Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

It is amazing that God shows this kindness to his creation without regard to their reaction. Hu- mankind and animals all receive the same basic level of his benefits; “For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.” (Mt. 5:45) ‘The works of God which man explores speak a language which provokes him to a hymn of praise.’ 7 “They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom; they will celebrate the examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign.” (11-12) This happened under the reign of the godly kings of Judah, the earthly kingdom displayed the bless- ing and wisdom of their God. “So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.” (2 Chron. 20:30) But in a deeper sense, this magnificent psalm is looking ahead to the coming of Jesus and the unveiling of the spiritual Kingdom of God. People talked about Jesus, they cel- ebrated his power and mighty deeds and were astonished at his authority and reign over the kingdom of darkness; “The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him for themselves.” (Mrk. 3:8) The excitement of these verses in this Psalm was carried into the ministry of the Apostles of the New Testament and the early church; “Meanwhile, the apostles were per- forming many miraculous signs and wonders among the people…And more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord–crowds of both men and women.” (Acts 5:12, 14) David realized that the true Kingdom of God was greater than any earthly, political expression by a nation or empire. Again, the psalm is pointing to the Messiah and his display of God’s everlasting Kingdom. “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed people who had every kind of sickness and disease.” (Mt. 4:23) ‘Psalm 145 is an important milestone on the way to the New Testament proclamation of the Kingdom of God.’ 8 “The Lord helps the fallen and lifts up those bent beneath their loads. All eyes look to you for help; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.” (14-16) ‘The form of the verb is showing that he is always doing this…’ 9 lifting up those who have fallen under the burden of sin and its consequences; “Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt before him, worshiping. ‘Lord,’ the man said, ‘if you want to, you can make me well again.’ Jesus touched him. ‘I want to,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared.” (Mt. 8:2, 3) He also lifts the heavy load of religious bondage by his grace; “’Yes,’ said Jesus, ‘how terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you crush people beneath impossible religious demands, and you never lift a fin- ger to help ease the burden.” (Lk. 11:46) Worship can only take place in the atmosphere of his grace. The Lord daily provides for every creature he has created; this is a continuous miracle of gigantic proportions! When placed in this perspective, the feeding of the 5,000 people with the five loaves and two fishes almost seems normal. “They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve bas- kets of leftovers.” (Mt. 14:20) Provision of our daily needs is a benefit of living under the reign of the King- dom of God. “For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule generation after generation. The Lord is faith- ful in all he says; he is gracious in all he does.” (13)

III

EVERYTHING HE DOES - 17-20

His Goodness

“The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.” (17, 18)

In the context of beautiful melody, David reveals God as perfectly just in all his dealings and most strikingly, “filled with kindness.” Kindness is not passive but proactively reaches out to those nearby to generously accommodate their needs. Jesus fulfilled these verses with his constant flow of compassion. The one thing God demands from us is reality, we must not pretend to be something we are not when we call upon him. He is “close” to the sincere and far away from those who are not genuine; “Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy–full of greed and self–indulgence.” (Mt. 23:25)

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