This is the first of the “Hallelujah psalms (Hallel)” that were sung at the feasts of Jehovah and possibly at other special occasions when God’s people gathered to remember who He is, what He has done, and who we are because of His grace. All who know Him and serve Him praise Him. In this psalm, praise precedes the review of God's characteristics, which generate a great deal of praise.
“Servants of the Lord” are worshipers who praise the Lord always and everywhere. When we praise His “name,” that means more than just identifying Him. To praise His name involves revealing the character of God and His personhood. To praise His name, we exalt Him for His greatness above and beyond all the heavens and earth He created. It also means we speak of His inherent glory and uniqueness, as He is infinite in every attribute. His grace is everlasting and limitless. His power is boundless. His love knows no measure. He understands everything, is present everywhere, and is eternal in His existence. He has no beginning or end.
Yet, He knows us by name. He knows all that we are involved in in our lives. Our thoughts are entirely open to His discernment. Our needs are fully known to Him, and the truth, or lack thereof, regarding our love and devotion, is not hidden from Him in any way. Our hearts are an open book. He knows our needs and our inability to meet them. Our position in society is not a concern for the Lord because He shows no favoritism.
One whose majesty and dominion are so vast that He must look down to see the things in heaven, let alone on earth, is not swayed or controlled by puny, fragile mortal men, regardless of their station in life. Our God is unmatched in His surpassing authority and position. He is the Creator of all things; every desire of every created being and its life originates from Him. He is transcendent in every way, far above everything. He is incomparable in His very nature. His intrinsic qualities of personhood—love, mercy, grace, longsuffering, patience, power—are far greater than we can comprehend. “How big is God, how big and wide His vast domain…”
The Lord is high but not distant. He understands our needs, our place in life, and our weaknesses. This One, of the greatest majesty, shows mercy to the lowliest and most desperate people. Praise Him, and His name should fill all time and space. He is exalted above everything, and even the beauty of His creation cannot reveal the boundlessness of this great Person we call “my Lord and my God.” He lifts the needy and does not favor the proud and powerful. He provides for those who are helpless without Him. His unmatched grace is abundantly given to those who are humble. The poor, needy, and barren seem to receive special attention from “The high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.”
This supreme Person humbled Himself to consider and meet our needs and our lost condition. He then took it upon Himself to address our greatest need by sacrificing Himself when He died for us on the cross, bearing our sins “in His own body on the tree.” “Every need He does supply us, plenteous grace He bestows. It is true, the longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.” His divine generosity toward us certainly elicits praise and gratitude from our hearts in this life. We can personally identify with the words of this psalm and say openly and often, “Hallelujah!!”
The Lord’s name is holy. It is to be praised, not taken in vain by sinful men. God surpasses social orders that divide people, and He chooses whom He wills because each person has intrinsic value. It is wise to remember that “God resists the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” Our Savior and Redeemer lifts the lost and humble, placing them in the kingdom of God as sons and daughters. No wonder praise is directed toward Him. “Whoso offers praise, glorifies God.” He is great. He is gracious. Let us never stop praising Him for His greatness and uniqueness in His glory, grace, power, and love. Praise Him for all He knows about us—our lives, needs, and hearts.
PSALM 113 GREAT! GRACIOUS! v.1-3. Praise to His name. “Praise the name of the Lord…” v.4-6. Praise for Him being beyond comparison, “Who is like unto the Lord?” v.7-9. Illustrations of His grace. “He raiseth up the poor…”