1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.
While we stand outside and take in the awesome view of the stars, the clouds, the fields, and the snow on the mountains, we consider God’s goodness to His people.
We are thrilled at the view of God’s awesome creation. We are even more awestruck as we can make out His fingerprints on the stars, the clouds, and the snow in the mountains. Then we are even more moved by the sense of God’s hand upon us, His special care for us, His people. Finally, we come to realize that the beauty of God’s praise transcends the beauty of the creation itself!
Verse 1
There are many good things to do in life, but praising God is man’s highest good. There is nothing more rewarding, more delightful, more beautiful, and more noble than to commend the Lord of the universe and to appreciate His works. Humans are more ennobled when they appreciate that which is beautiful and noble in art and culture. The appreciation of good music created by gifted men and women lends a certain depth and richness to their lives. We are most inspired, uplifted, and ennobled, however, when we consider the ultimate Creator in His personality, His nature, and His works. What is the value of all the award ceremonies for beauty, sports, and entertainment, in which humans are always rewarding each other? Such celebrations become empty and degrading when God is taken out of the picture.
Modern worship is expected to render a certain feeling or experience to the worshiper. Man worships for his own sake, and he is still at the center. However, the best worship discovers something about God and returns sincere and heart-deep praise to Him. The true worshiper finds great satisfaction and enjoyment, not in a superficial, emotional way, but in the sense that he has plumbed the depths of life’s purpose. May God help us to distinguish between empty, man-centered worship and true worship in this day of apostasy.
Praise and song are also intimately related in this first verse. In Christian worship, you cannot have one without the other. Singing is a daily routine among those whose hearts are filled with thanksgiving and awe for the Lord God.
Verses 2-7
Throughout this psalm, we look at God’s works in nature and then God’s work and interest in us. We learn something about God in viewing His creation, and then we realize that this is the God that relates to us, His people. This connection is made at least four times in the psalm.
It is appropriate to begin with the most blessed work of God—that of His work in His people. The Lord Jesus said He would build His church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). At the end of the whole world, the people of God will gather to praise the name of Jesus who has redeemed them “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev. 5:9,10; 19:7). He has found the outcasts of Israel and among the other nations and He has gathered them into a new people identified by the Name of His Son. Glorious work indeed! Creation is magnificent, but the redemption He brings to the miserable, the lost, the blind, and the hell-bound sinners is more impressive. His ministry of redemption comes to those whose hearts have been broken by a sense of their own sinfulness and lost condition (Ps. 51:1-17). Those who are bruised and broken, mangled in spirit, and sensitive to their own condition are the ones He helps. Here we see the tenderness of our Savior God and His vital interest in some poor, isolated soul. He reaches out to them and gathers them into His family.
If for a moment someone might think he could be lost from God’s view on this third rock from the sun, the psalmist quickly follows with verse four. God calls every star by its own name. None of these quadrillions upon quadrillions of stars are lost to the Lord’s attention. After all, this is His world. He made every part of it, and He knows everything about it. These contemplations bring us back to realize God’s absolute power and infinite knowledge and understanding (vs. 5). Man’s greatest creations are minuscule when set next to Mount Everest. Michelangelo’s murals are not nearly so gorgeous or large as a sunset over the mountains. Man’s total knowledge of the atom is only a tiny fraction of God’s knowledge of it. Man’s knowledge includes all of the hundreds of thousands of pages of textbooks and mathematical calculations attempting some rough approximation of God’s blueprints. But there is no limit to God’s power. It doesn’t take Him more effort to make six billion stars than it does for Him to create a single atom. He is not worn out or intimidated by the problems of the universe.
In human society, we seldom see powerful people hanging around the poor and the downtrodden. The rich are almost always attending fancy dinners and talking about how they will make more money and gain more power and influence. Our God, however, isn’t really all that interested in the rich and the powerful. He spends most of His time with fishermen and publicans. He more or less ignores the rich, except when one asks Him to heal His son (John 4:49ff). Our all-powerful God is most interested in helping the most humble sinners. The Most Powerful draws near to the most humble. This is one of the most fundamental principles of the Christian faith—and perhaps the most fundamental to the doctrine of our salvation. Meanwhile, the proud and wicked man doesn’t stand a chance against the all-powerful God of the universe (vs. 6b).
Thus far, we have a twofold reason to praise the Lord. He is great, powerful, and wise, but He also takes a special interest in the humble. This is an awe-inspiring meditation. Let us sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving!
Verses 8-11
In these verses, we again stand in the outdoors and we behold God’s natural creation. Do you ever grow tired of looking at the heavens, the clouds, the fields, and the mountains? The mighty cloud formations just above your head carry tons of water to moisturize the plants growing over millions of acres. How many blades of grass grow on that hill over there? Each plant is cared for by the hand of our heavenly Father, that He might provide food for the animals and for man. Meteorologists estimate that hurricane clouds will carry as much as 240 million tons of water—the weight of 2400 aircraft carriers. This demonstrates something of the power of God, and the wisdom and care He puts into watering the earth.
Verse ten turns back to God’s dealings with men. Again we are reminded that the Creator of heaven and earth is not impressed by the strength of human armies and powerful governments. Men are enamored by the power of the state and its formidable military strength. Even among Christians, there is a a undue emphasis on “making an impact” as measured by “bodies, bucks, and buildings.” But what delights our God is a man who fears Him and hopes in His mercy. Here is another distilled description of the faith. It is the man who trembles in the presence of God, but in his trembling he lifts his arms to the heavens. There he stands for hours upon hours, and days upon days, with his arms in the air waiting for God’s mercy. He waits and hopes. He never gives up on hoping in the mercy of God.
The Lord our God takes great delight in the man who waits upon His mercy. That father and mother who finds a deep spiritual void in their children come to God in prayer. They depend upon the mercy of God, and they pray in hope for years upon years. They have no idea how or when the Lord will answer their prayers. But they pray, believing and hoping in a merciful God. Based on all that we know about God’s power, wisdom, and mercy, we live with an outrageously hopeful outlook. The current conditions may seem to present a lost cause, but our eyes are focused on the heavens and we are hoping in the mercy of God. This is what God likes.
Verses 12-20
Now, the psalm turns to the people of God who are gathered and points out the blessing of the body of Christ. The Apostles, also, love to offer prayers of thanksgiving over the churches in their epistles (Eph. 1:16, 1 Thess. 1:2, 3 John 2-4). When we gather on Sundays, we ought to thank the Lord for the body of saints sitting about us. It is the most glorious accomplishment of our Redeemer God. He has loaded us with physical blessings, yes, but also every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). Granted, there are some assemblies in the throes of apostasy in which divisions, schisms, and conflicts dominate. There is no peace for the wicked, and the Gospel of Christ seems to have no real impact upon these folks. Within the true fellowship of believers, however, He is our peace. He breaks down the middle wall of partition where there were two-thousand-year conflicts that separated man and man (Eph. 2:14). The true church will find peace within and between brothers and sisters in Christ. There will be peacemaking, restoration, reconciliation, and forgiveness. These are reasons to gather for praise and worship in the church!
Once again, we return to God’s providential hand over nature in verse 15. The psalmist points out that God’s Word takes command over nature, and then he compares it to God’s powerful Word used in discipling the nations in verses 19 and 20.
The winter storms come as the deliberate, authoritative will of God communicated by His word. He speaks and the snow falls, and the frost decorates the billions of pine needles in the forests on the mountains. Imagine how much work it would take for a painter to paint each of the pine needles in order to create such a gorgeous magical scene! When the time is right, He sends His Word again (vs. 18) and the snow on the mountains melts. The waters rush into roaring rivers and water the plains, the fields, and the villages all the way to the sea.
Who can stand before His cold? Snow presents a dangerous and hard-edged beauty. It is usually best enjoyed from inside the lodge, unless we are dressed well for it. Through the years, many have died in snowstorms, or have frozen to death in the cold. We are reminded of the power, the beauty, and the dangerous judgment of God in His works.
As sure as the Word of God spreads the snow and waters over millions of acres of land throughout the world, His Word flows throughout the world. He sends His Word out, and it does not return to Him void.
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa. 55:10, 11).
Through the patient work of evangelists, pastors, and teachers, the nations are discipled through the centuries. Every tribe and nation are receiving the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the God of Israel. Nations that did not know the judgments of God have come to know them. In 843 AD, King Rastislav from Bohemia requested missionaries to come teach the people to “observe Christian law.” Two brothers, Methodius and Cyril came and developed a written language. They translated the New Testament into the Bohemian language right away, and provided Rastislav with the first civil law code. This is only one example of how nations have been discipled over the two thousand years of kingdom work that has passed. Throughout the last three thousand years, the Lord has blessed certain nations with a godly heritage while leaving other nations alone. He is sovereign over individuals and nations, and takes His Word where He deigns to take it. Praise ye the Lord!
Hearts that are filled with the urge to praise will break out spontaneously in worship with song. The Doxology, the Gloria Patri, and the praise psalms will be part of the routine of any Christian family. Children raised in a Christian home will hear hymns of thanksgiving from their godly fathers and mothers on a regular basis. These Christian homes are few and far between these days, but you will recognize them immediately by their praise in song.
When a proud and wealthy people forget to worship and thank God for their blessings, they will always sink into decadence. The seeds of this rebellion are always seen when families skip worship for sports games, wealth, entertainment, and vacations. Their hearts are manifest in their priorities.
We must draw all of God’s works into consideration when we worship. What we can see with our eyes (in nature) can be helpful to better understand how He works in our salvation. We can learn of His power and mercy. Thus, it is appropriate that the worship begin with the recognition of His physical blessings and His tremendous work in the physical world. We must, however, not leave it there. We must move on to more spiritual blessings and spiritual application.
1. What is the connection that is made four times throughout this psalm?
2. How is it comforting to know that God has named every one of the stars?
3. What teaching is fundamental to our salvation (our soteriology)?
4. With whom is God not so impressed? Where does He find delight?
5. What is unique about snow?
6. How does Isaiah 55 tie into this passage?
1. Is worship the most fulfilling and ennobling part of our lives? What effect does worship have upon us?
2. Are you hoping in God’s mercy? For what things are you waiting upon God (in terms of your own life and the lives of others)?