11/20/2023
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.
Charles Spurgeon once articulated, does not all nature around me praise God? If I were silent, should I be an exception to the universe? Does not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the armies of God? Does not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? Does not the lightning write His name in letters of fire? Has not the whole earth a voice? And shall I, can I, be silent? 1 The psalmist David possessed this mentality that he could not be silent when it came to expressing the splendor and the majesty of God. As David stood in awe of God, his monologue in Psalm 103 reflected admiration for the activity of the Lord in connection to His being.
The words of this psalm reveal the heart of the writer to bless God in such a way by recounting the divine nature of God based on His name and by recalling to mind the benefits of the Lord. The posture of David in this psalm is one of worship and praise as he exalts God and shows forth His appreciation unto the Lord for His extraordinary acts of benevolence.
William MacDonald concluded that “one of the reasons we love the Psalms so much is that they verbalize so beautifully what we often feel but cannot find words to express. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of Psalm 103. In its majestic cadences of thanksgiving, we read sentiments that mirror our own deepest emotions of gratitude. Here we call on our soul to bless the Lord and by our soul we mean not just the nonmaterial part of our nature but the entire person. Spirit, soul, and body are cued in to bless the holy name of Jehovah.” 2
Upon rationalizing the subject matter, Bless The Lord for His Redemption, there are several imperatives for us to carefully contemplate relating to redemption as a means of recovery and redemption as a means of freedom.
Redemption As A Means Of Recovery
Redemption is God means of recuperating that which has been captured. Throughout the Old Testament, redemption is made mention of in several different forms. In Isaiah 48:20, God delivered His people from Babylonian captivity. In Leviticus 25:25-28, redemption is spoken of in terms of recovering property that was once forfeited or lost through poverty. If someone was stricken with poverty and forced to sell a portion of his property, the Lord commanded that his relative redeem the property that was sold. Another option for being able to redeem property involved being able to recover the estate if a man who was once in poverty but transitioned into a state of wealth, if he could redeem the property himself, he could do so but he had to take into account the years since the time that he sold the real estate. If the aforementioned two options were not considered a resolution in redeeming the property then during the year of Jubilee, the property would automatically be restored to its rightful owner.
Redemption was also applied in terms of recovery from criminal charges. In Exodus 21:28-30, if an ox that was owned by a person gored someone else to death or harmed them in an injurious manner then ox would be put to death and the owner of the ox would be charged in a criminal manner for his negligence. However, since the owner did not commit the crime but was only considered as guilty of negligence, he was able to pay punitive damages for the offense in order to escape the death penalty. He would pay the sum of money imposed upon him for the purpose of redeeming his life.
Here in Psalm 103:4 the word for redeems is gā’al, and conveys a similar meaning on the grounds of purchasing, buying back, and the ransom given relating to the soul of man. To draw out this truth, the word destruction, šaḥaṯ, means pit, grave, and corruption. Thus, giving inference to the state of mankind’s moral and spiritual condition.
Scholars and theologians declare that this reference to our lives being redeemed from destruction is a direct reference to being delivered from the pit of death and the pit of destruction that leads to spiritual death.
In connection with the latter part of verse 4, this is because of the loving-kindness and tender mercies of the Lord. This connection can be seen in the correlating verses of Psalm 103:8-14 the states "the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust."
The Treasury of David states “by purchase and by power the Lord redeems us from the spiritual death into which we had fallen, and from the eternal death which would have been its consequence. The removal of guilt and the power of sin is fitly attended by the reversal of the sentence of death which had been passed upon us. Glory be to our great Substitute, who delivered us from going down into the pit, by giving Himself to be our ransom.” 3
David blessed the Lord for redeeming his life from that which caused ruin. He was deeply appreciative of the spiritual benefit of his soul being recovered by God. The infectious disease of David’s soul and his sinfulness had him confined to the pit of destruction. He knew the consequences and the seriousness of living life without God. Thus, praise was the overflow of his thankfulness unto God for being redeemed. Likewise, we were born in the same condition as David, sinners. Our sins had us imprisoned to the pit of spiritual death until we were redeemed by the blood of Christ through conviction, repentance, belief, and confession in Jesus as Savior.
We are indebted to Christ for His ultimate sacrifice of delivering us from the pit of hell through sacrificial death.
The ransom that was paid for the recovery of our souls was the price of blood that satisfied God. The blood of Christ was the only satisfactory means that appeased God for our release from the pit of destruction. Hebrews 9:22b gives insight that "without shedding of blood there is no remission." Blood makes atonement for our souls. Leviticus 17:11 mentions this truth that "for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." Futhermore, Ephesians 1:7 denotes "in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
The salvific work of Christ through blood shed made it possible for sinners to be reclaimed by God. The reclamation of God through Jesus affords every believer to be placed back into a proper standing before God as that of our original position in creation as represented through Adam before the fall of man.
At the onset of creation Adam was sinless and did not know what sin was until his disobedience via the temptation of the serpent. His disobedience gave way for sin to be introduced into the world. Upon sin entering the world, God’s plan of redemption from eternity past began to unfold in the storyline of human history to redeem mankind back into a rightful standing before Him (cf. Ephesians 1:4). The outworking of redemptive history was displayed through types and symbols but the ultimate fulfillment came through the atoning wok of Jesus to reconcile sinners back to God.
Reconciliation brought us into a favorable place of being delivered from the pit of sin and being granted peace with God. We transitioned from being enemies of God to becoming the elect who were chosen of God.
The Bible speaks of reconciliation in the following verses:
Romans 5:10 NKJV — "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
Colossians 1:20-22 NKJV — "and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight."
The notion of possessing the mindset of David, should spur within us the deep desire and appreciation to bless the Lord for saving us from the torment of spiritual death. The place of destruction known as hell will one day be casted into the lake of fire which is the second death and was initially our spiritual demise apart from Christ. It is depicted as a place of everlasting destruction and anguish. But by the death of Jesus, those who have trusted in His assigned work at Calvary are saved and regenerated.
Hence, our vocal expression should always be tuned to bless God with the fruit of our lips. Our minds should always be set on the spiritual dial of giving praise unto God for redeeming our life from the destructive vice of sin and eternal separation from the Lord.
Redemption As A Means Of Freedom
In this psalm, David realized that redemption meant liberation from the bondage of sin. As aforementioned, sin enslaves every person that is born through procreation. The premise of being born through human means subjects all of humanity to be labeled as sinners due to the inherent nature of sin. As humans, we were born under the mastery of sin and held under its gripping power until we repented, believed, and confessed in the divine transaction that took place on a Roman cross.
Placing our faith in the Person of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus brought about our release from the grip of sin. In being set free, we now have liberty in God through Jesus. Our freedom from the stronghold of sin should cause us to highly exalt God by blessing Him.
Romans 6:17-18 iterates "but God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." The gospel message that Jesus lived a perfect life in order to be our Lamb without spot or blemish, the fact that He died for our offenses as a substitute, and the reality that He was raised for our justification is doctrinal truth by which we are set free upon the exercise of our faith.
The love of God displayed through His grace and His mercy rescued repentant sinners from the slave market of sin.
John MacArthur emphasized this thought that "paying the required ransom to God for the release of a person from bondage was Christ’s missional undertaking. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid that price for every elect person enslaved by sin, buying them out of the slave market of iniquity. The price of redemption was death.” 4 Galatians 1:4 NIV alludes to the reality that Christ gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.
Grant Richison asserted that “the word “deliver or rescue” means literally to take out. Here it means to take out for oneself. Jesus had a special interest in saving us from our sins. He took pleasure in setting us free or rescuing us from this present evil world. There is no deliverance apart from the work of Christ. Jesus’ death emancipates us “from” (out of) this present evil “age,” from this current world system or worldview. Jesus went beyond saving us from eternal judgment; He saved us from the evil penetrating our age. The culture in North America is full of customs and practices that powerfully influence our daily lives. The attraction of this age still snares Christians. Jesus’ work on the cross spoils us for the allure of the world. Only the supernatural work of Christ can save us from the supernatural work of Satan. Sin enslaves us to this “present evil age.” Literally, the word “present” means to stand in or set in. The idea is to be present or to be imminent. We need deliverance from time as well as eternity. Jesus delivered us not only from eternal suffering in hell but also from the evils of the present age.” 5
The death of Christ accomplished on the cross permitted our immunity from the slavery of sin. “The emancipation of all believers rests in the liberating work of Christ alone.” 6 John 8:36 speaks to liberty in Christ by the declaration that “therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." Every believer has been liberated and declared free from the tyranny of sin, the price of sin, and the penalty of sin by the power of Christ.
There was once a lady by the name of Elizabeth Keckley who was a slave in Missouri before the Civil War. Her greatest desire was to purchase freedom for herself and her son. Her owner agreed that if she could raise $1,200 she could gain her freedom. Keckley worked as a seamstress and came up with a plan to go to New York City and work there to raise the money, but her owner feared that she would not return. Instead, some of her wealthy clients in St. Louis contributed the money she needed, and Elizabeth Keckley paid the price for her freedom as well as her son’s. She moved to Washington, DC, where she continuedto work as a seamstress. However, Keckley realized that without the help of someone else, she would have never been able to purchase her freedom. All of us were enslaved to sin with no hope of ever gaining freedom. In mercy and compassion, Jesus gave His life for us, purchasing our salvation by shedding His blood on the cross. We are now free from sin, but that freedom does not mean that we do whatever we want. Instead, we are to live how Jesus wants us to live. 7
With our newfound immunity, we are not liable to remain captive to the chains of iniquity because we have received divine pardon to live in a worthy manner before God. The freeness that we are able to experience in our newfound position is the result of being delivered from what had us bound.
Sin keeps people in a state of condemnation and damnation due to taking pleasure in sin as a result of an unrepentant heart. But for those who are godly sorrowful and have repented of wrongdoing, they have been delivered from being governed by sin and desiring to live in sin as a result of the liberating power of Jesus.
The posture of every redeemed person should forever be one of gratitude to show appreciation for the things that Christ has done on our account. The words of Psalm 107:1-2 should be at the very core of every believer. "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." Another verse that should be ingrained within every Christian is Colossians 1:12-14 that is written on the basis of followers of God "giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."
Thus, the saving work of Jesus should move the redeemed to appropriately respond to bless the Lord for His redemptive act of salvation.
References
William MacDonald. Believer’s Bible Commentary
The Treasury Of David, Volume 4: Psalms 88-110
John MacArthur. The MacArthur Study Bible
Grant Richison. Verse By Verse Commentary.
Elijah McSwain. Greatest Debate Over the Doctrine of Salvation
https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/christ-bought-our-salvation