GETTING THE MESSAGE/Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
In Psalm 103, the subject of David’s song is, “Bless the Lord O my soul.” If we want to be joyful and blessed, then we must set aside time to bless the Lord. Blessing the Lord is similar to praising the Lord but carries with it a strong devout affection, which David is full of: “All that is within me bless his holy name!”
David is resolved to not forget the Lord’s benefits, so he itemizes them. This is how we stir up our affection for the Lord: we review in our own soul what the Lord has done for us. David begins with a foundational benefit: “who forgives all your iniquity, and who heals all your diseases.”
The psalm in several places refers to scenes from Exodus and this is one of them. In Exodus 15, the Israelites grumbled because the water they found in the desert at Marah was bitter, and they were desperately thirsty. The Lord showed Moses a tree and when Moses threw it in the water the water became sweet.
The Lord told the Israelites that if they would listen to him and walk in his ways, he would not bring upon them the diseases that he put on the Egyptians, “For I am the Lord your healer.” The Lord had turned the Nile River in Egypt into blood, which reflected the deadness of the Egyptians in their worship of the river and countless other idols.
The sweet water the Lord provided at Marah was to signify that the Lord is giving the Israelites life with him. If they embrace the Lord, they will be free from the curse the Egyptians were under, and their souls healed from the corruption that brought judgment upon the Egyptians.
We see a similar story in John 4 when Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well that whoever drinks the water in the well will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that he gives to them, will never thirst but the water will well up to eternal life. The Samaritan woman needed sweet water, life-giving water from Christ. If you have tasted this water and know that the Lord is good, then you are indebted to bless the Lord for it.
In verse 4, David blesses the Lord for redeeming his life from the pit (grave). In psalm 16, David says to the Lord, “You will not abandon my soul to the pit, or let your holy one see corruption.” Peter, in his sermon at Pentecost, says that David as a prophet foresaw and was speaking about the resurrection of Christ.
Of all deliverances, redemption by Christ is by far the greatest. In Christ, death has lost its sting. He has redeemed my soul from the grave by paying the debt of my sin on the cross and being raised from death to life everlasting. If we understood our real condition as sinful, lost people, we would not grow weary of blessing the Lord for redemption from the grave.
It isn’t only that the Lord has delivered me from the grave; David says that he “crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” A crown is an adornment, worn upon the heart of the soul, similar to one wearing a valuable crown upon their head; it signifies something special and not forgotten. Steadfast love reminds you that your redemption originated in the love of God; mercy reminds you it was undeserved and freely given. If you have this crown, wear it, and bless the Lord for it.
In verse 5, David says that the Lord “satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” “Satisfies you with good” means the Lord has blessed you with the chief good: delighting in the Lord’s word and the Lord’s ways- delighting in him.
When Mary sat intently at Jesus feet, listening to all he had to say, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better portion and that it would not be taken from her. She had learned the chief good. You should bless the Lord for the efficacy of his word upon your soul.
The reference to the eagle means strength; the Lord’s power at work in you. Can you deliver yourself from the grave? You need the same power that raised Christ from the dead to continue to work in you throughout your journey of faith. You may feel weak, but it is in weakness that Christ demonstrates his power in you. So, remember the Lord’s benefits. Bless the Lord every day for them.