Psalms 103 - Printer Friendly

David begins Psalm 103 by calling upon his soul and his whole being to bless the Lord and to remember all His benefits. These are blessings David has experienced within his own life. He lists some of those benefits: forgiveness, restored health, deliverance, love, satisfaction, and renewed energy (Psalm 103:1–5).

David recalls the Lord's righteous deeds and justice. He showed Moses His ways and performed mighty acts on behalf of Israel. David assures his readers that the Lord is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, loving, and ready to forgive. The Lord's love is higher than the heavens, David affirms, and He removes transgressions as far as the east is from the west. This is an especially interesting analogy, since north and south are defined points, but east and west are infinite directions. One can only travel north so far, until they find themselves travelling south. This is not true of moving east or west. Furthermore, like a father, the Lord has compassion on His children and remembers that they are finite (Psalm 103:6–14).

Unlike man's fleeting life, the Lord's love and righteousness extend from generation after generation to those who obey Him. He is sovereign. His throne is settled in the heavens, and His kingdom holds sway over all (Psalm 103:15–19).

Psalm 103 concludes with a call to the Lord's angels and all His creation to praise Him. David addresses his closing words to his soul, commanding his soul to praise the Lord (Psalm 103:20–22).

Psalm 103:1–5 records David commanding his entire inner being to praise the Lord and to remember all the Lord's benefits. He credits the Lord with forgiveness of sin and healing of diseases. He says the Lord redeems the believer's life from the realm of the dead and bestows on him steadfast love, mercy, satisfaction, and renewal.

Psalm 103:20–22 contains the closing verses of this passage. David calls upon the Lord's angels and all His created beings to join in blessing the Lord, which in this context means to praise Him with strong affection. Psalm 150 concludes the book of Psalms with a similar call to praise the Lord. Praise to the Lord is appropriate because of His blessings (Psalm 103:1–13), His eternal love and righteousness (Psalm 103:17–18), and His sovereign rule over heaven and earth (Psalm 103:19).

Psalm 103 is one of four psalms which complete the fourth division of the book of Psalms (Psalms 90—106). These four psalms ascribe praise to the Lord. Psalm 103 was written by David and expresses his gratitude to the Lord for all His benefits. First Thessalonians 5:18 conveys the same theme of thanksgiving by exhorting believers to ''give thanks in all circumstances.''

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.