When I first saw the unit title for these lessons, I thought we were going to spend a few weeks looking at some of the actual names of God.  I usually get to pick up my lesson book a few weeks sooner than they are delivered to the Sunday School rooms so I can get a head start on study time to prepare for these writings. As I looked through the lessons, I realized it would be much more than a “name” study.  

Well, as it turns out, we studied His name with Moses at the burning bush two Sunday mornings ago.  The remaining lessons are showing us how much this LORD Yahweh has done for us and what our response should be toward Him in return.  I’m good with that and I hope you are as well! 

This week, we explore Psalm 103 and see His great love for us and learn about how we can express that love right back to Him in worship, praise, gratitude, adoration and blessing.  The Blesser is to be blessed in return by those He created and blessed (read Genesis 1:27-28).

I love ALL of the Psalms, but especially love Psalm 103, Psalm 104 and Psalm 105.  When I start reading 103 and come to the end of it, I just flow right on through 104.  Then when I come to the end of that Psalm, I just keep skating all the way through to the end of 105. I have committed 105 to memory.  I love to read them out loud all by myself on my front porch perch. Clears out the cobwebs in my soul! The birds think I am crazy.

These three Psalms just seem to stand as one unit.  The first one is attributed to David.  The other two are anonymous in authorship.  To me, they seem to flow from the same quill and ink with the same purpose from the same mind and heart.  I think David wrote all three of them.  That doesn’t matter either way for God is the Author of every word in His scriptures.  Everything begins with God! 

Notice that Psalm 103 begins and ends with the words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”  I learned a new word this week.  Psalm 103 is called an “inclusion” Psalm.  This means the beginning and ending verses are the same wording and become the “theme” of the work.  Everything in between those verses reflects that same thought.  Like a good sandwich or Oreo, the best part is in the middle!  I had always simply called them “bookend” Psalms. You could read Psalm 103 by saying before EVERY verse, “Well bless the Lord oh my soul looks at this!”  Try it sometime.  It will bless YOUR soul.

Psalm 103:1 is the blessing you say when you are eating and realize you forgot to say the blessing at the beginning of the meal.  This one blesses “all that is within you” that you ate before the blessing. 

We start by blessing His holy name.  We acknowledge Him and keep heaping the blessings in His direction.  We give reasons WHY we bless Him as we go along.  As we said before, we “throw” blessings and thanksgiving toward Him with lifted hands.  We are to “forget none” of His blessings toward us.  That means we are to “remember all” of them! 

A stream of active verbs leads you right through the reading of this Psalm.  Yahweh pardons us, heals us, redeems us, crowns us, satisfies and renews us.  He performs righteous deeds and judges correctly because He alone knows ALL things.  All the way back to Moses (and even to Adam!), He made His way known plainly and clearly.  Every person who has sinned knew better because God has never hidden Himself or His plans from the people He made.  Creation and conscience lead first, then conviction draws us to Him (read Romans 1).

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and full to abounding with lovingkindness.  He says YES as often as He can and NO when He must.  His love is as high as the heavens are above the earth.  His anger is held at bay until our rebellion forces His hand against us.  He knows exactly who we are because He created us.  When we come to Him in confession and repentance, He forgives us and puts our sins as far as the east is from the west.  Those two directions encircle the earth and never meet anywhere in the middle.  When you pass true north, you head south and vice versa.

He loves us better than the love of the best earthly father.  I have the best earthly father and don’t challenge me on this.  Pastor, missionary, friend, Bible scholar, my Greek and Hebrew tutor, hunting and fishing buddy, first (best ever) date.  At 93, he still going strong in lots of areas.  He’s the guy who baptized me and called me his little sister. But even my wonderful dad can’t compare to the love of my Heavenly Father. 

His love for us is a covenant love.  It will not change.  He will keep His promises.  There is a throne in Heaven, and it is occupied.  He rules over ALL of His subjects, even those who choose to reject Him.  Why would anyone want to reject a God like ours?!!!

The faithful angels bless Him with might and strength and obedience to His commands. Those Lucifer-following fallen angels completely lost out.  We could learn a lot from angels. Galaxies and planetary bodies and starry hosts in the heavens bless the One Who hung them in place and gave them names.  What if our earthly bodies were as consistent as the heavenly bodies!

So, join this song of David… “Bless the Lord, o my soul!”