Psalm 148 - The Horn

Psalm 148:1-14 NIV

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. 

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. 

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 

Let them praise the name of the Lord, 

for at his command they were created, 

and he established them for ever and ever—

 he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,

 young men and women, old men and children. 

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;

 his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

And he has raised up for his people a horn,

 the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the Lord.

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Something I don't think I've mentioned is Hebrew poetic parallelism. Psalm 148 gives a good example of this technique of poetry. The psalm begins and ends with Hallelujah, praise the Lord. The psalm can be broken down into two, possibly three sections. The first section calls the heavens to praise the Lord. The second section calls the earth to praise the Lord. Each section contains the same form and some of the same wording.

Verses 1 and 7 parallel each other.

"Praise the Lord from the..."

Verses 5 and 13 parallel each other.

"Let them praise the name of the Lord, for..."

Both sections call together an all inclusive list of creative works which God has made. In heaven the angels and heavenly hosts are called to praise. The sun, moon and stars, and the weather, are called to praise. Even the waters of darkness, the primordial chaos which God separated from the earth with the creation of the firmament (sky), is called to praise the Lord. On earth all mammals, all geography, all nations and finally all Israel are called to praise.

The end of the second section may be considered a section of its own.

Psalm 148:14 NIV

And he has raised up for his people a horn,

 the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

This is a reference to the king of the Jews. Raising up a horn is symbolic language for raising up a strong leader who the people can trust and give their allegiance. The horn of the bull represents brutish strength and vitality. The bull seeds the herd of heifers. They in turn bear young calves to increase the size of the herd. The horns of the bull do battle with other bulls which challenge the contending ruler of the herd. The bull is the master of his herd and watches over them, protecting them from all threats, and leading them to greener pastures and refreshing water.

In the same way, a godly anointed king will watch over Israel and protect her. He will lead Israel in the direction of abundant blessing, where they will enjoy peace, plenty, and refreshment. He will lead them in covenant faithfulness to the Lord. As the king leads the people in keeping all the laws and ordinances of the law of Moses, the blessings of the holy presence of the Lord will surely be enjoyed as God has promised. And as Israel lives the blessed life with the Lord, as His holy people close to His heart, the rest of the earth is blessed and the heavens rejoice. God is with His people.

The symmetry and order of the psalm reflects the order of the holy community which nurtures the blessings of the Lord. It reflects the way the world is supposed to work. With every creature and every created thing praising the Creator, the Lord and His holy people are at the center.

This gives me joy as I wonder at the order God brings. Life would not exist without it. He brings light into darkness, life into wastes, and fruitfulness into barrenness. He spoke life into me through the Christ, the horn He raised up lead us forever.