psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 150

a New Song of Praise

Sing to the Lord a New Song
1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
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 judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 149

I hope that you have had a wonderful year and are excitedly expecting the New Year as I write this Christmas Eve. However, I know that many have had a year filled with trials and testing. As I read this Psalm, I cannot help but remember the trials and testing of Israel over the generations, yet, here the Psalmist proclaims a new song of praise to be sung unto the Lord.

Regardless of the trials you face and how dark times may occasionally seem, each day is a new day. Each day is a reason for celebration. Why, because Jesus ultimately is victorious. He has already won victory over our enemies, over the apostate nations, over everything including death. In that victory, He does not promise that we shall always be comfortable or that life will be easy; quite the opposite. However, He does promise that He will work out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called to His purpose. Now that is a reason for praise and Honor.
So, as we enter into the new year, remember to:

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Praise the Lord!

the creation praises the Creator

Psalm 148

Praise the Name of the LORD

 ¹ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens;
   praise him in the heights!
²Praise him, all his angels;
   praise him, all his hosts!

 ³Praise him, sun and moon,
   praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴Praise him, you highest heavens,
   and you waters above the heavens!

 ⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD!
   For he commanded and they were created.
⁶And he established them forever and ever;
   he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

 ⁷Praise the LORD from the earth,
   you great sea creatures and all deeps,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and mist,
    stormy wind fulfilling his word!

 ⁹ Mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars!
¹⁰ Beasts and all livestock,
   creeping things and flying birds!

 ¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples,
   princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹²Young men and maidens together,
   old men and children!

 ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for his name alone is exalted;
    his majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his saints,
   for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the LORD!

Why does this Earth abound with such color, such wonder? Why do birds’ feathers lay in such brilliant patterns and still beat the wind to defy gravity and take flight? How is it that a small seed can become a mighty tree, and that tree can bear fruit with its own array of intricate hues? Have you considered a verdant field? Blades of grass and pine needles and leaves, thousands of them, each a unique part of a grand tapestry, dancing in the breeze, and serving the forest’s creatures. Why is it all here?

As I write this a glistening winter frost covers the yard. The morning sun lights each crystal and the cold world suddenly looks radiant. My little part of the Earth is extraordinary. Somewhere else, right now, a great whale maneuvers a deep ocean current. Clouds bring snow, or dazzling lightning, or thunderous hail. A mountain casts a rugged shadow where still another astonishing creature rests. I’m overwhelmed by the magnitude and the scope and the creativity of it all. But why is it all here?

Because life formed in some primordial soup millions of years ago, and then things just sort of developed into what they are? Ludicrous! The sun and moon, the shining stars, the fathomless ocean deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, apple orchards and cedars, snakes and sparrows… oh what an artistic and inventive God we have! God designed and created it all because He is a God of creation, and all of it returns praise to Him for its very existence. “Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.” And don’t forget, His splendor tops it all!

We too are God’s brilliant creation, and we too must respond in praise. This Psalm’s bookends are the Hebrew Hallelu Yah. Give praise to God. These should be the bookends of every single day we’re granted to exist in this remarkable world God made. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

give praise to the Lord

Psalm 147

1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!

This psalm begins and ends with praise to the Lord. In between this there are repeated calls to give praise to God and many of the reasons for this praise are given.
 
His calling- Spurgeon wrote: “Spiritually we see the hand of God in the edification of the church, and in the ingathering of sinners. What are men under conviction of sin but outcasts from God, from holiness, from heaven, and even from hope? Who could gather them from their dispersions, and make citizens of them in Christ Jesus save the Lord our God?” For this, we should give praise to God, for He has called us out of darkness and into the light.

His mercy- we have in this psalm a promise that God will build up Jerusalem but we also have the promise that God will not only heal the city but the inhabitants as well. Those that are brokenhearted in their sin can come to God in full assurance that the great physician will heal their wounds. It is because God is merciful to us that we should give Him praise.

His power- With all the advances that have taken place in my lifetime, it is easy to become confident in the flesh. We have a sober reminder here that God is far greater than anything we can imagine. He not only established the stars but gave them their names. His understanding is beyond measure. Recognition of this should lead to the humility that is necessary to give Him the praise.

His providence- Praise to Him who provides for us. God not only has provided for us but also for the lowly cattle of the earth. If He has taken such care to provide for the beast of the field and the bird of the air, how much greater care has He taken in providing for us who have been created in His image? It amazes me sometimes to think that the only being capable of expressing gratitude and recognition for this provision is also the only being that curses the One who gave him that ability. Praise His name!

His word- Finally and perhaps most appropriately we praise Him for His Word! The written word that tells us of His commands that we might know how to live. The written word that speaks of His glory. The written word that speaks of His son. The living word that gives life to those that read it. The living word that is able to save. The word made flesh that comforts our souls and heals our hearts and makes us whole. Give praise to His name. Amen.

psalm 146

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 146

Celebrating His Greatness

A Song of Praise. Of David.
1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

- Psalm 145

We are approaching the college football bowl games.  This is the time of year in which many fans will either celebrate the greatness over their team or the upset of loss.  Stadiums will be packed to the max of fans that are chanting songs of praise for athletes that they probably will never meet.  Much money will be spent over the next few weeks for the purpose of…celebrating a game.  As I spent time today reading over Psalm 145, I was drawn to a song of celebration.  Celebrating the greatness of God was central to David.  Take just a few minutes and read all 21 verses of Psalm 145. 

Celebrating the greatness of God is a glorious task that we are privileged to have.  David begins this Psalm with a powerful proclamation of God as His King.  The Psalm moves to daily celebration (v.2), unsearchable celebration (v.3), multi generational celebration (v.4), and majestic celebration (v.5-7).  From these verses, we go into a description of the Lord’s character.  Friend, He is truly gracious and merciful!  The fact that we even have a voice to celebrate Him (v.21), is truly amazing to me. 

He satisfies (v.19), He upholds (v.14), He is infinitely kind (v.17), and He is all loving (v.20).  I could go on with a list of His greatness based on this psalm alone!  So, why would any of us truly want to celebrate the greatness of others?  Why would we worship teams, bands, movies, etc.? How can they truly measure up to the greatness of God displayed in Psalm 145?  Today, celebrate His greatness.  Live in His greatness.   Enjoy His greatness. 

-from one who finds satisfaction in His greatness alone.

our Rock

My Rock and My Fortress
Of David.

1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.

3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

- Psalm 144

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!  Wow what a statement, what a thought!  David recognized that the Lord is sovereign, that He is steadfast and man is not. This is David’s Isaiah 6 moment (or at least one of them), he sees not only himself, but all men as so insignificant that it is amazing that God would even consider them, even think of them.

As we enter into this season of remembering the birth of our Lord, we must also remember what David understood.  Our blessings, our provision, our sustenance does not come from this world or the work of our hand, but from the Lord. It is His sovereign grace, and the fact that He doesn’t just consider us but loves us, that provides all we need.

It is easy in this season and this day to get entwined with the world’s view that man is basically good and that everyone will eventually go to heaven because God loves us all.  The truth is God does love us all, and for that fact, there will be some who are treated as foreigners, who God will separate us from, and who God will stretch out his hand against.

Praise God for his blessings. Praise God for His Son who died for us. Praise God for His justice which will separate us from the foreigners. Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him!!!

Make me know the way I should go

Psalm 143

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

¹Hear my prayer, O LORD;
give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
² Enter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before you.

³For the enemy has pursued my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.

⁵ I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah

⁷ Answer me quickly, O LORD!
My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
⁸ Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

⁹ Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD!
I have fled to you for refuge!
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!

¹¹ For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life!
In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
¹²And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your servant.

Much has been made of David holed up in a cave, fleeing his tormentor Saul, and that’s the first image that came to mind as I read Psalm 143. “My enemy… has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.” That cave must have felt dark and cold like a grave. If you think about it, good hiding places are by nature dark.

The early church classified this as the last of the “Penitential Psalms”, following Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, and 130. In that light, the words take on more relevant meaning for me. From the beginning David contrasts the ultimate righteousness of God with our sin. As a lament over the sin condition, this psalm is about a lot more than fleeing Saul.

The miracle of grace is that verse 2 is a confounding paradox. In the same verse, David notes the depravity of man (there is not sugarcoating, no softening of his declaration) and asks a holy and righteous God not to judge us for our sin, as if we could have it both ways.

The enemy who pursues and crushes could then be considered not Saul, but Satan. And what does sin cause us to do? We hide from God. Remember, good hiding places are by nature dark. Verses 9 and 10 are excellent strategy for overcoming sin’s temptation. Flee to God, not from Him. Learn His will. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Moreover, the final imprecatory verses sit much better with me not as a call for God to crush a loony pursuer but instead for God to cut off our tempter Satan, to destroy the adversary of our soul.

Guard your heart today. Run to your righteous protector God. Learn His will and follow His ways.

We have a God that hears us

Psalm 142:1-7

(1)  A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
(2)  I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
(3)  When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
(4)  Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.
(5)  I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
(6)  Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!
(7)  Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

A maskil is a psalm that is meant for instruction. The reader should be attentive in reading a maskil to learn what it is that the writer is intending to teach them. In this psalm we have a simple message that is worth examining and repeating.

1. No matter how dire our circumstances may seem, there is no depth to which we can go where God can not hear us. Notice that David cried out with his voice. The believer should be quick to give voice to his concerns for we have a God who hears us. We have the promise in scripture that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).
2. Even when the direction for our lives is unclear to us we have a God who is sovereign and knows the paths before us. Psalm 139 tells us that God searches out our paths and is acquainted with all our ways. This is of great comfort to the believer in times of uncertainty.
3. The humble man knows that our refuge is in God. We should not trust in the protections that this world can provide. Notice that David was hidden in a cave but he did not trust in the refuge that the cave provided. Any comfort or protection that we find in this world is merely temporary but the refuge we have in God is eternal. This gives us true joy in our times of trouble for our deliverer is there for us.
4. Finally, note that David prays for deliverance. He does not ask so that he can avenge his enemies. He does not ask so that he can increase his kingdom. He does not ask for any personal reasons. He wants to be delivered so that he can give praise to God for the mighty works He has done.

When we have our faith in God and recognize our low position, we can not help but voice our prayers and concerns to Him. For we know that only He can deliver us from this world and for that we give Him all the thanks and praise.

hasten to me Lord

A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
and let me not eat of their delicacies!

5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown over the cliff,
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8 But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.

- Psalm 141

As I read this psalm I was amazed by David’s passion that poured out in his words. You can just feel the intensity of this prayer as thought you are right in his midst as he offers it up to the Lord.  David longs for nothing more than to dwell with the Lord all the days of his life (Psalm 27).  This psalms shows us how he seeks to accomplish this. Just look at how many different ways David expresses his longing to the Lord:

- he calls out to him (v1),
- he longs for his prayers to be pleasing (v2),
- he raises his hands to the Lord (v2), 
- he asks for the Lord to guard his lips and heart (3)
- he avoids the pleasures of evil (v4) 
- he longs for the reproof of the righteous (v5)
- he prays for the wicked to hear his words (v6)
- he keeps his focus on the Lord only (v8)

This passion amazes me! I was floored particulary by verse 5, “Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.” Could you pray in this same way?  How often do we avoid the challenge of a righteous man? Rarely ever do we desire to be corrected, because we fail to see the benefit from being sharpened.  A challenge from a righteous man can be a difficult pill to swallow sometimes and so often we avoid any chance of receiving such a challenge.  And instead of avoiding it, David actually prays for it to come.  He longs for the sweet fellowship with the Lord so much that he prays for correction to come because he knows it is only for his benefit.  Wow! Could we long for the Lord’s fellowship so much that we wouldn’t just accept correction and exhortation from a brother or sister in Christ but pray for it to come?! Let that become our prayers, let that become our fellowship with each other, and let that become our lives!

- one who is learning to pray for the rebuke of the righteous

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