Psalm 113

Introduction

Throughout the psalms but especially from Psalm 111 onward we are frequently reminded to Hallelujah—praise the LORD.

Someone once said to me, I don’t like the psalms because its like they all say the same thing. Sometimes they say exactly the same thing, but they say exactly the same thing because we need the reminder.

In his commentary on Psalms, William S. Plummer (a Presbyterian minister from the 1800s), wrote, “Let no man be offended at any urgency in reminding him of the great and solemn duties of religion.”

One such duty for the believer is to praise the Lord.

Psalm 113-118 make up the Egyptian Hallel or Egyptian Praise that was sung during Passover, which celebrated God’s saving of the Jews from slavery in Egypt (Ex. 12-14).

So on the night Jesus was betrayed, perhaps He and His disciples began their Passover meal with Psalm 113-114.

Of course, we know the ultimate Passover Lamb is Jesus and as we’ll be reminded in this Psalm, He is more than enough reason to praise the Lord.

Major Ideas

Section #1: Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113:1–3 NASB95

1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord. 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forever. 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the Lord is to be praised.

We see who is to be praised - the LORD (Yah) (v. 1, 2, 3)

The psalmist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is very specific about who is to be praised. Yah, which is short for YHWH, is to be praised.

[ILLUS] Earlier this month, Rep. Emmanuel Clever of Missouri, opened the first session of the 117th Congress in prayer. It makes sense that Rep. Clever would be chosen for this honor because he is also a pastor in the United Methodist Church. But toward the end of the prayer, he said…

“Now may the God who created the world and everything in it bless us and keep us. May the Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace — peace in our families, peace across this land and, dare I ask, oh Lord — peace even in this chamber, now and ever more. We ask it in the name of the monotheistic god, Brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and A-Woman.”

Now, most people latched onto the ‘Amen and A-Woman’ part, but notice the name he used for god, Brahma. Who is Brahma? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica…

“Brahma (is) one of the major gods of Hinduism from about 500 BCE to 500 CE, who was gradually eclipsed by Vishnu, Shiva, and the great Goddess (in her multiple aspects). Associated with the Vedic creator god Prajapati, whose identity he assumed, Brahma was born from a golden egg and created the earth and all things on it. Later myths describe him as having come forth from a lotus that issued from Vishnu’s navel.”

Whoever Brahma is, it’s clear that he is not the YHWH of the Bible. God, the one true God, has revealed Himself to us and He has given us His Name, YHWH (Exodus 3:14). He alone is worthy of praise.

We should pray that Rep. Clever and indeed the whole world would come to believe this by God’s grace as we have.

We see who is to praise - the servants of the LORD (v. 1)

The servants of the Lord are not those who merely claim to be servants of the Lord. His servants are those who have entered into covenant relationship with Him. At the time this psalm was written, the covenant relationship would have been described in terms of God’s covenants with Abraham and Moses. But those covenants find their fulfillment in the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. Because Jesus Christ lived in perfect obedience to God’s Law and paid the price for the Law-breaking of His people, those who trust Him are included in the New Covenant.

Psalm 34:22 NASB95

22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

We see how long they are to praise - from this time forth and forevermore (v. 2)

[ILLUS] I had a friend who once said, “If all we’re going to do in Heaven is praise God, isn’t that going to get kind of boring?” What’s wrong with that question?

We see when they are to praise - From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised (v. 3)

We should praise the Lord from sun-up to sun-down, but is this practical? How are we to praise the Lord all day everyday when we have the everyday things of life to deal with?

We move from one type of praise to another throughout the day.

How could you praise God in the morning before the day gets started?

Make your soul happy in the Lord through prayer, Scripture, music, etc.

How could you praise God with your family at breakfast?

Enjoy them! Laugh with them! Thank God for them!

How could you praise God during the day while you work or while you run errands?

Work as unto the Lord. Drive as unto the Lord.

How could praise God during the drive home?

Pray/think. Listen to something that encourages your heart toward God.

How could you praise God during supper?

Eat and drink to the glory of God.

How could you praise God as the evening draws to a close and you get ready for bed?

Be reminded that God’s got it. You don’t need to stay up all night to keep the world turning. You can rest because God is God.

Possible to interpret ‘rising of the sun to its setting’ as referring to where rather than when.

Section #2: Praise the Lord because...

Psalm 113:4–9 NASB95

4 The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who is enthroned on high, 6 Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap, 8 To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people. 9 He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord because of His exalted humility (vv. 4-6).

Are there other Scripture passages that make you marvel at the humility of God? (Psalm 8:3-4; Job 38-39; Isaiah 40:12-17; John 1:18; Philippians 2:5-11)

Praise the Lord because He exalts the humble (vv. 7-9).

He exalts the poor (vv. 7-8).

He exalts the barren woman (v. 9).

Conclusion

[PRAYER]