Praise the Lord! Praise, O 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 its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. 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, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!
Message: God Highly Exalted
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
Purpose
This Psalm has been described as a Psalm used in churches settings or public worship as a call to worship and praise. It is interesting how this is used or even needed whereby something is read that brings people together and aligns them in bringing themselves before the throne of God.
Psalm 113 is one of the Hallel psalms grouped with Psalm 113-118 and was sung by the ancient Jews before the Passover meal, and is often used today. Hallel means, "praise El (God)."
Content
The call takes place in the first 3 verses: Praise the Lord! Praise, O 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 its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. The name of the Lord is to be praised. The name of the Lord is to be set apart from everything else in life. The name of the Lord is a constant in our lives from the start of the day to the end. No matter what occurs, the name of the Lord is to be praised. These words make sense that they need to be sung because we get off track in this world; I get distracted. Yesterday, even in going to church, I was feeling the loss of someone and not in the right frame of mind. This Psalm would have helped me get myself focused on worship.
This Psalm begins with the words of praise and then gives the reason we are to be motivated to praise Him.
The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. The Lord rules over all creation. The Lord is our true commander and chief. He is our president. He ordains life. He is My King. He is My leader. He is the one I am to bow down to and worship.
Who is like the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? There is no one like Him. God is not simply someone we insert into our lives; there is nothing like Him. He is our great creator. I need to understand my place in this world. I need to understand my position.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord! No matter the position or condition of man, the Lord exalts man. God makes us important. Man has a desire within him to be exalted. Man wants to be aligned as one of the leaders, as being in charge. I see this everywhere. We want to be on the winning team. We want to be a part of the group that knows all the answers. We want to be part of the group that knows better and more than anyone else. We want to be special and distinct. This is innately what man wants. Man wants to be victor. But, man does not place himself in this position, but is the Lord that makes us the chosen ones. He is the one that sets us apart. And this is why I praise Him. This moves me to praise Him because of who He has made me to be. The Lord chooses me out of His grace and mercy, not because He sees some greatness in me. He elects me and sets me a part. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Promise: I come to him each day as empty, as needing Him. I have no righteousness of my own. Apart from Him I am nothing. He redeems me. This is what I do. I come to him on bend knee. He has made me glad.
No comments:
Post a Comment