Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

This psalm commences with a call to thank God for his goodness, an attribute that excels all oth- ers. His goodness is something that we as humans can relate to, rely on and rejoice in. The first 15 verses of this psalm are arranged thematically in groups of 3s, (1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12,13-15) with the first focusing on his name and character. The three-fold call to give God thanks reminds us of the imprint of the Holy Trinity. The first name mentioned is Yahweh (Lord), the most repeated and forceful name of God in psalms. The second in these verses is Elohim of elohim, (‘God of gods’) and the last is ‘Adon of adonim’, (Lord of lords) a clear compass that points to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ: “For at the

right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” (1 Tim. 6:15).

“His faithful love…..” that endures forever is the Hebrew word ‘hesed’. ‘It is the kind of love, includ- ing mercy…when the object is in a pitiful state… It is really ‘the Old Testament reflex of “God is love.”’ There are no more sympathetic, tender words in any language to describe this characteristic of God that is ‘repeated in every verse of this song, but not once too often.’ 6 It was his mercy that revealed himself as the great ‘I AM’, the God of gods and Lord of lords. This is what motivated the creation of the heav- ens and the earth and what compelled the Son of God to reach down to us in our ‘pitiful state.’ His love is not out of obligation; it is the free expression of his nature. Enduring love that is freely given inspires enduring praise that is freely returned. When Solomon dedicated the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem he sought the most appropriate song for the occasion and picked this psalm: “Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words: ‘He is so good! His faithful love endures for- ever!’ At that moment a cloud filled the Temple of the Lord.” (2 Chron. 5:13) God’s ear is especially tuned to the frequency of this song; whenever he hears it sung from grateful hearts there is a massive response! Jehoshaphat had his choir sing this song as they went to battle against the huge confeder- acy of Israel’s enemies: “The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love en- dures forever!’” (2 Chron. 20:21) This song aligns the hearts of those who love God to the harmony of heaven, but it brought disharmony and confusion to Jehoshaphat’s enemies and they destroyed them- selves. It was also the song of choice at the rebuilding of Temple after the return of the Jews from Baby- lon: “With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: ‘He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!’ Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s temple had been laid.” (Ezra 3:11)

“Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who placed the earth on the water. His faithful love endures forever.” (4-6)

It has always been part of the very nature and name of God to work miracles. Isaiah prophesied of the coming Messiah: “This will be his royal titles: Wonderful, (miracle!) Counselor, the Mighty God.” (Is. 9:6) ‘Give up all that is miraculous in true religion and there is nothing left of power sufficient to move any heart to worship or adore; and without worship there is no piety (respect for God.) 7 True worship touches upon the miraculous, causing us to experience the one who is greater than our selves. The heavens that convince us of God’s skillfulness are kept from collapsing into chaos by his faith- ful love. The waters beneath the earth are held in place by that same love. During the flood of Noah these waters were unrestrained: “When Noah was 600 years old,…the underground waters burst forth on the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky.” (Gen. 7:11)

“Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights– His faithful love endures forever. The sun to rule the day,

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