12 July
Bible In 365 Days 
Psalms 146-150
Psalm 146
We now come to the final psalms of adoration, each one of which opens and closes with the great call to praise. "Hallelujah, praise the Lord."
The theme of this first is that of the sufficiency of God as the Helper of His people. It opens with the personal note of determination to praise (Psalms 146:1-2). As a background the inability of man to help is declared. He is not to be trusted, for "his breath goeth forth." In contrast with this helplessness the strength of Jehovah is celebrated as manifested in creation, and the maintenance of order (Psalms 146:6), As exercised on behalf of the needy and the oppressed (Psalms 146:7-9). Notice the descriptions of the people whom Jehovah helps. "The oppressed ... the hungry ... the prisoners ... the blind ... they that are bowed down ... the righteous ... the strangers ... the fatherless and widow."
Then notice how the Divine activity exactly meets the need. "Executeth judgement ... giveth food ... looseth ... openeth the eyes ... raiseth up ... loveth ... preserveth ... upholdeth." In contrast with the vanishing life of princes and sons of men, Jehovah reigns for ever, and is the God of Zion to all generations.
Psalm 147
In this psalm, beginning with a call which declares the pleasantness and comeliness of praise (Psalms 147:1), the singer first celebrates the Divine activity in restoring His people (Psalms 147:2-6). He then proceeds to declare how God provides for all human needs (Psalms 147:7-11); and finally rejoices in the perfection of His government (Psalms 147:12-20).
In the first movement dealing with the restoration of Israel, there is a very beautiful suggestion of the inter- relation of the pitying power of God. "He healeth the broken-hearted ... He telleth the number of the stars." In this activity of restoration there is manifest power and wisdom, and strict discrimination in the upholding of the meek, and the abasing of the wicked. In His providence God provides for all material needs, and yet His purpose in so doing is that of creating the spiritual attitudes towards Himself in which He supremely delights, His delight finally not in animal strength, but in the fear and hope which constitute spiritual strength.
In the last movement there is a fine recognition of His provision of material supply, which is however, all the way through made a parabolic of His sustenance of spiritual strength. Literally He gives His people "the finest of the wheat," and actually gives snow, and hoar frost, and ice; and yet all these things are intended to be revelations of the methods by which He sends His commandment and His word, His statutes and His judgments, for the perfect ordering of life.
Psalm 148
This is the psalm of the whole creation. It has two movements indicated by the words "From the havens" (Psalms 148:1), and "From the Earth" (Psalms 148:7). In the first the scale is a descending one. "In the heights" to "His angels," "Sun and moon." Of all of them it is true that He created and established them. In the second the scale is an ascending one, from the deeps and the dragons, through the elements and Nature, to the sentient life, and onward through kings and princes and all human beings. From the heights and depths and all that lies between, praise is to be offered to Jehovah, for "His glory is above the earth and heaven."
This praise however, in the mind of the singer is to be perfectly expressed through Israel, a people near unto Him. This is an all encompassing note of adoration, which one of our more recent singers has perfectly expressed in the lines:
"The whole creation joins in one
To bless the sacred Name
Of Him Who sits upon the Throne, And to adore the Lamb."
Psalm 149
As the last song ended by the recognition of the place of the saints in expressing the universal praise of Jehovah, this one enlarges the thought by confining itself wholly to the anthem of saints. "His praise in the assembly of the saints" (Psalms 149:1); "Let the saints exult in glory" (Psalms 149:5); "This honour have all His saints" (Psalms 149:9). The saints are to praise Him as Creator and King. They are to do this with all the abandon of the dance and of music; because He has taken pleasure in them, and beautified them with salvation.
This praise is to be the perpetual attitude of their lives. They are to "exult in glory," and to "sing for joy upon their beds." Their praise is not merely to be that of the chanting of words. It is also to be in the doing of His will. While the high praises of God are in their mouth, a two-edged sword is to be in their hand, with which they carry out His purposes among the peoples, the kings, and the nobles. The privilege of praise in word and work is an honour, specially conferred upon His saints.
Psalm 150
This psalm which concludes the book, and all the Psalter as final doxology, is the most comprehensive, and illuminative illustration of perfect praise in the whole Psalter. In our analysis of it as doxology at the beginning of the book, its essential values are stated. The central place of prayer is the sanctuary, that is, the place of Divine manifestation, whether the earthly temple or the heavenly, matters nothing. The circumference is the firmament of His power which is the outer confine of human consciousness. The reason for praise is that of His mighty acts, whether in creation, redemption, or government. The measure of praise is His excellent greatness, so that it can never end until all the story be exhausted. The method is set forth by a description of the instruments of music constituting a perfect orchestra.
Finally, the one condition of praise is the possession of breath, that is to say, life received from Him must return in praise to Him. The function of life is praise, and the force of praise is life. The note of responsibility and the dignity of choice are alike indicated in the fact that the final psalm is not merely an expression of praise, but a call to its exercise. Thus it is seen that the worship which perfectly glorifies God is not mechanical, but volitional.
