Praise God for His Word and Works!

Psalms 147:1-20 

1 Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.

4 He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
6 The LORD lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that cry.

10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.

12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders,
And fills you with the finest wheat.

15 He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.

16 He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19 He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.

Praise the LORD!

Praise the Lord God for His word and works; His word gives deliverance and hope, and His works make a providential way for His people according to His word.  Such beautiful praise honors Him and is sweetly agreeable to Him and for us, an acceptable sacrifice from the words of our lips and lives to Him (Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15).  He gathers the outcasts even now as with Israel, healing the broken-hearted from their sin and suffering (Luke 4:18) as He bandages the inherited wounds and sorrows of our rebellion against Him from out of Eden’s garden.  This is by the mighty God who names and numbers the infinite stars above, who has infinite understanding of all things which He has created and which He sustains in that mighty power of His word to create and hold fast in His hand.  This power and wisdom allows God to put down those rejecting Him and His words, and to lift up those trusting His word and humbling themselves before His wisdom and power (1 Peter 5:6-7).  We are to be like the psalmist, singing praises of thanksgiving with understanding of who He is and all He does, looking to the wondrous world of His works and standing small in awe of His greatness.  This leads us to His word which shows that it is not by our might or power or wisdom (Zechariah 4:6) to run this race of life, but in fearful awe and faith in Him and His might and wisdom with hope alone in His mercy towards us, not in our power to make us acceptable to Him (Ephesians 1:6).  Yes, as His people we should praise our God through Christ the Anointed one who delivers us from the wrath to come which we all have earned (1 Thessalonians 1:10).  He alone gives true peace between Himself and us (Romans 5:1) and provides our daily bread to sustain each of us.  His word runs swiftly (Psalm 107:20) to do all His will, and brings seasons of suffering and pleasure to life, always with the hope of working good for us in His glory (Romans 8:28).  While no earthly nation was ever blessed like Israel, as His people together with them in Christ we have His word and judgments of hope which have been made known to us all now (Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 1:9-10) as one nation spread throughout all earthly nations until His return.  Praise our Lord for His word and works!