Psalm 147:1-11 NKJV
147 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.
Psalm 147 is a Psalm of praise. The first word of this Psalm in Hebrew is Hallelujah or Alleluia, which means, “Praise Yah[weh]!” Truly it is good to praise the Lord, Yahweh, the one true God who revealed Himself to Israel. It is good to sing praises to Him and about Him. And, as usual, the Psalmist gives us several reasons why He deserves our songs of praise.
The Lord deserves our praise because He is mighty and powerful, and His understanding knows no limits. He is, after all, the Creator of the stars, who still calls each one by name. But the Lord’s power and might would mean little, if He didn’t also care about us. But He does care, as the Psalmist describes. He built Jerusalem and kept it intact until Christ came and fulfilled the prophecies about His suffering, death, and resurrection. He continues to build the Jerusalem of His New Testament Church, as Jesus promised, “I will build My Church.” What’s more, He also cares for each and every member of His Church, healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds with His forgiveness and with His love. His goodness is seen in His lifting up of the humble, but also in His casting down of the wicked. Neither that lifting up nor that casting down always happens immediately, but it will always happen, because it is the Lord’s way.
Starting in v. 7, the Psalmist again calls on us to praise the LORD, with thanksgiving and with joyful music. Why? In the following verses, he highlights the Lord’s active involvement in the creation, in the formation of the clouds, in the sending of rain, in the growing of crops for man and beast. When you see the clouds in the sky, when you taste the food that has grown from the earth, remember that these benefits are not gifts of “Mother Nature.” Recognize your God’s hand guiding it all, and remember to give thanks to the Lord.
Finally, praise the Lord because He does not favor the strong, as this world does. Instead, He favors and delights in “those who fear Him, who hope in His mercy.” Let us pray: We praise You, O Lord! We fear You and hope, not in ourselves, but in You and in Your great mercy, which You have shown abundantly in Your acts of Creation, Preservation, and Redemption through Christ. Amen.