Psalm 147

Psalm Category: A song of praise

Central Thought: Praise our faithful covenant Lord who restores all things!

Key words: Praise, Lord, builds, words

Doxology

Each of the five books of the Psalter closes with a doxology in pure praise to God (41:13; 72:18–19; 89:52; 106:48; 150:1–6). Psalm 147 is the second in a series of five doxologies that concludes the whole Psalter, rising in a crescendo for the finale in Psalm 150. Each psalm in this series begins and ends with the call to praise the Lord; Psalm 150 also begins each line with this call. The chief end of man is to praise God and enjoy Him forever. These doxologies, with the whole of the Psalter, give us a special means to realize our primary purpose.

With the call to praise, Psalm 147 immediately adds the motive that it is good, pleasant, and becoming for us to praise the Lord (v. 1). That is, glorifying God by singing His praises is a substantial blessing, an enjoyable activity, and something well suited to us as we are created in God’s image.

A striking feature of this psalm is the frequency of participles that emphasize the present and continuous nature of God’s works. The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Consequently, His works endure, His word is trustworthy, and, for these reasons, He is to be praised. He is redeeming us, providing for us, and speaking to us.

Praise the Lord Who Is Redeeming Us! (vv. 1–6)

The first work God is praised for is bringing His exiles back from Babylon and rebuilding the city of Jerusalem (v. 2; see Ezra, Nehemiah). With this outward work, He also restores the hearts and minds of His people from despair to hope (v. 3). In proof of His ability to do such an extraordinary work, He is praised for His limitless wisdom from which He numbers and names the stars (vv. 4–5). He who counts the stars is able to gather all His people without even one being forgotten (see John 10:3). In His work of restoration, He maintains His mercy toward the oppressed and His justice toward the oppressors (v. 6; see 146:9; 145:20).

Praise the Lord Who Is Providing for Us! (vv. 7–11)

The call to praise the Lord is renewed (v. 7) with the instruction that our singing should be accompanied by the response of thanksgiving, with our voices being the stringed instruments (v. 7; see Col. 3:16).

The Lord is then praised for the means He created and employs to provide for His creatures and their thanksgiving. He forms the clouds that bring the rain that greens the grass that feeds the beasts of the field and the birds of the air (vv. 8–9; 104:13–14). Even bothersome ravens are not forgotten (v. 9; see Luke 12:24). Being such a powerful and all-sufficient Provider, the Lord is not impressed with the idolatrous self-reliance of military might (v. 10; 146:3–4). Instead, He is pleased with those who trust His covenant promises by keeping His covenant commandments and then waiting for His covenant blessings (v. 11).

Praise the Lord Who Is Speaking to Us! (vv. 12–20)

The Psalm resumes the theme of restoration from exile with mention of the construction of reinforced gates in completion of rebuilt walls (v. 13; see Neh. 3:3; 7:3; 13:19). Strong walls in church discipline and state provision are necessary for protecting the residents inside, excluding and expelling the wicked, and welcoming the friendly stranger (v. 13; see 146:9). There is a virtual wall at the borders of the restored nation that is peace itself (v. 14). When a nation is righteous, the Lord makes even their enemies to be at peace with them (Prov. 16:7; see 1 Chron. 22:9), and prosperity is the twin of this blessing (v. 14).

The Lord does all this restoration by His mere word (vv. 15–18). He commands, and it is done (v. 15; see 33:9). The Lord does the work, unusual in Judah, of freezing water in various ways and then thawing it. In the same way, the Lord did the exceptional work of freezing Israel and Jerusalem in the exile and then thawing them in the restoration (vv. 15–18; see 126:1, 4).

It is this same restorative Word He has given to His people to bring them from frozen sin and death in themselves to flowing righteousness and life in the Messiah (v. 19; see Ezek. 37:1; Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 3:14–17; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13). This psalm leads us from the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile to the restoration of all things at the arrival of the perfectly constructed heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2, 5; see Jer. 16:14–15). He has granted this life-giving Word to His people uniquely (v. 20) in order that we, in turn, would bring this word to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:18–20). For all of this, we must praise the Lord and delight to do so!

Kit Swartz | Comments welcome at oswegorpc@hotmail.com. Sermon audio files and PDF outlines on these Psalms are available at reformedvoice.com.