Psalm 147

Psalm 147

Praise Him Greatly

I.                    God alone is uniquely great, so we must praise Him greatly, because in His unlimited power and understanding, He chooses to provide for, and delight in the humble who trust and hope in Him (Vv. 1-11)

a.        This psalm was likely composed and sung for Nehemiah’s celebration at the conclusion of the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. The Psalmist calls the people to praise the Lord, but he also expresses why God should be praised. God must be praised because it’s good and pleasant to do so, and because it’s fitting to praise the Lord. It’s “good” to praise God because as human beings we’re created in His image to glorify and praise Him in relationship with Him. It’s pleasant to praise the Lord because to truly praise the Lord is to truly be in His presence. So when we’re truly praising God, we’re truly doing what we’re supposed to do, and truly where we’re supposed to be, and the result is truly good and pleasant! It’s “becoming” or “fitting” to praise God because He’s unique and unmatched, and it’s in these times of praise when we truly consider who He is, and what He does. As the psalmist considers who God is and what He does, He praises God because He’s the One who “builds up” His people, “gathers” in the outcasts, “heals” the brokenhearted, and “binds up” their sorrows. And when the Psalmist considers all that God does, he’s moved to consider ever more deeply who God is. God is the One who numbers and names all the stars, and who has absolutely unique and unlimited power and knowledge over all things. But God must also be praised for what He does with His unlimited power and knowledge. He brings relief to the afflicted, He holds the wicked accountable for their choices, He provides every single thing needed to sustain our lives and all His created order, and He does all this so that we’ll see His unmatched holiness, power, and glory, revel in His unmatched mercy, grace, and love, and be moved to humble awe in who He is, and complete trust and hope in what only He can do. So often we lose sight of the reality of how amazingly and unequivocally great God is and how unfathomably great His works are. But God uses hardships and difficulties life, to refocus our minds on His unique greatness and goodness; and remind us that the human strength with which we grow so captivated, and which we value and praise so greatly in ourselves and others, is fleeting, and leaves us unfulfilled and unsatisfied. What captivates us, is what we serve, and what we serve is what shapes us. The reality that the God of all power and knowledge, who created all things and sustains all things, chose to exercise His great power to create us, and in even in our willful rebellion, humbly took on flesh, and sacrificed Himself on the cross to make a way to redeem us to Himself, must be the reality which captivates our thoughts in praise of Him at all times. God alone is overwhelmingly and uniquely great, we must greatly praise Him for who He is and what He does, and humbly delight in the God who delights in our humble trust and hope in Him. (Vv. 1-11; Neh. 9:6, 13; 12:27, 35, 41; Ps. 22:3-6; 33:1; 34:18; 81:11-16; 92:1; 104:1-24; 107:20; 135:3; Isa. 40:12-31; 55:6-9; 61:1-3; Luke 4:16-21; 12:22-31; 18:9-14; John 10:14, 27-29; Rom. 11:33-36; Phil. 2:5-8; 1 Cor. 1:18-31; Jas 4:6-10; 1 Pet. 5:6-10)

II.                 God alone is uniquely great, so we must praise Him greatly, because He graciously and personally blesses His people and reveals Himself to us (Vv. 12-20)

a.        We must praise God for who He is and what He does, but we must also praise Him because we’re able to know who He is and what He does, and because we can be certain that He’s faithful to His Person, works, and promises. In the original context of the Psalm, the people were called to sing praises to God because He strengthens their gates, makes peace for them, satisfies their physical hunger, and is faithful to steward His creation and His people. God promised to exile His people for their disobedience, but He also promised to restore a remnant after 70 years. He did just as He promised. His people can only praise Him for who He is and what He does in keeping His promises, because He’s blessed them by establishing a personal relationship with them, and revealing Himself and His promises to them through His written Word. Likewise, we must praise Him today, no matter our circumstances, because He’s proved His unconditional love for us through His Word who become flesh, dwelt among us, revealed exactly who He is, and fulfilled all of His promises in His Word! Further, we must praise Him because He recorded all these things in His written Word, and reveals them to us through the power of His Holy Spirit, that we might walk in them and be free from sin, death, and judgment now and eternally, and be continually encouraged in all seasons of life by the magnitude of the God who loves us and will never leave us. What do you do with God’s Word? Do you cherish it and praise Him for it? If you do, you’ll read it, study it, share it, and be much less likely to take Him for granted, and much more likely to praise Him for who He is and what He does, no matter your circumstances. (Vv. 12-20; Deut. 4:4-8, 32-34; 27-28; Neh. 12:43; Ps. 132:3; Isa. 40:6-8; 55:10-13; Jer. 29:8-13; Matt. 4:4; 5:13-20; Luke 1:52-53; John 1:1-5, 14-18; 3:16-21; 5:36-44; 8:30-36; Rom. 3:1-4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12-13; Jas. 1:21-22; 1 Pet. 1:22-2:12)