Psalm 147:12

Psalm 147:12

Extol the Lord!

This verse may read like a statement of fact or a righteous request, surely of all places in the world, Jerusalem or Zion is where the Lord’s name is extolled? “Extol” means to praise, exalt, worship or celebrate and, in truth, this has not happened very often from Jerusalem, in fact for over 1900 years until recently, it did not happen at all. Zion is a mountain of Jerusalem, but it is used as a poetic synonym for the entire city and for restored Israel as a whole. It also describes the Kingdom of Heaven. So, Zion was originally just a geographical location, but it came to symbolise the presence of God and the spiritual heart of Israel. In the Book of Hebrews, it is referred to as “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,” it is the home of thousands of angels and the church of the firstborn.  Hebrews 12:22-24. 

The verse that we are studying therefore becomes a command to Israel on earth, but it is also a spiritual order to God’s church. We are commanded to extol the Lord for we too are part of His heavenly Zion. Our primary responsibility is to sing out the praise of our Creator and our God so that the ripples spread across the earth and there is no place where His praise is not heard. Creation does this, but we humans are sadly lacking in both enthusiasm and dedication to the task. The world is full of music and song, the airwaves batter our ears with all kinds of music from classical symphonies and arias to the modern thirst for loud drum beats  and meaningless lyrics; whatever the genre, as believers we are commanded to make a joyful noise and allow our worship of the Creator to be heard, loud and clear! 

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