Psalm 146
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 146
We, as humans, love to be self-sufficient…if we are truly honest with ourselves.
But there will come times when we have no choice but to trust others to ask for help.
There are also times when we have no where to turn…the problem seems far too big for any man to help us.
People can pray for us, but they can’t really do anything themselves to change our situation.
Psalm 146 is a great Psalm for us to read and meditate on during these times.
Psalm 146 is the first of five praise filled and exciting psalms that close out the book of Psalms.
Psalm 146-149 all begin and end with the shout of Praise the Lord or Hallelujah.
Then comes Psalm 150, which in very verse calls for praising God.
Noted pastor and commentator James Montgomery Boice offers a perspective that puts these five psalms—as well as the entire book of Psalms—into clear focus:
In the earlier psalms, we have studied the writers’ griefs, shames, sins, doubts, and fears. We have witnessed the people of God in their defeats and victories, their ups and downs in life. We have encountered rebellious words and struggling faith. All this is behind us now. In these final psalms every word is praise.
Praise is where all true religious contemplation should end. When all is said, the hearts of those who are truly God’s people beat their last praising God. Do we understand all that God is doing in our lives or in the world? Of course not, but we understand enough about the nature of God to praise him in spite of the difficulties.
We do not know who wrote Psalm 146, but he emphasizes in this Psalm God’s trustworthiness.
We do not, and should not put our trust in other people…they can do little to help us.
But God is all-powerful and always faithful.
When no one else can help us, God, the Creator of the universe, can.
He so cares for and about the hurting and needy.
God can help us not only now but throughout all eternity.
This makes Him our supreme choice for help in trouble.
So what do we do when we find ourselves in trouble?
I. Get Up and Praise the Lord!
I. Get Up and Praise the Lord!
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
This Psalm begins with an exclamation - Praise the Lord (halal yah) Hallelujah!
The Psalmist starts with a bang!
He praised the Lord with his whole heart and soul - Praise the Lord, O my soul.
He is overcome by wonder, thankfulness and love for God, and he is making a fresh commitment to praise the Lord as long as he has breath - or has any being.
The psalmist declares that he would praise God as long as he had any trace of life in him - to his dying breath.
When we truly begin to understand who God is and what he has done for us, praise ought to be the natural instinct of the redeemed!
Just to thinking how much God loves us ought to stir our souls to praise!
Difficult circumstances should not squelch our passion for God.
And forcing ourselves to praise him, or half-heartedly praising him will not do!
When we truly let the truth of God and who He is sink in, a lifetime of praise will never be enough!
God created us for His glory, and we will never be more happy than when we fulfill his purpose for us!
When you find yourself in trouble, praise the Lord!
He is worthy all the time!
This will change our focus onto Him where it belongs.
Then once we are in the right frame of mind we commit...
II. Do Not Place Trust in Man
II. Do Not Place Trust in Man
3 Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
Some wise counsel is being given by this unknown Psalmist.
Put not your trust in princes (the powerful influential leaders) or in any man.
The son of man refers to any human being.
No person, regardless of who they are, is worthy of absolute confidence. WHY?
A. They Are Mortals
A. They Are Mortals
They are just like you with problems of their own that they cannot solve on their own.
we are all just mere mortals.
Any help that people can give us will always be temporary, and certainly will only help in this life…not eternity.
There is no help from them - this word is usually translated as salvation.
81 CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: But I hope in thy word.
10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
No human being can save us—certainly not permanently!
We cannot place our trust in man, because they are just mortals…but also because...
B. They Too Will Die
B. They Too Will Die
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
He is not God, He too is mortal…he too has an end.
One day our breath will leave us, our spirits depart and we return to the earth.
In the Hebrew there is a play on words here.
the word man (adam) is derived from the word earth.
Literally man means of the earth.
Our bodies are of the earth.
When we die our bodies decompose and return to the earth from which they are made.
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
In that moment - our thoughts perish - just as verse 4 says.
All the plans, all the schemes, all the volumes of thought and imaginations die with us.
The point is that no human can do anything for us beyond this life.
We need to place our trust in the only one who can save us, help us and guide us for all of eternity.
When we find ourselves in trouble, praise the Lord - because only He can help us.
Don’t trust in man - because he too will die.
III. Trust God Who Has Shown Himself Worthy
III. Trust God Who Has Shown Himself Worthy
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, The sea, and all that therein is: Which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: Which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: The Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; He relieveth the fatherless and widow: But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
Instead of trusting in people we need to trust the God of Jacob.
This brings to mind all the help he gave to the patriarchs.
He is the covenant-keeping God who in his unfailing love helped Israel in their distresses.
We need to place our hope and trust in Him!
A. He Will Bless and Help
A. He Will Bless and Help
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help!
This is the same word as blessed.
Only those who are happy or blessed are those who turn to God for help!
Just as God was faithful to Jacob, He will be faithful to us…he cannot change!
We are not just His people, we are His children!
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
God loves and cares for all His children.
B. He Is Powerful Enough!
B. He Is Powerful Enough!
We are to hope in the Lord!
Which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is
He is powerful enough to create the world…he is powerful enough to help us in our trouble!
which keepeth truth for ever
He is the keeper of truth - sometimes translated in the king James as faithfulness.
He is not just true and faithful - but he maintains all that is true and faithful!
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed.
He takes care of all the oppressed and we can trust that he will take care of us.
Which giveth food to the hungry.
If our problem is hunger he will feed us, just as he has caused the fruit and the food to grow…he will taek care of us.
the Lord looseth the prisoners:
If we find ourselves bound in prison, especially for His cause…he knows He has set men free many times before.
He has also metaphorically set many men free from their bondage of sin and addictions.
The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind:
Again whether literally (throughout the gospels) or metaphorically - causing those who did not see the truth to see Him for who He is!
God opens the eyes of the Blind.
The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Those who are bowed down - humbled the Lord will raise them up.
The Lord loveth the righteous.
righteous - is not based upon our own deeds - but upon the righteousness of Christ being placed upon us.
the Lord preserveth the strangers.
He even cares for the foreigners.
Those who are not from that land.
We are foreigners in this land too…Our citizenship is in another country.
His promise is to preserve us…to keep us.
He relieveth the fatherless and widow:
Those most vulnerable can put their trust in Him and He will lift them up - he will sustain them.
But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
He frustrates the plans of the wicked so that they cannot prevail over His people.
Far too often we are guilty of trusting in our own wisdom and our own strength…or else in other human resources instead of trusting in the Lord!
Only God can completely be trusted....only He can completely save us.
He is able to do what others cannot.
Even the very best around us will occasionally fail us, but the Lord will never fail us!
If we truly trust in Him, and Hi sovereign plan.
Our plans may fail…but His never will!
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Trust in the Lord…and Him alone!
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.
Just looking at this list in verses 7-9, it reminds us of the many miracles that the Lord has performed in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
As we live our lives we are living as a light set on a hill - shining that light (the trustworthiness of God) to the lost around us.
Show them that He is trustworthy!
Speak of the great things that He has done!
It is one thing to tell people to trust the Lord…it is entirely another to show people that God can be trusted by letting God use us to meet there needs and testifying when He has met our needs!
Conclusion
Conclusion
When we find ourselves in troubles in this life…Get up and praise the Lord!
Don’t put your trust in man - they are mere mortals -they too will die, trust the one who can never die.
Trust God who Has Shown Himself worthy!
Even in the end of days - He will be faithful - He shall reign for ever, Even thy God, O Zion, unto all generation!
The Psalmist closed this song wiht a strong and comforting declaration about the Lord.
He is faithful and He keeps his covenant, His promises.
Zion - the mount of God will see the God of all ages rule and reign from in the midst of her.
Throughout all generations, everyone will see the greatness and faithfulness of our God.
Even now the Lord is on His throne…awaiting the day when the Father allows Him to come and get His people and start the clock to when He will rule and reign in person.
Zion is a call for all Abraham’s seed to praise the Lord.
We who have believed in Christ are also Abraham’s seed.
29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Israel’s God is our God.
The Lord has revealed Himself to us through His Word and through His Son.
We can know Him personally, and trust Him completely!
Because we have believed in God’s son, not only do we we receive His help through our troubles.
But in the end, we shall reign with Him forever!
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
These facts bear a great amount of comfort to our hearts.
Matthew Henry wrote:
Let this encourage us to trust in God at all times that the Lord shall reign for ever, in spite of all the malignity [evil] of the powers of darkness, even thy God, O Zion unto all generations. Christ is set King on the holy hill of Zion, and his kingdom shall continue in an endless glory. It cannot be destroyed by an invader; it shall not be left to a successor, either to a succeeding monarch or a succeeding monarchy, but it shall stand for ever. It is matter of unspeakable comfort that the Lord reigns as Zion’s God, as Zion’s king, that the Messiah is head over all things to the church, and will be so while the world stands.
These troubles will not last forever.
Praise the Lord - Sing hallelujah to the Lord!
We do not need to trust man - who will often fail us.
But we can trust the Lord who has shown himself worthy of our trust over and over again!
His help for our trials today help us make it through.
His promises for our hope of tomorrow keep us trusting and looking for His glorious appearing.
Until that great day, when we shall be gathered with all the saints of all the ages with Him in the sky....Let’s just keep praising the Lord and serving Him!