Positioned to Be Blessed
"He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy."
Psalm 147: 10-11
To know what brings pleasure to God should be at the forefront of our pursuits. Rather than seek blessing, it is much wiser to simply be a person God will bless. The beatitudes are an example of this. The given blessings are a result of God finding a right heart condition. The poor in spirit are given the Gospel. The pure in heart will see God (for more, see Matt. 5:3-11).
You find this same principle here in Psalm 147. To fear God and genuinely revere His power and perfections coupled with a humble confidence and faith in God's mercy is sure to position a person for great blessings (v. 10-11). He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds (v. 3). He lifts up the humble (v. 6).
Our part is to be humble; His part is to lift us up. Our part is to come to God with hope in His mercy; His part is to heal the wounds of a broken heart. For those who live out this principle, they find themselves living a life of thanksgiving. They thank God for everything from the food they eat to the awe they feel in seeing the amazing wonder of creation. But most of all, they thank God that He has made His word known to them. Our needs are best met when we seek first a heart that pleases God. A heart of humble, expectant hope that He will always give what we need the most.
Praise to Our Creator
"Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created."
Psalm 148:5
All of creation is called upon to praise God for its existence. The obvious wonder at the design and beauty of creation makes praise nothing less than a logical response to the one who created it. In our own time, the faith placed in Darwin's theory of evolution has been one of, if not the single, greatest force to silence the voice of praise to God in the western world. It is a false faith that believes creation brought itself into existence and continues to design itself. Many leading scientists are challenging Darwin's theories in our own time.
But let us not withhold praise to God until the arrogance of man is proven to be the self-imposed delusion that it is. Let us praise Him in every sunset, every cloud, and everything else that speaks of our almighty God.
The Pleasure You Are
"For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation."
Psalm 149:4
That God takes pleasure in us is one of the most valuable truths in a biblical understanding of how our souls operate. Being made in the image of God, there is a God-created need within our inner beings to be loved, as well as to bring pleasure to those who love us. Every child longs for this from his parents just as we do from the parent of our souls -- God. That we actually bring pleasure to God elevates our value and joy like nothing else can. In coming to this revelation of God's love for us, joyful praise becomes anything but an exercise of emotional manipulation. Instead it is an honest expression of what it means to be loved first by God, knowing that He takes pleasure in us -- right now, just as we are.
Call Everything to Praise Him
"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!"
Psalm 150:6
Praise done with every means possible is the call to each of us. Here in Psalm 150 every musical instrument at our disposal is to become an instrument of praise. But we should not think that is to be the limit. Art, architecture, science, drama, and education are all full of that which can be used to praise God. God is the origin of our ability to create a painting or design a beautiful and functional building. As we discover the laws of nature in science, we can use this knowledge to see the creative genius of God.
Even our most menial tasks can be seen as an opportunity to praise God. Express your love for God any way you can. "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD."
Psalms 147
~Praise to God for His Word and Providence
1 Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
6 The LORD lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders,
And fills you with the finest wheat.
15 He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 148
~Praise to the LORD from Creation
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He has exalted the horn of His people,
The praise of all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
A people near to Him.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 149
~Praise to God for His Salvation and Judgment
1 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 150
~Let All Things Praise the LORD
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!
Psalms 147-150 v. 1 to sing praises "to praise-sing"
v. 2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem –This psalm probably was composed in the time when the exiles returned from Babylon under Esra and Nehemiah. The city had been destroyed two generations earlier. Now it was being rebuilt.
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel – the Jews returning from exile
v. 3 heals the brokenhearted – While referring specifically to the returning exiles, this verse is a universal declaration of how God's love and grace can heal any heart broken by trauma or sin.
v. 4 He counts the number of the stars – This statement is meant both literally and as a reference to His intimate knowledge of each of the children of Abraham. Genesis 15, records how God called Abraham outside his tent to look at the night sky in the desert "and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be'" (Gen 15:5).
v. 5 His understanding is infinite – His wisdom has no "limits" (literally: number). God can count the stars but His thoughts none can calculate.
v. 8 who covers the heavens with clouds – The poet's gaze moves from the starry heavens to the sky and then the earth, which He gifts with rain, providing food for all creatures in His care (v. 9).
v. 10 does not delight – This verse marks a turning point in the psalm. The psalmist focuses on particular things in nature relating to the fate of the nations, the war horse and the warrior. This moves the song back to the historical situation of Israel: her return from exile was not accomplished by great military feats but by God acting on her behalf.
v. 12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem…your God, O Zion! – The poet urges the restored city to shout out God's praises!
v. 13 the bars of your gates – The city is no longer naked to attack; her walls are secure and her gates strong (compare this with the narrative of the rebuilding of the city walls under Nehemiah). Children run through her streets, where once enemy armies had rampaged, looted and raped.
v. 15 He sends out His command – Verses 15-20 tie together God's absolute rule of nature (v. 15-18) and His rule over the destiny of peoples and nations (v. 19-20).
v. 19 declares His word to Jacob – He has given His special revelation by speaking to Israel: "He tells His Word to Jacob."
v. 20 He has not dealt – Israel has a special place in God's economy; His Word, His "Torah," makes her special and unique.
Psalm 148 This psalm paints the glory of God on a cosmic canvas, starting with an image of the celestial court – the angels and the heavenly host – and then moving to the starry heavens and down to the earth and humankind. All things bright and beautiful are urged to join together in praising God.
v. 2 angels…hosts – Not the little fat-cheeked rosy babies in baroque paintings, but the supreme ambassadors and warriors who carry out God's bidding.
v. 3 Praise Him, sun and moon – This verse begins a depiction of the creation account from Gen. 1: sun, moon and stars (v. 3); the highest heavens and waters beyond the sky (v. 4); the sea monsters and deep places (v. 7); the manifestations of the weather and seasons (v. 8); the land and its riches (v. 9); wild beasts and domestic livestock, "crawling things" and flying birds (v. 10), and, finally, all of humankind from the greatest to the smallest (v. 11-12)…all are to "praise the Lord"!
v. 13 His glory is above the earth and heaven – Compared to God's superlative excellence, nothing in creation is worth placing next to Him.
v. 14 He has exalted the horn of His people – This very God, Maker of all things, has taken personal interest in His chosen people, who are "near" to Him. He is "the praise of all His saints," He and no other.
Psalm 149 This little song, the fifth of the "Hallelujah" psalms that conclude the Psalter, calls God's people to a continuing life of fresh and joyous praise. The occasion was probably a military victory over the enemies of Israel (v. 6-9).
v. 1 in the assembly of saints – To be sung when the faithful gather together in the Temple.
v. 2 Maker…King – Actually, the second noun is plural, "kings" – probably a oblique way of referring both to the anointed ruler and to God as the eternal sovereign.
v. 3 dance…sing praises…with the timbrel and harp – The joyous dance celebrating God's deliverance of His people from their enemies has a very ancient tradition in Israel; Miriam, the sister of Moses, was the prototypical praise dancer in Israel (Ex. 15:1-21).
v. 4 beautify – to adorn or crown (Heb.) Salvation was not meant in a narrow sense of "saving your soul for heaven" but includes military victory and prosperity here and now
v. 5 Let them sing aloud on their beds – Probably not a "good night" song but rather the continuation of their praise through the night.
v. 6 high praises of God be in their mouth – pictures the warriors of Israel marching out to battle, sword in hand, praise in their mouths
v. 7 to execute vengeance on the nations – The message of the Bible is very clear: His people will ultimately judge the nations.
v. 8 To bind their kings with chains – handcuffs
fetters of iron – neck or foot irons
v. 9 the written judgment – Probably the judgment that is promised to God's people in Deuteronomy if they are obedient to God's covenant (Deut. 28:1-12).
Psalm 150
This little psalm, the last of the six "Hallelujah" songs concluding the Psalter, begins and ends with a call to praise the Lord for all He does for His creation and His people. The word "praise" (halel, Heb.) is repeated in every phrase of the psalm (a total of 10 times).
v. 1 in His sanctuary…in His mighty firmament – The Temple below and the corresponding "Temple" of the heavens above.
v. 2 according to – "in keeping with"
v. 3 with the sound of the trumpet – lists the praise instruments of the Temple musicians.
the sound of the trumpet – i.e. the blast of the shofar, the ram's horn.
v. 5 loud cymbals…clashing cymbals – Probably the same instrument being used to create two different sounds.
v. 6 everything that has breath – The book of psalms concludes with a universal call to all creation to recognize and proclaim God's glory and greatness. Hallelujah!
Prayer Focus
"He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy."
Psalm 147:10-11
We see in Your word today, God, what type of person You take pleasure in. Give us hearts that fear and revere You, Lord, and hearts that live for hope in Your mercy and grace.
Keepers of the Home
I can honestly say that until Keepers I didn't understand that there were God-ordained roles. Thank you to the leadership of Keepers and Family of Promise for their hearts, for listening to the leading of the Lord and for your willingness to step out in faith to equip us to better serve our families in our GOD-given roles.
Prayer Points
- for those in our church and in our valley to come and hear the teaching and to embrace the roles that God has ordained for our homes and relationships.
"Devotion with Emotion", Bible, Bob Caldwell, Christianity, Devotional, Jesus, Last Call, Michael James Stone, Sharon
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