Psalm 113:1-9 rA

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 113:1-9[1]

Praise the Lord.

Praise, servants of the Lord.  Praise the name of the Lord.  Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever.  From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord’s name [is] to be praised.

The Lord [is] high above all nations.  His Glory [is] above the heavens.[2]  Who [is] like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles[3] [Himself] to behold [things] in heaven, and in the earth!

He raises up the poor from the dust.  [He] lifts the needy from the dunghill: so that He may set [him] with princes, with the princes of His people.  He makes the barren woman keep house, a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord.[4]

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[1] This delightful Psalm of Praise gives no author or date; it focuses on the Glory of God.  We remember that the Glory of God is not an abstraction, but His real presence in talking flame and smoke, seated on the Ark of the Covenant, and resident in the most holy place within the Tabernacle or Temple.  The Psalmist moves on to observe that God’s real presence is simply His visibility; His real Glory is greater than the Universe (heaven) itself; but He stoops (humbles) to give special loving attention to humanity: this looks forward to the Incarnation of Jesus, which is God’s greatest act of humbling, actually becoming complete and true man.  Hence, as Theanthropos or Theandros (God-man) he humbles Himself to forgive, heal, and justify the poor, needy, and barren.

We note with astonishment the emphasis on fruitfulness.  This could be a reference to Samuel and his mother, Hannah, or a prophecy concerning John (the Baptist) and his mother, Elisabeth.  It draws attention to the fact that for both men and women, spiritual fruitfulness is among the most important things in our lives.  These noblewomen did more than merely give birth; they themselves were great servants of God: thus, they gave birth to great servants of God.  Both Samuel and John introduced the King: David, the type of the Incarnation; Jesus, the reality of the Incarnation.

[2] The True Sh^ekinah, not merely the earthly visible Sh^ekinah.  The Glory on earth is simply a visible icon to teach the Israelites and us about the reality of God’s existence: so He presented Himself in visible form.  But the heavenly Glory of God is infinitely greater.

[3] Humility is of the nature of God and of godliness.  Pride is of the nature of man and manliness.  To become godly in this world, men and women must put pride and every vestige of self.  I must finish my course with Paul (2 Timothy 4:6-8), but not without being poured out as a drink offering; not without taking up my cross every day (Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-27).

[4] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.  No rights are reserved.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 124:1-8

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 124:1-8[1]

A Song of Ascent of David.

If [it had not been] the Lord Who was on our side, may Israel now say.  If [it had not been] the Lord Who was on our side, when men rose up against us.  Then they had swallowed us up alive, when their fury was kindled against us.  Then the waters had overwhelmed us.  The stream had gone over our soul.  Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

Blessed [be] the Lord, Who has not given us [as] a prey to their teeth.  Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers.  The snare is broken.  We are escaped.

Our help [is] in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.[2]

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[1] In Psalms Book I, David would have viewed this subject matter from the perspective of being in the thick of trouble; but now he looks back on his long gone woes from the peace of his established kingdom with a more analytical perspective.  The only reason that Israel is established as a kingdom is that God wanted it so.  “The waters had overwhelmed us,” could be a comparison with the destruction of the earth in Noah’s day; more likely, it refers to the Red Sea crossing with Moses.  “The stream had gone over,” possibly looks at the Jordan crossing with Joshua.  David’s point is that he has lived his life on the brink of death, but “Yahweh was on our side.”  This is our side too.  Life is full of trouble.  Life’s only real treasure is Yahweh Himself.  Herein lies the consummation of the kingdom.

“Blessed be Yahweh” for all these things.  He has saved us.  He has brought us to the eternal city.  He has provided for our escape; yes, even from the hands of Satan.

Now David does a curious thing.  He attributes all these saving acts of God to the fact that Yahweh is the Creator of all things.  We, on the other hand, tend to underrate the importance of creation.  Creation, in and of itself, is a mighty display of God’s infinite love.  God is determined to extricate His creation from the clutches of Satan.

[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 135:1-21

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 135:1-21[1]

Praise the Lord.

Praise the name of the Lord.  Praise [Him], O servants of the Lord.  You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.  Praise the Lord: for the Lord [is] good.  Sing praises to His name: for [it is] pleasant: for the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His distinctive treasure:[2] for I know that the Lord [is] great.  Our Lord [is] above all gods.

What the Lord pleased, He did, in heaven, and on earth, in the seas, and all deep places.  He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.  He makes lightning for the rain.  He brings the wind from His treasuries.  He struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.  [He] sent tokens and wonders to the middle of you, O Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his servants.  He struck great nations, and slew mighty kings: Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan: and gave their land [for] a heritage, a heritage to Israel His people.

Your name, Lord, [is] eternal, Your memorial, Lord, throughout all generations: for the Lord will judge His people.  He Himself will relent concerning His servants.

The idols of the heathen [are] silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.  They have mouths, but they speak not.  Eyes have they, but they see not.  They have ears, but they hear not.  Nor is there [any] breath in their mouths.[3]  Those who make them are like them.  [So is] everyone who trusts in them.

Bless the Lord, O house of Israel.  Bless the Lord, O house of Aaron.  Bless the Lord, O house of Levi.  You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.  Blessed be the Lord from Zion, Who dwells at Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.[4]

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[1] In this Psalm of Praise, God compares and contrasts us, His people with a litany of the most wicked nations and assures us that we will be judged and punished as surely as they were judged and punished; but mercy will be extended to those who sincerely serve Him.

Praise centers on God’s house, a specific place in Israel, in Jerusalem, on a specific hill.  We ought not think that any Israelite really believed that this place was the dwelling place of God.  Rather, God made His Presence, His Sh^ekinah audible and visible there, and before that in a tent in the wilderness as well as at Shiloh for the space of eight hundred sixty years, so that no one could ever raise the irrational excuse that God does not exist.  The fact that this spectacle was witnessed by millions upon millions of people sets the seal that it was impossible to fabricate.  There is no other reason for the existence of Israel as a nation, small and easily overthrown by any of the surrounding nations, other than that Yahweh was audibly and visibly there and defended them from all enemies.  Yahweh alone is worthy of praise.

The evidence for Yahweh’s real existence depends on His acts.  He does what He pleases in heaven and on earth.  We may attempt to explain away the existence of lightening, rain, and wind as the random functions of the created earth (a dubious position).  However, when it comes to the death of the “firstborn of Egypt” we are stumped.  Here is something that cannot be explained by accidental Providence; it is clearly miraculous.  We may attempt to explain away the defeat of Sihon and Og as battle victories.  The reality is that a ragtag bunch of sheepherders overcame established kingdoms with well-trained militia.  The manifold miracles of the Exodus, the plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and Jordan, the giving of the Law, all of which are brought to mind by the Passover; these miracles cannot be explained away.  They really happened, and they are the necessary and sufficient evidence of Yahweh’s existence.

Yahweh is eternal.  Therefore, judgment begins at the house of God.  God’s standard of judgment is mercy.  “He Himself will relent…” not to all Israel, but only to His sincere servants.  Faith cannot be counterfeited.

Having judged His people Israel, Yahweh now proceeds to judge the whole pagan world, which is characterized by the absence of any living sensibility: inert matter (silver and gold), speechless, blind, deaf, and breathless, “everyone who trusts in them.”

Those who “fear Yahweh” bless Him.  Herein lies the real difference, not in whether they are Israelite or pagan; but in whether they fear God or do not fear Him.  It has often been said that this means to respect God; but God makes our knees tremble, and that is real fear, not merely respect.  Only after we have been perfected by His Love is fear cast out (1 John 4:17-19).  Such fear and love begins at Jerusalem, wonders at Bethlehem, and is satiated at Golgotha; nay rather on the day of Pentecost by the giving of the Holy Ghost, thus guaranteeing that the Lord Jesus Christ is seated on the throne of David by His glorious resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:29-36).  What will we ever do about that?

“Praise the LORD.”

[2] This choosing is to be a witness to the world.  Israel is not a chosen people because of their exclusive salvation.  The choosing of God is a national ordination to service: namely, the service of evangelism and witnessing.  Witness is not an individual effort but the synchronous work of the whole nation together.  There are individuals with special gifts of prophetic utterance, but witness is the work of all Israel, of all The Church: it cannot be done by isolated and separated individuals.  It is meaningless without the unity of Love.

[3] Hidden in these fervent denials is the strong affirmation that Yahweh is unmade, speaks, sees, hears, and breathes.  These are not things which any idol is able to do; but Yahweh does them all as an eternal reality.  If we ever needed proof for the existence of God, here it is in the concrete realty of His prophetic Word, His watchful eye, His caring ear, and the breath of His Holy Ghost.  First the wicked cease to obey His Word.  Then the wicked deny that God sees their crimes; they do not deny that He exists: that only comes later, after much hardening has taken place.

[4] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Psalm 148:1-14

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 148:1-14[1]

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens.  Praise Him in the heights.  Praise Him, all His angels.  Praise Him, all His hosts.  Praise Him, sun and moon.  Praise Him, all stars of light.  Praise Him, heavens of heavens, waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commanded, and they were created.  He has also established them forever and ever.  He has made a decree, which shall not pass.

Praise the Lord from the earth, dragons, and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl; kings of the earth and all people, princes and all judges of the earth; both young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is excellent.  His Glory [is] above the earth and heaven.  He also exalts the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints, of the children of Israel, a people near Him.

Praise the Lord.[2]

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[1] We must not miss the evangelistic fervor of this Psalm.  All of God’s works of creation and providence are of cosmic significance: there is nothing they do not touch.  Consequently, all of the heavenly creation, the Universe, without exception, all are invited to join in the praise.

The reasons for such universal praise are clear enough, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commanded, and they were created.  He has also established them forever and ever.  He has made a decree, which shall not pass.”  Creation and providence are permanent.

Just in case we missed the point the first time, the psalmist continues with a fresh litany of earthly things which are also to praise God.  Many of these things are inanimate, but in the last days these will also find their voices, along with the living.  When writers like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien write of talking, walking trees, they are not being farfetched, they are looking to a reality hidden in mysteries beyond our understanding.  The stones will cry out (Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:40).  This litany culminates in a focus on the human praise of Yahweh: all stations, ethnicities, sexes, and ages are to join in the chorus.

Again, the reasons are plain, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is excellent.  His Glory [is] above the earth and heaven.  He also exalts the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints, of the children of Israel, a people near Him.”  We must not overlook the term Glory which runs throughout the Psalms and all of Scripture.  The Glory, with Whom Moses spoke, the Glory is the visible Presence of our God, the Beatific Vision which we all gladly worship.  When we see Him, He will look a lot like Jesus.  “Praise the Lord.”

[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.

Psalm 145:1-21

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Psalm 145:1-21[1]

David’s [Psalm] of praise.

I will extol You, my God, O king.  I will bless Your name forever and ever.  I will bless You every day.  I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Great [is] the Lord, greatly to be praised.  His greatness [is] unsearchable.[2]

One generation shall praise Your works to another, shall declare Your mighty acts.  I will speak of the glorious honor of Your majesty, of Your wondrous works.  [People] shall speak of the might of Your terrifying acts.  I will declare Your greatness.  They shall abundantly utter the memory of Your great goodness, shall sing of Your righteousness.

The Lord [is] gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.  The Lord [is] good to all.  His tender mercies [are] over all His works.²

All Your works shall praise You, Lord.  Your saints shall bless You.  They shall speak of the Glory of Your kingdom, talk of Your power: to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

Your kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom.  Your dominion [is] throughout all generations.²

The Lord upholds all who fall, raises all [the] bowed down.  The eyes of all wait on You.  You give them their food in due season.  You open Your hand, to satisfy the desire of every living thing.[3]

The Lord [is] righteous in all His ways, holy in all His works.  The Lord [is] near all those who call on Him, all who call on Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him.  He also will hear their cry, and will save them.²

The Lord preserves all those who love Him.  All the wicked will He destroy.²

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord.  Let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.[4]

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[1] It appears that David has written this Psalm for a soloist and two choirs: perhaps for the priest or cantor with the men and the women.  Each stanza consists of a call or promise to praise, followed by a response containing the words of praise, which we have set apart by indention.  As the stanzas progress the number of participants increases until a crescendo is reached that envelopes all creation, “all flesh” is more than all mankind.  The last stanza reverse the order beginning with the response and ending with the call.  This chiasm adds emphasis to the central message of Psalm 145, which is overwhelmingly a Psalm of praise, calling all to worship.

In the first stanza the soloist, priest, or cantor promises to extol, bless, and praise God, his king, and God’s name.  The three words, extol, bless, and praise, are synonyms, but their variety enhances, enriches, increases, and sweetens the fervor of the praise that follows: this functions like an adjective.  The response is simple enough, a first choir sings antiphonally, Yahweh is great.  The call and response together proclaim that God is really, really, really, great.  God is so great that He is unsearchable.  This does not mean that God should not be searched for.  The believer should be ceaselessly inquiring into the nature of His beautiful face.  This should be the believer’s chief delight.  However, that beauty is so immense, so infinite that it can never be exhausted.  We must take sober warning.  This is not a quest for words about God.  This is a quest for God Himself.  God has done everything to make relationship with Him possible, even the crucifixion of His Son.  We respond by believing, hoping, and loving Him.

The second stanza is fugal, a second choir joins the soloist with “One generation….”  The soloist laces in his call, “I will….”  The choir, “shall speak….”  The soloist, “I will….”  The nature of the promise is greater, as well: God’s works (creation, providence, and salvation), mighty acts, Glorious honor, majesty, wondrousness, might, and terrifying greatness are all in view.  These are not mere figures of speech, these are concrete realities; David saw and spoke regularly with the visible Presence of God’s Glory.  Since, we today, cannot see God’s Glory, it is a veiled mystery to us, but we see God’s plan more clearly.  God’s plan was more of a mystery to David, but he saw God’s Glory quite clearly.  The vitality of iconography is clearly in view.  The choir and soloist vow to praise, declare, speak, utter, and sing.  The responding song is more elaborate, sung by the first choir: Yahweh is gracious, compassionate, patient, merciful, good, and tender in everything He does.

In the third stanza the second choir sings representing “all Your works … the saints” in praise.  Yahweh’s great work, perhaps His greatest, is the sainthood of all believers.  The task of the saints is to make Yahweh’s kingdom, power, might, and Glorious majesty known by all mankind, “make known to the sons of men.”  The first choir responds simply, noting the eternal nature of Yahweh’s kingdom and the universality of His dominion.

The second choir hymns of Yahweh’s salvation in the fourth stanza, “[He] upholds all who fall,” and providence.  Yahweh feeds “every living thing” with the “bread of heaven”, with “angel’s food”.  There is far more scope to this food than mere physical sustenance, it is also the spiritual power to do Yahweh’s will.  “My meat is to do the will of Him Who sent Me (John 4:31-38).”  The first choir serenades us with the fact that this great salvation is Yahweh’s righteousness in action.  God’s standard of justice is forgiveness.  Our task is to call sincerely, to cry out to Yahweh.  The prayer of the righteous is more of thanksgiving than of request.  In faith, they see what God has done, and respond in confidence, gratitude, and praise.

The last stanza opens with the first choir singing the response.  “Yahweh preserves all those who love Him.”  Love is contrasted with wickedness, rather than hate; destruction is contrasted with preservation.  In many ways this is self-destruction: the wicked were invited as fervently and frequently as anyone else.  People are not lifted up to heaven, because they refuse to be lifted up to heaven.  The soloist concludes with a final promise of praise, and a universal call for all flesh to join in.  We cannot imagine animals refusing this call; yet, men and angels do….

[2] Not one of these sentences is apophatic.  All of them are cataphatic.  Think about that.  Alas, scholasticism has too much infected the churches.  David’s prayer is straightforward and easily understood by all believers, even children.  Excessive philosophical contortions only serve to confuse, rather than enlighten.  The scholastics, in both east and west, invite us to words about God.  David invites us to God Himself.

[3] By now we have come to realize that the progression of this Psalm is approximately the same as that of the Lord’s prayer.

[4] The profound reason for this progression from one to all is simple enough.  The purpose of worship is to draw creation toward God, and lift that creation up to God: thus, as believers worship God, their act of worship invites and lifts unbelieving mankind to believe.  Since even animals suffer under the fall, they too are lifted up.  Therefore worship must be fervent and involve the labor of all believers everywhere.  A first corollary of this is that worship itself is the core of any great work of evangelism: for why should pagan man come to believe anything that the evangelist doesn’t really believe himself.  A second corollary of this is that the death of faith occurs at the head of the churches, not in the pews.  Unbelievers leading worship is a lethal weapon of Satan.

Psalm 100:1-5

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Psalm 100:1-5[1]

A Psalm of praise.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness.  Come before His presence with singing.  Know that the Lord, He [is] God.  He has made us, and not we ourselves.  [We are] His people, and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him.  Bless His name: for the Lord [is] good.  His mercy [is] everlasting.  His truth [is] to all generations.

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[1] Psalm 100 is a universal favorite.  It has several music settings.  Most of us have sung it so often that we almost know it by heart.  It has a simple beauty which is very captivating.  As the title states, it is a Psalm of praise.  Glance for a minute at its key words: joyful, gladness, singing, thanksgiving, praise, thankful, bless.  Yet, these are not empty expressions of froth; they rest on granite foundation: the Lord is God, Creator, Shepherd; the One Who brings eternal mercy and truth.  This is the solid stuff of life.  These are realities that are available to all who walk this earth, “to all generations.”  The word generations adds a new dimension to eternality; it reminds us of the promise to Abraham that, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:15-19; 26:4-5; 28:13-14).”  The Church lifts up the Universe with its joyous and solemn worship and praise, and in that worship invite all to set aside their wants, their troubles, their earthly cares, and join in this joyous and solemn worship.  This is reality.  Come.

Psalm 29:1-11

Salutation

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King: Prayer to the Holy Ghost

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Psalm 29:1-11[1]

A Psalm of David.

Give the Lord, O mighty, give the Lord Glory and strength.  Give the Lord the Glory due His name.  Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the Lord [is] on the waters.  The God of Glory thunders.  The Lord [is] on many waters.  The voice of the Lord [is] powerful.  The voice of the Lord [is] full of majesty.  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars.  Yes, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.  He makes them also skip like a calf.  Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.  The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.  The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness.  The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.  The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and discovers the forests.  In His temple everyone speaks of [His] Glory.

The Lord sits on the flood.  Yes, the Lord sits King forever.  The Lord will give strength to His people.  The Lord will bless His people with peace.

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[1] David now gives us a hymn devoted exclusively to the praise of Yahweh.  “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,” is not a figure of speech.  David fully expected that when he went to the temporary tabernacle (Moses’ Tabernacle was destroyed, Solomon’s Temple was not yet built) that he would meet with God’s Glory, Which he describes as “the beauty of holiness.”  Here is the object of our worship, that we will one day see God: this is the Beatific Vision, which we all seek.

David is awe struck with the voice that proceeds from this Oracle, this Ark, this mercy seat: its power is overwhelming.  What is David thinking?  Does he remember the power God displayed at the Red Sea, at Mount Sinai, at the Jordan River, at Jericho, at the great wars of Joshua, or does he give reference to the defeat of Saul, and the subsequent pacification of the Philistines?  The expression “discovers the forests” refers to stripping the trees of all their leaves, so that the forest is naked.

God’s throne is not merely the earthly Ark, it is the very Flood of Noah: which at that time was the greatest display of Divine power in human history.  Now we know of even greater historic events: namely the Resurrection and Pentecost.  Today, “The Lord [still gives] strength to His people,” in the invisible form of the Holy Ghost.

More on Praise and Worship

More on Praise and Worship

There is a strong likelihood that God has stopped delivering us from evil, because we have stopped praying the imprecatory Psalms.  After all, if we’re too proud, short sighted, or stubborn to ask God to rescue us, why should He be bothered.  Instead, we have cut all imprecations out of the Psalms and pray only the praises, and thanksgivings: things that sound nice.

We are engaged in spiritual battle.  We wrestle not against flash and blood.  Yet here we are.  We refused to be armed.  We refuse to go to battle.  We refuse to pray imprecations with David, and with his Christ.  No wonder this is the post-Christian era.