Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

PSALM 135: CELEBRATE WITH MUSIC The Greatness of the Lord

This psalm gathers its themes from previous works into an anthem for the entire nation to exalt the Lord and renounce the non-gods of idolatry. It’s beginning is taken from the previous Psalm 134:1 but expands its call to praise from the professional singers in David’s Tent to the throngs of people who are filling all of the courts of the Lord’s house. This is one of eleven ‘Hallelujah Psalms’ that begins and ends with the Hebrew word for ‘praise the Lord!’ (106, 111, 112,113, 117, 135, 146-150) It begins with five calls to ‘praise the Lord’ in verses 1-4 and ends with five calls to ‘bless the Lord’ in verses 19-21. 1 It shows God’s supremacy over Nature, Nations and the Non-gods of idolatry. There are interesting par- allels of this psalm in the book of Acts where Paul witnessed the Lord’s supremacy in these three areas. It is outlined in five demarcations:

I THE LORD IS GOOD - 1-4 Praise the Lord

II THE GREATNESS OF THE LORD - 5-7 Supreme Over Nature III STRUCK DOWN GREAT NATIONS - 8-14 Supreme Over Nations IV THEIR IDOLS ARE GOLD - 15-18 Supreme Over Non-gods V ALL THE GOD-FEARERS - 19-21 Bless the Lord

I

THE LORD IS GOOD - 1-4 Praise the Lord

“Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord, you who serve in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.” (1,2)

There is a three-fold call to ‘Praise’ (halal) at the beginning of the psalm that points us to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit revealed in the coming New Testament. Worship brings us close to God and while the psalm authors did not directly understand their experience, they were touching upon something that is fully available to us today; a love relationship with the triune God. It is to be understood that the ‘servants’ that are called to praise here include the professional class of Priests and Levites but it is also referring to all of his people; ‘we should be aware that in the Old Tes- tament also the members of the community are called ‘Servants of Yahweh.” ’ 2 The courts of Solomon’s Temple would include the outer court of the Gentiles, the court of the women, the court of the Israelite men, the Holy Place and The Most Holy Place. Its not just the worship team and choir that are called to praise, it is the entire congregation of believers! The richness of worship is concentrated in these humble verses. We ‘praise’ (halal) him first of all for his essential attribute of ‘goodness’ . That alone becomes an inexhaustible source of admiration for his priesthood nation. To ‘celebrate his wonderful name…’ is a second immovable rock as his name will never change and becomes the key by which we access his free-flowing grace. “…celebrate…with music” is the Hebrew (zamar) ‘which means praise by instrument and voice’; 3 the heart and voice is enjoined with the skillful orchestra to enrich the vibrations of praise. “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.” Now the reason to praise becomes personal; God chose us when we were like ‘Jacob,’ entrenched in our self-will. He transformed us into ‘Israel’, royal members of his family of faith who are the treasure of his heart. This is an act of his supreme grace that draws praise from our hearts! “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his wonderful name with music. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.” (3, 4)

II

THE GREATNESS OF THE LORD - 5-7 Supreme Over Nature

“I know the greatness of the Lord–that our Lord is greater than any other god.” (5)

Here is the central message of this psalm; God can be known, and if he is known then the worshiper will realize that he is high above all other gods. The psalmist is calling the nation (the church) to make his praise match his greatness. If our praise is small, we have not yet fully encountered the great God

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