Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 103
PSALM CIII.
Verſ. 1. BLeſſe the Lord, O my ſoul, and all that is within me bleſſe his holy Name.] That is, my whole inward man, my mind, will, affections, thoughts, with all the inward powers and faculties of my ſoul: yea it may be extended to the inward parts of his body; according to that Pſa. 35.10. All my bones shall ſay, Lord, who is like unto thee? for which ſee the Note there; as likewiſe Pſal. 20.1.
Verſ. 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diſeaſes.] To wit, thy ſins, by pardoning them (and if we ſo underſtand theſe words, they are no more but a repeating again of what was ſaid before in the firſt clauſe;) or, thy luſts and corruptions, by mortifying them. Some alſo extend this to Gods delivering him from bodily infirmities, and all outward evils: ſee the Note Pſal. 41.6. But of his bodily health he ſpeaks afterward verſ. 5.
Verſ. 4. Who redeemeth thy life from deſtruction, &c.] That is, Who preſerveth and delivereth thee from deſtroying dangers; or rather, who redeemeth and delivereth thee by the promiſed Meſſiah from death and hell; ſee the Notes Job 26.6, and 28.22, and 33.22: who crowneth thee with loving kindneſſe and tender mercies; that is, who compaſſeth thee round about with manifold and precious bleſſings, which are alſo a glory and an honour to thee; ſee the Note Pſal. 65.11.
Verſ. 5. Who ſatisfyeth thy mouth with good things, &c.] That is, Who ſupplyeth thee with plenty and variety of good, yea and many times of the choiceſt dainties, for the nouriſhment of thy body; or, more generally, Who gives thee abundantly of all his good bleſſings, even to the full ſatisfying of thy deſires, according to that Pſal. 81.10. Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it; for which ſee the Note there. So that thy youth is renewed like the eagles; that is, thou continueſt ſtill freſh and lively and ſtrong, even when thou haſt paſt the years of thy youth, as if thy youth were daily renewed upon thee. And this he compares to the eagles renewing her youth, either 1. becauſe the eagle doth yearly caſt her feathers (as it is ſaid that all birds of prey eſpecially do) and ſo having new feathers grow up in the room thereof, ſhe looks as young and freſh again, and flies as high and ſwift as ever, according to that Iſa. 40.31. they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their ſtrength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; or 2. becauſe, as ſeverall writers report, the eagle retains her vigour unto extreme old age, & neither is weakned with any ſickneſſe, nor decays with years, but continues ſtill as freſh and lively, as when ſhe was young, till at laſt, by the overgrowing of her upper crooked beak, her mouth is ſo ſhut up that ſhe cannot eat; & ſo ſhe dies, not through age ſo much, as want of feeding. Now though this cannot be ſaid of every one of Gods faithfull ſervants in regard of their bodily health and ſtrength (and indeed ſome think that the Pſalmiſt wrote this with reſpect to the renewing of his ſtrength after ſome ſit of ſickneſſe) yet it may in regard of the inward refreſhing of their minds, in the manifeſtation of Gods love to them; becauſe though their outward man doth periſh, yet the inward man is renewed day by day, 2. Cor. 4.16.
Verſ. 6. The Lord executeth righteouſneſſe and judgement for all that are oppreſſed.] Though this be expreſſed as a generall truth, yet by the following verſe it ſeems probable that it is inſerted here with particular reference to the deliverance of the Iſraelites out of Egypt.
Verſ. 7. He made known his waies unto Moſes, &c.] That is, the waies which he preſcribed his people in the Law which he gave unto Moſes; or his waies of providence toward his people, the manner of his dealing with them, how tenderly carefull he is over them, how he governs▪ them by his word and ſpirit, and takes them at laſt to live for ever with him in heaven: and ſo the next clauſe may be added to explain this, his acts unto the children of Iſrael; or elſe that is meant of thoſe miraculous acts, whereby the doctrine of Moſes was ſealed and confirmed that it was of God, as the plagues of Egypt, the dividing of the red ſea, &c.
Verſ. 8. The Lord is mercifull and gracious, &c.] This ſeems to be here inſerted in reference to that glorious deſcription of himſelf, which God gave unto Moſes, Exod. 34.6.
Verſ. 11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, ſo great is his mercy toward them that fear him.] That is, it is exceeding great, ſee the Note Pſal. 36.5; or, it exceeds their ſins, as far as the heaven is above the earth.
Verſ. 12. As far as the Eaſt is from the weſt, ſo far hath he removed our tranſgreſsions from us.] That is, he hath abſolutely pardoned them; as perfectly acquitting us from being puniſhed for them, as if they no way concerned us: yet with reſpect to the filthineſſe of ſin, it may be alſo ſaid, he hath removed our tranſgreſsions from us, to wit, as one would put away ſome noyſome thing, where neither the ſight nor ſmell of it might any way annoy us.
Verſ. 14. For he knoweth our frame, &c.] That is, our naturall proneneſſe to ſin; or, of what a mean and brittle mould he hath made us, as it ſeems to be explained in the following clauſe, he remembreth that we are duſt: ſee alſo the Note Pſal. 78.39.
Verſ. 15. As a flower of the field, ſo he flourisheth.] To wit, which lyeth open to ſharp piercing winds, ſtorms and tempeſts, and hath no covert nor ſhelter, as flowers in gardens have.
Verſ. 16. For the wind paſſeth over it, and it is gone, &c.] That is, it is ſuddenly blown away, or blaſted with ſome blaſting wind, ſee the Note Pſal. 78.39: and the place there of shall know it no more; ſee the Note Job 7.10.
Verſ. 17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlaſting to everlaſting, &c.] See the Notes Pſal. 102.12, 24, 26.
Verſ. 19. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens, &c.] That is, He is the moſt high God, that hath not only the angels in heaven, but all the kingdomes and creatures in the world, under his command, as is expreſſed in the next words, and his kingdome ruleth over all. And this may be added alſo to imply, how infinitely able God is to doe for his people that which is ſaid in the two foregoing verſes.
Verſ. 20. Bleſſe the Lord, ye his angels, &c.] By calling upon the angels to bleſſe God, the Pſalmiſt doth imply, 1. his deſire that God might be advanced by thoſe that could doe it better then poor men could doe; and 2. how juſt it was that he and others the people of God ſhould readily joyn in this duty of bleſſing God, ſeeing this was an imployment ſit for angels, and that the angels did chiefly bleſſe God for the great mercy he had ſhewed to men, which men therefore above all ſhould with thankfulneſſe acknowledge: and to this end alſo he adds that deſcription which follows, of their exceeding great power, and readineſſe to ſerve God, that excell in ſtrength, that doe his commandements, hearkning unto the voice of his words; as if he ſhould have ſaid, being attentive to know, and moſt ready to doe the will of God in all things whatſoever: for if thoſe glorious ſpirits muſt thus ſtoop before God, and count it an honour to ſerve him, ſhould not men much more doe ſo?
Verſ. 21. Bleſse the Lord, all ye his hoſts, &c.] This may be meant of all the creatures, as being inſtrumentall to God in doing his will, for which ſee the Note Gen. 2.1; or elſe rather of the holy angels, becauſe the following words, ye miniſters of his that doe his pleaſure, ſeem to be meant properly of the obedience that is yielded by reaſonable creatures, ſee the Notes 1 Kings 22.19. And then the ſame is repeated here that was ſaid before in the foregoing verſe; only by tearming them his hoſts, their exceeding multitude is implyed, ſee Pſal. 68.17, and what uſe he makes of them in fighting againſt his enemies.