Psalms 146

The last five psalms are the “hallelujah psalms” that focus our attention on praising the Lord. This psalm begins with a vow to praise God throughout life. The next psalm tells us it is “good and pleasant” to praise the Lord, and 148 reminds us that when we praise God, we join with all creation, for heaven and earth praise Him. In 149, God’s people are admonished to worship joyfully, and the last psalm tells us where and why and how “everything that has breath” should praise the Lord. These five psalms are a short course in worship, and God’s people today would do well to heed their message. Sanctuaries are turning into religious theaters, and “worship” is becoming more and more entertainment. The author of this psalm understood that God was not just a part of life but the heart of life. Paul had the same conviction (Phil. 1:21; Col. 3:4).

God gives us life and breath (Acts 17:25), so it is only right that we use that life and breath to praise Him (150:6). To receive the gifts and ignore the Giver is the essence of idolatry. The writer promised God he would praise Him all of his life, and certainly this is wise preparation for praising Him for eternity (104:33). To live a life of praise is to overcome criticism and complaining, to stop competing against others and comparing ourselves with them. It means to be grateful in and for everything (1 Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:20) and really believe that God is working all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28). A life of praise is free from constant anxiety and discouragement as we focus on the Lord, who is mentioned eleven times in this psalm.

Most people trust in “flesh and blood,” themselves and others, instead of trusting the Lord to use “flesh and blood” to accomplish His will (118:5–9; 44:4–8). What nobody else can do, God can do for us and through us. These verses suggest that the psalmist was concerned that Israel’s leaders not enter into ungodly alliances, but that they turn to God for help. Beginning with Abraham (Gen. 12:10ff.) and the exodus generation (Ex. 14:10–14; 16:1–3; Num. 14:1–10), the people of Israel turned to Egypt for help instead of trusting the Lord, and this was true even during the days of Isaiah (Isa. 31) and Jeremiah (Jer. 2:18; 37:1–10; 42—43). To trust in human wisdom and strength is to depend on that which cannot last, for all people die, and the brilliant ideas of one leader are replaced by the not-so-brilliant ideas of a new leader. In the Hebrew text, “man” is adam, which comes from the word adamah which means “earth.” We came from the earth and return to the earth (Gen. 3:19).

“But will the Lord help me, as weak and failing as I am?” many believers ask. Well, He is “the God of Jacob” (v. 5), a title used at least a dozen times in The Psalms. (See 20:1; 24:6; 46:7, 11.) Jacob was far from being perfect, yet God honored his faith and helped him in times of need. Jacob trusted God’s promises, for his hope was in the Lord, but too often he depended on his own schemes to see him through. The beatitude in verse 5 is the last of twenty-five in the book of Psalms, starting with 1:1. But Jehovah is not only the God of Jacob, He is also the “God who made heaven and earth” (v. 6; 115:5; 121:2; 124:8; 134:3; Ezra 5:11) and has the power to act on behalf of His people. When we pray, we come to the throne of the universe to ask our Father for what we need. Finally, He is the God who “keeps faith forever” (v. 6 nasb). Israel knows Him as the God of the covenant, and Christian believers today know Him as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who initiated a new covenant by giving His life on the cross. Jehovah is a God who can be trusted to keep His Word.

This list of God’s gracious ministries to needy people has at its heart “The Lord loves” (v. 8). He loves the church (Eph. 5:25), a lost world (John 3:16), and His people Israel (Deut. 4:37), and the greatest proof of that love is the cross (Rom. 5:8). Paul wrote, “He loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2: nkjv). All of the sins that help to produce these sad conditions were dealt with on the cross, but their existence in society is proof that the law of sin and death is reigning in this world (Rom. 5:12–21). During His ministry on earth, Jesus revealed God’s love by helping people who were hungry, sick, crippled, blind, bowed down, and otherwise unable to help themselves (Luke 4:16–21; Isa. 61:1–3). We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and if we truly love God, we will love those who need God’s help and will do all we can to help them (1 John 3:10–24; James 2:14–26). Living in love means more than enjoying God’s love for us (John 14:21–24). It also means sharing God’s love with others. We may not be able to perform miracles to heal the afflicted, but we can help them in other ways.

This statement comes from the song of victory that Israel sang at the exodus: “The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (Ex. 15:18). “The Lord reigns” is found in 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; and 99:1. Think of it: the sovereign Lord of the universe is our loving heavenly Father! Not only does the Lord reign over the nations (47:8), but we can “reign in life” through Jesus Christ as we yield to Him and walk in the Spirit (Rom. 5:17). We are now seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:18–23; 2:4–10; Col. 3:1–4), and the throne of the universe is to us a throne of grace (Heb. 4:14–16). We “reign in life” as, by faith, we draw upon our spiritual resources in Christ and together with Him make decisions and exercise ministry. We do not need to wait for the kingdom to come to start reigning with Christ (Matt. 19:28; Rev. 22:5), for God’s grace is reigning (Rom. 5:20–21), and we can reign with Christ today (Rom. 5:21). Then we can have a life of praising God, trusting God, and loving God, a life that will glorify God.