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2,3.
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Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
who forgiveth all thine iniquities. There were several such periods in
David’s life; and in at least two of these God punished him with grievous
sickness (Psalms 6, 88, 30, 41, etc.). Hence, who healeth all thy diseases
(cp. Exod. 15:26; Deut. 7:12-15).
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To what extent is it true (in the general sense) that
iniquities and diseases are related? Often, no doubt, but certainly
not always! — which is why, absent a divine pronouncement (such as John
5:14), we must never assume such a connection in any specific case. (For a
general discussion of the relationship between sickness and sin, see N. Smart,
The Epistle of James, pp. 179-200.)
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4.
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Who redeemeth thy life from destruction (Psa.
49:7-9,13-15), as in the Goliath, Achish, Saul, and Absalom episodes. How many
such instances there were!
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Who crowneth thee, in a figurative sense; but also
literally when his kingdom was restored to him after the death of
Absalom.
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5.
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Who satisfieth (or, filleth) thy mouth with good.
“Things” is italicized. David has in mind, not food, but psalms
of thanksgiving and praise.
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So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
This does not mean that in some miraculous way the eagle does actually renew
its youth. (The writings of the rabbis and early church “fathers”
overflow with fables and myths about the supernatural recuperative powers of the
eagle.) But rather, the idea is: ‘renewed so as to be like the
eagle’; that is, to have a buoyant, tireless strength, as exemplified in
the eagle-based Cherubim of Glory (Isa. 6:2).
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a.
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Verse 5a: The manna in the wilderness (Exod. 16).
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b.
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Verse 7 is so different from all the rest of the psalm, yet
this is one of God’s greatest benefits (Exod. 33:13; 34:6,7).
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c.
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Verse 8, in every phrase, either quotes or suggests Exodus
34:6,7:
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“The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear
the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the
children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth
generation.”
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d.
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Verse 9: In Hebrew, “chide” echoes
“Meribah” (Exod. 17:7; Num. 20:13).
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e.
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Verse 17 continues the allusion to Exodus 34: In v. 7 there,
“for thousands” means “to a thousand generations” (Deut.
7:9). But note that whereas Exodus 34 has “visiting iniquity... unto
children’s children”, Psalm 103 says “his righteousness
unto children’s children”! — and this even though they
“keep his covenant——and remember his commandments to do
them” (v. 18). They still need God’s righteousness!
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f.
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Verse 18: “Covenant” and
“commandments” suggests Exodus 24:3,7.
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g.
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Verse 19a is reminiscent of the vision of the great throne in
Exodus 24:10.
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4.
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Who redeemeth thy life from destruction. This is the
Lord’s resurrection. “Redeemeth” = the Hebrew
ga’al, implying close kinship.
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Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness. This last word
is commonly used for God’s covenant, especially 2 Sam. 7:12-16.
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5.
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So that thy youth is renewed. Again, the idea of
resurrection.
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Like the eagle’s. Meaning: so as to be like the
Cherubim, sharing the divine nature (cp. Luke 20:36).
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11.
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For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his
mercy toward them that fear him. This is wonderfully appropriate to
Christ’s priesthood — exercised now in heaven, yet founded on
God’s condescension and mercy to man upon earth.
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12.
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As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed
our transgressions from us. The offerer stood with his sacrifice near the
east gate of the sanctuary, and the blood was then brought into the Holy
of Holies at its west end. Or is this perhaps an allusion to the
scapegoat, removing the sins of the congregation far away from their midst?
(There are quite a number of Day of Atonement implications in this
psalm.)
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Compare other ways of describing God’s forgiveness:
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“blotted out” (Psa. 51:1) — that is,
‘anointed out’, as with blood on the mercy seat (Acts 3:19);
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“Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back” (Isa.
38:17);
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“Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the
sea” (Mic. 7:19).
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Such a wonderful divine blessing simply cannot be expressed in
too many ways!
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17.
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Mercy (= forgiveness) always needs to be followed, as
here, with (imputed, not earned) righteousness.
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18.
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To such as keep his covenant. In this case, the New
Covenant (Jer. 31:34; Matt. 26:28). The Old Covenant offered material blessing
after a man showed himself obedient. But the New Covenant begins
with the free unmerited blessing of forgiveness of sins (v. 14)!
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20.
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Hearkening unto the voice of his word. And also of his
Word (John 1:1,14; 1 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13).
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22.
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Bless the Lord, all his works. This is not referring to
inanimate, unthinking, or unfeeling objects, but instead to men and women
new-made (Psa. 145:9,10), as in Psa. 102:18 (see references there).
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In all places of his dominion. The worldwide kingdom is
established.
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1.
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All that is within me. That is, all my mental
faculties: Psa. 51:10; 94:19; contrast 36:1; 49:11. Compare Christ’s
words:
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“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with
all thy strength” (Mark 12:30).
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Bless his holy name. The title “Holy One of
Israel” is very common in Isaiah, springing from Isa. 6:3.
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2.
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Forget not all his benefits. There is first-rate
psychology here, for nothing is so readily forgotten (cp. Deut. 4:6-8,29-31;
6:12; 8:12-14; etc.).
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3-5.
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These five outstanding blessings from God should be numbered
in every Bible.
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3.
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Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, the black ones as
well as the “light gray” and “off-white”! Here contrast
Acts 5:1-6: there are certain sins that just cannot be forgiven!
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Iniquities and diseases are joined also in Mark
2:5,10,11. And alluded to in James 5:11,14,15? (See the corresponding note in
Par. 3.)
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4.
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Who redeemeth thy life from destruction. We are also
redeemed from all iniquity (Tit. 2:14), from transgressions (Heb. 9:15), from
the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13), and from the Law itself (Gal. 4:5), from among
men (Rev. 14:3,4), and from all nations (Rev. 5:9). We are redeemed by Christ
(Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; Heb. 9:12; 1 Tim. 2:6) and by God (Luke 1:68; 1
Cor. 1:30); we are redeemed through Christ’s life (Matt. 20:28; Mark
10:45), through his blood (1 Pet. 1:18,19; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14), and through his
death (Heb. 9:15). We are redeemed for ever (Heb. 9:12), but only fully and
truly “redeemed” when Christ comes (Rom. 8:23). (See G. Booker,
“Redemption”, The Testimony, Vol. 56, No. 663 — March
1986 — pp. 94-96.)
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5.
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Who satisfieth thy mouth with good. Food? Or psalms,
anthems, prayers? The worldly man satisfies his mouth with bad things (alcohol,
drugs, gluttony, cursing, foul talk). The worldly man is the most unattractive
when he is using his mouth — unfortunately, this is almost all the
time!
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The word rendered “mouth” here is elsewhere
translated “ornament” in all eleven other occurrences. It could
mean ‘mouth’ in the sense that devout speech is man’s
greatest “ornament” in God’s sight. Or it may mean something
altogether different: The RSV renders this phrase: “Who satisfies you with
good as long as you live” — adding in the footnote that the
Hebrew is uncertain. The NEB has: “He contents me with all good in the
prime [i.e., ornament] of life.” And the NIV has: “Who satisfies
your desires with good things”.
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So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The eagle is swift (2 Sam. 1:23; Deut. 28:49; Job 9:26; Jer. 4:13), strong
(Exod. 19:4; Rev. 12:14), tender (Deut. 32:11), and high-soaring (Prov. 30:19;
Isa. 40:31).
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6.
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The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that
are oppressed. Not “all” without exception, but
“all” without distinction.
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7.
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He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the
children of Israel. “Ways” is a much deeper and more
comprehensive term than “acts”. “Acts” tells us what,
but “ways” tells us why! God’s covenant was made
known to Moses, and His plagues and His providence were made known to Israel.
Note the qualitative difference between the revelation to Moses in Sinai (Exod.
33:21-33; 34:4-8) and the revelation to Israel (Exod. 19:16).
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9.
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He will not always chide. “Chide” is a
technical term for bringing a suit before a judge, and is translated
“accuse” in NIV.
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Neither will he keep his anger for ever. God is ever
responsive to intercessions such as Moses’ (Exod. 32:11; Num. 14:13-19).
Verses 9 and 13 = Jer. 3:12,13a, 19c.
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12.
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As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed
our transgressions from us. It is a fact, given the latitudinal and
longitudinal arrangement of our globe, that (a) one may go either east or west
for ever — and never reach a point beyond which he cannot continue in the
same direction, but (b) one may go either north or south, and finally reach the
limit (the pole!), beyond which — if he continues along the same line
— he will then be traveling in the opposite direction!
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13.
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Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth
them that fear him. The parable of the Prodigal Son? This verse is probably
the Old Testament passage closest in spirit to the personal and paternal
relationship of God with believers which is so commonly expressed in the New
Testament. While God is described elsewhere in the Old Testament as a Father to
the nation of Israel (Exod. 4:22,23; Hos. 11:1-4; Deut. 32:6; Isa. 29:16;
63:16; 64:8; etc.), it is only here that the paternal relationship takes on a
specially personal quality. (The Bible describes the quality of
God’s love for mankind as being maternal as well: Isa.
66:13.)
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“The father pitieth 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; when they are fallen,
and helps them up again; when they have offended, and upon their submission,
forgives them; when they are wronged, and rights them. Thus ‘the Lord
pitieth them that fear him’ ” (M. Henry).
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14.
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For he knoweth our frame (s.w. “formed” in
Gen. 2:7); he remembereth that we are dust. Of course He does! He
is the One who made us that way (Gen. 2:7; 3:19; cp. also 18:27; Job 4 :19;
10:9; 14:2-10; Eccl. 12:7).
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15,16.
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As for man (Hebrew ish: this is true even
of the man of distinction!), 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:
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“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they
toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all
his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the
grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven shall he
not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matt. 6:28-30).
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The hot wind from the desert is the “oven”
referred to. (See also Psa. 37:2; 92:7; Isa. 51:12; 1 Pet. 1:24; James
1:10,11.)
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17.
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But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to
everlasting. Unless this is describing divine foreknowledge and intention
(e.g., Eph. 1:4-6), these words are absurd, for otherwise “mercy...
from everlasting” would require the objects of that mercy to have
existed from eternity!
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Alternatively, here olam means an age. There are
only a few certain examples of this meaning, and the idea is far too overworked
by Christadelphians. But apparently Mary read this verse in this way, when she
said, in Luke 1:50, that God’s mercy is “from generation to
generation”.
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18.
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To those that remember his commandments to do them.
Since it is indisputable that none achieve this perfectly, this surely must
mean: ‘those who remember them with a set purpose to do
them’.
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20.
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Bless the Lord, as in Psa. 69:34; 148:2.
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Ye his angels that excel (gibbor) in strength.
This probably means the archangels like Gabriel ( =
“the Strong One of God”), in contrast to the hosts of other,
ordinary angels in v. 21. (Is “ordinary” ever a proper
word to describe angels?) It was surely the extraordinary Gabriel (the
Strong One) who strengthened Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane
(Luke 22:43).
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Angels may “excel” (that is, ‘to be
mighty’) in strength, but — in contrast to the Almighty Himself
— their strength (and knowledge) may be limited. Consider the
implications of Gen. 22:12; 32:24-26; Exod. 31:17 (cp. 23:12); Dan. 8:13; 10:13;
Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32; and 1 Pet. 1:12 (see D. Kingston, Angels, pp.
45-48).
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21.
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Ye ministers of his = Heb. 1:14.
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22.
|
In all places of his dominion. “Places” =
maqomoth, which normally means ‘holy places’. Wherever
the New Israel serve God in spirit and in truth, that is a holy place
(John 4:24).
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Bless the Lord, O my soul. The psalm ends in the same
way as it began. The praise of God, which rushed outward to the bounds of the
universe, seeking to include everything in its scope, now at the end completes
the circle by turning inward and rushing back into the soul of the writer. Where
else, after all, can praise be better expressed than in the single human mind?
All other “praise” is pointless unless it originates here and is
echoed here.
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