Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 103
Overview:
An exhortation to
Bless God for his
Mercy.
(1-5) And to the
Church and to all men.
(6-14) For the constancy of his
Mercy.
(15-18) For the government of the world.
(19-22)
1-5 By the
Pardon of
Sin, that is taken away which kept good
things from us, and we are restored to the favour of
God, who
bestows good things
On us. Think of the provocation; it was
Sin,
and yet pardoned: how many the provocations, yet all pardoned!
God is still forgiving, as we are still sinning and repenting.
The body finds the melancholy consequences of
Adam's
Offence, it
is subject to many infirmities, and the soul also.
Christ alone
forgives all our sins; it is he alone who heals all our
infirmities. And the person who finds his
Sin cured, has a
Well-grounded
Assurance that it is forgiven. When
God,
By the
graces and comforts of his
Spirit, recovers his people from
their decays, and fills them with new
Life and joy, which is to
them an
Earnest of eternal
Life and joy, they may then be said
to return to the days of their youth,
Job 33:25.
6-14 Truly
God is good to all: he is in a special manner good
to
Israel. He has revealed himself and his
Grace to them.
By his
ways we may understand his precepts, the ways he requires us to
walk in; and his promises and purposes. He always has been full
of compassion. How unlike are those to
God, who take every
occasion to chide, and never know when to cease! What would
become of us, if
God should
Deal So with us? The
Scripture says
a great
Deal of the
Mercy of
God, and we all have experienced
it. The
Father pities his children that are weak in knowledge,
and teaches them; pities them when they are froward, and bears
with them; pities them when they are sick, and comforts them;
pities them when they are fallen, and
Helps them to rise; pities
them when they have offended, and, upon their submission,
forgives them; pities them when wronged, and rights them: thus
the
Lord pities those that fear him. See why he pities. He
considers the frailty of our bodies, and the folly of our souls,
how little we can do, how little we can
Bear; in all which his
compassion appears.
15-18 How short is
Man's
Life, and uncertain! The flower of the
garden is commonly more choice, and will last the longer, for
being sheltered
By the garden-
Wall, and the gardener's care; but
the flower of the
Field, to which
Life is here compared, is not
only withering in itself, but exposed to the cold blasts, and
liable to be cropped and trod
On By the beasts of the
Field. Such
is
Man.
God considers this, and pities him; let him consider it
himself.
God's
Mercy is better than
Life, for it will outlive
it. His
Righteousness, the
Truth of his promise, shall be unto
children's children, who tread in the footsteps of their
forefathers'
Piety. Then shall
Mercy be preserved to them.
19-22 He who made all, rules all, and both
By a
Word of power.
He disposes all persons and things to his own
Glory. There is a
world of holy angels who are ever praising him. Let all his
Works praise him. Such would have been our constant delight, if
we had not been fallen creatures. Such it will in a
Measure
become, if we are born of
God. Such it will be for ever in
Heaven; nor can we be perfectly happy till we can take unwearied
pleasure in perfect obedience to the will of our
God. And let
the feeling of each redeemed
Heart be,
Bless the
Lord, O my
soul.