- personally ("my mouth") and universally ("every creature"). It is a declaration of praise and a call for "every creature" (NIV) or "all flesh" (literally, KJV, NRSV) to bless (bārak) Yahweh's name forever. "My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. This call is fulfilled in the Book of Revelation where we read: "Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever." (Revelation 4:8-9)
Psalm 117 -- The Faithfulness of the Lord Endures ForeverThe final psalm to consider in this chapter is Psalm 117, the shortest psalm in the Psalter -- all of two verses. There is no title or author indicated, just a call to praise from "all nations" and then the reason for that praise: "1Praise (hālal) the LORD, all you nations; I'm struck, as I've studied the Psalms, how many times the "nations" or "Gentiles" are called upon to praise Yahweh. Faith in him is not just a national religion of Israel -- or of Christians. It is a call for all the peoples of the earth to know and praise him as Yahweh, I AM THAT I AM, the everlasting God! As I mentioned in a previous chapter, full praise to God requires evangelism, telling all nations -- and our neighbors -- of the greatness of our God. In verse 1b, "extol" (NIV, NRSV) or "praise" (KJV) is a relatively rare praise word, shābaḥ, meaning "praise, glorify," here in the Hithpael stem with a reflexive connotation, "glory in." In most cases it is used to praise God for his mighty acts and deeds (Psalms 63:3; 106:47; 117:1; 145:4; 147:12; and 1 Chronicles 16:35). 43 The second verse contains two aspects of God's character which are given as the reason for our praise:
Of course, we've seen these character anchors lauded in other psalms, but as we revisit them in this short psalm don't pass them over lightly. His love and faithfulness are the bedrock of our faith: (1) God is love. (2) God can be trusted. Praise God! Notice the adjectival expressions that qualify these words: "great" and "everlasting" -- bigger than we can imagine and for as long as we need them and longer still. I can't help but think of a couple of lines from Jeremiah's Lamentations that lie at the root of some of the great hymns of the Church: "22Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, If you've been tracking with the Hebrew words used in the psalms we've studied, you'll observe that we've seen them again and again in psalm after psalm.
Our God is so good! How can we ever doubt him? How can we neglect to praise him for the qualities of his core being that allow all us poor, sinful creatures to relate to him -- what's more, to be loved and desired by such a majestic God? We are blessed, brothers and sisters. We are blessed beyond all measure to be loved by such a God. As we learn from the Psalms to vocalize with our own mouths, to praise the character of our holy God, we'll be fitted both to endure the struggles of this life and to enjoy the glories of the next.
PrayerFather, let my soul, my mouth give praise to you. Let my words tell the stories of your greatness to my children and my grandchildren. Let my deeds reflect your justice and righteousness. Let my heart soak in your love and compassion and dependability. Let me be like You, like Jesus. In His holy name, I pray. Amen. Songs
References
Copyright © 1985-2009 Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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Christmas Incarnation
