Daily Bible Reading Plans to help you read and understand God’s Word

Scripture Reading: Psalm 103:1-22, Psalm 104:1-35, Psalm 105:1-45

Many times in the Bible, blessing and cursing are set in opposition to each other (see, for example, Genesis 12:3; Deuteronomy 11:29; Romans 12:14). If I had to say which one of these was more common in our modern world, I would say cursing. I don’t necessarily mean using swear words, though it certainly can include that; I mean wishing some harm or evil on another person or group of people. You could say the market for cursing is booming; if the prevalence of cursing were visualized in a chart, the line would be going up and to the right. But blessing? Blessing seems as rare as coming across a violin made by Antonio Stradivari in a secondhand shop.

Stradivari won’t be making another Stradivarius, but we can craft blessings. It’s a choice, though; blessing does not come about by happenstance. That is why Psalm 103 begins (and ends) with, “My soul, bless the LORD” (Psalm 103:1,22). The psalmist was telling himself to bless; he was using his will to direct his emotions. If he was like me (and maybe you), he didn’t wake up most mornings already in a blessing frame of mind. He had to remind himself of what is true, so he was sitting his inmost being down and telling it to reflect on who God is and what He had done.

Old Testament scholar J. Alec Motyer writes, “When the Lord ‘blesses’ us, he reviews our needs and responds to them; when we ‘bless’ the Lord, we review his excellencies and respond to them.” That is what the psalmist did. In the first five verses, he reflected on the excellent things God had done for him personally. He had received from God forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, satisfaction, and renewal. Then, in verses 6–18, he widened the scope of his review to include what God has done for others throughout history. In spite of our smallness, weakness, and sin, He has put His faithful love on us forever. The end of the psalm expands the vision again, with the psalmist encouraging all of creation, both seen and unseen, to bless the Lord who rules over all.

If we are not careful, we can go through our whole lives reacting, letting our priorities be set by what seems most urgent. If reacting to our circumstances is how we live our lives, we will get to the end of them and wonder how we spent them. We need instead to speak to our souls, telling ourselves to bless.

Like the psalmist, then, let us remember that God in Jesus Christ has blessed us immensely, loving and forgiving us. If our souls understand how blessed we are, we will then be able to bless the Lord and also bless other people. In doing so, we can participate in the music of blessing God gives to the world, sounding forth His love more beautifully than the finest instrument.

Written by Elliot Ritzema