Psalm 113
Praise ye the Lᴏʀᴅ. Praise, O ye servants of the Lᴏʀᴅ, praise the name of the Lᴏʀᴅ. Blessed be the name of the Lᴏʀᴅ from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lᴏʀᴅ’s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lᴏʀᴅ, our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill. That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lᴏʀᴅ.
God wants our praise! Psalm 113 bears this out as it opens and closes with praise. Its lofty themes of God thrill the saint and humble the sinner. Focusing on His name, His Glory, and His power, how fitting that it opens the praise during the Passover seder, the festival meal that recalls Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. In the first Passover, God exalted His name when he executed judgement against all the gods of Egypt, showing himself the one true God (Ex. 14:21–29).
Verses one through three focus one His name, that which makes God unique. He commanded the Israelites not to take His name in vain, to count it as nothing (Ex. 20:7). Yet profanity and vulgarity dominate our world. Some cannot write, talk, or sing unless they swear. These verses ought to convince us, to motivate us to hold His name dear and worthy in our praise.
His glory fills the Heavens; He rules in this world (vv. 4–6). In Jewish thinking, prayer recognizes God as the King of the universe. This thought appears in verse five where the word dwelleth means enthroned. He watches the goings of men; nothing escapes his eye. The scriptures declare that every idle word and every deed will be judged. “This IS my Father’s world,” and we should live as unto Him because He is watching!
The Psalm concludes with His power (vv. 7–9). He has the power to lift the poor and needy and to turn barrenness to motherhood. My God, how great Thou art.
“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36)
Editor’s Note: This is one of an ongoing series of articles written by Friends of Israel staff member Tim Munger for his local Shopper’s Guide. It is one of a multitude of ways through which we seek to proclaim the gospel.
