Introduction
I said last week that the final five psalms in the book of Psalms are all psalms of praise. And you may have noticed as we read through today’s psalm that the psalmist summons God’s people to praise God four times. There’s verse 1:
Praise the Lord.
Then there’s verse 7:
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make music to our God on the harp.
And then there’s verse 12:
Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
And then there’s the final line:
Praise the Lord.
So, four times the psalmist summons God’s people to praise the Lord their God. And the rest of the psalm is about why they should praise him. They should praise him for his work of creation and for his work of redemption: he made and sustains all things and he cares for his people.
Verses 1 to 6
The psalmist calls God’s people to praise the Lord in verse 1. And he adds immediately that it is good to sing praises to him and that it is pleasant and fitting. Praising God is a good thing for them to do. It’s an excellent thing for them to do. It’s not a waste of their time or effort, because it’s a good thing to do. Praising an idol is not a good thing to do. It’s a waste of time and effort, because an idol is nothing and it can do nothing. It can’t even hear their praise. But it’s good to praise the Lord, because he is praiseworthy. And it’s fitting, because the Lord their God deserves their praise. He is the one who has bound himself to them with a promise to be their God and to act on their behalf. And so, it’s right and appropriate for them to praise him.
And praising him is not only good and fitting, but it’s pleasant. It’s delightful. It pleases God and it is pleasing to his people, because they’re doing what they were made to do. When we try to do things that we were not made to do, it’s only frustrating and difficult. But when we’re doing what we were made to do, then it’s a delightful experience. Think of a bird soaring in the sky or a fish darting through the water. Think of a chimp swinging through the trees or an athlete sprinting down the track. It’s easy for them and it’s a pleasure to watch them do what they were made to do. And we were made to praise the Lord our God; and it’s delightful.
And God’s people should praise him because he cares for his people. The psalmist says in verse 2 that he builds up Jerusalem by gathering the exiles. So, we can think of how he brought back his people from the exile in Babylon and he settled them once again in Jerusalem. And he heals the broken-hearted and he binds up their wounds. They were broken-hearted and wounded because of all that had happened to them when they were taken away from the Promised Land to live in a strange land where they were mocked. And their hearts were broken whenever they heard that Jerusalem had fallen and had been destroyed. Their hearts were also broken when they realised the exile had happened because of their own sinfulness and rebellion. But the Lord was gracious and merciful towards them and he brought them back to Jerusalem and he healed their broken hearts and their wounds by filling them with joy once again.
So, praise the Lord for what he has done to restore his people. And praise him because in the beginning he determined the number of the stars and called each of them by name. In this way he displayed his greatness and power.
And his understanding has no limit. It is infinite just as he himself is infinite. So, there’s nothing he does not know or understand. And it’s possible that when the psalmist refers to the stars, he’s thinking of God’s promise to Abraham to make his descendants like the stars in the sky. In that case, not only has God made the stars, but he has made and multiplied his people. And just as he knows the stars by name, so he knows his people by name. His knowledge of his people is infinite, because he knows all about them. And indeed, he not only sustains the stars, but he sustains his humble people who look to him for the help and strength they need. On the other hand, he casts the wicked to the ground.
So, praise the Lord who made and who sustains the stars and who made and who sustains his people.
Verses 7 to 11
In verse 7 he summons God’s people to sing to the Lord with thanksgiving and to make music to him with the harp. So, they’re to give thanks to the Lord their God. And they’re to give thanks to him because he covers the sky with clouds and he therefore supplies the earth with rain and he makes grass grow on the hills. So, he sends the rain to water the earth and to produce food for his creatures to eat. He cares for the cattle in the fields and he cares too for the young ravens. So, when the adult ravens go off to find food for their young, they come back with their beaks full of food for their offspring to eat and enjoy. And if God cares for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field, then he will also take care of his people who trust in him for their daily bread.
According to verse 10, the Lord takes no pleasure in the strength of the horse or in the legs of a man. I think he’s referring here to the strong legs of a warrior who is riding in a chariot behind a mighty war horse. Perhaps he’s thinking of enemy armies, attacking God’s people. The Lord takes no pleasure in them.
However, he delights in those who fear him and who put their hope in his unfailing love. And this is good news for us. Sometimes there are people we try to impress or please and we work hard to impress them. And perhaps we never do enough to please them. But it’s an easy thing for us to please the Lord, because all we have to do to please the Lord is acknowledge our own helplessness and weakness and inability and to trust in his unfailing love. It pleases him when we cast ourselves before him as our only hope in times of trouble. Other people get impatient with our weakness and our neediness, but the Lord is pleased when we confess it and look to him for his help.
And so, praise the Lord who cares for the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and for his people who trust in him.
Verses 12 to 20
In verse 12 he summons the people of Jerusalem on Mount Zion to extol and praise the Lord their God. Praise him because he strengthens the bars of their gates. That is to say, he keeps his people safe and secure. And he blesses the people. Actually, the Hebrew text says that he blesses their children. So, not only does he keep his people safe, but he also keeps their children safe. And he grants peace — shalom — to your borders. He means that God establishes peace within their borders. So, all who live within the borders of the Promised Land and who trust in him will enjoy peace. His blessing will rest and remain on them and he will provide them with not only wheat, but with the finest of wheat: the best wheat. And they will have so much of it, that they will be completely satisfied and filled up by it.
The psalmist goes on to say in verse 15 that God sends his command to the earth and his word runs swiftly. It’s able to run swiftly, because nothing is able to oppose it and it accomplishes what it was sent for easily.
And by his word of command, he spreads snow and scatters frost on the ground. He hurls down hailstones as well and no-one can withstand his icy blast. We shiver when he sends a cold wind against us. But then, he’s able to do the opposite just as easily. So, by his word of command, he melts the snow and frost. Water that was once frozen begins to flow again. Nothing is too hard for the Lord and nature obeys his word of command.
And moving from creation to redemption once again, he tells us in verse 19 that the Lord has revealed his word and his laws and decrees to his people. Having delivered them from their captivity in Egypt in the days of Moses, he gave them his laws to show them how to live as his people. He showed them what is good and right. He didn’t do this for other nations. And so, it was an act of kindness towards his people to show them the right way to live. And, of course, he also revealed to them what sacrifices to offer to him for the forgiveness of their sins.
And so, praise the Lord who protects his people and gives them peace and who has given them his word to guide them. And the psalm ends with how it began: praise the Lord.
Conclusion
The psalmist calls God’s people to praise him because he gathered his people from exile and brought them back to Jerusalem. He knows them by name and he provides for them and protects them and gives them peace and satisfies them with good things. He has also given them his word to guide them.
And because of Christ our Saviour, who died to bring us to God, we can look forward to the day when we and all of God’s people from every nation will be gathered together and brought into the new Jerusalem to come in the new heavens and earth, where we will be satisfied and fulfilled in the presence of our God who made us and who saves us. We will have everything we need for perfect happiness and we will enjoy perfect peace and rest for ever. Having been made perfect, we will obey God’s word of command perfectly and we’ll love and serve him always.
And so, praise the Lord our God for the great hope we have in Christ of eternal life and eternal peace in the presence of our God. Praise the Lord both now and for evermore.
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