The weekly gathering of the saints on the Lord’s Day is more than a worship service. It is covenantal remembrance.

There are three points of context to understand to introduce the subject matter of this article. These points will help us interpret the text and make proper application.

First, there are primarily three types of Psalms: 1, lament, desiring mercy for sin and punishment; 2, praise, proclaiming God’s goodness; and 3, thanksgiving, which is a response to mercy received. Psalm 103 is a Psalm of Thanksgiving, also referred to as a todah psalm. Todah, or thanksgiving psalms, had three purposes: 1, to acknowledge God’s salvation; 2, to instruct concerning God’s character and nature; and 3, to renew covenantal loyalty through worship.  Todah psalms were formal songs or hymns of gratitude offered after experiencing divine deliverance, forgiveness, or blessing. Such should be our worship.

Second, a covenant is more than a contractual agreement or understanding. It is a binding agreement or solemn promise to fulfill its obligations between two parties. In relation to God and the believer, the covenant that God makes with His people He keeps, despite their failings. God promises to redeem and restore, and the believer is to trust God and be obedient to Him. This is part of what make the Gospel good news.

Lastly, in Hebrew thought, “to remember”, “forget not”, or “to give thanks” is covenantal language and was a moral act of relational faithfulness and was meant to reaffirm the covenant through remembrance in worship. God, through Moses, expresses this in Deuteronomy 8:11-20

Psalm 103 is a hymn of covenantal worship.

In this Psalm, David offers worship through a hymn to God for all that He is and all that He has done. But, to David, the God of Israel was worthy of much more than his worship alone; therefore, he also commands worship from both the congregation of Israel as well as the cosmos of all created things to join him. Worship is not meant to be a private, isolated act offered by the individual, but is also for a choir of created things to join in unison to bless the Lord.

In brief, we’ll walk through Psalm 103 together over the next four articles. Today’s installment will offer some thoughts on verses 1-5. I pray that expands our idea of corporate worship.

The Blessing of the Soul (v. 1)

David begins this hymn of covenantal worship with the word “bless”. This word bless means to kneel or to speak words of adoration, but it’s the way that it’s written that brings these words to life. I’m no Hebrew scholar, but those that are tell us that this is written in the ‘piel imperative verb form’ meaning that it gives a direct command with great intensity. That is, the blessing of God’s people to Him is commanded to be done with great passion and intensity. At this point, two things should be noted. First, worship isn’t merely an emotional response to good things but is a response of the soul to a good God. The believer isn’t to offer worship according to feeling but according to what we know about God (David mentions he knows to be true about God throughout the psalm). Second, worship is more than singing; it’s the offering of the whole being to God.

The Psalter directs his soul to bless or worship God. The “soul” is meant to express the total person – the mind, will, emotion, etc. David is calling for a type of worship that is both reasoned and passionate – a worship that involves the whole being of a person (we’ll examine this more in a later article).

The Benefits of the Sovereign (vs. 2-5)

The Psalmist, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, directs the mind of the believer to the many benefits that God gives to His people. The benefits that David specifically mentions are : 1, forgiveness of iniquity; 2, healing of diseases; 3, redemption from the pit; 4, the crowning of steadfast love and mercy; and 5, satisfaction with good. In thinking on these acts of kindness, we are commanded to “forget not”, which again, is a moral act of covenantal renewal in the heart and mind of the worshipper. Thus, failure to worship the One worthy of it is an immoral act of covenantal failure on the part of God’s people.

The Binding of the Soul

This covenant unites and binds the soul of the believer to the covenant-establishing, covenant-keeping God. Worship is a form of thanksgiving that brings the whole being before God in adoration and is meant to renew and refocus our hearts and minds upon Christ.

Concluding Thought

The worship of thanksgiving is to be not merely reactive, but to be cultivated by remembering God’s promises, recounting God’s benefits toward us, recognizing God’s nature and character, and then responding with the whole being.

The gathering of the saints in worship is more than a church service; it is the remembrance of gratitude for an eternal covenant that is fulfilled by the God of heaven through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus. May we truly and passionately enter His gates with thanksgiving and courts with praise this Lord’s Day for all His benefits.