Psalms 148

The word praise is used thirteen times in these fourteen verses. The psalm begins in the highest heavens and ends with the little nation of Israel. If any psalm reveals the glory and grandeur of the worship of the Lord, it is this one, for it is cosmic in its dimensions and yet very personal in its intentions. How anyone could trivialize the privilege and responsibility of worship after pondering this psalm is difficult to understand.

We do not praise a god who was manufactured on earth; we praise the one true and living God who reigns from the highest heavens, the God who created all things. Solomon was right when he said, “Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You” (1 Kings 8: nkjv; see Deut. 10:14; Neh. 9:6; 2 Cor. 12:2). The “hosts [armies] of heaven” include the angels (103:20–21) and the stars and planets (Deut. 4:19), all of which praise the Lord. He is “Lord Sabaoth—the Lord of Hosts” (Rom. 9:29; Isa. 1:9; James 5:4). Scripture gives us a few descriptions of worship in heaven (Isa. 6; Dan. 7:9–10; Rev. 5:11–14), and we are cautioned not to worship the angels (Col. 2:18; Rev. 22:8–9). The sun, moon, and stars also praise God simply by doing what they were commanded to do (8:1–3; 19:1–6; 89:36–37; 136:7–9). We cannot see the angels in heaven, but we can see the heavenly bodies by day and night, and they tell us that there is a God and that He is wise, powerful, and glorious (Rom. 1:18–20). The pagan nations worshipped the creation instead of the Creator, and Israel often fell into the same sin. The waters above and below take us back to Genesis 1:6–7 and 7: (and see Psalm 104:3). Why should the hosts of heaven praise the Lord? Simply because He made them and gave them the privilege of serving Him and His people and bringing glory to His name. We have many more reasons for praising Him, and yet too often, we do not do it.

The sea creatures from the ocean depths head the list (104:6; Gen. 1:21), followed by the demonstrations of God’s power in the atmosphere (107:25). Remember David’s psalm about the storm (29)? “Fire” in verse 8 is probably lightning, although some opt for volcanic disturbances. Lightning often accompanied hail storms in the Holy Land. To us, the storms are unpredictable and seem out of control as they do extensive damage, but we are assured that they are accomplishing God’s will. The psalmist then moved from the sea and atmosphere into the land, where God placed trees for food and trees for building, wild animals and domestic animals, small creatures (“creeping things”), and birds. But men and women are the highest creatures in God’s creation because they were made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26–28). If any of God’s creation has good reason to praise the Lord, it is mankind, because we have the privilege of knowing God more intimately, and we have the promise of one day being like Christ. Angels rejoice when sinners are saved, but they cannot experience the grace of God (Luke 15:7, 10). We wonder how many world leaders take time to thank and praise God. Whether we are male or female, young or old, famous or unknown, we can all know the Lord and praise the Lord. We know His name! What a privilege to be a child of the King!

In Scripture, a “horn” is a symbol of power and dignity, a king or a kingdom. To “take away the horn” means to deprive a nation or person of authority and prestige (79:10; see also 89:17, 24; 132:17; Ezek. 29:21). When the Lord brought His people back from exile in Babylon, He “raised up a horn” for them. This cannot refer to a king, for David’s dynasty had ended with the capture of Zedekiah, and the returned remnant had no king. But they did have a nation, a temple, and a priesthood, and they had preserved the sacred Word that the Lord had given them through their prophets (147:19–20). But Luke 1: gives us the right to apply this image to Jesus Christ, the Son of David, for He is the only person qualified to sit on David’s throne (Luke 1:30–33). “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22), and the Jews are a people who are still dear to the Lord (Ex. 19:6; Num. 16:5; Deut. 4:1–8).

If you read this psalm again with Jesus in mind, you can see how much greater He is than anything or anyone mentioned, for He is the Creator of all things (John 1:1–3; Col. 1:16–17). He is Captain of the hosts of the Lord (Josh. 5:14), the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2; Luke 1:78), and the Morning Star (Rev. 22:16). When ministering here on earth, He demonstrated power over storms (Matt. 8:23–27; 14:23–33), trees (Matt. 21:18–22), and wild and domestic animals (Mark 1:13; 11:1–3). He is far above the angels (Heb. 1; Eph. 1:18–23; 3:10–11). He revealed the Father’s name (John 17:6) and glorified that name in all He was, said, or did (John 1:14; 2:11; 11:4, 40; 12:28; 14:13; 17:4). In all things, Jesus Christ has the preeminence (Col. 1:18).