Psalm Devotional
Let All Creation Praise the Lord
Written by Kit Swartz. This devotional was first published in the July 2019 issue of The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
Each of the five books of the Psalter closes with a doxology in simple praise to God (41:13; 72:18–19; 89:52; 106:48; 150:1–6). Psalm 148 is the third in a series of five doxologies that concludes the whole Psalter, rising in a crescendo for the finale in Psalm 150. Each Psalm in the series begins and ends with the call to “Praise the Lord,” and Psalm 150 begins every line with this call. The chief end of man is to praise God and enjoy Him forever. These doxologies, with the whole of the Psalter, give us a special means to realize our primary purpose.
Imagery
This psalm is striking in its picture of two choirs (vv. 1–6; 7–13) called together to praise God for redeeming His people by raising up a Savior (v. 14). The psalmist is the conductor of the massive combined choirs, cuing each group and every voice within them. The two choirs, with a series of pairs of singers in each, are musical proofs of the praiseworthiness of the Lord (see 2 Cor. 13:1). The whole earth is full of His glory (Isa. 6:3)!
The Heavenly Choir (vv. 1–6)
The first choir summoned to praise the Lord is from the heavens (v. 1). The singers appear in descending order from the heights to the depths of the heavens. The furthest extremities give praise (v. 1, heavens, heights; see Ps. 89:5) and then exalted animate beings are summoned (v. 2, angels, hosts; Ps. 89:5). The familiar twins of sun and moon are next (v. 3) along with their partner, the stars (v. 3; Gen. 1:16). The next voices are the atmospheric heavens from their own extremity (v. 4; heaven of heavens; Deut. 10:14) to their lowest level, the clouds that are above the terrestrial air (v. 4; waters above the heavens).
The name of the Lord summarizes all that He is, says, and does (v. 5; Isa. 63:14), and His name is the object of praise (v. 5). The Lord’s creating and sustaining all those who are called to praise is part of this name He has made for Himself (vv. 5–6). These works will not be undone, therefore His praise for them will never end (vv. 5–6; Gen. 8:22; Jer. 33:25). We sing of Jesus in this psalm, as He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things (Col. 1:16–17; Heb. 1:2–3).
The Earthly Choir (vv. 7–13)
The second choir, from the earth (v. 7), is now summoned to praise the Lord. It answers the first choir with its members appearing in reverse, ascending order. Think of antiphonal response, harmony, or counterpoint. The depths of the earth with their monsters praise first (v. 7; Ps. 146:6). The next pairs may seem to be heavenly elements, but these are considered from the perspective of their activity on the face of the ground: fire and hail (v. 8; Ps. 105:32); snow and icy mist (v. 8; Ps. 147:16); wind and word (v. 8). The wind has powerful effects on the earth that give praise to the Lord (v. 8; Ps. 147:18; Ezek. 37:9; 2 Pet. 1:21). The answering ascent continues with mountains and all hills (v. 9; Song 4:6) and trees for food and for construction (fruit, cedars, v. 9; Gen. 1:11; 1 Kings 5:6).
The higher order of living things now praise the Lord (vv. 10–12). This begins with wild beasts and domestic animals (v. 10, cattle; Ps. 50:10) and then ascends to creeping things that climb high and birds that fly above all (v. 10; Gen. 6:7).
The highest earthly order called to praise the Lord is man (vv. 11–12; Ps. 8:5): kings and the people they rule (v. 11; Ps. 105:20) and princes with others who judge (v. 11; Amos 2:3). These are followed by mature men and grown women (v. 12; Ps. 78:63) then oldsters and youngsters (v. 12; Ex. 10:9). It may seem that there is a descending order from kings to children (vv. 11–12) but, given the overall structure of this section, we should look for some sense in which there is an ascent in these elements. It may be that the psalmist is making the point that the excellence of man for the praise of God is not found in a person’s gifts and calling but in the mere fact of being made in the image of God. It is man as created in the image of God that makes him the highest earthly order of those called to praise the Lord (Gen. 1:26). We do not need to be honored by the world in order to have the honor, privilege, and duty to praise the Lord!
For the earthly choir also the summons is to praise the name of the Lord (v. 13; see v. 5). His name is unique in glory because He alone rules above the earth and heaven (v. 13) that He made and sustains (see vv. 5–6). We sing of Jesus in these things as well because He, as the builder and ruler of the house, has unique glory (Heb. 3:3–4; Acts 2:33).
The New Reason for Praise (v. 14)
The psalmist wraps up his call to the creation choirs with his reference to earth and heaven (v. 13; see vv. 1, 7). He now adds a new reason to praise the Lord: redemption (v. 14). The Lord has raised up someone with the power to save (v. 14, horn; 1 Sam. 2:1; Ps. 132:17–18) the people He has chosen for His own (v. 14, godly; Ex. 6:7; Ps. 147:19–20). In this salvation, He brings His people near to Him, those who had been far away (v. 14). In the probable historical context of this psalm, the horn was Cyrus by whom the Lord brought His people back to the Promised Land and rebuilt the temple through which He brought them near to Himself (v. 14, Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah). This redemption brought praise to them from the nations (v. 14; Ps. 126:1–3) and, with this psalm, praise from them to the Lord (v. 14).
Even this great return under Cyrus was only a striking confirmation of the promise that the Lord would bring His people near to Him in His heavenly tabernacle by the hand of a powerful Redeemer (v. 14; Gen. 3:15, 24; Heb. 9:1; 10:22; 12:22). Zacharias spoke of this horn (v. 14; Luke 1:69) and the angels answered the call of this psalm to praise God for this Savior (vv. 14, 2; Luke 2:13). Even we who are Gentiles are brought near to God in Christ (Eph. 2:11). As His created and sustained creatures, but especially as His image-bearers and most of all as His children brought near to Him in Christ, let us join the heavenly and earthly choirs to praise the name of the Lord our God. Praise the Lord!
