Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Psalm 103:20-22

Don’t you find it kind of odd that after calling for all of the mighty angels, all the hosts, all God’s works, and all places under his dominion to bless the Lord, the psalmist (David) then goes on to say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul?” Wasn’t his soul included in “all places under his dominion?” Doesn’t his soul seem a small thing to mention after the others?

Here’s what I’ve learned about me and my poor brain: Any time I find myself wondering about something in the scriptures, it is a good idea to remind myself that it is highly likely I am not the first person to wonder about it. As much as I would like to be one to find a “new” insight into God’s word, it’s not likely to happen. Besides, I have far more questions than answers.

So, I turn to men like Spurgeon. And sure enough, CHS found a man who had the same question I have about these verses. A pastor named Henry Melvill penned one possibility that pierced my heart with conviction.

It seems as if a sudden fear had seized the Psalmist, the fear of by any possibility omitting himself; or, if not a fear, yet a consciousness that his very activity in summoning others to praise, might make him forgetful that he was bound to praise God himself, or sluggish in the duty, or ready to take for granted that he could not himself be neglecting what he was so strenuous in pressing on all orders of being. We have a great subject of discourse here. Solomon has said, “They made me keeper of the vineyards, but mine own vineyard have I not kept.” Alas! how possible, how easy, to take pains for others, and to be neglectful of one’s self: nay, to make the pain we take for others the reason by which we persuade ourselves that we cannot be neglecting ourselves. How important, then, that, if with the Psalmist we call on all God’s works in all places of his dominions to bless the Lord; how important, I say, that we add, like persons bent on self-examination, and fearful of self-deceit, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.

O Lord, help me to sing in tune with the rest of creation. My most immediate sphere of influence includes my children. As I try to guide them to see you and bless you, please give my heart the grace to do the same. Let me not neglect to praise you myself.

The quote comes from Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David.