I begin with verses 1-4, the first stanza in the New International Version translation. It parallels the account of creation on the first two days of Genesis 1: the creation of light on day one and the separation of the heavens above from the matter beneath on day two. However, in these verses the psalmist's interest is not so much in the sequence of God's acts as in God himself and the way these first elements of creation reveal his greatness and disclose his "splendor and majesty" (v. 1).

The final question I want to ask of the psalm this week is this: Who should praise God? We might expect the answer to be "those whom God has forgiven, those whom he has rescued from the pit.” Certainly these persons should. But as we come to the last stanza of the psalm (vv. 19-22), we find that the writer is not satisfied with the thought that only the redeemed should praise God. God is so great that nothing but the praise of all creation will do. So he cries out: "Praise the LORD, you his angels" (v. 20), "Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts" (v. 21), "Praise the LORD, all his works” (v. 22), and "Praise the LORD, O my soul" (v. 22).

Why should a person praise God? It is because of "all his benefits.” David lists what he means by God's benefits in verses 3-5. 

1. Forgiveness of sins (v. 3). The first thing David is thankful for is the forgiveness of his sins. Rightly so! For this is the greatest of all gifts that we can receive from God, and the first we need to have.

Have you ever asked yourself to whom the psalms are spoken? To whom are they addressed? The first answer that comes to mind is that they are addressed to God, and it is true that some of them, probably most of them, are. But some are spoken to other people—some to the righteous, some to sinners, some to Israel, some to the Gentile nations and other groups. In Psalm 103 the psalmist is speaking to himself.

3. The church of the future. One of the most fascinating things about the transformed, global outlook of the psalmist is that it extends not only outward geographically but also forward into time. Indeed, he sees his own time relating to future time, for he is sure that what God is about to do to save and deliver his people will be recorded in writing to be a source of blessing for the future church: “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD” (v. 18).