Psalm 148’s clarion call to zestful praise of Jehovah begins with the heavens (vv. 1-6; see yesterday’s post). It concludes with an equally rousing call to earth’s creations—”Praise the Lord from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths; fire and hail,…
Because of William J. Kirkpatrick’s composition of the music and use of Psalm 148 as the lyrics, the song “Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah!” probably has made this psalm the most recognizable and remembered of the Psalter’s “Hallelujah Chorus” (Psalms 146-150). Send article as…
The final two verses of Psalm 147 place in capsule form Israel’s spiritual privileges and her failure in her spiritual responsibilities. Here, it is written, “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He has not dealt thus…
According to Psalm 147:15-18, the word of God governs nature in several unique ways. Here, it is written, “He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; He casts out…
According to science, the speed at which light travels is 186,282 miles per second. According to Scripture, the speed at which God’s spiritual light—His authoritative word—travels is comparable: “He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly” (Psalm 147:15). Send…
A good indicator of a man’s character and values is what makes him laugh, cry, and angry. Another indicator would be what it is he derives his greatest pleasure from. According to Psalm 147:10-11, Jehovah “does not delight in the strength of the…
Praising God is never to be a perfunctory matter. In the Old Testament, the exhortation is to “sing to the Lord with thanksgiving” (Psalm 147:7); in the New Testament, it is to sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord, “giving thanks…
To the naked eye, there are about 3-4,000 stars that can be seen on a clear, dark night. With a good pair of binoculars, that number rises to around 200,000. With a small personal telescope about 15,000,000 are visible. To the eyes of…
Within the book of Psalms there is an untiring effort made to emphasize the utter uniqueness of Jehovah. Psalm 147:2-6 is yet another focus upon the preeminent distinctiveness, and thus complete worthiness, of Jehovah. Here, it is written: “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers…
The second psalm in the Psalter’s “Hallelujah Chorus” (Psalms 146-150) begins with a call to worship—”Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful” (Psalm 147:1). These three vivid adjectives proclaim a mouthful about worship….
