People often share similar thoughts about a subject or person, leading them to use the same words and phrases. This psalm is a collection of quotations from other psalms and Old Testament scriptures, which together create a beautiful Hallelujah psalm. It starts with “Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah),” and ends with the same words, serving as a bookend for expressions about God's greatness, the remembrance of redemption, His divine care for His people, and the foolishness of idolatry.
Those who truly know the Lord speak His name with reverence and respect. Servants of the Lord ministered in the temple as those entrusted with holy things. Those who represent our Lord in any capacity need to be aware of the importance of their work. Many people seem to think they haven’t done anything significant if they cannot see or touch the physical results of their efforts. Praise and honor to the Lord are of great importance to Jehovah, the name used in this psalm.
Praise to the Lord has many reasons we may not see with our eyes or touch with our hands. Like the psalmist, we praise the Lord because He is good. That is His character, and that is what He does. Goodness is the nature of God. God is gracious. Singing praises to the Lord is pleasing to those who praise and to the Lord Himself. His benevolence toward us is a fundamental reason for our survival. He promised blessings to Israel because He chose that nation as an act of His sovereign kindness. The Jews are an important treasure to the Lord. They are precious to Him, and they are distinct among all the nations of the world.
The greatness of God is a reason for praise when we understand who He is. He surpasses all powers because all authority originates from Him. His sovereignty is visible in creation, where He made everything for His own purpose. Through His creation, He reveals much of who He is and what He is like. His power sustains and upholds everything, from the movement of galaxies to the personal attention He gives each of us. He is supreme in His absolute power over creation, nations, and the universe.
We praise the Lord for His redemption as we remember all the examples of His redemptive work in the scriptures. He redeemed Israel from centuries of bondage. He freely provided what was needed to sustain His people through all kinds of opposition. He is the Deliverer and Protector of His people today, just as He was in the past. He has the power to defeat enemies on behalf of His people. Truly, “Our Lord is great above all gods.”
His constant care for His own throughout the ages is a memorial we cannot forget. The One who inhabits eternity endures forever. He always remembers us, so it is our duty to always remember Him. His compassion does not fail, and His concern for His own is genuine and lasting. He never fails. He is renowned among all people and generations, even though many try to convince themselves that He either does not exist or is not interested in us, because He allows people the privilege and responsibility of making their own choices and accepting the consequences. Our God is a just, reasonable, and compassionate Lord.
In contrast to who He is, what He has done, does today, and is able to do in the future, the foolishness and uselessness of idols become evident. For some strange and perverse reason, many people create idols of their own making that are just like themselves. They are impotent and lifeless. They are merely a form and figment of imagination with no real value. Whether the idols people worship are like statues of animals, humans, or money, there is no power within idols to do anything. An imaginary idea born from distorted minds is helpless to do anything except deceive foolish people. Our God is greater than the idols people form in their minds because our God is real, powerful, purposeful, and loves His creatures, whom He created to glorify Him and serve a purpose.
At the end of this psalm, there comes another call to bless and praise the Lord. When we praise the Lord, we speak well of Him. That is natural and normal for believers personally. It is important that praise also comes from groups of God’s people when they gather together. The priestly family of Aaron was called upon to praise, so we, too, praise Him in the assemblies of the saints. Our own families need to learn the value of praising God, and as individuals, we are able to praise Him personally. Through personal praise, others can see and learn how we value and honor God, so they, too, may do the same.