7 He maketh known His ways to Moses, To the sons of Israel His acts.
Declaring His words to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
`And now, if, I pray Thee, I have found grace in Thine eyes, cause me to know, I pray Thee, Thy way, and I know Thee, so that I find grace in Thine eyes, and consider that this nation `is' Thy people;'
And Thy holy sabbath Thou hast made known to them, and commands, and statutes, and law, Thou hast commanded for them, by the hand of Moses Thy servant;
He hath sent Moses His servant, Aaron whom He had fixed on. They have set among them the matters of His signs, And wonders in the land of Ham. He hath sent darkness, and it is dark, And they have not provoked His word. He hath turned their waters to blood, And putteth to death their fish. Teemed hath their land `with' frogs, In the inner chambers of their kings. He hath said, and the beetle cometh, Lice into all their border. He hath made their showers hail, A flaming fire `is' in their land. And He smiteth their vine and their fig, And shivereth the trees of their border. He hath said, and the locust cometh, And the cankerworm -- innumerable, And it consumeth every herb in their land, And it consumeth the fruit of their ground. And He smiteth every first-born in their land, The first-fruit of all their strength, And bringeth them out with silver and gold, And there is not in its tribes a feeble one. Rejoiced hath Egypt in their going forth, For their fear had fallen upon them. He hath spread a cloud for a covering, And fire to enlighten the night. They have asked, and He bringeth quails, And `with' bread of heaven satisfieth them. He hath opened a rock, and waters issue, They have gone on in dry places -- a river. For He hath remembered His holy word, With Abraham His servant, And He bringeth forth His people with joy, With singing His chosen ones. And He giveth to them the lands of nations, And the labour of peoples they possess, That they may observe His statutes, And His laws may keep. Praise ye Jehovah!
`This Moses, whom they did refuse, saying, Who did set thee a ruler and a judge? this one God a ruler and a redeemer did send, in the hand of a messenger who appeared to him in the bush; this one did bring them forth, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years; this is the Moses who did say to the sons of Israel: A prophet to you shall the Lord your God raise up out of your brethren, like to me, him shall ye hear. `This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who is speaking to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who did receive the living oracles to give to us; to whom our fathers did not wish to become obedient, but did thrust away, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, saying to Aaron, Make to us gods who shall go on before us, for this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we have not known what hath happened to him. `And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands, and God did turn, and did give them up to do service to the host of the heaven, according as it hath been written in the scroll of the prophets: Slain beasts and sacrifices did ye offer to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? and ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan -- the figures that ye made to bow before them, and I will remove your dwelling beyond Babylon. `The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, according as He did direct, who is speaking to Moses, to make it according to the figure that he had seen; which also our fathers having in succession received, did bring in with Joshua, into the possession of the nations whom God did drive out from the presence of our fathers, till the days of David, who found favour before God, and requested to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob; and Solomon built Him an house. `But the Most High in sanctuaries made with hands doth not dwell, according as the prophet saith: The heaven `is' My throne, and the earth My footstool; what house will ye build to Me? saith the Lord, or what `is' the place of My rest? hath not My hand made all these things? `Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears! ye do always the Holy Spirit resist; as your fathers -- also ye; which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed those who declared before about the coming of the Righteous One, of whom now ye betrayers and murderers have become, who received the law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep `it'.' And hearing these things, they were cut to the hearts, and did gnash the teeth at him; and being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked stedfastly to the heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and he said, `Lo, I see the heavens having been opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.' And they, having cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and did rush with one accord upon him, and having cast him forth outside of the city, they were stoning `him' -- and the witnesses did put down their garments at the feet of a young man called Saul -- and they were stoning Stephen, calling and saying, `Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;' and having bowed the knees, he cried with a loud voice, `Lord, mayest thou not lay to them this sin;' and this having said, he fell asleep.
`Do not think that I will accuse you unto the Father; there is who is accusing you, Moses -- in whom ye have hoped; for if ye were believing Moses, ye would have been believing me, for he wrote concerning me; but if his writings ye believe not, how shall ye believe my sayings?'
And He remembereth the days of old, Moses -- his people. Where `is' He who is bringing them up from the sea, The shepherd of his flock? Where `is' He who is putting in its midst His Holy Spirit? Leading by the right hand of Moses, the arm of His glory, Cleaving waters from before them, To make to Himself a name age-during.
and all the people answer together and say, `All that Jehovah hath spoken we do;' and Moses returneth the words of the people unto Jehovah.
In a pillar of cloud He speaketh unto them, They have kept His testimonies, And the statute He hath given to them.
Thou hast led as a flock Thy people, By the hand of Moses and Aaron!
And there hath not arisen a prophet any more in Israel like Moses, whom Jehovah hath known face unto face,
and Moses hath drawn nigh by himself unto Jehovah; and they draw not nigh, and the people go not up with him. And Moses cometh in, and recounteth to the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments, and all the people answer -- one voice, and say, `All the words which Jehovah hath spoken we do.' And Moses writeth all the words of Jehovah, and riseth early in the morning, and buildeth an altar under the hill, and twelve standing pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel;
And the people stand afar off, and Moses hath drawn nigh unto the thick darkness where God `is'.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 103
Commentary on Psalms 103 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 103
Ps 103:1-22. A Psalm of joyous praise, in which the writer rises from a thankful acknowledgment of personal blessings to a lively celebration of God's gracious attributes, as not only intrinsically worthy of praise, but as specially suited to man's frailty. He concludes by invoking all creatures to unite in his song.
1. Bless, &c.—when God is the object, praise.
my soul—myself (Ps 3:3; 25:1), with allusion to the act, as one of intelligence.
all … within me—(De 6:5).
his holy name—(Ps 5:11), His complete moral perfections.
2. forget not all—not any, none of His benefits.
3. diseases—as penal inflictions (De 29:22; 2Ch 21:19).
4. redeemeth—Cost is implied.
destruction—literally, "pit of corruption" (Ps 16:10).
crowneth—or, "adorneth" (Ps 65:11).
tender mercies—compassions (compare Ps 25:6; 40:11).
5. By God's provision, the saint retains a youthful vigor like the eagles (Ps 92:14; compare Isa 40:31).
6. Literally, "righteousness and judgments," denoting various acts of God's government.
7. ways—of providence, &c., as usual (Ps 25:4; 67:2).
acts—literally, "wonders" (Ps 7:11; 78:17).
8-10. God's benevolence implies no merit. He shows it to sinners, who also are chastened for a time (Ex 34:6).
keep (anger)—in Le 19:18, bear a grudge (Jer 3:5, 12).
11. great—efficient.
12. removed … from us—so as no longer to affect our relations to Him.
13. pitieth—literally, "has compassion on."
14. he—"who formed," Ps 94:9.
knoweth our frame—literally, "our form."
we are dust—made of and tending to it (Ge 2:7).
15, 16. So short and frail is life that a breath may destroy it.
it is gone—literally, "it is not."
know it no more—no more recognize him (Ps 90:6; Isa 40:6-8).
17, 18. For similar contrast compare Ps 90:2-6; 102:27, 28.
18. such … covenant—limits the general terms preceding.
righteousness—as usual (Ps 7:17; 31:1).
19. God's firm and universal dominion is a pledge that He will keep His promises (Ps 11:4; 47:8).
20-22. do his commandments … word—or, literally, "so as to hearken," &c., that is, their acts of obedience are prompt, so that they are ever ready to hear, and know, and follow implicitly His declared will (compare De 26:17; Lu 1:19).
21. ye his hosts—myriads, or armies, as corresponding to angels of great power [Ps 103:20], denoting multitudes also.
22. all his works—creatures of every sort, everywhere.