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.
- Why does David want to praise the Lord?
- How does David describe the works of the Lord?
- What is the secret of happiness?
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