Psalm 150 - Let Every Living Thing Praise God! Hallelujah!
Psalm 150:6 (KJV) Let everything that hath
breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 150:6 (MSG) Let every living,
breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah!
COMMENTARY PEARL
I live on the forty-fifth parallel, which
means my town is located halfway between the
equator and the North Pole. Because of this, summer
days last longer than if we were farther south.
During the hottest months, dawn occurs between 4:30
and 5:00 a.m.
Since I sometimes have trouble sleeping,
I'm often awake before the first hint of light
brightens the sky. I savor this time. It sets the
course for the rest of my hours.
This morning, I prayed while surrounded
by the semidarkness. The busyness of life
hadn't intruded into my thoughts yet, and I spent
quiet minutes with Jesus. Without distractions, I
was able to bring Him my hopes and concerns and
was better able to sense His will for the hours
ahead.
Just past my window, as dawn progressed
to sunrise, the natural world outside awakened,
and the changes taking place were more dramatic.
Minute by minute, the sun edged above the horizon,
rousing all types of birds from their rest. As each
variety woke up, they burst into song. By full
light, doves, starlings, swifts, finches, and
sparrows had joined together to greet the morning in
a glorious cacophony of sound. It was as if
they were all singing praises to our Lord,
thanking Him for a brand-new day. I couldn't help
smiling.
Today, like most days, Jesus graced me.
And I'm praising Him for all He's given me.
Light, joy, song, and always hope. by Heidi Gaul
Faith Step: Set your clock to wake you up
before dawn. Watch and listen as the world around
you comes alive. Thank Jesus for the chance at
another day, filled anew with His blessings.
[Mornings With Jesus 2019 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
WORD STUDY
What is the meaning of the word
"hallelujah"? Hallelujah means "praise the Lord." It is
uses in the Bible only in songs of praise and
appears exclusively in the books of Psalms and
Revelation (Rev. 19:1-6, where it appears four times).
The word "alleluia" in Revelation is a
transliteration from the Hebrew word. Other Hebrew words for
praise, hillel and hallel, appear many times in the
Old Testament. The word "hallelujah," the
highest form of praise, occurs only about fifteen
times in the Old Testament, all in the Psalms.
[The One Year Bible Companion re Psalms 111:1]
COMMENTARY
What do you think when someone says,
"Praise the Lord"? Does it strike you as strange,
appropriate, logical, or weird? Does it make you
uncomfortable? Or does it make you feel at ease?
David, the author of Psalm 145, didn't
feel shy about expressing his love for God. In 2
Samuel 6:14, he danced for joy before the Lord, and
here he says boldly, "Praise the Lord!".
Sometimes life goes on with such an even
rhythm that we may wonder why we should praise God.
In Psalm 145, David gives us many good reasons:
God is great (v. 3). God does mighty, wonderful
deeds (vv. 4-6). God is righteous (v. 7). God is
gracious, compassionate, patient, and loving (vv.
8-9). God rules over an everlasting kingdom (v.
13). God lifts us up when we are down (v. 14).
God meets all our daily needs (vv. 15-16). God
is righteous and loving in all he does (v. 17).
God stays near to those who call on him (v. 18).
God hears our cries and saves us (vv. 19-20).
If you are looking for a reason to praise
God, start here. He is ready to listen. [The One
Year Through the Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman
re Psalm 145]
If we would but think of God as often as
we have evidence of His care for us we should
keep Him ever in our thoughts and should delight
to talk of Him and to praise Him. We talk of
temporal things because we have an interest in them.
We talk of our friends because we love them;
our joys and our sorrows are bound up with them.
Yet we have infinitely greater reason to love
God than to love our earthly friends; it should
be the most natural thing in the world to make
Him first in all our thoughts, to talk of His
goodness and tell of His power. The rich gifts He has
bestowed upon us were not intended to absorb our
thoughts and love so much that we should have nothing
to give to God; they are constantly to remind
us of Him and to bind us in bonds of love and
gratitude to our heavenly Benefactor. We dwell too
near the lowlands of earth. Let us raise our eyes
to the open door of the sanctuary above, where
the light of the glory of God shines in the face
of Christ, who "is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by Him."
Hebrews 7:25.
We need to praise God more "for His
goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children
of men." Psalm 107:8. Our devotional exercises
should not consist wholly in asking and receiving.
Let us not be always thinking of our wants and
never of the benefits we receive. We do not pray
any too much, but we are too sparing of giving
thanks. We are the constant recipients of God's
mercies, and yet how little gratitude we express, how
little we praise Him for what He has done for us.
{SC 102}
Some parents and grandparents can't stop
talking about their kids or grandkids. When you love
someone, it's easy to brag about him or her. And when
you love God, it's easy to praise him! That's
what Psalm 150 is all about"pure praise out of
pure love.
The author of this psalm apparently was a
musician, and the psalms are literally "songs" that
the people of God sang as they worshiped the
Lord in the Temple. They pulled out all the stops
to praise God. Imagine the symphony of sounds
at this praise service! Horns blowing, harps
plucking, flutes tooting, tambourines banging, and
cymbals clanging"everything was used to express
love and praise to God. Why? Because God is
great, God is unequaled, and God is mighty. They
just couldn't stop talking about him.
If you find yourself feeling down, take a
minute to remember that God is great and good.
Remember all he has done for you. Thank him for his
great love and grace. Then love him back by
joining in the praise party. [The One Year Bible for
New Believers re Psalm 150]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Come to Me with your gaping emptiness,
knowing that in Me you are complete. As you rest
quietly in My Presence, My Light within you grows
brighter and brighter. Facing the emptiness inside
you is simply the prelude to being filled with
My fullness. Therefore, rejoice on those days
when you drag yourself out of bed, feeling
sluggish and inadequate. Tell yourself that this is a
perfect day to depend on Me in childlike trust. If
you persevere in this dependence as you go
through the day, you will discover at bedtime that
Joy and Peace have become your companions. You
may not realize at what point they joined you on
your journey, but you will feel the beneficial
effects of their presence. The perfect end to such a
day is a doxology of gratitude. I am He from
whom all blessings flow! [2 Cor. 4:6; Mat. 5:3,
6; Col. 2:9, 10; Psa. 150:6] [Jesus Calling by
Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170411-1019.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20131116-1054.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2004/20040826-0728.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
