Psalm 103:6 – “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.”
In this scripture, David says, ‘my soul, praise the LORD’. Our soul is that part which lives after our bodies die, everything that is in us. We are to praise the LORD’s holy name. Our Lord:
- Gives us good things, which we should never forget about.
- Forgives us for all our sins.
- Saves us from the Pit in Sheol in His mercy.
When David realized all this, he felt strong and free, like a young eagle that flies high in the sky. We have similar feelings of strength and freedom, when God forgives us. David thus mentions of God’s greatness to us as individuals; and reminds us that we honor God by our praise and thankfulness to Him appropriately. David felt he was not praising God enough. David understood that true worship was something deeply inward, of the soul, not merely about outward forms or expressions. David also understood that worship had to be more than inward and had to be offered as completely as possible.
God also shows His greatness in bringing righteousness and justice to societies. David refers to the covenant people, the Israelites, when he mentions that God is righteous and fair to all oppressed people. ‘Righteous’ means “to always does what is right”. The Israelites agreed to love and obey God because God agreed to be their God. The Egyptians had oppressed the Jews; they made them work very hard for very little compensation. God had told Moses his plan. God took these oppressed people from Egypt to the land of Israel because He is merciful and He is the Father of those children by His covenant. God makes everything come out right; He puts victims back on their feet. We must therefore remember to magnify our Lord for His goodness to others.
We can use David’s Psalm to remember what God has done for us as individuals and societies. Yes, we do thank God. But is it often with a half heart or half effort? Or do we spend less than half of this at times? David asked his soul and everything in him to honor and praise God. David realized that it was himself that controlled how much he gave or withheld, which was due to God. We must remember to render a praise which is worthy and acceptable to God.
