Psalm 135 - Praise Praise Praise

Psalm 135:1-6, 9-10, 12-21 NIV

Praise the Lord. 

Praise the name of the Lord; praise him, you servants of the Lord,

 you who minister in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. 

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant. 

For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.

I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. 

The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth,

 in the seas and all their depths. 

He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,

 against Pharaoh and all his servants. 

He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings—

 and he gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his people Israel.

Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. 

For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. 

They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 

They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. 

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

All you Israelites, praise the Lord; house of Aaron,

 praise the Lord; house of Levi, praise the Lord;
 you who fear him, praise the Lord. 

Praise be to the Lord from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem. 

Praise the Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Psalm 135! It's hard to believe, but I'm 15 psalms away from the end of the Book of Psalms. Psalm 135 is not noted as a psalm of accent, but it sure looks similar to others that are. The priests and Levites who serve continually at the temple are called to praise the Lord. Hallelujah! That's the actual Hebrew phrase that means praise the Lord.

They are to praise with singing. God is good all the time! There are countless songs written for Him and new ones come every year. He has chosen Israel/Jacob. They are his treasured possession through whom He reveals His goodness, faithful, power and righteousness.

The psalmist celebrates God's mighty acts of deliverance in Egypt and during the conquest of Canaan. God defeated Pharaoh and his army. God defeated the king Og and king Sihon of the Amorites. Og was a giant descended from the mythical Rephaim or Nephilim, the offspring of angels and women. God drove out the nations from Canaan and gave the land to the Israelites as an inheritance, according to His promise to Abraham.

As creator God has the power and authority to do as He wills. He willed to save us. He chose us through His Son Jesus Christ, the king of the Jews. We Christians are also God's people. Therefore we too can join in the praise.

Those who trust in idols, false gods, man made icons, or adore famous people, or anything other than the living God, are doomed to become the very thing their hearts worship. What happens when the boy band are no longer boys? Your idol slips into fable and obscurity over time.

My idols are aging and their music is dated. Most of the emerging generation has not understood my idols' magnanimity. If my heart was truly given over to The Beatles,The Stones, and The Who, I'm destined to mourn and be lost as they pass from this life. My idols are dwindling to become little more than a brief dictionary article in some future book of rock music.

I too am passing. Can Pete Townshend save me? Can John Lennon usher me into eternity? Can George Lucas or Luke Skywalker deliver my soul from death? That's a ridiculous notion. There is only One deserving of our worship, only One deserving of our ultimate trust. Israel calls us to praise the Lord.

Psalm 135 ends with a fourfold call to praise the Lord. All Israel, her priests and Levites, and those who fear the Lord (that's you and me!) are called to praise Yahweh.

Remember the renowned way in which the Lord has rescued you from sin and death. Acknowledge the greatness of our God. Abandon lesser things and join in the chorus. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!