This Psalm is the initial one prefaced by the term Alleluia, which essentially means Praise the Lord. Thus, it commences with the call to praise God, “Confess unto the Lord, and call upon His Name” (Psalm 103:1). This act of confession is to be interpreted as an expression of praise, similar to our Lord's declaration, “I confess unto Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matthew 11:25). Typically, when praise is offered, it is followed by an invocation of God, into which the supplicant incorporates their petitions; hence the Lord's Prayer begins with succinct praise: “Our Father, who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). The subsequent requests then follow. Therefore, it is also said: “Tell men what He has done” (John 21:17), or, more accurately translated from the Greek, “Proclaim the gospel of His works among the nations.” This directive is aimed at the evangelists in prophecy. “Sing to Him and play instruments to Him” (Psalm 104:2)—this encourages praising Him through both words and actions; we sing vocally and play with instruments, symbolizing our hands. Let your discussions center on all His wonderful deeds. “Praise His holy Name” (Psalm 104:3). These two verses may coherently paraphrase the earlier exhortation: let your conversations revolve around His marvelous works encapsulates the essence of the phrase “Sing to Him”; while the latter, “praise in His holy Name,” pertains to both spoken words and the music played in His honor, where the former relates to the commendable words we use to sing His praises, and the latter concerns the righteous actions expressed through joyful melodies offered unto Him, ensuring no individual seeks glory for a good deed distracted from God’s power. Thus, when it is said, “Be glorified,” undoubtedly those who labor well and rightly do can achieve this, it is paired with “in His holy Name,” confirming that one is truly glorified when praised in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). This leads us to understand true praise is given in His holy Name. Hence, we find in another Psalm: “My soul shall glory in the Lord; let the humble hear and rejoice.” Consequently, it follows that “let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice,” for the meek will be glad who do not wrestle with jealousy against those they see doing good.
“Seek the Lord and be strengthened” (Psalm 103:4). This phrase is literally derived from the Greek, albeit it may not appear as such in Latin versions. Other translations use “confirm” or “establish.” The invitation “Come unto Him and be enlightened” speaks to vision, while our passage concerns action: “Seek the Lord and be strengthened.” What does it imply to “seek the Lord’s face forever”? I recognize the benefit of clinging to God; however, if He is perpetually sought, when will we find Him? Does this notion of eternality refer to our entire earthly existence, where the pursuit remains ongoing? In essence, faith finds God, yet hope continues the search. Love has found Him through faith and yearns for Him in vision, when ultimately He will satisfy without necessitating further seeking. For if faith had not encountered Him in this life, the exhortation to “Seek the Lord” would hold no purpose. And should He cease to be diligently sought post-discovery by faith, it would not necessitate the entreaty, “For if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25). This encapsulates why we are instructed to “Seek His face forever,” implying that this journey of discovery by loving pursuit should never cease, but rather grow in intensity as love deepens alongside the search for the One who has already been found.
“Remember His marvelous works which He has accomplished, the wonders He has performed, and the judgments of His mouth” (Psalm 104:5). This passage evokes: “Say unto the children of Israel: ‘I am He that sent Me unto you’”—a declaration that, while brief, conveys profound meaning. Subsequently, by invoking His Name, He gracefully mingles grace with His people, proclaiming, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; this is My Name forever” (Exodus 3:14-15). Through this, He intended for those whose God He identified with to dwell eternally alongside Him, communicated in a manner understandable even to children, and they who know how to perpetually seek His face through immense love could comprehend, “I am what I am.”
To whom is it stated: “You seed of Abraham, His servant, the children of Jacob, His chosen ones?” (Psalm 104:6). Further, he asserts: “He is the Lord our God; His judgments are across the globe” (Psalm 103:7). Is He only the God of the Jews? (Romans 3:29) Certainly not; He remains the Lord our God because the Church, where His judgments are proclaimed, exists throughout the world.
“He has kept His covenant” (Psalm 104:8). Other translations state “forever,” highlighting a potential ambiguity in the Greek language. However, if we interpret this as pertaining solely to this life, why, in explaining which covenant He remembered, does He add: “The word which He gave to a thousand generations”? This phrase can be limited to an extent; yet He specifies “even the covenant He made with Abraham” (Psalm 103:9), as well as the oath sworn to Isaac and the law appointed to Jacob, establishing it as an everlasting covenant with Israel (Psalm 103:10). Conceivably, the Old Testament references the promise of land in Canaan, stating: “To you will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance” (Psalm 104:11). How can this be interpreted as eternal if this earthly inheritance lacks eternality? Thus, it is termed the Old Testament, as it has been superseded by the New. A thousand generations don't seem to express eternity, since they imply an endpoint; yet they exceed what is merely temporal. Regardless of the boundaries of a generation, the word generis in Greek denotes a period of approximately fifteen years— the time necessary for a man to produce offspring. What do these thousand generations signify, extending from Abraham’s promise through the New Testament, and all the way back to Adam until the end of time? Who would assert that this world might last 15,000 years? Therefore, it seems that the Old Covenant should not be interpreted here, as the prophet illustrates its obsolescence in light of the New: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31-32).
In this context, when it says, “He remembered His covenant forever,” we are to interpret this as an everlasting covenant—the covenant of justification and the eternal inheritance promised to faith. He also adds, “and the Word which He commanded to a thousand generations.” What does that imply? The command is that the righteous shall live by faith (Romans 1:17), and prior to this faith, the inheritance of eternity is presented. Thus, the concept of a thousand generations symbolizes the perfect number covering all—this denotes that while lineage persists, we are commanded to live by faith. This is upheld by the people of God, the children of promise, who are born into faith and depart in death, until every generation concludes; symbolized by the number one thousand, which arises from squaring ten (ten times ten) and then multiplying by ten.
Furthermore, the covenant made with Abraham, the oath sworn to Isaac, and the appointment to Jacob serve as law—these three patriarchs were designated by God in a unique manner. The Lord, in the New Testament, remarks that “Many shall come from the east and west and shall recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11). This is the eternal inheritance.
He now recounts what is well-known from scriptural truth. “When they were few, very few, and were strangers in the land” (Psalm 104:12), referring specifically to Canaan. Yet various translations highlight their scarcity and foreign status, often misrepresenting the original Greek in Latin. The complete phrase could be articulated as “they were a very small number, and strangers.” However, in Greek, the construction implies they were so different that they taken to being strangers. As they transitioned from one nation to another, “from one kingdom to another nation” (Psalm 103:13), it recalls the earlier point of transitioning between nations.
“Let no man do them any harm” (Psalm 103:14); indeed, He rebuked kings on their behalf. “Do not touch my anointed, nor do my prophets harm” (Psalm 104:15). These words express God’s command against kings who might mistreat the patriarchs when they were in such low numbers and minority status in the land of Canaan. While this precise warning may not appear within the historical texts, it can be inferred through God’s quiet but powerful influence over men—whether concealed in visions or articulated by angels. Both Pharaoh and the king of Gerar received divine warnings not to harm Abraham, much like additional figures were cautioned against mistreating Isaac (Genesis 26:8-11) and Jacob, while they were few and foreign before settling in Egypt, as referenced here. The question emerges: before they crossed into Egypt and multiplied, how could such a small group sustain themselves in a foreign land? Thus, it is added: “He allowed no one to harm them.”
It raises curiosity how they were designated “anointed” or Christ before any ceremony of anointing took place that entitled kings with that title. These patriarchs are described as anointed; indeed, Abraham is noted as a prophet; what is manifested in the narrative about him likely extends to the others as well. Are they termed “Christs” because they were secretly Christians? Although Christ’s lineage is traced back to them, He existed prior to them, for He told the Jews, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). How could they not recognize Him, or have faith in Him, when called prophets? It’s affirmed by the Lord, “Your father Abraham desired to see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced” (John 8:56). No individual has ever been reconciled to God except through faith in Christ Jesus, whether before His incarnation or after; as articulated by the Apostle, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
This leads Him to narrate how they shifted from one nation to another and from one kingdom to another, as a famine beset the land; it is stated, “all the staff of bread was broken” (Psalm 103:16). Hence, they migrated from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another. We must attend to the expressions of Scripture: “He called for a famine in the land,” as if famine itself were a being, animat or ethereal force obeying Him who called. This mirrors ancient Roman practices of revering deities like the goddess Fever or the god Pale. Alternately, it might signify He proclaimed a famine; to summon equates to addressing by name—illustratively commanding it as He is God who orchestrates the future events even before they manifest, related to Romans 4:17 where it asserts He calls forth those things that do not exist as though they did. In truth, what He decrees occurs within His providence, as “He who created the future” (Isaiah 45:11). Consequently, when famine arrived, it was expressed as a divine calling, fulfilling His predetermined plan—assertively stated as, “He broke all the staff of bread.”
“He sent a man before them” (Psalm 104:17). Who was this man? Joseph. How was he sent? He was sold into slavery by his brothers. This scenario exemplifies how God redeems and repurposes humanity's wrongful acts while they, conversely, sometimes misuse His goodness.
THEOSIS