BLESS THE LORD

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Happy Father’s Day!

Dads, keep showing up!

New summer series in the book of the Psalms

Psalm 103:1-22 ESV

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 forget not 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

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

6 The LORD works righteousness

    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 chide,

    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 high as the heavens are 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 does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

14 For he knows how we are formed;

    he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

    he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

    and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

    and his righteousness to children's children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

    and remember to do his commandments.

19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,

    and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels,

    you mighty ones who do his word,

    obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts,

    his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the LORD, all his works,

    in all places of his dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Psalm 103:1 ESV

Of David.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

    and all that is within me,

    bless his holy name!

What does it mean to bless the Lord?

David is talking to his soul.

David is focusing all that he is on God.

David is leading himself in worship.

This is a ‘call to worship’ God Himself and honor his holiness.

“Only a holy man can delight in holy things. Holiness is the terror of unholy men; they love sin and [consider] it liberty, but holiness is to them a slavery. If we be saints we shall bless God for his holiness.”

— Spurgeon

Psalm 103:2 ESV

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

Repetition for emphasis is used throughout the Psalms.

“Don’t forget God’s benefits.”

Worship is not merely emotional.

To truly bless & honor God with our worship we must engage our minds.

As we remember, we are given reasons to praise the Lord.

Romans 12:1 ESV

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers [and sisters], by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship [rational worship].

Psalm 103:2 ESV

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

David is struggling.

Why does he command his soul like this?

David knows that he is unable to praise the Lord as he ought to.

Psalm 103:2 ESV

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

What are all the benefits of God that David needs to remember?

Psalm 103:3-5 ESV

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

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

David is still talking to himself

Notice → ‘your’ (4) + ‘you’ (2)

Active voice (Active participle)

How is God active in your life?

What is God doing in your life right now?

What is God doing in your life right now that you can praise Him for?

Psalm 103:6-8 ESV

6 The LORD works righteousness

    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.

David is remembering the story of the people of Isreal

Exodus 34:4-8 ESV

4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,[a] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

He is remembering the story of God.

He is remembering the story of redemption.

Who God is…is connected to what God has done.

If you want to know God more…

Know His Word

Know His story.

Psalm 103:9 ESV

9 He will not always chide,

    nor will he keep his anger forever.

Chide → scold or rebuke

Psalm 103:10 ESV

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

    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

All of us have sinned against God.

We have broken God’s law & broken God’s covenant

We deserve death & hell

But, thank God…

Psalm 103:10 ESV

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

    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 103:11-14 ESV

11 For as high as the heavens are 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 does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

14 For he knows how we are formed;

    He remembers that we are dust.

We are so small

We have very little power or control

Psalm 103:15-14 ESV

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

    he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

    and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

    and his righteousness to children's children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

    and remember to do his commandments.

Our life is short. Fleeting. Fragile

Psalm 90:12 ESV

12 So teach us to number our days

    that we may get a heart of wisdom.

David humbles himself

Wisdom

Accurate view of ourselves in light of who God is.

Psalm 103:19 ESV

19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,

    and his kingdom rules over all.

God is enthroned in heaven.

He reigns over everything.

Psalm 103:20-22 ESV

20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels,

    you mighty ones who do his word,

    obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts,

    his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the LORD, all his works,

    in all places of his dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

This is our ultimate hope

Eternity

Resurrection

Eternal worship & praise & fellowship with God