Leading the People to Praise the Lord
The book of Psalms is certainly one of our favorite books in the entire Bible. Perhaps because it is, in the words of OT scholar, Gerhard von Rad, “Israel in the presence of Yahweh.” We are in the presence of Jehovah when we assemble together to worship in Jesus Christ. We all want to be in the presence of Jehovah when our lives on earth are fulfilled. We try to avoid those things that hinder and affect and impede our position in the presence of Jehovah. The book of Psalms runs the gamut of human emotion and human activity – all done in the presence of Jehovah.
Psalm 148 is a psalm or hymn of praise. C. S. Lewis wrote a devotional book, Reflections on the Psalms in which he writes: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. …In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him” (95, 97).
Here is the psalm from the NASV: “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, highest heavens, And the waters that are 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 will not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl; Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and virgins; Old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the Lord!”
Patients suffering from Our pharmacy shop order generic levitra oligozoospermia are advised to consume only one dose and maintain a gap Don’t do it every day. Irregularity in the female reproductive hormones is responsible for this, purchase levitra and the fundamental reasons are; problems in the ovary, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland related issues. As viagra sale we all know the saying that it has severe side effects which can cause severe mental damages, such as self-abasement, anxiety, depression, loss of confidence. It stays effective for 48 hours, slovak-republic.org price for viagra allowing you to have intercourse. Derek Kidner in the Tyndale OT Commentary Series calls this psalm a “Choir of Creation” – (487). You are familiar with this psalm because you have sung it frequently in worship. In 1893, these words were set to music by William Kirkpatrick.
The first two words of this psalm in the Hebrew Bible are “Hallelu” and “jah.” Hallelu comes from the verb hālal meaning to “praise, boast” and “connotes being sincerely and deeply thankful for and/or satisfied in lauding a superior quality(ies) or great, great act(s) of the object” (TWOT, I:217). One-third of the passages which use “hālal” are in the Psalms and most of those are commands to praise. “Yah” is a shortened form of the divine name “Yahweh” or transliterated usually as Jehovah.
Our goal is to get all the earth to praise Jehovah God.
–Paul Holland
