1031 By David. Bless, O my soul, Jehovah, And all my inward parts—His Holy Name. 2 Bless, O my soul, Jehovah, And forget not all His benefits, 3 Who is forgiving all thine iniquities, Who is healing all thy diseases, 4 Who is redeeming from destruction thy life, Who is crowning thee—kindness and mercies, 5 Who is satisfying with good thy desire, Renew itself as an eagle doth thy youth.
6 Jehovah is doing righteousness and judgments For all the oppressed. 7 He maketh known His ways to Moses, To the sons of Israel His acts. 8 Merciful and gracious 'is' Jehovah, Slow to anger, and abundant in mercy. 9 Not for ever doth He strive, Nor to the age doth He watch. 10 Not according to our sins hath He done to us, Nor according to our iniquities Hath He conferred benefits upon us. 11 For, as the height of the heavens 'is' above the earth, His kindness hath been mighty over those fearing Him. 12 As the distance of east from west He hath put far from us our transgressions. 13 As a father hath mercy on sons, Jehovah hath mercy on those fearing Him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 103:1-13
Commentary on Psalm 103:1-5
(Read Psalm 103:1-5)
By the pardon of sin, that is taken away which kept good things from us, and we are restored to the favor of God, who bestows good things on us. Think of the provocation; it was sin, and yet pardoned: how many the provocations, yet all pardoned! God is still forgiving, as we are still sinning and repenting. The body finds the melancholy consequences of Adam's offence, it is subject to many infirmities, and the soul also. Christ alone forgives all our sins; it is he alone who heals all our infirmities. And the person who finds his sin cured, has a well-grounded assurance that it is forgiven. When God, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, recovers his people from their decays, and fills them with new life and joy, which is to them an earnest of eternal life and joy, they may then be said to return to the days of their youth, Job 33:25.
Commentary on Psalm 103:6-14
(Read Psalm 103:6-14)
Truly God is good to all: he is in a special manner good to Israel. He has revealed himself and his grace to them. By his ways we may understand his precepts, the ways he requires us to walk in; and his promises and purposes. He always has been full of compassion. How unlike are those to God, who take every occasion to chide, and never know when to cease! What would become of us, if God should deal so with us? The Scripture says a great deal of the mercy of God, and we all have experienced it. The father pities his children that are weak in knowledge, and teaches them; pities them when they are froward, and bears with them; pities them when they are sick, and comforts them; pities them when they are fallen, and helps them to rise; pities them when they have offended, and, upon their submission, forgives them; pities them when wronged, and rights them: thus the Lord pities those that fear him. See why he pities. He considers the frailty of our bodies, and the folly of our souls, how little we can do, how little we can bear; in all which his compassion appears.