Psalms 147

Introduction

Many believe Psalms 147 can be divided into 2 Psalms:

V.1-11 focuses on the believer

v.12-20 focuses in the word of God

This morning, my focus will be on v.1-11

How God helps the afflicted.

Who does God take pleasure in.

Afflicted v.1-6

Psalms 147:1-6 “Praise ye the Lord: For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant; and praise is comely. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifteth up the meek: He casteth the wicked down to the ground.”

The Preamble

Psalms 147:1 “Praise ye the Lord: For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant; and praise is comely.”

There are three different Hebrew words translated as “praise” or “praises.”

The first “praise” sets the tone for the verse. “Praise ye the LORD” - Celebrate the LORD

The Psalmist gives us three reasons to celebrate Him

It is good - If we praise God as we ought we shall be kept from praising ourselves.

Pleasant

Comely

If we are going to celebrate God then:

We must have a high view of God and a low view of man!

Are your problems bigger than God?

Is your schedule more important than God?

Do your activities take precedence over God?

Are your thoughts more important than God’s?

Illustration: Throughout the Gospels we read of Peter struggling with this very thought. There were times when He had a had view of God, and other times a low view of God. Whenever we have a high view of God, there will be humbleness. Whenever we have a low view of God, there will be pride.

If celebrating God is good, delightful and suitable then God must seen in these same terms.

If your world collapses today, is God good?

If you are stricken with a debilitating disease is God still beautiful.

If you unexpectedly lose a loved one, is God still a delight?

Illustration: Ann Judson

When she was 15, a teacher arrived at Bradford Academy who urged his pupils that repentance was urgent. Many were convicted of sin, including Ann. But she lurched, for months, between fear of judgment and terror of what friends would say if she became “serious.” Ultimately, God drew her to himself. At age 16, she wrote,

A view of [God’s] purity and holiness filled my soul with wonder and admiration. I felt a disposition to commit myself unreservedly into his hands, and leave it with him to save me or cast me off, for I felt I could not be unhappy, while allowed the privilege of contemplating and loving so glorious a Being. . . . I felt myself to be a poor lost sinner, destitute of everything to recommend myself to the divine favour. [I knew] that it had been the mere sovereign, restraining mercy of God, not my own goodness, which had kept me from committing the most flagrant crimes. This view of myself humbled me in the dust, melted me into sorrow and contrition for my sins, induced me to lay my soul at the feet of Christ, and plead his merits alone, as the ground of my acceptance.

Upon the death of their second child, Ann Judson wrote, “Our hearts were bound with this child; we felt he was our earthly all, our only source of innocent recreation in this heathen land. But God saw that it was necessary to remind us of our error, and to strip us of our only little all. O, may we so improve that He will stay His hand and say it is enough.”

The next 2 occurences of praise focuses on celebrating God through music.

“For it is good to sing praises unto our God” - Praising God through music

“Praise is comely” - Laudation

The root word - celebrate

The prefix carries the idea of a hymn of praise.

Praise the Lord - He Cares v.2-6

Why is praising God good, pleasant and beautiful?

Psalms 147:2-6 “The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifteth up the meek: He casteth the wicked down to the ground.”

As I mentioned through the study of Habakkuk - The LORD has four different values for the Israelites:

Israel’s name for God

Self-existing God

Personal and intimate God

Covenant Keeping God.

What did the Psalmist have in mind?

Psalms 147:4-5 “He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.”

The LORD personally knows how many starts are out there and has named everyone.

The idea is if the Lord knows the stars by name then He certainly knows me by name

The focus is on the intimacy of the LORD.

The LORD cares by doing the work.

The work is building up Jerusalem. In the New Testament, Jesus building up His church!

The church is a construction zone

The verbs associated with the Lord are active voice verbs.

The Lord gathers together the outcast

The Lord heals the broken hearted

The Lord bindeth up their wounds

The Lord lifts up the meek

The Lord casteth the wicked down.

If you find a man seeking only the affection of those who are great, depend upon it he is ambitious and self-seeking; but when you observe that a man seeks the affection of those who can do nothing for him, but for whom he must do everything, you know that he is not seeking himself, but that pure benevolence sways his heart (Matthew 11:29).

The Lord gathers together the outcast

Luke’s Gospel emphasizes society’s outcasts more than the other Gospels, especially Gentiles, lepers, the poor, and women.

In the Gospel of Luke, we find stories of Jesus’ ministry with “Outsiders, Outcasts and Outlaws.”

Luke 19 - The day grace found an outcast!

To whom may this text apply?

The very poorest and most despised among men. The Lord Jesus Christ looks with love on those whom others look down upon with scorn.

Those who have made themselves outcasts by their wickedness, and are deservedly cast out of society.

Those who judge themselves to be outcasts, though as to outward actions they certainly do not deserve the character. Now, listen, thou who hast condemned thyself. The Lord absolves thee. Thou who hast shut thyself out as an outcast, thou shalt be gathered; for whereas they call thee an outcast, whom no man seeket, h after, thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord’s delight is in thee. Only believe thou in Jesus Christ, and cast thyself upon Him.

Backsliders.

Depressed Christians.

Those who suffer for righteousness’ sake, till they are regarded as the offscouring of all things. Blessed are those who are outcasts for Christi Rich are those who are so honoured as to be permitted to become poor for Him l Happy they who have had this grace given them to be permitted to lay life itself down for Jesus Christ’s sake!

What does God to in gathering them

He gathers them to hear the Gospel

He gathers them to Himself--to blessedness and peace through reconciliation with the Father.

He gathers them into the Divine family--makes them children of God--heirs with Himself.

He gathers them into His visible Church, and He gathers them into His work.

5. He gathers them into heaven.

The Lord heals the broken hearted

Heals - to mend

Broken - burst

He binds up their wounds

He wraps their wounds with love and mercy

This is a divine work

He alone does it.

He alone can do it.

He alone may do it.

He will do it.

Jesus is the perfect Person to do this work:

Jesus is educated for this work, having His own heart broken.

Jesus is experienced in this work, having healed broken hearts for 2,000 years.

Jesus is willing to take the worst patients, and has never yet lost a patient.

Jesus heals broken hearts with medicine that He himself provides.

The Lord lifteth up the meek

The preamble to the Lord lifteth up the meek is Psalms 147:5 “Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.”

Lifteth - testifying on behalf of

The Lord - Adonai - Controller and Master of everything.

Meek - The gentle and humble.

He casteth the wicked to the ground

A contrast - He lifts up the meek and depresses the wicked

The wicked are opposite of meek.

God’s delight v.7-10

Psalms 147:7-11 “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, And to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, In those that hope in his mercy.”

The Preamble - Psalms 147:7 “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praise upon the harp unto our God:”

He provides rain for grass to grow

He gives food to animals

An example - Ravens

they were most contemptible, especially to the Jews, to whom they were unclean and forbidden for food; partly, because they are greedy and voracious; and partly, because they are not only neglected by men, but also forsaken by their [mothers] as soon as ever they can fly, and so are wholly left to the care and keeping of Divine Providence.”

Consider what He does and does not like

Does not like - Psalms 147:10 “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.”

He does not delight in the strength of a horse: We take great interest in the power of God’s creation, whether it is the strength of a horse or the strength in the legs of a man. God created these things, but they are not what fundamentally delight Him.

Does like - Psalms 147:11 “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, In those that hope in his mercy.”

The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him: What God takes pleasure in is the reverence and trust of His people. Those who find their hope in His mercy delight God, because they honor Him with their trust.

Those who fear Him...those who hope: “Marks of new birth are fear and hope. They fear, for they are sinners; they hope, for God is merciful. They fear him, for he is great; they hope in him, for he is good. Their fear sobers their hope; their hope brightens their fear: God takes pleasure in them both in their trembling and in their rejoicing.” (Spurgeon)

Conclusion

Helen Keller, who was born blind and deaf, said (Reader’s Digest, Jan., 1983), “I have always thought it would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life. Darkness would make him appreciate sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.”