Psalm 150

Tonight we study Psalm 150-We have a psalm that is short, but really powerful and the climax of the Hallelujah psalms.

Prayer

Oh Lord, open our hearts to be hearts of worship. Lord, cause us to be drawn to You. Teach us Your truths. In Jesus precious name. Amen.

Let’s have someone read vv. 1-2, another vv. 3-5, and one verse 6.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 150:1–6 NKJV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! 2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150 ends the book of Psalms (146–150 all begin and end with “Praise the LORD”).

-Descriptive Praise psalm. Its a call to praise the Lord. Climactic to Ps. 146-150.

The call of the use of instruments appears to be a liturgical worship setting. Instruments & voices in full exaltation of the Lord.

It answers: Where, Why, How, Who should praise God.

It’s a crescendo — the Psalms move from lament to universal praise.

Ask: “Why do you think the Psalter ends with praise instead of prayer, lament, or instruction?”

Where to Praise (v.1)

Psalm 150:1 “1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!”

Read verse 1 again.

Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon II. הָלַל

†II. [הָלַל S1984 TWOT499, 500, 501 GK2145, 2146, 2147] vb. be boastful, Pi. praise (Arabic هَلَّ (halla) shout, both in joy & (if conject. of Nö RS be right, v. cit. infr.) in terror; especially II. in formula of worship; Syriac Pa. ܗܰܥܶܠ (halel) cecinit, laudavit; cf. NH הִלּוּל praise, הַלֵּל id., Hallel (

Halle Yahweh means to praise the Lord.

What does it mean to praise?

Biblical Meaning of Praise

The main Hebrew word in Psalm 150 is halal — from which we get hallelujah. It means “to boast, to celebrate, to shine forth.”

In Scripture, praise is both verbal (spoken, sung, shouted) and expressive (through music, instruments, posture, even dance).

Praise is declaring God’s character and works — it’s not about us, it’s about Him.

Praise is expressing admiration, gratitude, and honor to God.

It’s like when we cheer for a team, brag on a child, or thank a friend — only infinitely higher and deeper.

Praise is saying, “God, You are worthy — for who You are and what You’ve done.”

Answer You Could Give to the Group

"To praise God means to recognize His greatness and respond with words, songs, or actions that honor Him. It’s more than just saying we love Him — it’s declaring His worth, celebrating His works, and even boasting about Him. It’s the natural response of our hearts when we see who God is and what He has done.”

Illustration to Spark Discussion

Sports parallel: When your team wins a game, fans erupt in praise — cheering, clapping, shouting. That’s praise. In worship, the “victory” is what God has done, and we celebrate Him in the same way.

Personal parallel: When someone compliments their grandchild or their spouse, they’re praising them. Praise to God is “bragging on Him” for His character and deeds.

👉 After letting them discuss, you might follow up with:

“So, if praise is declaring God’s greatness, do you think it can happen only in church — or can it happen while you’re driving, working, fishing, or cooking?”

Exodus 3:14 “14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ””

God is not just faithful in the present, but He will be faithful past, present, and future.

Prompt discussion:

“What does it mean to praise God in His sanctuary?”

“mighty firmament” expanse of heaven

“How do you think of ‘praise in His mighty heavens’ — what picture comes to mind?”

Psalm 148 NKJV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths; 8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; 9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars; 10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl; 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; 12 Both young men and maidens; Old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. 14 And He has exalted the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints— Of the children of Israel, A people near to Him. Praise the Lord!

Praised from the heavens and from the earth.

Psalm 145:5–6 “5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. 6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.”

Ps 19:1 | The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Ps 11:4 | The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

Ps 73:17 | Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.

Ps 102:19 | For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,

Ps 68:34 | Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, And His strength is in the clouds.

Application: connect to both church (earthly sanctuary) and heaven (eternal worship).

Why to Praise (v.2)

Read verse 2.

Prompt discussion:

“What mighty acts of God in your life are you most grateful for?”

Dt 3:24 | ‘O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?

Ps 145:12 | To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

Ps 145:3 | Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.

The powerful acts reveal that there is no limit to God’s greatness and power, but also reflects our need of Him.

Psalms 73–150 2. Why the Lord Is to Be Praised (150:2)

What the Lord does: 1) serves as both the cause for their praise as well as 2) the content of their praise as they express verbally the greatness of his deeds

“How does praising God for who He is differ from praising Him for what He does?”

Tie to personal testimony — invite 1–2 brief responses.

How to Praise (vv.3–5)

Psalm 150:3–5 “3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!”

Read verses 3–5.

Share: the list of instruments reflects all types of worship — solemn, joyful, loud, quiet.

Music as a way of life and a way to express worship to God goes back to Genesis 4:21 “21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.”

Wind instruments=trumpet & flutes. Trumpet was a ram’s horn-a blast to convene and assembly. Flute-reed pipe. Percussion Instruments-tambourine, small drum-played by women usually.

Exodus 15:20 “20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.”

Judges 11:34 “34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.”

V. 3 -stringed instruments-harp & lyre

Praise w/ dancing

2 Samuel 6:14 “14 Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.”

Psalms 73–150 3. How the Lord Is to Be Praised (150:3–5)

Praise for the Lord, then, incorporates

2 Samuel 6:5 “5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.”

Prompt discussion:

“Why do you think the psalmist lists so many instruments?”

“How do different styles of worship music help us praise God?”

Optional: connect to Revelation 5:13 — heaven filled with every creature praising.

Revelation 5:13 “13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!””

Who Should Praise (v.6)

Read verse 6 slowly.

Prompt discussion:

“What does it mean for ‘everything that has breath’ to praise the LORD?”

“How does this expand our view of worship beyond Sunday mornings?”

God breathed life into us and we should use our last breath to extol Him.

Tie in Romans 12:1 — worship as a lifestyle.

Romans 12:1 “1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Closing Reflection

Summarize:

Where: everywhere.

Why: His deeds and greatness.

How: with everything we have.

Who: all creation.

Ask: “What’s one way you can turn everyday moments this week into praise?”

Prayer & Doxology

Close with prayer of thanksgiving and invitation to live in praise.

Option: End by having the group read Psalm 150 aloud together in unison — a powerful way to “join the choir” of praise.