This is another psalm that’s often quoted, with lines like: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, / And forget not all His benefits”; and “As a father pities his children, / So the Lord pities those who fear Him.”
There are several other well-known passages in this psalm, but that’s part of the problem. When we read an isolated verse or hear one shouted from the pulpit, we aren’t getting the whole story.
For example, “[t]he Lord is merciful and gracious, / Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” OK. But in other psalms, YHWH is said to be jealous, wrathful and even indignant toward good men.
In this psalm, YHWH is described as a god “Who forgives all your iniquities, / Who heals all your diseases, / Who redeems your life from destruction,” and so forth — until, of course, He doesn’t.
That, as many theologians say, is YAH’s biggest public relations problem — explaining why bad things happen to good people. “As for man, his days are like grass,” and YAH is the lawnmower.