Sunday Worship Preparation – Psalm 116

For our worship preparation on this new Lord’s Day we consider our next psalm in the OT Psalter, Psalm 116, which also happens to be a personal favorite (See the Psalter versification below too.). The human instrument who penned this “exuberant thanksgiving to the Lord” (New Geneva Study Bible) is unknown, but that only serves to bring out that this psalm is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is word for word the Word of God. Out of the heart and mouth of one of His children the Lord wished to speak to us and for us a glad song of gratitude for deliverance from death. Here, then, is that grateful song:

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

²Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

³The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

⁴Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

⁵Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

⁶The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

⁷Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

⁸For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

⁹I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

¹⁰I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

¹¹I said in my haste, All men are liars.

¹²What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

¹³I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁴I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

¹⁶O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

¹⁷I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁸I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people,

¹⁹In the courts of the Lord’S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

While the entire psalm is beautiful and significant, there are a couple of things worth highlighting. For one thing, it is evident that the psalmist experienced the Lord’s merciful hand of deliverance from death. Whatever his particular circumstances were, he was clearly in the grip of death and its sorrows, body and soul. In the midst of this experience he believed in the Lord and cried out for help. He loved the Lord before his great affliction and he loved Him more deeply afterward. That love was rooted in God’s own love for him first, of course. But out of that love and with a true faith he ran to the Lord in his trouble and sorrow. And God out of His great love for His child heard his cry and rescued him from death. The psalmist had not earned that response from the Lord, nor did he deserve it, not even for his faith and love. God’s deliverance was an act of pure grace and mercy, as the psalmist himself declares (vss.5-7).

As such this deliverance is a powerful witness to our own deliverance from sin and its just reward, death. And yet, ours is even greater, for God loved us when we hated Him and were His enemies (Romans 5:6-11). He saved us from death when we didn’t want to be saved and didn’t believe in Him and didn’t seek His help (Romans 3:9-19). How much more then should we love the Lord and how much greater should our song of gratitude be! Do we sing this song with hearts that break with love for and gratitude to the Lord? If we know our deliverance from death’s grip, we cannot do otherwise.

For another thing, notice that the psalmist testifies to the fact that he will render his deep and devoted thanks to the Lord in public worship (vss.12-19). Asking himself what he could possibly give to the Lord in return for His gracious salvation (a good question for us to ask daily!), he determines to offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving to the Lord in the midst of corporate worship – “in the presence of all his people” (vss.14,18). That is significant. While this song of thanks in Ps.116 is intensely personal, the psalmist intended that it be used not merely for personal thanksgiving but also and especially for the united praise of God’s people. His vow would be paid and his praise would be heard in the company of his fellow saints. He would join them in magnifying the God of his salvation.

And so it is that our hearts are stirred on this day of rest and worship to give God thanks and lift up our exuberant song to Him. Personally and privately? O, yes, by all means. We may start right now. Read, pray, and sing Psalm 116 as your personal testimony of thanks to the Lord for what He has done for your soul in Jesus Christ! But then also go the house of the Lord, meet the Lord’s people there, and join with them in making corporate and public praise to the Lord! Take the cup of salvation and call upon your Savior with your fellow saints! Pay your vow of gratitude to the Lord “now in the presence of all his people.” For having experienced a common salvation, we have a common song to sing.

If you wish to mediate on Psalm 116 through music, may I suggest you visit the PRC Psalter page, where you will find several versifications of this psalm set to music (Scroll down to Ps.116). Below is my personal favorite, found in the Choral section of our Psalter.

426.  I Love the Lord.  Psalm 116.  10 11 11 10. (click on this title to hear piano accompaniment)

I love the Lord, the fount of life and grace;

He hears my voice, my cry and supplication,

Inclines His ear, gives strength and consolation;

In life, in death, my heart will seek His face.

 

The cords of death held me in deep despair;

The pangs of hell, like waves by tempest driven,

Rolled o’er my soul; by grief and sorrow riven,

I turned in my distress to God in prayer.

 

I cried, Deliver Thou my soul, O Lord!

Jehovah heard. I pledge Him my devotion.

The Lord is just, His grace wide as the ocean;

In boundless mercy He fulfills his word.

 

The Lord preserves the meek most tenderly;

Brought nigh to death, in Him I found salvation.

Come, thou my soul, relieved from agitation,

Turn to thy rest; the Lord has favored Thee.

 

Thou, O Jehovah, in Thy sovereign grace,

Hast saved my soul from death and woe appalling,

Dried all my tears, secured my feet from falling.

Lo, I shall live and walk before Thy face.

 

I have believed, and therefore I did speak

When I was made to suffer tribulation;

I said in haste and bitter desperation:

All men are false, ’tis nought but lies they speak.

 

What shall I render to Jehovah now

For all the riches of His consolation?

With joy I’ll take the cup of His salvation,

And call upon His Name with thankful vow.

 

Before His saints I’ll pay my vows to God;

E’en in death’s vale He keepeth me from evil;

How dear to God the dying of His people!

Praise Him, ye saints, and sound His Name abroad.

 

I am, O Lord, Thy servant, bound yet free,

Thy handmaid’s son, whose shackles Thou hast broken;

Redeemed by grace, I’ll render as a token

Of gratitude my constant praise to Thee.

 

Jerusalem! Within thy courts I’ll praise

Jehovah’s Name; and with a spirit lowly

Pay all my vows. O Zion fair and holy,

Come join with me and bless Him all thy days!

 

“Authors on the Line”: The Role of the Psalms in the Life of the Church

The Role of the Psalms in the Life of the Church Authors on the Line – Desiring God.

I have noted here several times before Desiring God‘s “Author’s on the Line” podcast feature. After receiving notices of some of the latest ones, which usually relate to subjects of broad interest to Christians – and Calvinistic ones especially – I thought I would reference this fine program once again. The one I have linked above is from March of this year and involves an interview by Tony Reinke with Gordon Wenham, who has a new book out on the Psalms (see the picture here and the link to it below).

There is a renewed interest in the OT Psalter on the part of the church today, and of course, those of us who have a long tradition of Psalm-singing always have an interest in the OT Psalter. So it might be worth your while to listen to this podcast. Here is the introduction that accompanies it. Once at the “DG” website, you will find the link to the audio file.

The Book of Psalms is an amazing gift to the church. Says John Piper, “The Psalms, more intentionally than any other book of the Bible, is designed to carry, express, and shape our emotions, to give vent to them — all of them, and shape them, to reign them in, and to free them up, to explode them, and to kill them when they should be killed.”

The Psalms are useful for shaping our emotions, and rich devotional fuel for the soul, but how are these ancient Psalms to function in the life of the gathered church in weekend worship? Most of us don’t sing from the Psalter, or even recite from the Psalms on a typical Sunday, although such a practice seems to be assumed by the early church (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16).

So we recently went online with Old Testament scholar Gordon Wenham to think more about the place of the Psalms in the life of the local church. Wenham, 70, now serves as an adjunct professor at Trinity College, Bristol. He is the author of several books and commentaries, and from his home in Bristol he talked with us about his newest book, The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms (Crossway, 2013).

Lord's Day 18: There for Our Good

Reblogged from URC Psalmody:

• 

Although we arrived at the Heidelberg Catechism’s section on Christ’s death and resurrection too late for Easter, the Catechism’s explanation of Christ’s ascension coincides nicely with Ascension Day, which our churches will celebrate next Thursday.  And so, continuing into the eighteenth installment in this URC Psalmody series, we turn tonight to Lord’s Day 18.

46 Q.  What do you mean by saying: ‘He ascended into heaven’?

Read more… 1,146 more words

Fitting for our Ascension Day remembrance today, as well as for our commemoration of the 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism, is this post by Michael Kearney from last week. As he continues his "HC" series this year from a musical perspective (especially the Psalms), he treated Lord's Day 18 on the ascension using versifications of Psalm 24, 47, 89, and 68 - including the Protestant Reformed Psalm Choir on Ps.24. Let the words of the catechism enlightened by the words of these Psalms lead our souls to lift up in praise our ascended Lord Jesus! -CJT

J.Calvin on Psalm 115: “They call upon him…, that his glory may be maintained.”

For our further meditation on Psalm 115 we turn to the spiritual wisdom of John Calvin, to whom God gave great gifts of explaining the Scriptures and leading God’s people back to the Word of God. Here are his thoughts on the first verse:

1 Not unto us, O Jehovah!

…We learn from the first part of it, that the faithful betake themselves to God, in circumstances of extreme distress. They do not make known their desires in plain words, but indirectly hint at the nature of their request. They openly disclaim all merit, and all hope of obtaining deliverance otherwise than God’s doing it from a sole regard to his own glory, for these things are inseparably connected. Deserving, therefore, to meet with a repulse, they yet beseech God not to expose his name to the derision of the heathen. In their distress they desire to obtain consolation and support; but, finding nothing in themselves meritorious of God’s favor, they call upon him to grant their requests, that his glory may be maintained. This is a point to which we ought carefully to attend, that, altogether unworthy as we are of God’s regard, we may cherish the hope of being saved by him, from the respect that he has for the glory of his name, and from his having adopted us on condition of never forsaking us. It must, also be noticed, that their humility and modesty prevent them from openly complaining of their distresses, and that they do not begin with a request for their own deliverance, but for the glory of God. Suffused with shame by reason of their calamity, which, in itself, amounts to a kind of rejection, they durst not openly crave, at God’s hand, what they wished, but made their appeal indirectly, that, from a regard to his own glory, he would prove a father to sinners, who had no claim upon him whatever. And, as this formulary of prayer has once been delivered to the Church, let us also, in all our approaches unto God, remember to lay aside all self-righteousness, and to place our hopes entirely on his free favor.

Sunday Worship Preparation – Psalm 115

Once again our Triune God and Father in Jesus Christ calls us to gather for public worship of Him on this Lord’s Day. As we answer this call with believing and obedient hearts, we take Psalm 115 as our guide. The psalmist of this particular song is also unknown, but this is what the Spirit of Christ gave to the human writer to put down for the profit of the whole church of Old and New testaments:

Psalm 115

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.

²Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?

³But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

⁴Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

⁵They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:

⁶They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:

⁷They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.

⁸They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

⁹O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.

¹⁰O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.

¹¹Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.

¹²The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.

¹³He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.

¹⁴The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.

¹⁵Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

¹⁷The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.

¹⁸But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.

You will immediately notice the relevance of this psalm for our worship. It opens with that ringing cry for Jehovah alone to receive glory, and that because He alone is God, even the sovereign Lord. The unbelieving heathen (including the “new” atheists of our day) may taunt us with the question of where our God is, but the believing people of God know: He is in the heavens on His throne, performing all His sovereign plan and pleasure. In the meantime, where are the “gods” of the heathen? Well, they are idols (vanities, empty lies) and mere images of nothing. They are the product of men’s imaginations and the work of his hands. Notice how the psalmist contrasts Jehovah God with these “gods” of the nations (vss.4-8). And as dumb and deaf, as motionless and powerless, as these idols are, so are those who put their trust in them. Do we see then, that our own worship of the one true God means we must forsake all our own idols as well as those of the world about us? Entering the holy courts of the Lord means that we drop our lying vanities at the door and come to give God alone the glory!

In harmony with this truth that Jehovah alone is God, the psalmist calls and encourages the believing people of God to put their trust in Him alone (vss.9-16). The repetition of the call stresses its importance – and reveals our dullness and slowness to trust in the Lord. Simply look back on this week. When things were good, we forgot to trust Him because we thought we didn’t need God as our help and shield. And when things were rough, we still were slow to trust Him because we thought we could handle things by ourselves – we could be our own help and shield. But God teaches us that it is not so – by His Word and by His providences. And we learn (oftentimes, the hard way!) to trust the sovereign Lord as our only help and shield. As we stand – and bow! – in His presence today, let us reveal our trust in Him alone. Let us give Him all the glory – and give none to ourselves!

We are also encouraged to worship the only true and living God here. Note how the psalmist does so with the words of vss.12-16. God has been mindful of us – what a thought is that! Puny, insignificant, speck of dust, sinful me?! and you?! Yes, even us. From all eternity mindful of us. Thinking of us in Christ and for His sake. Mindful to create us as unique persons. Mindful to elect us to redemption in His Son. Mindful to send Christ to accomplish all our salvation. Mindful to plan our whole lives in perfect wisdom. Mindful to carry out that plan in absolute sovereignty. All for our good, even our everlasting good. Because He would bless us. O, He will bless us, because He is the Blessed God, and because He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Eph.1:3). Indeed we are blessed, people of God!

And what do such blessed people do? They bless the Lord, “from this time forth and for evermore” (v.18).  The dead can’t and don’t praise Him (v.17), but we are alive in our risen Savior and by His Spirit! So “praise the LORD”, fellow worshippers! Let us this day bless the One Who has so richly blessed us.

If you desire to meditate on Psalm 115 through music, I encourage you to listen to some versifications of this psalm at the PRC Psalter page. Here is one such versification to get you started (Click on the title to hear piano accompaniment):

308.  The Living and True God.  Psalm 115.  L.M.  (4 stanzas)

1. Not unto us, O Lord of heaven,
But unto Thee be glory given;
In love and truth Thou dost fulfill
The counsels of Thy sovereign will;
Though nations fail Thy power to own,
Yet Thou dost reign, and Thou alone.

2. The idol gods of heathen lands
Are but the work of human hands;
They cannot see, they cannot speak,
Their ears are deaf, their hands are weak;
Like them shall be all those who hold
To gods of silver and of gold.

3. Let Israel trust in God alone,
The Lord Whose grace and power are known;
To Him your full allegiance yield,
And He will be your help and shield;
All those who fear Him God will bless,
His saints have proved His faithfulness.

4. All ye that fear Him and adore,
The Lord increase you more and more;
Both great and small who Him confess,
You and your children He will bless;
Yea, blest are ye of Him Who made
The heavens, and earth’s foundations laid.

5. The heavens are God’s since time began,
But He hath given the earth to man;
The dead praise not the living God,
But we will sound His praise abroad,
Yea, we will ever bless His Name;
Praise ye the Lord, His praise proclaim.

J.Calvin on Psalm 114: “The sea… sanctified his name.”

As we meditate on Psalm 114 today, it is fitting that we also hear these words of John Calvin as he comments on vss.3-5 of the psalm. May his references to God’s power in the use of creation at the Exodus also serve to lead us to great worship of our great Lord and Savior.

It is in a poetical strain that the Psalmist describes the receding of the sea and of the Jordan. The description, however, does not exceed the facts of the case. The sea, in rendering such obedience to its Creator, sanctified his name; and Jordan, by its submission, put honor upon his power; and the mountains, by their quaking, proclaimed how they were overawed at the presence of his dreadful majesty. By these examples it is not meant to celebrate God’s power more than the fatherly care and desire which he manifests for the preservation of the Church; and, accordingly, Israel is very properly distinguished from the sea, the Jordan, and the mountains — there being a very marked difference between the chosen people and the insensate elements.

5 What ailed thee, O sea! The prophet interrogates the sea, Jordan, and the mountains, in a familiar and poetical strain, as lately he ascribed to them a sense and reverence for God’s power. And, by these similitudes, he very sharply reproves the insensibility of those persons, who do not employ the intelligence which God has given them in the contemplation of his works. The appearance which he tells us the sea assumed, is more than sufficient to condemn their blindness. It could not be dried up, the river Jordan could not roll back its waters, had not God, by his invisible agency, constrained them to render obedience to his command. The words are indeed directed to the sea, the Jordan, and the mountains, but they are more immediately addressed to us, that every one of us, on self-reflection, may carefully and attentively weigh this matter. And, therefore, as often as we meet with these words, let each of us reiterate the sentiment, — “Such a change cannot be attributed to nature, and to subordinate causes, but the hand of God is manifest here.”

Sunday Worship Preparation – Psalm 114

For our preparation for worship on this new Lord’s Day, we consider the Word of God in Psalm 114, the human instrument of which is unknown. But this is what the Holy Spirit inspired the human writer to pen:

 Psalm 114

When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

²Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

³The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

⁴The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

⁵What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

⁶Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

⁷Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

⁸Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

It is evident from these powerful lines that the psalmist is recalling God’s great saving work in the Exodus, when He delivered His people Israel from the hand of pharoah and the Egyptians and set them on the way to Canaan, the promised land. The New Geneva Study Bible (Foundation for Reformation/T.Nelson, 1995) adds these notes:

Jewish tradition assigned this psalm to the eighth day of Passover. In eight short verses of unrivaled poetic subtlety, the psalmist describes the tremendous power of God’s visual self-revelation (theophany) at the time of Israel’s salvation from Egypt and entry into Canaan (Ex.13:21).

The Exodus was the most tremendous display of God’s redemptive power during the Old Testament period. It was constantly remembered and became a source of encouragement for later generations, including Christians who perceive themselves as ‘strangers and pilgrims’ in search of their true ‘homeland’ (Heb.11:13,14).

There are several things worthy of special note in this psalm. First, notice that v.2 refers to Judah/Israel as God’s sanctuary and dominion. That means that Jehovah, as Israel’s all-glorious, sovereign King, made Judah His dwellingplace, His home or abode. And that, of course, is the heart of the covenant: the Triune God living with His people in saving friendship and fellowship. That could only be in Christ and for His sake, which is why it is significant that the tribe of Judah is named for the whole nation of Israel here – the tribe from which our Lord came (see Heb.7:14). Our own exodus from sin and death and our own entrance into fellowship with God is through Jesus Christ alone, accomplished at the cross of Calvary and sealed at the empty tomb.

Second, note how the creation was involved in the redemption of Israel from Egypt and in her entrance into Canaan. Creation is even  personified here, i.e., described in terms of personal characteristics, as if the sea watched the exodus and willingly fled and as if  the hills rejoiced at what was happening and skipped like rams (vss.3-4). The psalmist even goes so far as to ask these creatures why they reacted this way (vss.5-6). This too shows the absolute sovereignty of our God, for the whole of creation is His army, called to carry out His sovereign will for the sake of the salvation of His church (He is the “Lord of hosts”!). You will recall that the creation also participated in the great wonders at Calvary and at Christ’s grave (Matt.28:45; 50-53). And the same will be true at the end of the world, when the church is fully redeemed (see Matt.24 and 2 Peter 3). What a God we have! If the creation is called to tremble at His presence (v.7), how much more we, who know the saving presence of this Lord! Shall we reveal our godly fear (awe) of this God today in our worship?

And finally, note that vss.7-8 take us directly to Christ, the Water of life and the fountain of our salvation. The historical reference is to God’s provision of water for His thirsty people at Kadesh in the wilderness (Numbers 20). But 1 Cor.10:4 tells us that this water was spiritual water (to the believing, that is) because the Rock was a spiritual Rock. And this Rock was Christ! Now tie that to John 4:1-14 (Jesus and the Samaritan woman) and Rev.22, and you have the whole picture.

Today, having experienced the Lord’s redeeming hand in our lives this past week, taking us out of Egypt once again, and having walked through the dry and thirsty land of this world, we come to the refreshing Rock of our salvation. From this Rock flow the life-giving waters of grace – free forgiveness, perfect righteousness, the Spirit of renewal and holiness, and fellowship with God. Let us drink deeply and thankfully, with the mouth of faith. Then we too shall be God’s “sanctuary”. We shall be His home; and we shall be at home, in blessed rest.

J.Calvin on Psalm 113: “…Stirring us up to unwearied zeal in praising God.”

Also for our meditation on Psalm 113 today and to help us in our worship preparation, we provide this quotation of John Calvin on Psalm 113:1-2. May his words also serve to stir us up “to unwearied zeal in praising God”.

1 Praise, ye servants of Jehovah! 

This psalm contains abundant reasons for all men without exception to praise God. The faithful alone being endued with spiritual perception to recognize the hand of God, the prophet addresses them in particular. And if we consider how cold and callous men are in this religious exercise, we will not deem the repetition of the call to praise God superfluous. We all acknowledge that we are created to praise God’s name, while, at the same time, his glory is disregarded by us. Such criminal apathy is justly condemned by the prophet, with the view of stirring us up to unwearied zeal in praising God. The repetition, then, of the exhortation to praise him, ought to be considered as referring both to perseverance and ardor in this service. If, by the servants of God, some would rather understand the Levites, to whom the charge of celebrating his praises under the Law was committed, I am not much opposed to it, provided they do not exclude the rest of the faithful, over whom formerly God appointed the Levites as leaders and chief musicians, that he might be praised by all his people without exception. When the Holy Spirit addresses the Levites expressly in relation to the subject of God’s praises, it is designedly that, by their example, they may show the way to others, and that the whole Church may respond in one holy chorus. Now that we are all “a royal priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:9) and as Zechariah testifies, (Zechariah 14:21) that under the reign of Christ, the meanest of the people shall be Levites, there is no question that, excepting unbelievers who are mute, the prophet invites us all in common to render this service unto God.

2 Blessed be the name of Jehovah

The prophet confirms what I stated above, that the praises of God must be continued throughout the whole course of our life. If his name is to be continually praised, it ought, at least, to be our earnest endeavor, during our brief pilgrimage here, that the remembrance of it may flourish after we are dead. In the next verse, he extends the glory of God’s name to all parts of the earth; wherefore our apathy will be totally inexcusable, if we do not make its praises resound among ourselves. Under the law, God could not be praised aright, excepting in Judea by his own people, to whom the knowledge of him was confined. His works, however, which are visible to all nations, are worthy of the admiration of the whole world. To the same effect is the following clause respecting the loftiness of God’s glory; for can there be any thing more base, than for us to magnify it but seldom and tardily, considering it ought to fill our thoughts with enrapturing admiration? In extolling the name of God so highly, the prophet intends to show us that there is no ground for indifference; that silence would savor of impiety were we not to exert ourselves to the utmost of our ability to celebrate his praises, in order that our affections may, as it were, rise above the heavens.

Sunday Worship Preparation: Psalm 113

On this new Lord’s Day, to assist us in preparing spiritually for worship of our Triune God in Jesus Christ, we turn to Psalm 113, the next psalm in our series. This psalm is part of that collection of brief praise songs, whose human authorship we do not know. But these psalms are powerful words of the Holy Spirit, and most fitting for our worship preparation. Let’s put it before us and meditate on it:

Psalm 113

Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

²Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

³From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’S name is to be praised.

⁴The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

⁵Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

⁶Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

⁷He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

⁸That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

⁹He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

Psalm 113, like Psalm 111, focuses on the heart of our worship – God Himself! It declares the blessedness and praise-worthiness of the Lord’s name and gives us the reasons why it is. In sum, it is because of Who He is and what He does as our sovereign God. He is exalted above all nations and above the heavens (v.4). He is the transcendent Lord of all (v.5)!  There truly is none like unto our God! Because He is God alone! And that, first of all, is why He is to be praised, even from sunup to sundown (v.3). That’s why His servants (His chosen and redeemed-by-blood people) are called to bless His name (v.1). Are we ready to do that today? Are our hearts and mouths prepared to bless and praise this great and glorious God? This is our reasonable service as His saved servants (Romans 12:1).

And then note too what this majestic Lord of all does according to this song. Being so exalted and transcendent, does He have no time for His lowly people on earth? Is He so consumed with being praised that He cannot dwell with the poor and needy? Not at all! Read vss.6-9 again. Listen carefully to what He does for us own – he pays attention to everything in His world (v.6). And moved by compassion for the needs of His people, He raises them up and sets them with royalty (vss.7-8). And knowing how easily the women of His kingdom are slighted, our God gives them a special place and role (v.9).  This too is our God! And these too are the reasons for praising Him and blessing His name. Do you see these ways of the Lord with His people? Have you experienced them yourselves? Then praise Him, servants of Jehovah!

And these actions of the Lord all begin with His humility: “Who humbleth himself”! I cannot fathom that, can you? That this high and lofty One, Who has no need of me or you, Who has no reason in us to condescend to raise us up out of our sin and shame, that He would be moved to help us and humble Himself to help us is beyond my comprehension! And we could not believe it to be true except that we have His sure Word that it is, and have the Incarnation and cross of Jesus Christ to prove it. In Him especially are the love and humility of our great God displayed! And when we meditate on that humility and condescension of Christ, we are moved to praise our God and bless His name. It cannot be otherwise. Being so lifted up by the grace of God, we will lift Him up on high in our worship. Shall we do that as His servants again this day?

If you wish to meditate on Psalm 113 through music, I direct you again to the Psalter page of the PRC website, and specifically to this versification (Click on the title for piano accompaniment.):

306.  The Glory and Condescension of God.  Psalm 113.  L.M.  (4 stanzas)

1. Praise God, ye servants of the Lord,
Praise, praise His Name with one accord;
Bless ye the Lord, His Name adore
From this time forth, forevermore.

2. From rising unto setting sun
Praised be the Lord, the Mighty One;
He reigns o’er all, supreme in might,
Above the heavens in glory bright.

3. On whom but God can we rely,
The Lord our God Who reigns on high,
Who condescends to see and know
The things of heaven and earth below?

4. He lifts the poor and makes them great,
With joy He fills the desolate;
Praise ye the Lord and bless His Name,
His mercy and His might proclaim.

J.Calvin on Psalm 112 – “…None belong(s) to the worshippers of God, but he who endeavors to keep his law.”

Also for our meditation on Psalm 112 today we post these words of John Calvin on v. from his commentary on this psalm. May his thoughts also enlighten and inspire us in the God-fearing life.

1 Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah….

Although the prophet begins with an exhortation, he has… something farther in view, than simply the calling upon the faithful to praise God. To practice wickedness, and perpetrate injustice, is, in all quarters, accounted a great happiness; and, although integrity may be occasionally praised, nevertheless, there is scarcely one among a hundred who pursues it, because all imagine that they will be miserable unless, by one means or another, they seize as booty every thing which comes in their way. In opposition to this, the prophet tells us that more advantage is to be expected from God’s paternal regard, than from the inflicting of every species of injury, and the perpetrating of every kind of injustice in our power; and by setting before us the certain hope of reward, he calls us back to the practice of equity and beneficence.

The following is the analysis which I give of the verse: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth himself in his commandments; and thus, by the second clause of the verse, the prophet specifies in what the fear of God consists. And that the addition of this explanatory clause is called for, is quite apparent from what we remarked towards the conclusion of the preceding psalm. For, while the law is boldly contemned by mankind, yet nothing is more common than to pretend that they fear God. Such impiety is well refuted by the prophet, when he acknowledges none as belonging to the worshippers of God, but he who endeavors to keep his law.

…We must, therefore, cheerfully embrace the law of God, and that, too, in such a manner, that the love of it, with all its sweetness, may overcome all the allurements of the flesh, otherwise, mere attention to it will be unavailing. Hence a man cannot be regarded as a genuine observer of the law, until he has attained to this — that the delight which he takes in the law of God renders obedience agreeable to him. …The prophet, in affirming that the worshippers of God are happy, guards us against the very dangerous deception which the ungodly practice upon themselves, in imagining that they can reap a sort of happiness, I know not what, from doing evil.