PSALM
145 - “Praise from A-Z”
(Praise
of David)
This is
the only psalm titled “A Praise of David”, and it is a high point
of praise within the book.
“Psalm 145 is indeed a monumental praise psalm, a fit summary of all David had learned about God during a long lifetime of following hard after the Almighty.” (James Montgomery Boice)
This is
the last psalm attributed to David and is also the last of the nine
psalms using some kind of acrostic pattern: Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34,
37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 (five of which were written by David,
BTW).
“In Jewish practice this psalm was recited twice in the morning and once in the evening service. The Talmud commends all who repeat it three times a day as having a share in the world to come.” (Willem VanGemeren)
Vs. 1 –
“I will praise You, my God, O King”: Although David was
the most powerful king in the ancient Middle East, he bowed before God as King of Kings.
Vs. 2 –
“I will praise Your name forever and ever”:
David has one foot in eternity.
So should we.
Vs. 4b-7 – “Mighty acts...glorious splendor...wondrous works...
awesome acts... great goodness”: I love the way David's
superlatives are stumbling over each other in these verses in an
attempt to describe God's greatness. Sometimes, there just aren't
enough words.
💛NUGGET:
“They shall utter the memory” (verse 7b): The Hebrew word for
“utter” means “to pour” or “bubble up”. They will
overflow with memories of God's greatness... just like David is doing
in these verses!
Vs. 8-9
– David borrowed this description from God, Himself (Exodus 34:6).
And aren't we glad God is slow to anger? His patient pause gives us
time to repent!
Vs. 9 –
“The LORD is good to all”: This is the idea of “common
grace” – God's goodness extended to all humanity. God's
covenant mercy was never meant only for His chosen... they were
chosen to be God's way of showing His goodness
and love to all His creation.
Vs. 10 –
“All thy works shall praise You”: These words were used by
Reginald Heber in his hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy"...
"Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
All thy
works shall praise thy name,
In earth
and sky and sea."
Vs. 13b
– Remember that this is an acrostic poem, using the 22 letters of
the Hebrew alphabet which frequently created irregularities. Such is
the case in this verse; the letter 'nun' is missing in the Hebrew
text. However, when the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947,
the “Missing Nun” was found to be intact. The word “faithful'
in Hebrew is “ne'eman”, beginning with the letter nun. The
missing verse reads: “The
Lord is faithful in
all His words and kind in all His works”
and it is not found in KJV and earlier versions.
💛NUGGET:
We don't want to be like the Missing Nun and miss out on the praise!
Vs
14-15a – “All” is used three times in three verses.
“The
last portion of the psalm is marked by a frequent repetition of
‘all,’ which occurs eleven times in these verses. The singer
seems to delight in the very sound of the word, which suggests to him
boundless visions of the wide sweep of God’s universal mercy, and
of the numberless crowd of dependents who wait on and are satisfied
by Him.” (Maclaren)
Vs. 15b
– “You give them their food in due season”: Jesus'
prayer of “Give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 5:11)
could have been derived from this verse.
Vs. 17 –
God's righteousness and graciousness go hand-in-hand in this verse...
they are not in opposition. The Lord is righteous in His judgments
because of His grace.
Vs. 18b
– “To all who call upon him in truth”: Only those who
worship God “in truth” will receive the promise of God's
nearness.
Vs. 20 –
“The LORD preserves all who
love Him”: This does NOT mean that believers get a free
ticket out of pain and trouble. In Hebrew, the word “preserve”
means to “watch over” or “take care of”, which provides a
clearer interpretation. The meaning behind this verse is similar to
the promise Jesus made to His disciples before He sent them off
disciple-ing...
You will be betrayed even by
parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some
of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
BUT NOT A HAIR OF YOUR HEAD SHALL BE LOST. (Luke 21:16-18)
Vs. 21 –
“Forever and ever”: This is the third time in this psalm
David has promised to praise God “forever AND ever”. Cause you
know why? Forever is just not long enough to praise Him... we need
“and ever” to get the job done.
💛NUGGET:
Our family – like every family – has had our share of heartbreak
and miracles. One night the Dickman and I were counting our
blessings and he said, “I just hope that heaven is long enough to
thank the Lord for all he's done for me.” Forever AND ever, amen.
“The
last verse of Psalm 145 is the last word we have from David in the
Bible. It is his last will and testament. If he had said nothing else
in his long life, these words would be a fine legacy for future
generations. In it he praises God and invites others to praise God
also.” (Boice)
💛💛💛💛💛💛
PSALM
146 – HALLELUJAH #1
Psalm
146 begins a series of five “Hallelujah Psalms” that finish out
the Book of Psalm. Each of these psalms begin and end with
“Hallelujah” and are filled with praise in between the
hallelujahs, ending the book with a crescendo of praise.
As we
previously discussed, “hallelujah” is actually a combination of
two Hebrew words, 'halal' and 'yah'. “Halal” means “to praise”
and “Jah” is a shortened form of Jehovah (or “Yah” for
“Yahweh”). (The Greek form of the word
is “alleluia”). It's interesting that in the OT, the word is only
found in the Book of Psalm and is mentioned once in
the NT in Revelation 19. Depending on your Bible version, it
is translated as “Praise the Lord” or “Praise be to God”
instead of “Hallelujah”. (In my humble opinion, it should always
be translated as Hallelujah... there can never be too many
Hallelujahs!)
Apparently
the famous composer, George Frederick Handel, agreed with me. His
“Hallelujah Chorus” from the masterpiece oratorio Messiah is
known throughout the world. Let's take a listen:
💛EMBARRASSING
NUGGET: I sang this song with the girl's choir in high school for a
Christmas program. The audience was filled to the rafters. I was so
distracted with trying to find my boyfriend (now, Dickman) in the
audience that I loudly sang a solo “Hallelujah!” DURING the
dramatic pause before the final hallelujah. Annnnnnd that was the end of my
singing career.
[Although
we don't know for sure, many scholars believe that Psalm 146 was
written after the Babylonian exile. The Septuagint adds the title
“of Haggai and Zechariah” to Psalms 146-148. Haggai and
Zechariah were prophets post-exile.]
Vs. 1-2
– The psalmist begins this Hallelujah as both a personal
declaration of praise to God and community call to praise. “Jah”
(Jehovah) or “Yah”, meaning “Yahweh” is plural and is
addressed to the entire congregation. But the psalmist also
addresses his own soul.
💛NUGGET:
True praise begins in our soul, bubbles up to our throats and is
shouted from joyous lips.
Vs. 3 –
In contrast to praising the Lord, this verse tells us we should not
put our trust in mere mortals “in whom there is no help”.
The word "help" here is literally “salvation”. It's
not a matter of never trusting our leaders in worldly matters of
government and business (do so at your own risk!).
But we should never put our faith and salvation in anyone but the
Lord.
💛NUGGET:
The best of men are men, at best. There is only ONE God.
Vs. 4 –
There is an interesting Hebrew play on words between “man” in
verse 3b and “earth” in verse 4a. The Hebrew word for “man”
is “adam” and for “earth" is “adamah”. After his sin, God
told Adam that he would return to the earth (adamah) “because from
it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return”
(Genesis 3:19) . It is a reversal of creation.
Vs. 9b –
“But the way of the wicked He turns upside down”: The KJV
says that God makes the way of the wicked “crooked”. But wait...
aren't the wicked already traipsing down a twisted path? Why does God
make it even more crooked? Because sometimes, God just confirms the
path that man has already chosen. Think about Pharaoh, for example.
We read in Exodus of Pharaoh hardening his heart against God on four
different occasions before we are told “The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s
heart” (Exodus 9:12). God allows us to choose our own paths, then
He honors that choice.
“He
maketh them to lose their way; he not only frustrateth their plots
and enterprises but turneth them against themselves.” (Poole)
Vs. 10 -
“The Lord shall reign forever”:
In just a few words, both God's kingship and His eternity are
made known. This is a quote from Exodus 15:18.
💛NUGGET:
To know God is to never lose your Hallelujah.
💛💛💛💛💛💛
PSALM
147 – HALLELUJAH #2
“No
sooner is one hallelujah ended, but another begins.” (Horne)
[Like
Psalm 146, it is generally believed this song celebrates the
restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.]
Vs. 1 –
Hallelujah! It is good to sing praises to our God!
Vs. 2 –
“He gathers together the outcasts of Israel”: God
restored His remnant, just as Isaiah prophesied: "He (God)
will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed of Judah" (Isaiah 11:12).
💛NUGGET:
Just because a nation – or a person – fails, it doesn't mean that
God is finished with them. Jehovah is the God of Restoration.
Vs. 3-4
– “He heals the brokenhearted” and “calls the stars
by name”... and He knows YOU
by name, too.
With
His healing hand on a broken heart,
And the
other on a star,
Our
wonderful God views the miles apart,
And they
seem not very far.
(M.P.
Ferguson)
Vs. 5 –
God is omnipotent (omni=all / potent=power) AND omniscient (omni=all
/ scientia=knowledge). God's got this.
“He
is omniscient, which means that He knows in one free and effortless
act all matter, all spirit, all relationships, all events.” (A.W.
Tozer)
Vs. 6 –
God likes to reverse the order of things from what we think they should be.
He makes the weak strong and the humble mighty. (1 Corinthians 1:27)
Vs. 9 –
“He gives... food... to the young ravens”: As scavengers,
ravens were deemed “unclean” by the Jews. Not only were ravens despised by men (a flock of ravens is called an “unkindness”) but they are forced out of the nest as soon as they can fly. And yet, God
makes sure they are fed. Matthew 6:26)
“Don’t
be afraid to enjoy God. Singing and celebrating the supremacy of
Yahweh is ‘good’ and ‘pleasant’ and ‘fitting,’ if for no
other reason than that is what we were created to do. Fish swim in
the water, birds fly in the air, and the redeemed revel in God!”
(Sam Storms)
Vs. 10 –
“He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not
take pleasure in the legs of a man.” The strength of the horse
refers to cavalry and the legs of a man refer to an infantry. Why
would God be unimpressed? Their strength comes from Him.
"Not
only hath the Lord no pleasure in any man's legs, but not in any
man's brains, nor in any man's wit, nor in any man's tongue,
regardless of how eloquent, nor in any man's wealth, no matter how
great; but, "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him."
(Spurgeon)
Vs.
11 – "The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy”:
“Mercy” here is “hesed”, which as we know is God's loyal,
covenant love. But the real question is: Can we hope in the One we
fear? And do we fear the One in whom we hope? I fear a blizzard. I
know that I could freeze to death or at the very least, lose some
toes if I were lost in a blizzard. But when I'm in my home – my
refuge – I can appreciate the magnificent power of the blizzard.
The hope of His mercy is our refuge and turns our fear into respect.
Why does God take pleasure in those who fear Him? According to John
Piper:
“Surely it is because our fear reflects the greatness of his power and our hope reflects the bounty of his grace.” (John Piper)
💛NUGGET:
When we fear God's power and hope in His merciful love, we glorify
Him.
Vs.
12-14 – The psalmist praises God for how He has provided for
His people:
- He has strengthened the bars of the gates (PROTECTION)
- He has blessed your children within you (POSTERITY)
- He makes peace in your borders (PEACE)
- He fills you with the finest wheat (PROVISION)
Vs.
15-17 – “He sends out His command to the earth”: This
statement is followed by God's presence in nature and creation.
Vs.
18 – “He sends out His
word... He causes His wind to blow”:
The Hebrew word for
God's “wind” is “ruach”. It also can mean “breath” or
“spirit” and commonly refers to the Holy Spirit. In this
passage, God's word is also associated with rauch in that He sends
out His word with the breath (ruach) of His mouth.
READING FOR TOMORROW: Chapters 148-150
LINK TO READING PLAN:
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