Psalm 148: From Heaven O Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens

Praise him in the heights!

Praise him all his angels, praise him all his hosts!

Praise him sun and moon, praise him all you shining stars!

Praise him you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord 

for he commanded and they were created 

he established them forever and ever 

he gave a decree and it shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth 

you great sea creatures and all deeps, 

fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!

Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!

Young men and maidens together, old men and children!

Let them praise the name of the Lord 

for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.

He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, 

for the people of Israel who are near to him.

Praise the Lord!

Verse one begins with a shout of praise to the Lord. In Hebrew, the words are Hallelujah, which, literally rendered, means "Praise Yahweh!" Next the Psalmist describes the praise due to the Lord from the heavens, and the first thing on his list of things to say is, "Praise him in the heights!" Here the Hebrew word for “heights” refers to the highest elevations within the heavens. In other words, from whatever perspective there may be concerning the high elevations within the heavens, God’s praise is to be proclaimed from the highest peaks. But who or what is to do some of this praising? The next verse gives us an answer: all his angels and all his hosts are to praise the Lord. It is here that the author provides his first pair of things in the heavens to contrast with each other. Here the angels are paired with hosts. The word “hosts” is very common throughout the Old Testament scriptures and it often refers to angelic armies. In other words, what the author is saying is that all the way from the individual angelic messengers to the entire collective army of angels together, God is to be praised. None of them are excluded from giving God the praise and glory due to His name.

Verse three provides another pair to contrast with each other: "Praise him sun and moon, praise him all you shining stars!" This contrast is probably more obvious to us all. One the one hand, the sun and moon appear to be very large stars in the heavens, whereas the "shining stars" of the distant sky appear to be small. And so, the contrast is set between all stars, both great and small. In other words, there is no object within the heavens, whether great or small which is exempt from giving God the praise and the glory due to His name.

Next we read: "Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens." Literally the Hebrew says "praise him you heaven of heavens," which is a superlative expression referring to the farthest outer limits of the heavens. But notice carefully that praise is to come from as near as the waters above the skies too. The clouds above our earthly skies (our "heavens") are these "waters above the heavens." This is obvious for two reasons: first, because the farthest heavens are being contrasted with the "waters above the heavens," and second, because we know the clouds above our skies are the nearest dividing line between the heavens and the earth. We know this when we look up and see clouds covering our skies, and also when we see them part. After they part, we can see far into the heavens. The bottom line of all this is that God is to be praised everywhere and by all of creation in all of the expanse of the heavens. There is no place within the vast expanse of the heavens where God's creation can find itself to be exempt from giving him the praise and the glory due to his name.

Following this sevenfold ascription of praise, we find our first summary statement, "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for...". This is followed by three reasons: 

1) He commanded and they were created. 

2) He established them forever and ever. 

3) He gave a decree and it shall not pass away.

What could be more comprehensive than this threefold purpose? The reason why everything above the earth --out in the heavens-- is to be praising God is because He alone commanded them into existence, established them for a certain duration of time, and made decree concerning their purpose in existence. The reason why the heavens are to praise the name of the Lord as long as they exist is because that's what the Lord created them to do! The Lord created them and established them to praise him according to his decree, and that decree shall not pass away. God is worthy of such praise!

From here the author moves down into the earthly realm, for he says, "Praise the Lord from the earth." Now, notice further who is to be doing all of this praising and from where this praise is to come. Starting below ground level, the author speaks of praise coming from “great sea creatures and all deeps.” Every sea creature within the massive body of water covering the earth is to praise God. Every creature, from the great big ones that appear above the surface to the ones which lurk in the deepest, darkest caverns of the ocean. All are to praise God. None are exempt from giving God the praise and the glory which is due to his name.

Next the author mentions "fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!" Elsewhere in the Scriptures we learn that this word for "fire" sometimes refers to lightning bolts from the sky (cf. Ps. 105:32; Ex. 9:23). And if that's the way the Psalmist intended to use the image of fire in this verse, then what we are presented with is another pair of natural elements. The first pair refers to that which comes down from the clouds (lightning and hail). The next pair refers to that which temporarily resides on the ground below, namely snow and thick foggy mist. Between all of these natural elements is "stormy wind." Literally, the Hebrew says "high winds." These high winds flow between the clouds which bring lightning down upon a foggy mist, and hail down upon snowy ground. Commenting on this passage, John Calvin noted that “it is not by an effect of chance that the heavens are clouded, or that a single drop of rain falls from the clouds, or that the thunders rage, but one and all of these changes depend upon the secret will of God.” Even though all of these aspects of nature are completely outside of man’s control, none of them are outside of God’s control. God has made even these natural elements to praise and glorify him. None of them are exempt from giving God the praise and glory which is due to his name. 

The following four verses (vv. 9-11) contain an exhaustive list of virtually everything else on earth. The Psalmist lists mountains and all hills together, followed by fruit trees and all cedars. This imagery signifies that God is to be praised from the highest peaks to the lowliest of hills, among the fruit-bearing trees that dot the hillside all the way through the forests of the earth. No elevation of land or obstacle in sight is going to hinder God from receiving the praise which is due to His name!

Next, “beasts and all livestock” are mentioned together, followed by “creeping things and flying birds.”  This means that every beast of the field, both wild and domesticated, and every creature which crawls on the ground, from the chipmunk to the grasshopper, are to give praise to God! And no creature of the air is excluded from that privilege and responsibility either. God created them to praise him, and none of them are exempt from giving him the praise and the glory which is due to his name.

Finally, at the end of this long list of creation, the author mentions human beings. The Psalmist mentions "Kings and all peoples, princes and all rulers, young men and maidens, old men and babies.  Let them praise the name of the Lord!"

I fascinates me to find human beings of all kinds listed last in this Psalm. Why not mention mankind first? And why does the Psalmist also mention such an exhaustive list of mankind? Why didn't he simply mention all men, both male and female? That certainly would have been sufficient. Instead, what we find is much, much more efficient in getting the main point across. And by this point, I hope the author's main point is obvious to us. By mentioning such an exhaustive list of mankind, we learn that no human being of any social status, economic status, sex, or age is exempt from giving God the praise and the glory due to his name. But this poses a dilemma, doesn't it? It is here that we are confronted with the first aspect of God's creation which questions God's praiseworthiness. It is here that we recognize mankind as the only creatures in this long list who question God's command concerning us as his creation. We're the only ones who question the meaning and purpose of our life. We're also the only ones who refuse to glory in God and acknowledge his praiseworthiness. This is a dilemma unique to mankind. 

I also find it interesting that the same reason which the Psalmist gives for why God is worthy of our praise is also the same reason which we use to excuse ourselves from praising him. The Psalmist writes, "Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven." That word "alone" is significant. So significant, in fact, that even when men attempt to exalt themselves above God and eventually realize how futile such attempts really are, they still try to place themselves on the same plane as God. In other words, whenever men realize the impossibility of exalting themselves self above God, their next attempt is to drag God down to their level, placing God on the same level as man. But the Psalmist has an entirely different revelation of God. For the Psalmist, Yahweh "alone is exalted." And the Hebrew word for "exalted" used in this verse literally means inaccessibly high. Yahweh alone is inaccessibly high, which is to say that his majesty is above the earth and the heavens.

Finally we arrive at the final destination of this Psalm. Finally we are confronted with a clear and concise reason for why sinful, doubting creatures such as us can praise and glory in Yahweh. Here we learn that Yahweh, who alone is exalted and whose majesty is above earth and the heavens, “has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him.”

In ancient Israel, the horn was symbolic of strength and victory, which is why some commentators suggest the alternative translation, "he has raised up strength for his people." It is because Yahweh has raised up strength  and victory for us that all his saints are able to give him the praise and the glory due to his name. The people of Israel had seen and tasted Yahweh's goodness in providing victories for them. They understood what deliverance from bondage meant. And it was because of the victory that Yahweh provided and the strength that he had raised up for all his saints that they could draw near to God in worship. In Deuteronomy 4:7 the people of Israel declared confidently: “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us?” A similar expression could be spoken by all of Yahweh's saints today as well: "What people is there that has a god no near to it as the Lord our God is to us?"

The point of the Psalmist here is not to exalt man to some inordinately high plane among creation, and certainly not to a plane that is equal with God, but rather, instead to magnify the grace of God in raising up strength and praise for fallen humanity at all. But Alleluia! He has done so. All the emphasis is placed upon the finished work of the Yahweh himself. And because He has done it all, we can praise him all the more. And to paraphrase something which I remember Charles Spurgeon once saying, the praise we give to God here and now on earth is the rehearsal of our eternal song with the rest of creation. Hallelujah!

Not every man really lives

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, "yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (John 11:21-32)

I know this is going to be a difficult post for me to write. Ever since I found out that my uncle Ed died this morning, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what I would write; yet now that I've started, I know it's not going to be easy. There are too many thoughts running through my mind. I'll do my best to be brief. 

I'm not that old, nor am I considerably wise for my age, but I know one thing for sure: All human beings have at least one thing in common. All human beings will die. It's an inescapable fact of life. Life is so busy and our immediate needs are so constant that we're often too focused upon living, even to the point of forgetting this one sure thing in life. Life necessitates death. All men know this. There's no way of avoiding it no matter what religion you believe, and so no one has a legitimate reason for pretending as though death is not important. As C.S. Lewis once commented in response to the recent death of his wife, "It is hard to have patience with people who say 'There is no death' or 'Death doesn't matter.' There is death. And whatever is matters. And whatever happens has consequences, and it and they are irrevocable and irreversible. You might as well say that birth doesn't matter."1  Death matters a lot. It mattered a lot to C.S. Lewis when he lost his wife. It matters a lot to me after losing my uncle Ed. It mattered a lot to Martha and Mary after losing their brother Lazarus too.

Even though I would like to write about the entire story of Lazarus, I'm not going to in this post. Instead I want to focus upon the central point of that pericope. As noted in bold type above, Martha and Mary both believed Jesus could have healed their brother. "Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died," they both cried. In other words, their faith in Jesus was exceptionally great. They both knew Jesus alone had the authority and power to heal their brother. And they didn't look to anyone else. Martha even states explicitly that whatever Jesus would ask of God, God would give to him, which implies her belief in a harmonious unity between God the Father and the Son. What the Father wills, the Son obeys. What the Son asks of the Father, the Father grants. There is no disharmony between the will of the Father and the Son. If Jesus had willed to come earlier, Lazarus would have lived. If the Father had willed for His Son to come earlier, Lazarus would have lived. The only thing mistaken presumption of Martha and Mary's faith is that Jesus could only heal the living. But Jesus did not come merely to heal the living, and the Father did not send his Son into the world merely to heal the living. 

Martha clearly believes in a bodily resurrection of her brother Lazarus too. And if Martha is emphatic about this doctrine, it's reasonable to presume that her brother and sister were aware of it too. But Martha (and perhaps, Mary too) doesn't seem to understand that Jesus is the resurrection and the life until Jesus asks her if she believes it. "Do you believe this?," Jesus asks her. "Yes, Lord," she says, "I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."  This is the central focus of this passage. Yes, it's amazing that Lazarus is eventually raised from death to life again. Yes, it's wonderful that the glory of God was revealed in this manner. But the central focus of the Lazarus-resurrection narrative is not Lazarus. It's not the faith of Martha and Mary either. It's that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. It's that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, whom God sent into the world so that men may believe in him alone and never die. "Whoever believes in me," Jesus said, "though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die."

There are a few noteworthy aspects of this conversation between Jesus and Martha. First, Jesus teaches that all men will die. In fact, he takes this for granted when he says, "Whoever believes in me, though he die...". According to Jesus, all men will die physically. That's a fact of life. Secondarily, Jesus is teaching that not every man really lives. Only those who live and believe in him shall never die. Life, therefore, is more than mere self-preservation, and all men know this in their heart of hearts. As I was speaking with a friend of mine on the phone today, trying to vent some of the sadness I felt just thinking about the loss of my uncle, he reminded me that God has placed a startlingly clear sense of self-preservation in the heart of all men, whether they believe in Jesus or not. People live as though they are their own gods who control their own destinies and are slaves of no one, but deep down inside they know they're not God and they also know their destinies are in their own control too. That nagging sense of self-preservation haunts them because they know every single choice they make in life has eternal consequences. They know they are culpable for thinking they are the god of their own life and death, unwilling to bow the knee to Jesus as Lord over all in life. They know that death is inevitable. They know there is a life now that exists and will end some day. And so they preserve their own life to whatever degree they want. For the Christian there is more though. 

This brings us to the third and final point I wish to draw out of this central passage of John 11:21-32. For the Christian, our lives are not our own. Jesus taught this throughout his ministry. Mary and Martha understood this when they called Jesus "Lord." Christians know they are bought with a price -- a price that is going to be paid by someone eventually, either by ourselves without Jesus or through the substitutionary sacrifice of the Son of God who loves us and gave himself for us. In other words, Christians know they are slaves who have been bought with the life and death of Jesus. Christians are not free from slavery in every sense of the term. Slavery, in some sense, is an inescapable concept. It's never an option of whether one will remain a slave or not. It's always a matter of whose slave we will be. Will we be slaves of our Master whom the Father has sent into the world? Or will we be slaves of sin, saying within our hearts "there is no God"? For the Christian, death to one's self is essential to becoming a slave. Because we have been united to Jesus who died for us, death becomes the precursor to resurrection as well. And since death becomes the precursor to resurrection, death is also the precursor to real life. Not only do we know that we will rise again bodily in the resurrection on the last day, but we know who will be raising us from death to life and by what power we will be raised. We know it will be our Lord and God who raises us because he already has raised our dead hearts to life that we may know it is He who bought us with his life and death. And because He has purchased us as his own, when our perishable bodies die, they die with him. And just as his body was raised as one more glorious, so will ours. What Jesus has begun in our perishable bodies he will raise up to be imperishable. What He has sown in weakness, He will raise in power. We can be confident, even as the Apostle Paul taught, that "If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." (Romans 6:5) 

I am thankful my uncle Ed knew Jesus was the resurrection and the life. Now he is washed clean. Now he is clothed in white garments. Now he is feasting at a much better table. Now he really lives. 

1.  C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Render unto God the things that are God's

"200k professing evangelicals a year render unto butchers that which bears Caesar's image in order to render unto Moloch those who bear God's."
-- R. C. Sproul Jr.   (from a Twitter post on April 12, 2013)

Speaking Bible

While discussing some of the ecclesiastical problems associated with the widespread use of extra-biblical language, particularly the language used throughout protestant traditions and textbooks, Peter Leithart commented:

The Bible is a common inheritance among all Christians. If we all learned to speak Bible, we would be speaking the same language. But we deliberately invest terms with a great deal of theological content to distinguish ourselves from other believers. We fill terms with all kinds of theological content in order to makes sure that nobody confuses us with Lutherans, because Lutherans say 'this' and we say 'this'. And I just don't see that as consistent with Jesus' desires for the Church. Jesus' desire is that the Church be one, and that we not erect those kinds of barriers. If we go back and wrestle with the Bible to speak Bible fluently then I think [with] that particular ecclesiological problem ...we are more apt to achieve what Jesus wants us to achieve, which is the unity of His body.1

1.  IN MEDIAS RES PODCAST, March 30th, 2007 

The Genius of John

In The Genius of John: A Composition-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel, Peter F. Ellis attempts to identify the author of the fourth gospel. He writes:

Whoever the author of the Fourth Gospel was, one thing is certain: he wanted to remain anonymous. He wanted only to be known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. He speaks about himself in 13:23 as the one who at the Last Supper "was lying close to the breast of Jesus"; in 19:23-26, 35, as the disciple who stood beneath the cross, was given the care of Jesus' mother, and witnessed the death of Jesus; in 20:2-10, as the disciple who ran with Peter to the tomb on Easter morning and, upon seeing the burial cloths, believed; in 21:7, as the disciple who alone recognized the stranger on the shore as Jesus; and in 21:20-23, as the disciple about whom Jesus said to Peter: "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"

It is probable that he is the "disciple... known to the high priest" who spoke to the maid and had Peter admitted to the court of Annas (18:15-16). It is quite probable that he was one of the two unnamed disciples of John the Baptist who followed Jesus at the beginning of his public life (1:35-39), and equally probably that he was one of the two unnamed disciples who accompanied Peter in the boat on the Lake of Galilee after the resurrection (21:2). 

What is certain is that the Gospel itself declares the Beloved Disciple to be "the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things..." (21:24).1

How many times have you studied John's gospel and overlooked these details?

1.  Peter F. Ellis, The Genius of John: A Composition-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel [The Liturgical Press; Collegeville, MN; 1985] p. 2

N.T. Wright on Weather Forecasting

When we read an Old Testament text which says 'the sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood and the stars will be falling from heaven,' we ought to know as a matter of literary genre that the next line is not going to be that the rest of the country is going to have scattered showers and sunny intervals. This is not a primitive weather forecast.

-- N.T. Wright, speaking in a panel discussion at the 2010 Wheaton Theology Conference

Charles Spurgeon on "Violence"

Commenting on Matthew 10:23, which reads, "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another," Charles Spurgeon writes:

It is to the last degree foolish to attempt to force religion upon men: it advances by gentleness, and not by violence. ...Persecution has often been a spur to the church. Let us be diligent in our holy calling, and preach the Gospel while we can do so in peace.1

1.  Charles Spurgeon, The King Has Come [Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company; 1987] pp. 124-125