Walk Of Life – Day 3, January 2023 – Thoughts From The Book Of Psalms
Psalm 113
Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore! – Psalm 113 : 2
A very beautiful psalm that gives out the reasons to praise the Lord. Not even a single verse out of the 9 verses deviates from the topic. It asserts the greatness of God (113:4-6):
“The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high …?” It is safe to say that many of our troubles in the Christian life stem from the fact that our God is too small. We need to get the biblical view of God high and exalted.
But if that were the only view of God given to us in the Bible, we would rightly fear to draw near to Him. God is mighty, but we are weak. He is holy, but we are sinful. He knows everything, but we don’t. He is eternal and not subject to death, but we are time-bound and vulnerable to accidents and disease. So, thankfully, Psalm 113 presents another side of God. Not only is He great, but also He is gracious (113:7, 9): “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap…. He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children.”
See the attitude of King David in I Chronicles 15. He knew that the Lord did not like the idea of taking the Ark of the Lord in the cart and so for the second time he has commanded the levites to carry them on their shoulders and as a king he could have just spectated. But he instead of maintaining his dignity as a king, wore white Ephod and started praising God along with the musicians and singers. Because he could not contain the praises of such an awesome God to himself.
Three times in the first verse the psalmist exhorts us to praise the Lord. Genuine praise of God does not mean that we go around saying, “Praise the Lord” all the time. Rather, it is a response to thinking about who God is and what He has done, as revealed in His Word. While praise by its very nature is somewhat spontaneous, it also can be cultivated as we deliberately meditate on God’s greatness and glory.
“Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised” (v2-3). God’s praises should begin now and we will continue praising Him in heaven throughout eternity. We should hand off God’s praises to our children and grandchildren, so that the chorus of praise continues until the Lord returns.
“From the rising of the sun to its setting” means that God should be praised not only in Israel, but all over the earth. As God says in Malachi 1:11, “‘For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
“Who is like the Lord our God?” No one! He alone is great, but also he is gracious to those who are poor and helpless. His greatness and His grace are supremely seen in that He sent His eternal Son into this sinful world. He took the form of a servant and was obedient to death on the cross, to pay the penalty for your sin (Phil. 2:5-11). Call upon Him to save you from your sin. Cry out to Him in your spiritual barrenness to fill you with His joy. In your weakness, rely on His strength. Praise His name from this time forth and forever!
