lectionary.com

Pentecost Season · Proper 16 · Year C

Psalm 103:1-8

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

August 27, 2028

Twilight in the Wilderness, Frederic Edwin Church
Twilight in the Wilderness, Frederic Edwin Church, 1860Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
An American wilderness at the moment the sun has gone, with no figure, no building and no path anywhere in it. Church painted it on the eve of the Civil War.As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love: the psalm reaches for a measure, and this is a sky offered as one.Frederic Edwin ChurchThe leading American landscape painter of his generation (1826-1900), who travelled to South America and the Arctic for his subjects and exhibited single canvases as ticketed events.Cleveland Museum of Art, ClevelandAn unusually strong American museum with free admission since it opened in 1916, funded by Cleveland industrial money.Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelLuke 13:10-17Lk 13:10-17
EpistleHeb. 12:18-29Heb 12:18-29
Old TestamentJer. 1:4-10Jer 1:4-10Alt. OTIsa. 58:9b-14Is 58:9b-14
PsalterPs. 71:1-6Ps 71:1-6Alt. PsalmPs. 103:1-8Ps 103:1-8

Overview & Insights

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2)

Because this psalm combines individual thanksgiving (vv. 2–5) and corporate hymnody (vv. 6–18), commentators have debated which is indicative of its function (see Allen, Psalms 101–150 , [WBC 21; Waco: Word, 1983], pp. 19–20). As I have argued, this separation between individual and corporate settings has been overstressed. Whether the concerns were individual or corporate, Israel’s worship was primarily public. In this public setting, a liturgist would lead the singing of psalms and speak on behalf of both the corporate body and its individual members. A postexilic date is implied by the Hebrew grammar (e.g., the irregular forms of the feminine pronouns in vv. 3–5) and by the possible influence from Aramaic (see GKC, p. 256). The psalm’s apparent use of written sources, as noted below, may also point in this direction.

From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.

Take it further: Psalm 103:1-8

Commentary

Commentary on Psalm 103:1-8Commentary on Ps 103:1-8 Working Preacher

Reads the psalm as a self-exhortation not to forget God's benefits.

Psalm 103:1-8 CommentaryPs 103:1-8 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching

Ties the psalm's praise to the character of God shown to Moses.

Psalm 103 Bible CommentaryPs 103 Bible Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik

Verse notes on each of the LORD's remembered benefits.

Psalm 103 (Barnes' Notes)Ps 103 (Barnes' Notes) StudyLight

Detailed verse notes on the opening call to bless the Lord.

Background & Word Study

Psalms 103:1-8Ps 103:1-8 Sefaria

Gives the Hebrew text of the psalm alongside translation.

Questions preachers ask

What does Psalm 103 celebrate?

It blesses the God who forgives, heals, and redeems, whose steadfast love is as high as the heavens and who removes our sins as far as the east is from the west.

Prep at sermons.com

Ready to write?

  • Full sermons on Luke 13:10-17
  • Illustrations cleared for use in worship
  • Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Open it at sermons.com →

Trusted by pastors since 1995.

Free every Tuesday

Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox

The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.