A Psalm 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 iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
In its heading this psalm is attributed to David. It evinces close parallels, both in theme and phraseology, to the following psalm, with which it may well have been recited “as a piece.” — Wechsler, page 245.
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This psalm has a great prophetic outlook. It is located in the midst of a number of Millennial Psalms. The Psalm gives us a glimpse of saved Israel in worship and praise when the Messiah they rejected, reigns as King of kings upon David’s throne. This Psalm is “The New Song,” mentioned in so many of the Psalms that Israel will sing “in that day” when all the promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are fulfilled. — Phillips, page 249.
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The phrase, “Who healeth all they diseases,” [v.3] means exactly that. Some have said that He meant “spiritual diseases” … Spiritual restoration must come before everything else. This was true in the dealing of Jesus of Nazareth with the paralytic of Matthew 9:2-8. … “Who healeth all they diseases” was a promise made to Israel in this Psalm for that glorious day we call the Millennium, or the Kingdom Age, and not for the present age. Death will have no more dominion then, for it is written, “As the days of a tree are the days of my people, and min elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:22), and again, “He will swallow up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8). “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). — Phillips, pages 252-253.
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Messiah’s benefits to sinful and sorrowing men without distinction, occupy the first place in the psalm—they are six in number (vs.1-5). Then the Spirit recalls his benefits in the past to His ancient people when oppressed in Egypt (v.6); when wanderers in the desert (vs.7-9); and when settled in Canaan (vs.10-18)—an amazing story of love, patience, power and forgiveness; and, finally, the Spirit confirms the benefits promised under Messiah’s coming dominion when angels and men and nature will unite to bless Him (vs.19-22). — Williams, page 378.
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The opening clause, “Bless the LORD, O my soul,” is repeated again at the end of the psalm—a literary device known as “inclusio” that serves to emphasize the central idea, or didactic “goal,” of the overall unit—in this case: the obligation to bless (i.e., when applied to God, to express praise and thanksgiving to) the LORD for the manifold benefits (as described throughout this psalm) that accrue to man in His dealings therewith. In their scope these benefits are both spiritual and well as physical, corresponding to the two “parts” (i.e, the soul and the body) of man as uniquely brought together in his creation by God. Hence, beginning with reference to the soul (as the more precedent, or “essential” part of man), David points to the central benefit of the LORD being one (i.e., the only one: cf. Psalm 49:7-9; Isaiah 43:25) who pardons all our iniquities (v.3), and then, with reference to the body, God’s benefits are epitomized by the reference to Him as the one who (ultimately; cf. Isaiah 33:24; 35:5ff; Revelation 21:4) heals all our diseases. — Wechsler, page 245.
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In order to underscore the unending duration of God’s benefits to man, David points to the temporality of man (vs.15-16; cf. Isaiah 40:6-8) and then contrasts it … to the eternality of God’s lovingkindness. … As to the expression “those who keep His commandments” (v.18)—this refers to those who, like Abraham, believe in the truth of God’s word and strive, however imperfectly, to uphold it. — Wechsler, page 246.
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