Psalm 147

Psalms 147:1-20

Theme: It is good and satisfying (pleasant) to Praise God

Introduction

The hymn in Psalm 147 was probably written after Israelites had come back from 70 years of exile. (see verses 2, 13-14). They were back with broken hearts, broken houses, and broken temple. This Psalm was used in praise of Yahweh and magnifying His uniqueness. Yahweh is in a category by Himself. He stands alone.

The Psalmist calls the singers to sing of God’s power, wisdom, and transcendence. He also calls them to sing of God’s care, compassion, and generosity. God is majestic and merciful; kind and King; powerful and gracious, and many other illustrations of wonderful truths about Yahweh.

The Psalmist exhorts the singers to Praise the LORD three times. Each call to praise is followed by reasons why they had to praise Yahweh.

I have broken my sermon into 3 major parts (verses 1-6; 7-11; 12-20). I will explain each part according to three major points that I have drawn from verses 1, 7 and 12.

Outline

Theme: We should praise God always

For he heals the brokenhearted (147:1-6).

He who heals the brokenhearted, commands us to praise Him.

In verse 1, the Psalmist exhorts us to praise God (1a), and then says, “How good it is to sing to our God, for praise is pleasant (satisfying) and lovely” (1b).

Over and over in the Psalms, we’re called to praise God. Why? Is he all demanding and controlling? No. He is worthy of praise. So, we should praise Him.

God’s commands are always for our good and our joy. As we praise God today let each one of us ask: How do I feel when worshipping? Do I feel good? Do I feel satisfied. Worshipping God is different from entertainment. Do I enjoy being at the presence of God?

“It is good to praise God! There’s nothing like being with God’s people singing God’s praise?”

We sing: Holy Spirit you are welcome here:

There's nothing worth more That will ever come close Nothing can compare You're our living Hope Your presence, Lord

God commands us to experience joy in his presence. We’re made for beauty, for delight, and for community. And in worshiping God we find what we were made for.

Lewis says, “In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him”. So don’t reject God’s commands. John says, “His commands are not burdensome” (1 Jn 5:3, ESV).

He who heals the brokenhearted is one who rebuilds Jerusalem (2-3).

The Psalmist sings “The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers Israel’s exiled people” (2). This verse suggests that this Psalm was written during the rebuilding of Jerusalem, after the exiles returned home from Babylon (cf.,Neh. 12). God in His grace brought His people, the outcasts, back home (Isa 40:1ff). Verse 3 highlights the condition of the people’s hearts prior to this restoration,

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (3). The broken hearted returned to a broken city. And God cared about his people’s brokenness.

The Lord cares for the brokenhearted (Ps 145:14; Ps 34:18). The Lord heals the wounded (Hos 6:1, 7:1, 14:4; Jer 30:17).

In His kindness, He rebuilds broken lives. He restores families. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.

We read Isaiah 61:1b, “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners.

Jesus referred to announce His ministry in Luke 4:18. Jesus knows suffering and brokenness. Not simply because He knows all things; but because He entered into it. He can sympathize with the weak. He can bring healing, and one day He will bring ultimate healing. Because Jesus was wounded for us, we can have our wounds mended.

He who heals the brokenhearted, is the creator and ruler of nature (4-5).

The Psalmist reminds the brokenhearted of the Creator’s glory: “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them” (4).

Spurgeon says that He counts them like a merchant count coins!

No other can count stars. He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[a] be. “Gen 15:5). But God knows them all. He even gives names to them! (Isa 40:26).

To name them implies that He rules them, and that He cares for them.

The God who knows the stars by name is the God who restores the broken. He is the One who renews our strength like the eagles (Isa 40:26-31).

He who heals the brokenhearted lifts the humble and punishes the wicked (6).

Yahweh is gracious to the needy. But He’s also just to the wicked. He will punish the unrepentant

The Psalmist says, “The Lord helps the afflicted [“humble,” ESV] but brings the wicked to the ground. This verse resembles the previous Psalm 146:9 “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

The Lord sustains, blesses, and upholds those in need (cf., Ps 145:20; 146:8; 113:5-9).

This is indeed amazing grace. This passage should remind us that to imitate God (Eph 5:1), we too should seek to lift up the afflicted. Just as the Lord watches over the sojourner, the widow, the fatherless, the afflicted, the prisoners, the blind, and the hungry, so His people should put His care on display with practical acts of mercy and justice (Mic 6:8; Jam 1:27).

When we look to the hurting world we should ask, “Where are God’s people?” God’s plan has always been to use his people to display His love and righteousness in this broken world.

We need to continue to look for opportunities to lift up others and supply basic needs to the hurting. God’s grace and justice were put on full display in Christ.

We should Praise God always

For He delights in those who fear him (Psalm 147:7-11)

God who delights in those who fear him provides (7-9).

The second exhortation to praise God appears in verse 7.

The Psalmist exhorts the people to “sing to the Lord with thanksgiving” (7a).

If the Lord has saved you and me, restored you and me, and drawn near to you and me, then the appropriate response to Him is gratitude. The Psalmist urges God’s people to “play the lyre to our God” (7b). With this stringed instrument much like a harp, they are to praise God. We should Praise God and make it beautiful!

In verses 8-9, the Psalmist gives us further reason to praise God by speaking of how God provides for creation: who covers the sky with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, and causes grass to grow on the hills. He provides the animals with their food, and the young ravens, what they cry for. (147:8-9) Notice that God feeds both birds and animals (cf., Ps 104; Job 38).

N.T. Wright in his book “the Case for Psalm 147 says of these verses, “God feeds the animals, then, and is kind to those who call upon him. God may be building up Jerusalem (147:2, 13), but he is also out there in the wild, making the grass grow on the hills and feeing the young ravens when they call to him”

God who delights in those who fear him also takes pleasure in them (10-11).

God delights in His people. He’s not impressed with the power of this world. The mighty nations of this world do not impress him.

His deepest delight doesn’t come when He watches human accomplishments, horse racing or football!

This awesome God who names the stars, and feeds all creation, actually takes delight in us.

Those who fear Him receive His particular attention.

The Psalmist says: He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; He does not value the power of a man. The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love. (147:10-11) God takes joy in His people! He loves His people! He delights in His people!

Think deeply about this: The Lord does delight in you – if you’re in Christ Jesus. Why? Because the Father has perfect delight in His Son. Through our union with Christ, the Father is pleased with us. We have been caught up in this divine delight. Rest assured that God who matters most takes pleasure in you.

We should praise God always

For He gave his word (147:12-20)

God gave his word to bless His people (12-14).

The third exhortation to worship comes in verse 12, “Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion!” (12; cf., Ps 132:13-16).

Why should God’s people praise Him?

Psalmist in verses 13-14 gives more reasons for praising God:

“For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you. He endows your territory with prosperity; He satisfies you with the finest wheat. (147:13-14)

God defends and protects His people. He uses just governments and officials to oversee matters. Next, God blesses His people with children; here, increasing the population of the gathered exiles (13b).

And then, we see that God grants peace along Jerusalem’s borders, and provides His people with the finest of wheat (14).

So, peace, provision, and prosperity all come from God.

Timothy Keller in his book “Every good endeavor” says, “God works through our works. God provides for our civic work needs through the civic work of people. God provides food for us by using farmers, bakers, truck drivers, retailers, and computer programmers!”

This “should help us to understand that “this reality dignifies work. Even small work matters. Cleaning your house doesn’t require a master’s degree. But if someone doesn’t clean the house, you may very well die (Keller, “Our Faith and His Work”).

So, even small jobs matter. An implication of the dignity of work for the local church is that we should not be snobby toward people who may have a “lesser job” in the eyes of the world. God uses all kinds of people to sustain His creation. They matter to God, and they should matter to us.

Second, seeing the relationship between God’s providence and our human labors provides additional meaning to work.

Most Christians think that the only way they can honor God at work is by being good witnesses. And they should be good witnesses. Their co-workers need the gospel.

But also, the work that each one of us do matters. If you’re a farmer, God wants to provide daily bread to people through you. If you’re a builder, God may use you to create security and peace for others. We should See all our work in view of God. We should do our job for the good of people and the glory of God.

God who gave his word reminds us He commands the weather (15-18).

These verses pick up the previous thought of God’s power over creation (4-5, 8-9). When God speaks, creation obeys. The Psalmist says: He sends His command throughout the earth; His word runs swiftly. He spreads snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes; He throws His hailstones like crumbs. Who can withstand His cold? He sends His word and melts them; He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

He says, “Let there be frost!” and there’s frost. The hail falls at His word. He can cause the temperatures to rise and fall.

I like when listening to the weather forecasts. In the book of Job, Elihu says: For He says to the snow, “Fall to the earth,” and there falls heavy rains, His mighty heavy rains, serve as His sign to all mankind, so that all men may know His work. The wild animals enter their lairs and stay in their dens. The windstorm comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds. Ice is formed by the breath of God, and watery expanses are frozen. He saturates clouds with moisture; He scatters His lightning through them. They swirl about, turning round and round at His direction, accomplishing everything He commands them over the surface of the inhabited world. He causes this to happen for punishment, for His land, or for His faithful love. (Job 37:6-13)

God can make things freeze or thaw, the winds to blow, and the waters to flow. God commands the weather (cf., Job 37-38; Isa 55:10-11). The Psalmist and Elihu help us look at the weather and marvel at God’s sovereignty, majesty, power, justice, and love.

Spurgeon says, “It is wise to see God winter and in distress as well as in summer and prosperity.”

What happens during the heavy winter storm? Schools are canceled. Games are canceled, as ice and snow continue to fall. How do you respond to such snowstorms? There are various ways we should respond. Obviously, we should pray for people who find themselves in desperate situations. We should help the homeless and the needy. But we should also marvel at the power of God. We should stand amazed by His authority. He can send the freezing ice, and He can then melt it. And we should see our need for His mercy.

God gave his word to instruct His people (19-20).

Finally, the Psalmist speaks of God’s written word: He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes, and judgments to Israel. He has not done this for any nation; they do not know His judgments. Hallelujah! (Ps 147:19-20) God revealed His Word to His people (19). God did this for no other nation (20).

God chose Israel to be the first recipients of His Word. In that, they were recipients of God’s great grace. That privilege came with responsibility of making His Word known to the nations. But because of disobedience, they had to go to exile.

Now they are back and, by God’s providence the nations can know His Word – that God keeps his covenant.

We should desire for the world to hear God’s word and know it!

One of the best things we can do for our unbelieving friends is to invite them to study Scripture with us. God speaks people and draws people to Himself through the gospel.

We need to treasure God’s word, read it, meditate it and speak it.

On reflecting about all the wonderful reasons for exalting and praising God, the Psalmist ends where he began, “Hallelujah!” (20b). “You praise Yahweh” or “You must praise Yahweh.” Nothing can compare with exalting and praising Yahweh.