Psalm Devotional
Praise our Faithful Covenant Lord
Written by Kit Swartz. This devotional was first published in the March 2019 issue of The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
Each of the five books of the Psalter closes with a doxology in pure praise to God (41:13; 72:18–19; 89:52; 106:48; 150:1–6). Psalm 146 begins a series of doxologies that concludes the whole Psalter, rising in a crescendo for the finale in Psalm 150. What the cannons are to the end of the 1812 Overture, Psalms 145–150 are to the Psalter; a magnificent conclusion with a glorious finale!
The chief end of man is to praise God and enjoy Him forever, and these doxologies bring our purpose and the purpose of the Psalter to a wonderful convergence. It is not too much to say that we realize the purpose of our being when we sing the psalms. We give glory to God and find good for ourselves.
Opening Call to Praise (1–2)
The psalmist begins with a general call to praise the Lord (v. 1) and follows it with the integrity of his own commitment to do this (vv. 1–2). He pledges himself to praise God with all that he is and has (v. 1, soul) for as long as he lives (v. 2). It seems that the Lord appoints singing in His worship because it involves the whole person: mind, heart, and body. The psalmist does all this because he is grounded in the covenant relationship with the Lord in which he responds to the Lord’s saving grace with thankful praise (v. 2; see vv. 5, 10). In praise, we repent from our pride in order to confess God’s glory.
Warning against False Hope with Proofs (vv. 3–4)
“Princes” (v. 3) refer to all those patrons who are sincerely willing and truly able to help us. Even so, we must not put our ultimate trust in them because they will be prevented by death from continuing their help (vv. 3–4; Heb. 7:23). All humans return to the humus (vv. 3–4; Gen. 2:7; 3:19).
Exhortation to True Hope with Proofs (vv. 5–10)
The grace of God in His covenant is the ground of our hope (v. 5, Lord his God; see vv. 2, 10). Just as the Lord was the help of Jacob and all Israel in the past (v. 5), so He is our confident expectation of help in the present and future (v. 5, hope).
The proof of the Lord’s ability to help us is His creation (v. 6). This is a constant theme in the Scriptures and especially in the Psalms (see Ex. 20:11; Ps. 69:34; 96:11; 135:6; Hag. 2:6; Col. 1:16; Rev. 10:6). The Lord made everything that was, is, and ever will be; therefore He is able to help us in every situation.
The proof of the Lord’s willingness to help us is His general providence (vv. 6–7). He is faithful to maintain the truth of His moral law, removing evil in His mercy (v. 7, justice to oppressed) and providing good in His grace (v. 7, food to hungry; see 145:15).
An even more precious proof of the Lord’s willingness to help us is His special providences in which He provides for our particular personal needs (vv. 7–9; see 145:14–19). He gives us freedom when we are imprisoned, including when we are in bondage to addiction. He opens the blinders that keep us from seeing the way of the Lord so that we no longer walk in darkness and confusion (v. 8; Acts 26:18). He lifts us up when we are discouraged and depressed (v. 8; Ps. 42–43; see 145:14). He loves us when we are hated because we speak His truth and walk in His righteousness (v. 8; 1 Pet. 4:14). He protects and provides for us when we have no one else to do this (v. 9) by twisting back and straightening out the perversions of the wicked that endanger us (v. 9; Ps. 18:26; see 145:20).
The psalmist returns to the ground of His hope for all these things, which is the faithful covenant Lord (v. 10, see vv. 2, 5) of all His people (v. 10, Zion). This God is not like humans that return to humus and so cannot be an ultimate help (vv. 3–4). Rather, His ability and willingness to help—in general and in particular—endures forever (v. 10).
Closing Call to Praise (v. 10)
This meditation on the Lord’s proved ability and willingness to help us in all our troubles is designed to fill us with adoration, thanksgiving, and love to Him so that we overflow in praise with our whole soul and throughout our whole life (vv. 1–2). Therefore, as he began with a call to praise for these reasons, the psalmist concludes with a renewal of this call, “Praise the Lord!” (v. 10, 1). Under the new covenant, we have even greater reason to praise the Lord because we see all of these reasons embodied and fulfilled in Jesus. He is the Creator, the Sustainer, and the One who meets our every need in His perfect wisdom, goodness, and power (Heb. 1:2–3; Luke 4:18–19; 7:21–23). Praise the Lord, indeed!
