BLESS THE LORD…FORGET NOT…HIS BENEFITS

Here we have yet another amazing psalm and a wonderful command at the beginning which is repeated at the end, ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul’. It is a privilege to bless and magnify the Lord and it is not something to be done half-heartedly. David, the writer, exhorts his soul and then says, ‘all that is within me, bless his holy name’. The whole man, spirit, soul and body, needs to bless the Lord as a response to His goodness.

One of our hymns says, ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one’, and that is precisely what David now does. He exhorts himself not to forget all the benefits he has received from the Lord and then lists seven of them for us. Man is indeed inclined towards forgetfulness. Joseph said to his fellow-prisoner, ‘Remember me’, yet he completely forgot, and so may we. We need to call to remembrance the great things that have been done for us, whereof we are glad. And what are they?

Here is David’s personal list: i) The Lord ‘forgiveth all thine iniquities’. David sinned grievously yet he was forgiven. ii) He ‘healeth all thy diseases’. As David is addressing his soul he is thinking primarily of spiritual disease but physical diseases may be included. iii) He ‘redeemeth thy life from destruction’. Here we have the preservation of life from dangers of all kinds, of which David had many personal experiences, ranging from lions and bears to Saul and Absalom. iv) He ‘crowneth thee with lovingkindness’. Not only did David receive God’s lovingkindness but he felt overwhelmed by its continuous enjoyment. v) He ‘satisfieth thy mouth with good things’. Daily provision had ever been David’s portion even when, in dire straits, he had to eat the shewbread. vi) ‘Thy youth is renewed’. Many think David was rather elderly when he wrote this psalm and he may be referring to the attempts to unseat him from the throne from which he recovered, stronger than before. vii) He ‘executeth righteousness’. This David had frequently experienced.

And we have these benefits too. We ought not to take them for granted but bless the Lord with all our soul, mind, and strength. Today, and every day should start and end as this psalm does ... by blessing the Lord. Let’s do it now.