Psalm 150 - Crescendo

Psalm 150:1-6 NIV

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, 

praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

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Psalm 150 ends the Book of Psalms with the height of praise. The end of the book has built to this moment, a moment of complete and utter praise.

The Hebrew word "halle", translated as praise, appears 13 times, one for every tribe of Israel and one more for everyone else. Therefore the whole of Israel is represented in this call to worship and the hope for gentiles to join in the praise. I'm likely making too much of the numerical meaning, but the idea is consistent with biblical theology. Israel's life of worship and service to the Holy One is a light to the gentiles and a blessing to the world.

This all inclusive call to praise tells us where to praise, the temple and in heaven. It tells us why to praise, because of God's acts of power and surpassing greatness. And it tells us how to praise, with every sort of musical instrument, and with everything that has breath dancing and moving with joy in the Lord.

For years I fronted a Christian rock band. We made a joyful noise before the Lord. We believed everything we did was for the glory of the Lord to help others praise Him and connect with God's love and grace. Of course our music ministry wasn't for everyone, but everyone was invited to join in the celebration. I had taped to my music stand these words from Psalm 33.

Psalms 33:3 KJV

Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

This verse for me was a biblical licence to rock as hard as we wanted for Jesus. For boomers who grew up on blues powered rock, our ministry moved hearts and lived closer to God. To others we were an oddity, but no one could say we didn't love the Lord because we testified with our hearts to His acts of power in our lives. What is your joyful noise of praise? Is it your work? Is it your investment in your family? Is it your volunteer service? Find your way to join in the praise.

May you live a life of worship, praising the Lord with all you got. Just as the Book of Psalms builds to complete praise, so does our lives. Never forget your destiny. You are moving in a crescendo toward utter bliss in the presence of God and all the hosts of heaven. Complete and utter praise will be your eternal occupation, as you live united with God and all His faithful beloved. So join the dance. Pick up your instrument of praise. And give the Lord your heart's fullest praise. Praise is what you were made for.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 149 - Doing Battle

Psalm 149:1-9 NIV

Praise the Lord. 

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people. 

Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. 

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. 

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. 

Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,

 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 

to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron,

 to carry out the sentence written against them—

 this is the glory of all his faithful people. 

Praise the Lord.

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Psalm 149 starts out like a call to worship, an invitation to praise the Lord. It feels much like many other psalms written in the same spirit. Sing new songs, dance and play music in celebration, rejoice in the Maker, the King of the Universe; these are the acts of worship of the people of God.

The psalmist gives reason for praise. The Lord delights in His worshiping people and gives them victory over their opponents. Those who humble themselves in service to the Lord will know victory.

Then the psalm takes a turn that startles me. It seems out of place, but maybe not. The psalmist speaks of victory in terms of punishing the enemies of Israel. The enemies of Israel are the enemies of the Lord, for Lord is bound to Israel through covenant. The picture drawn for us is worshipers leaving the temple with swords in hand, marching out with songs of praise on their lips, ready to hack down their enemies. Imagine yourself being handed a weapon as you leave the sanctuary of your church! It just seems weird.

But thinking about what such a psalm might be saying to us today, I've come around to appreciate this picture. When the Lord delights in those who gather to worship Him, His blessing falls upon them, empowering them to go out and do God's will. The two-edged sword we carry is not made of steel. It is the word of God. Look at the writings of Paul.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

And the writer of Hebrews also said,

Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Therefore worship prepares us for a battle of sorts. First is the battle waged against us in our own souls. As Paul says, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against wicked spirits. (Ephesians 6:12) With the word of God informing us, our hearts are laid bare before God and we learn where we need transformation in our lives. Transformation begins in the heart. That is where the battle is waged.

The second place we do battle is in the world, as we carry out the will of God. Our calling is not to destroy people who oppose God but to heal, help, and give hope. We fight against poverty, ignorance, unhealthy conditions, oppressive systems, and abusive environments. We advocate for those in our society with no or little voice. We teach good news that gives life. We connect the lost to Christ that they might become whole in God's presence. Through Christ we help the oppressed to find liberty and the sick to become healthy. The war we wage is against that which diminishes life.

So worship the Lord with his people.The Lord delights in you when you join in His praise. He showers His blessings upon you so you can go out in His love and do good works that glorify God's name and breathes life into our world.

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.

Psalm 147 - My Provider

Psalm 147:1-20 NIV

Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.

 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. 

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. 

The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. 

He covers the sky with clouds;

 he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. 

He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

 nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

 the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion. 

He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. 

He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 

He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. 

He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? 

He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. 

He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. 

Praise the Lord.

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Psalm 147 is a litany of praise and a call to sing with praise to the Lord. This is clearly a post-exilic work since the exiles are mentioned in verse 2. The exiles gather in Jerusalem to worship. The temple and the great city of God had been destroyed, but now God has brought the Hebrews exiles back and they are rebuilding.

Psalm 147 has a real focus on God as provider and sustainer. God provides healing for the brokenhearted. God provides starlight. God provides clouds, rain, snow and hail, all of which provide water to the ground and growing grass to feed the cattle and wheat to feed the people. God provides peace to Jerusalem. And most of all the Lord's blessed provisions, He reveals His law to Israel as His chosen nation, His treasured possession.

The same word that set the stars in place and named each one, that sends forth the wind and rain, that establishes peace for His people and heals their wounds, is the same word that is creating a holy community. Israel is God's holy project. As Israel becomes holy through faithfulness to God's covenant law, God blesses Israel, and through this blessed holy community, the world receives a chance to be blessed by coming to trust in the unfailing love of God.

Psalm 147:10-11 NIV

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Verses 10 and 11 contrast two responses to God's provision. One is to build armies to secure as much property for yourself as possible, enslaving those you conquer. You can even do this in the name of God! The other is to trust in the unfailing love of God and know that He will provide. The first invites greed, war and arrogance.The second invites generosity, peace, and humility.

Psalm 147 calls me to trust in the unfailing love of God, my provider. I can lay down my anxious craving to gain more and more, out of fear there won't be enough. I can join in singing prays to the Lord for His faithful provision.

Genesis 22:14b NIV

“On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Psalm 146 - Coach Your Soul

Psalm 146:1-10 NIV

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 

I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

 on that very day their plans come to nothing. 

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

 whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—

 he remains faithful forever. 

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. 

The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind,

 the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 

The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

 but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. 

Praise the Lord.

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Psalm 146 is another litany of praise quite similar to Psalm 145. It begins with a personal call to worship. The psalmist beckons her own soul to praise the Lord.

Do you ever coach your own soul? It's sort of like talking to yourself, but at a deep level where you are likely to encounter God. After all God lives in those who believe the good news that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world.

Follow the example set for us in Psalm 147. The psalmist addresses her soul inviting praise to the Lord. She commits herself to lifelong praise. That's a colossal commitment, like marriage. She is in covenant with God through His promise to her and her promise to Him. She tells her soul that only the Eternal One is worthy of such trust. She does not ultimately give her heart to kings and princes and other human leaders. They die and their plans die with them. Hope in the God of Jacob/Israel, she tells her soul.

After making her commitment to praise the Lord she recounts the many praiseworthy reasons. Yahweh is creator, faithfully sustaining the universe. He cares for the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, and the beaten down. God watches over the foreigner, not just the Hebrew. He provides for the struggling orphan or widow. God is just and frustrates wicked plans.

The psalm ends addressing the whole of Israel. She celebrates that the Lord reigns forever. She acknowledges that she is in covenant with all who worship the God of Zion. She is not alone in her praise. Her soul joins countless millions over the generations. With a heart of praise she offers one last Hallelujah, the very word that opens the psalm.

When you catch your soul complaining, worrying, fretting, cursing or plotting, turn to your own soul and coach yourself to praise the Lord. For the Lord is faithful to those who trust in Him. Your way will be blessed, not frustrated, when you commit to a life mission to praise the Lord.

Psalm 145 - Praise Forever

Psalm 145:1-21 NIV

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 

Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. 

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

 and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 

They tell of the power of your awesome works—

 and I will proclaim your great deeds. 

They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 

The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. 

They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

 so that all people may know of your mighty acts

 and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

 and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. 

The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 

You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. 

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 

The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. 

Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

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Psalm 145 is a beautiful psalm of praise attributed to David. In fact the closing of the Book of Psalms begins with Psalm 145. It's all high praise from here on out, building to a crescendo, peaking at Psalm 150.

Praise is the language of God's people. Worship is our life's work. Everything we do ought to be in a spirit of praise.

Colossians 3:17 NIV

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I wish I had that kind of discipline. It's something to shoot for. Of course the psalms themselves prove that perpetual praise is not Israel's experience. The psalms are filled with lament, words of sadness, fear, and anger. All of the many human emotions are present in the psalms. But all of them are brought before the Lord, trusting that God is compassionate and cares for His people. So even lament is a form of worship, to honor God with trust in the midst of trial. To believe in God's compassion and goodness is an offering of praise, when no goodness is to be found.

Psalm 145 exalts God as King and proclaims his worth. God is praised from generation to generation. They praise His majesty and tell of His mighty works. They speak of His glorious and everlasting kingdom. All creatures join in the praise!

The litany specifies some of the Lord's praiseworthy attributes. The Lord is compassionate, patient, good, caring, gracious, trustworthy, giving, faithful, and righteous. He is near to all who call on Him and watches over all who love Him. The providence of God is celebrated, how He is faithful to meet the needs of every living creature.

Psalm 145:15-16 NIV

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Psalm 145 invites praise. As I read the verses I am drawn into the spirit of praise. My heart soars with the joy that David put into this work. I desire to join the multitude in worshiping the Lord. God inhabits praise. So in all things and in all ways praise the Lord. It's what you were made to do. Praise is our purpose in life.

Psalm 144 - Taunts and Lies

Psalm 144:1-10, 12-15 NIV

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 

He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer,

 my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,

 mere mortals that you think of them? 

They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow. 

Part your heavens, Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. 

Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy; shoot your arrows and rout them. 

Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters,

 from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.

I will sing a new song to you, my God;

 on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,

 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David. 

Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants,

 and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. 

Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. 

Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;

 our oxen will draw heavy loads. 

There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.

Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

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Psalm 144 is another psalm of David. He seems to be established in his fortified city, likely Jerusalem. The enemy threat is from foreigners. 2nd Samuel mentions some of the foreign nations David fought against when he became king.

2 Samuel 8:11-12 NIV

King David... he had subdued: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

The mouths of these foreign enemies are full of lies, David says twice in Psalm 144. What were they lying about? Were they taunting the Israelites, saying that Yahweh, their God, could not save them? A taunt like this is recorded in the days of the Assyrian invasion in 2nd Kings. These are the words, the lies, of the king of Assyria, through his high commander.

2 Kings 18:32b-35 NIV

Choose life and not death! “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

In the face of such lies uttered by the enemy, the king counters with faith in Yahweh. The people of God always meet lies with faith. The faith of David speaks of a God of love and war. God prepares David for battle. God protects and rescues His people from enemies. God firmly establishes His son, the king of the Jews, over the people. David is confident that God is with him. He is therefore ready to stand against the enemy attack.

Even though he and his people are only mortal, the everlasting God, creator of heaven and earth, is on their side. So confident is David that be proclaims he will sing a new song for the Lord when Yahweh comes down and delivers Israel from their enemy. David will sing of happy times, full of health, beauty and prosperity. Under the blessings of the Almighty, Israel will live in peace and security. Blessed are the people whose God is Yahweh.

Enemy lies come not just from mortal opponents. They come from inside us too. The father of lies, the devil, taunts us with lies that shame us, make us paranoid, and cause us fear or resentment. These lies, when unchecked with truth, can make us miserable and even send us on a path toward destruction. Think of teens who cut themselves as the struggle with low self esteem. Think of men and women who are unemployed and think of themselves as failures. The lies of the evil one lead them to think they'd be better off dead. They die slowly through alcohol and drugs. Some commit suicide. There are countless examples, but one source of all the many lies that take human lives, Satan, the accuser.

When you are battling a head full of lies, whether they are uttered by classmates, colleagues or the devil himself, turn your thoughts to the truth. God is love. Love is the greatest power in the universe. God loves you. God is with you and is preparing you to stand in His strength against the enemy. The power that created the universe, that raised Jesus from the dead, is at your side. He will give you the victory enabling you to sing with joy a new song. Blessed is the one whose God is The Lord.