Psalm
148 reminds me of a time when my oldest child was just learning to
walk. We had just bought a house and I was trying to earn a living.
I was learning how to balance all of life’s responsibilities and it
seemed I never had enough time. It was a beautiful spring morning
and I thought we could squeeze in a walk together. In typical
fashion, I had other things to do, but I wondered how far we could
get in 15 minutes. Of course, to my aggravation, he stopped and
picked up every pebble, and touched every “flower” in the grass.
I “taught” him, as we went, “No that is dirty”, “No that is
just a weed”, “Yup that is an ant. Let’s go”. It took me a
while to remember that he was looking at everything for the first
time. When I sat down to look at a bug on a clover, he plopped onto
my lap, and I realized we made it only one square on the sidewalk.
It is amazing how little we see. This psalm looks at earth with an
angelic zoom lens. It begins, “Praise
the LORD.
Praise
the Lord from the heavens… all His angels, praise Him“.
Did you know that the angels praise God? He continues, “sun
and moon, praise Him… for He commanded and they were created… He
set them in place“.
Both the microscope and telescope confirm the complexity of God’s
creation. “Praise
the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean
depths“.
Creatures we have not even discovered praise God! He writes,
“lightning
and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy
winds that do His bidding“.
The weeds and storms of life have a purpose. Perhaps God is trying
to get your attention?
There
is an interesting thing about toddlers; they grow up. Some get wild,
some achieve greatness, some fly high and others do not. The psalm
reminds us, “wild
animals…
small
creatures and flying birds…kings
of the earth and rulers…
young
men and maidens, old men and children…
Let
them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted“.
Along the way, our vision can be obstructed by bills or ambition, or
internal conflict, but I am convinced that we are just walking past
blessings all around us. Are you blinded to spiritual things right
in front of you? The psalm ends with a reference to the Messiah.
“He
has raised up for His people a horn, the praise of all His saints“.
Jesus Christ was raised up for you and me and the best way to see
Him is from our knees.
Psalm
149 was probably written after a victory. It seems to parallel the
rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after captivity. Maybe it
describes you? It begins, “Sing
to the Lord a new song“.
If God is not doing something new worth celebrating, you are
probably not looking. It continues, “Praise
His name with dancing and make music to Him“.
Have you ever noticed that dancing is spontaneous when we are
delighted? Have your danced lately? “The
Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with
salvation“.
Did you know that YOU are God’s delight? The rest of the psalm
might be describing the challenge faced by the Israelites after
returning to Jerusalem. They first rebuilt the walls of the city
with the enemy surrounding them. According to Nehemiah chapter 4,
“each
of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked“.
It could also be describing the busy adult today rebuilding their
life with God. “Let
the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. May
the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in
their hands.”
According to Hebrews 4:12, “The
word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart“.
Is your life out of balance? The psalmist concludes, “This
is the glory of all His saints. Praise the Lord“.