THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
This Psalm marks the beginning of those accompanied by the term Alleluia, which translates to Praise the Lord. Thus, it opens with the call to Praise the Lord and invoke His Name (Psalm 103:1). This invocation serves as a form of praise, akin to our Lord's declaration, I confess unto Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth (Matthew 11:25). Typically, once praise is given, the prayer then turns to seek God, with aspirations following. This is exemplified in the Lord's Prayer, which begins with a succinct praise: Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9). The request follows the commendation. Hence, it is also said, Tell men what He has done (John 21:17), or, more literally from the Greek, Preach the gospel of His works among the Gentiles. This directive is aimed at the evangelists foreseen in the prophecy.
Sing to Him and play instruments to Him (Psalm 104:2). Praise Him through both speech and action; for we lift our voices in song and strike instruments with our hands. Let your discussions be filled with His wondrous deeds. Praise His holy Name (Psalm 104:3). These two verses can be understood as a rephrasing of the earlier cited expressions: Let your conversations dwell on His marvelous works corresponds to Sing to Him, while praising His holy Name relates to vocal expressions and instrumental music offered to Him; the former being the words we sing in honor of Him, detailing His magnificent acts, and the latter referring to deeds wherein beautiful music is played for Him, so that no one may seek recognition for their good deeds based on their own strength. For this reason, having said: Be glorified, something that those who labor diligently can indeed achieve, it was then clarified with the phrase, in His holy Name, reminding us that the glorified should receive praise through the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). This is the praise worthy of His holy Name. As further illustrated in another Psalm: My soul shall glory in the Lord; let the humble hear and rejoice. Consequently, it follows that the hearts of those seeking the Lord shall rejoice—for the meek shall find joy, who do not harbor bitter envy towards those they emulate as already doing good.
Seek the Lord and be strengthened (Psalm 103:4). This phrase is interpreted literally from the Greek, although it may not appear to be a typical Latin term: whence other translations denote as confirm; others, establish. While the phrases Come unto Him and be enlightened pertain to sight, the text’s call to Seek the Lord and be strengthened refers to action. What does it imply to Seek the Lord's face forever? Certainly, being close to God is good for me; yet if He is always sought, when shall He be found? Could it be that eternal refers to the entirety of our earthly life, from which it is clear we ought to seek Him—for even once found, He remains the object of our pursuit? Indeed, faith recognizes Him now, yet hope continues to seek. Love has both encountered Him through faith and seeks Him through vision, where He will ultimately be found to fulfill us, rendering unnecessary further pursuit. If faith had not identified Him in this life, it would not have been said, Seek the Lord. And if, upon recognizing Him through faith, He still did not require diligent searching, it would not have been stated, For if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience (Romans 8:25). This is indeed the essence of the words, Seek His face forever and ever; indicating that the journey of discovery should persist through the love that seeks Him, ever increasing in the desire for Him who has already been found.
Remember His marvelous works which He has done, the wonders of His greatness, and the judgments of His mouth (Psalm 104:5). This sentiment resembles the directive given to the children of Israel: I am He who sent Me to you—such an expression, even in its briefness, is barely perceptible to the mind. In revealing His Name, He graciously intertwined grace with the people, stating: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; this is My Name forever (Exodus 3:14-15). Here, He sought to convey that those He defines as their God remain with Him eternally, articulated in a manner that even the youngest could grasp—those who, through profound love, understand how to seek His face eternally could comprehend: I am who I am.
To whom is it said, You seed of Abraham, His servant, the children of Jacob, His chosen ones? (Psalm 104:6). He further adds: He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth (Psalm 103:7). Is He only the God of the Jews? (Romans 3:29) Certainly not; He is our God, for the church, where His judgments are proclaimed, spans the entire globe.
He has always remembered His covenant (Psalm 104:8). Various translations express this as forever; this ambiguity arises from the Greek. Yet, if we interpret this in the context of the temporal world rather than eternity, why does he specify what covenant He remembered by adding, the promise to a thousand generations? This can apply under certain contexts, yet it further specifies: even the covenant He made with Abraham (Psalm 103:9), and the oath sworn to Isaac; appointing it as a law for Jacob and an everlasting covenant for Israel (Psalm 103:10). Yet if this Old Testament interpretation pertains to the land of Canaan—thus addressing the Psalm language: To you I will give the land of Canaan, the allotted inheritance (Psalm 104:11)—how can this be understood as eternal, given that this earthly inheritance cannot hold eternal viability? This is why it is called the Old Testament, since it is rendered obsolete by the New.
While a thousand generations may not signal anything eternal, they do seem to imply an ending; nevertheless, they far exceed the brevity of this transient existence. For however long a generation may span, termed in Greek as γεν-α, even the shortest of periods, notably fifteen years—after which procreation begins—what can be ascribed to these thousand generations, not merely from the time of Abraham when this promise was made, but reaching back to Adam until the end of the world? Who would dare claim that this world might endure for 15,000 years? Hence, the Old Covenant is not to be understood in light of the Old Testament, which is prophesied to be abolished: Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-32).
Thus, He recognized His covenant forever, which we understand as an everlasting covenant—the promise of righteousness and the eternal inheritance granted to faith; He adds, the command He issued to a thousand generations. What then does commanded signify? The command was that the righteous should live by faith (Romans 1:17), preceding the offer of an everlasting inheritance. Therefore, the thousand generations are meant to signify the perfect number for all; that is, as long as lineage continues, we are to live by faith. This is observed by the people of God—the children of promise—who are born heirs and depart through death until every generation concludes. This is symbolically represented by the number one thousand, as it is the square of ten—ten times ten, multiplied by ten to achieve a thousand. Even the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath sworn to Isaac, and appointed this to Jacob through the law, are reflected in these three patriarchs, whom He specifically calls His own God in a unique sense, whom the Lord also refers to in the New Testament when He states, Many will come from the east and west and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11). This is the eternal inheritance.
He continues to narrate a well-known scriptural account. When they were few in number, very few, and sojourners in the land (Psalm 104:12)—referring to Canaan. Some translations emphasize they were very few and strangers, translating the original Greek too literally into Latin. Were we to state this fully, it would convey their condition of being both few and sojourners; yet the phrase while they were indicates a nuance of the Greek, with the verb in a nominative case rather than accusative.
At the time they journeyed from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another (Psalm 103:13). This reiterates what was previously stated, from one nation to another. Let no one harm them, and even kings He rebuked for their sakes (Psalm 103:14). He admonished, Touch not My anointed ones, nor do My prophets any harm (Psalm 104:15). Here we observe the words of God admonishing kings to refrain from harming the holy patriarchs who were very few in number and strangers in the land of Canaan. Though these words are not explicitly noted in historical accounts, they can be understood either as spoken internally—by God impressing truth upon the hearts of men—or declared openly by an angel. For both the king of Gerar and the king of Egypt received heavenly warnings not to harm Abraham (Genesis 26:8-11), and similarly Jacob was protected while they were few and foreign before they settled in Egypt with their families. Given the transformed circumstance prior to their migration and growth in Egypt, one may wonder how such few foreigners provided for themselves; thus it concludes: He allowed no one to harm them.
But one could question how they were regarded as anointed before any such anointing celebrated this title. How then were these patriarchs called anointed? We read that Abraham was a prophet, and surely what is said of him equally applies to them. Might they be acknowledged as Christs because, though subtly, they were already Christians? Although the lineage of Christ descends from them, Christ existed before them—for He proclaimed, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58). How can it be that they did not recognize Him or trust in Him; for they are called prophets due to their obscure but genuine foresight of the Lord? Indeed, He states plainly, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was glad (John 8:56). For it is necessary to understand that no one was reconciled to God apart from that faith found in Christ Jesus, both before His incarnation and afterward, as the Apostle aptly states: For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
Next, he recounts how they migrated from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another. A famine befell the land, and He broke all the bread staffs (Psalm 103:16). Thus, they transitioned from one nation into others. It is noteworthy to respect Scripture's phrasing. He stated, He called for a famine upon the earth; suggesting that famine was treated as a personified entity, obedient to His command. Ancient Romans similarly honored deities like the goddess Fever and the god Pale. Alternatively, this may simply signify that He foretold a famine: to call being synonymous with to proclaim—a conception akin to the Apostle's message, who notes that God calls non-existent things as though they were (Romans 4:17). For all things have already transpired in His sovereign decree concerning what is to come; this sentiment echoes, He who has made the future (Isaiah 45:11). When the famine arose, it is described how it was summoned—culminating with the phrase, He broke all the bread staffs.
However, He sent a man ahead of them (Psalm 104:17). Who was this man? It was not Joseph by mere definition of the term. How was he sent? Joseph was sold into servitude. This act stemmed from his brothers’ wrongdoing, and yet God ordained Joseph's journey to Egypt. Thus, let us ponder this profound notion: how God rightly utilizes the evil deeds of men, while those same men perversely exploit His good works.