Psalm 103:1-13, 22

 Psalm 103:1-13, 22 (NRSV)

Of David.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name.

² Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and do not forget all his benefits—

³ who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 

⁶ The Lord works vindication

and justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹ He will not always accuse,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

¹² as far as the east is from the west,

so far he removes our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion for his children,

so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Psalm 103:22 (NRSV)

²² Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

 

Psalm 103 is a hymn. This psalm seems to come from the period of exile. The psalmist expresses a personal experience that had led him through adversity and suffering caused by sin to the enjoyment of the grace of God. He glorifies the rule of God by pointing to great persons in the past. The poet has connected his personal experience with the biblical testimony. The psalm is a meditation on the goodness of God and the forgiving love of god framed. The hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” has its basis in this psalm.

Psalm 103:1-2 are the opening song, a call to bless the Lord. He encourages his soul, and therefore himself,[1] ¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits or acts of kindness. These verses state the theme. He experiences both the distance and holiness of God on the one hand and the nearness and love of God on the other. The exhortation to his own soul shows a desire to experience God directly.

Psalm 103:3-5 are a personal experience of divine grace. ³ who forgives all your iniquity, He begins with forgiveness of sin, because separating from God is the worst that could happen. As he continues, who heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, ⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that the Lord will renew your youth like the eagle’s. Thus, he first is thankful for the grace of God in his own life, seen clearly in times of darkness, as sin, illness, and death. His joy comes out of the confidence that God will also love him in the future.

Psalm 103:6-13 shows the grace of God in history and tradition. Personal experience becomes the way to understand the saving history of God. ⁶ The Lord works vindication and justice for all who experience oppression. The righteousness of God is the key to understanding past events. The Lord ⁷ made known theways of the Lord to Moses, the acts of the Lord to the people of Israel. Thus, a succession of gracious acts reveals the righteousness of God. In Israel, Moses declares the righteous will of God and therefore sees that the catastrophes in its history are the effect and expression of divine judgment.[2] ⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The history of the people is proof of the grace of God. See Exodus 34:6-7. The prayer of the biblical person cries out for the Lord to be gracious. Here is the basis of that prayer. The inclination of the Lord is good and favor toward humanity, even if we do not serve this favor, but deserve its opposite.[3] The theological question of the essence and attributes of God in this passage becomes that of the attributes that characterize the working of God.[4] The attributes of the essence of God disclose themselves in revelatory action as the attribute of divine love.[5] In the established formula with which ancient Israel summed up the divine attribute of patience has a fixed place alongside grace, mercy, and righteousness.[6] Thus, the Lord ⁹ will not always accuse, nor will the Lord keep anger forever. The Lord ¹⁰does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. In verses 9-10, grace shatters the experience of sin. In verses 11-13, see Isaiah 55:8-9, illustrating the greatness of divine grace, images of heaven and earth and fatherly love. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. Hosea also adopted the thought of divine fatherhood, alternating features of fatherly and motherly care.[7]

²² Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. These places are infinitely many and not identical with created space. Rather, he thinks of special places within this space, for a rivalry exists between these places and other places.[8] He concludes as he began: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

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[1] Barth, Church Dogmatics III.2 [46.4] 405.

[2] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 495.

[3] Barth, Church Dogmatics II.1 [30.1] 356.

[4] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 360.

[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 432.

[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 439.

[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 260.

[8] Church Dogmatics II.1 [31.1] 479.