Psalms 147

When Nehemiah and his people finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, restoring the gates, and resettling the people, they called a great assembly for celebration and dedication, and it is likely that this psalm was written for that occasion (vv. 2, 12–14; Neh. 12:27–43). The verb “gather together” in verse 2 is used in Ezekiel 39: for the return of the captives to Judah, and the word outcasts in verse 2 is used for these exiles (Neh. 1:9). One of the unique characteristics of this psalm is the large number of present participles in it—“building, healing, binding, counting, lifting up,” and so on—all of which speak of the constant and dynamic working of the Lord for His people. The psalm presents three reasons why the people should praise the Lord, and each section is marked off by the command to praise God (vv. 1, 7, 12).

The Medes and Persians captured Babylon in 539 BC, and in 537 BC Cyrus issued a decree permitting the Jews to return to their land. Led by Zerubbabel, a large band of exiles went back to Judah the next year and the temple was rebuilt. Nehemiah came in 444 BC to restore the walls and gates of Jerusalem. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah had predicted the captivity of the Jews as well as their release and return, and God’s prophetic Word proved true, as it always does. But the psalmist did not simply notice the event; he also noticed the way the Lord tenderly cared for His people. Many lost loved ones in the invasion and during the time in Babylon, and all returned to a devastated land and ruined houses. No wonder they were brokenhearted (34:18; Isa. 61:1). The “wounds” (v. 3; “sorrows”) were in their hearts, not their bodies, for many had repented and confessed their sins to the Lord, and through the Word, the Lord gave them the comfort they needed (107:20; Isa. 40). Our God is so great that He knew each person and each need (John 10:14, 27–28). The God of the galaxies, who knows the name of every star, is also the God who heals the broken hearts of His people (Luke 4:16–21). He builds up Jerusalem and lifts up His people, for nothing is too hard for Him. (See 20:8; 146:9; Isa. 40:26–29.)

The exiles returned to a land that had been left a war zone for seven decades, and they needed the early and latter rains in order to get a harvest. The Lord gathered the clouds over the land and emptied their life-giving rain on the newly planted seed. He even caused grass to grow on the mountains where nobody had planted any seed! He gave food to the wild beasts so they would not attack the humans, and He even sent food for the noisy young ravens. (See 104:1–24.) The ancients believed that young ravens were abandoned by the parent birds and had to find their own food (Luke 12:24). It was essential that the men and their farm animals stay healthy so they could work toward a harvest and be able to feed themselves and their families. But as important as that was, the most important thing was trusting the Lord, fearing the Lord, and giving Him delight as He beheld their devotion and obedience (33:16–17; 146:3–4; Matt. 6:33). It is an awesome thought that we can bring pleasure to the heart of the heavenly Father (35:27; 37:23; 149:4).

God’s prophetic Word made possible the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:3, 6, 13–15; 7:1–4; Lam. 2:9), and then the Lord added His blessing to the city and its people. In the Hebrew language, “peace” (shalom) is much more than the absence of war. It describes total well being, including material prosperity and physical and spiritual health. Peace at the borders means peace in the nation, for invaders have to cross the borders before they can attack. Peaceful borders, strong walls, locked gates—it adds up to safety and security. Because of their disobedience, the nation had forfeited the “finest of the wheat” (81:16; Deut. 32:13–14), but now the Lord would give His people the very best. After all, the Lord controls the weather with a word (33:9) and He can do as He pleases. Hail storms and snowstorms are very infrequent in the Holy Land, except in the higher altitudes, but the Word of God accomplishes what He purposes. The Word brings the winter and then it brings the springtime, for all creation obeys the will of the Lord.

This truth prepares the way for the final thrust of the psalm: God gave His Word to Israel, and they must obey it even as creation obeys it (vv. 19–20; Deut. 4:7–8, 32–34; Rom. 3:1–2; 9:4). What a privilege it was for the people of Israel to be the bearers of God’s Holy Word and to share it with the world! After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah wrote, “The law is no more” (Lam. 2:9), but God’s Word was not destroyed with the city and temple. God’s Word endures forever (1 Peter 1:25). The church today is blessed by having the Word of God, but we must obey it and share with a lost world. The Jewish nation took great care to protect the manuscripts of God’s Word, and their scholars carefully counted the letters and words, but they did not look beyond the text into the truth being taught (John 5:38–40). When their Messiah came, they did not recognize Him (John 1:26; 1 Cor. 2:6–12). How easy it is for us to respect the Word of God, bind it in expensive leather, and explain it with exhaustive notes, and yet not obey what it tells us to do! “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather,” said evangelist D. L. Moody, which is another way of saying “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14–26).