10/18/2023
Elijah McSwain, Sr.
Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV — Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The opening of Psalm 103 was composed by David as he determined within himself that he would bless the Lord. David desired to bless the Lord by rightfully giving unto the Lord that which was due unto His name and His being.
David Guzik stated David did not mean this in the sense that a greater person bestows a blessing on a lesser person. God is infinitely greater than man, and man could never give a blessing to God in that sense. David meant this in the sense that it blesses and honors God when His creatures praise Him and thank Him appropriately. 1
David had an attitude of gratitude for who God was in His life as well as having reverence for the Lord based on who He is in His divine nature. Hence, the layout of Psalm 103 from its commencement entails of David being in awe of God for His greatness and benevolence.
As we reflect on the theme, Bless The Lord For His Acts Of Benevolence, there are two main points of emphasis that deserve our attention as it relates to God being omnibenevolent and His benevolence is a display of His love in action.
God Is Omnibenevolent
According to Sylvia Schroeder “when we say God is omnibenevolent, we mean He is all good. What does omnibenevolent mean? Omni derives from the Latin meaning “all.” Bene means “good,” and volens means “willing.” Thus, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, omnibenevolent means “unlimited or infinite benevolence.” Meanwhile, benevolence means “the quality of being kind, helpful and generous.” When referring to the triune God, the term means “possessing perfect or unlimited goodness.” To define God as omnibenevolent is to declare His nature, essence, and being literally as all good-willing. An omnibenevolent God is untainted in action, motive, thought, or feeling.” 2
God’s nature of being omnibenevolent is defined by His goodness, Him being charitable, His goodwill, and His kindness. The essence of His being reveals that He is of moral virtue and excellence as well as being generous.
The psalmist David understood this truth, thus, he concluded that the name of the Lord should be blessed for His benevolence. In verse 2, he proclaimed to "bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” He realized that He was a beneficiary of the Lord, who was his benefactor. David verbalized that God was characterized as his contributor since it is the natural disposition of the Lord to bestow benefits upon himself and others. David internalized that he would bless his “Blesser” by acknowledging the omnibenevolent temperament of the Lord.
Willem VanGemeren mentioned that “praise is the response of awe for God, while reflecting on what the Lord has done for the people of God throughout the history of redemption, for creation at large, for the community, and for oneself.” 1
Psalm 135:3a declares that we should "praise the LORD, for the LORD is good." Praise unto God should be the appropriate frame of mind for every redeemed believer and for every creature created by the Lord. As it relates to humanity, God has been very kind and gracious in our lives as He shows forth His benevolent nature on a daily basis.
Thus, without the benevolence of God, it would be impossible to function and live in this world which was created by Him. The entire world is inoperative without the benevolence hand of God. Psalm 16:2 says, "O my soul, you have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” Our dependency hinges on the benevolence of God. It is imperative for every person to recognize this truth and have a thankful mindset toward the Lord who made us in His image and after His likeness (cf. Genesis 1:26).
John Gill wrote essentially and communicatively the Lord is good, and He does good in a providential way to all men. He also is providential in a way of demonstrating special grace to His own people. For His prized possession, God has promised and laid up good things for His children. In the same respect, He has made known the manifestation of His pardon, righteousness, and eternal life that has been bestowed upon the redeemed. Therefore, praise unto Him should be comely among the saints. 3
The biblical narrative echoes that God is good, He is worthy to be sought after and He is deserving of praise for His omnibenevolent attribute.
Psalm 34:8 NKJV —Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 31:19 ESV — Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!
Psalm 119:68 NKJV — You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.
Mark 10:18 NKJV — So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
God is the epitome of being benevolent as He continuously displays His goodness, loving-kindness, compassionate nature, and mercifulness throughout the world. The Lord cares about us and His actions in the lives of others speak to His divinity as such.
The Lord’s Benevolence In Action
In verse 2, David professed the benevolence of the Lord by saying blessed the Lord, O my soul and forget not His benefits. His mental capacity was set on not being forgetful of all the things that God had performed in his life nor the continual benefits that are associated with a believer’s lifestyle. The understanding within the mind of David was geared toward praising God for His hand of provision and graciousness toward him.
The Lord was operative in the life of the psalmist, and it would be an insult unto God for David to have spiritual amnesia as to what God had performed during his lifetime.
Every faculty and fiber of might within David was geared toward reverencing God for His mighty acts in action. Psalm 107:31 reveals "oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" The goodness of God in action should cause us to bless the Lord. We should be grateful for the provisions of the Lord. In comparison to David, our inward position should be one of honoring God for His personal involvement over the course of our life.
The pronouncement by David to bless the Lord for His benefits indicated that God was personal. In God being personal, God engaged the psalmist in their divine-human relationship of the Lord being his God and in turn David being His child. To David, God was not a fictitious god created by the hands of mankind who could not answer when he called unto Him and who could not intervene in his situation. God was actively involved in his life, and it showed as David acclaimed that the hand of God was upon his life through the benefits that the Lord gave him. Therefore, his mind, body, and soul was in tune with exalting the Lord.
David Guzik alludes to the idea, David understood that worship had to be more than superficial; it had to be offered as completely as possible. He wanted everything within him to praise God. He set his heart in tune as well as setting every instrument within his body in tune to God. 1
In the same respect, our minds, our bodies, and our souls should be harmoniously pitched to the same stroke of magnifying God with every fiber in our being for His activity in every moment of life.
Omnibenevolence sets an underlying foundation for Him to connect and communicate with His creation. In God’s holy character, all things He does must align with His goodness. His actions toward me overflow with pure, abundant unmerited bounty. The daily interaction of His attributes in the happenings we encounter, in the good, not so good, and the really awful, testify to the truth that “God is good.” Often blithely and naively spoken, the words remain accurate. Not only is God all good, but He is good all the time. This is a precious truth that brings comfort and security as we read His Word and grow in faith. 2
When life is pleasant, God is good. When life seems to fall apart, God is still good. Our moments of joy and disparity do not change the fact that God is good, benevolent, and operative in our lives whether we are undergoing things that are good or bad while living here on earth. During every moment, we should offer up praise constantly to bless the Lord for His providential care and love.
Psalm 116:12 ESV — What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?
Every person within the community of faith should comprehend that all of our benefits originate from God. God is the bestower of every gift. The things that unfold in life is not by mere chance but it goes through the channels of the Lord. James 1:17 stresses this truth that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." God’s activity can be seen on the basis of His act of giving and the object given. Everything related to His divine giving is adequate, complete, and beneficial. 4
The benevolence of God is of intrinsic value because His benevolent acts are based of who He is. Everything that God does for us is a result of His loving-kindness and His care for us. How will you respond to His omnibenevolence in your life?
References
The Enduring Word Bible Commentary
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-does-it-mean-that-god-is-omnibenevolent.html
John Gill’s Exposition Of The Bible
The MacArthur Study Bible