September 3rd
Psalm 145
David’s Psalm of Praise
A
Psalm of Praise
1: I will extol thee, my God, O king;
and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 2: Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for
ever and ever. 3: Great is the
LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. 4: One generation shall praise thy
works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 5: I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of
thy wondrous works. 6: And men
shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy
greatness. 7: They shall
abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy
righteousness. 8: The LORD is
gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9: The LORD is good to all: and his
tender mercies are over all his works. 10:
All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. 11: They shall speak of the glory of
thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 12:
To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of
his kingdom. 13: Thy kingdom is
an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 14: The LORD upholdeth all that fall,
and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. 15: The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their
meat in due season. 16: Thou
openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17: The LORD is righteous in all his
ways, and holy in all his works. 18:
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in
truth. 19: He will fulfill the
desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20: The LORD preserveth all them that
love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. 21: My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all
flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Psalm 146
God
has saved us
1: Praise ye the LORD. Praise the
LORD, O my soul. 2: While I
live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any
being. 3: Put not your trust in
princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4: His breath goeth forth, he returneth
to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. 5: Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose
hope is in the LORD his God: 6:
Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth
truth for ever: 7: Which executeth
judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth
the prisoners: 8: The LORD
openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the
LORD loveth the righteous: 9:
The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but
the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. 10: The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto
all generations. Praise ye the LORD.
Today we are reading Psalm 145 & 146. Psalm 145 is
another hymn of David. He begins and ends saying that the Lords name will be
blessed for ever and ever. Then David gives us a Psalm of praise in which he
recounts all the greatness of the Lord. It’s interesting that David refers to
the LORD as his king. He says the Lords goodness is unable to be searched out.
The praise of the Lord will go on from one generation to another. David says
that he will forever speak of the Lords glorious majesty and his wonderful
works. Men will think of Gods terrifying acts of judgment but he will declare
the greatness of the Lord. Then he describes the Lord in the most memorable
terms – He is full of Grace and compassion, slow to get angry and great in
mercy. He is good to all and his tender mercy covers all his deeds. He
describes the kingdom of the Lord as an everlasting kingdom and the dominion of
the Lord will endure throughout all generations. David is looking forward in
this Psalm to a future day when Christ himself will establish a kingdom that
will be eternal. David speaks of a rule of the LORD who will restore those who
fall and who will lift those who are burdened by oppression. Everyone will wait
on the Lord for blessing and the Lord will provide food in due season. The Lord
will provide food for all creatures. The Lord will be righteous and holy in all
his ways. The LORD will be near to all who call on him in an intimacy that
Israel had not previously known. And all those who fear the Lord will have
their deepest longings fulfilled. And so David says I will speak his praises
and may all flesh join me in blessing the name of the Lord forever. Psalm 146
is a Psalm of Praise again. It is a song encouraging Israel to praise the Lord.
The Psalmist says I will praise the LORD while I am alive. This gives us an
insight to the Jewish theology which was based around human life. Beyond the
grave they had a hope of resurrection but in the meanwhile everything was
focused on righteous living in this life and this was the key to resurrection
to immortal life. Then he gives a series of practical exhortations. Do not put
your trust in princes or even in the king, because ultimately they cannot help
you. Even the king will expire and die and return to dust and then all his
great thoughts will be lost forever. It’s very interesting that this phrase the
son of man which we as Christians are so familiar with is a phrase used here to
describe the king of Israel. This is probably how Christ used the same phrase
of himself. Then he gives a beatitude – Happy or Blessed is the man that has
the God of Jacob for his help and who hopes in the LORD his God. He is the
creator of heaven and earth and sea and everything in it. Atheist evolution
must bow at this statement of Gods creatorial power. God is the truth forever
and the Saviour of the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry. He sets free the
prisoners. He opens the eyes of the blind. He raises the cripple. All of these
things are acts of the LORD Jehovah. He the LORD keeps the strangers safe. He
gives relief to the orphans and widows. But he turns the world of the wicked
upside down. The LORD – Christ will reign forever. Praise the LORD.
No comments:
Post a Comment