Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1)
As this psalm begins, David expresses something that is easily overlooked but is very important for us to consider. He begins by saying, “Bless the Lord O my soul,” thus acknowledging that there is much more to man than just a physical body. Scripture says that, in the beginning, God breathed the breath of life into man and he became a “living soul” (Genesis 2:7), consequently making us unique among all His creations. Without the soul, man would simply be a two-legged creature competing with all the other animals to survive, which by the way, is exactly what evolutionists and atheists would have us believe. But we do have a soul — an eternal component of our being that is intended to be a reflection of the One who gave us life.
The נפש nefesh, or soul of man, is one of God’s greatest gifts to us, and for that reason is regarded by the Lord as precious. Were it not so, why would He have sent His Son to pay the price of redemption on our behalf? But as it is written, “Thus says the Lord who created you, and He who formed you … since you were precious in My sight; the Lord redeems the soul of His servants” (Isaiah 43:1, 4, Psalm 34:22). The point is that David, recognizing the pricelessness of man’s soul, desires to honor the Almighty with more than just his lips and lyre; he blesses the Lord from the depths of his very being. In fact, so important is this desire to David that he repeats this phrase five times in this one psalm.
It is unfortunate that far too many men are oblivious to their own souls, and thus unaware of the true purpose of their existence. As I mentioned above, those who refuse to acknowledge God’s existence tend to see themselves as nothing more than just another animal who came into this world with no specific purpose. Sadly, they ignore the wonderful gift given to them and squander the opportunity to fulfill the reason for which God granted them life. It must not be so with us. Every day we should awaken with a renewed commitment to enrich this precious possession entrusted to us by the Creator, fully devoting it and all that is within us, to His service.
In short, we should not follow the example of those who have resigned themselves to a mere and meaningless existence. Rather let us truly fulfill the purpose God intended when He made us living souls; we were born to serve the Lord.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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