Psalm 148:1

 

Psalm 148:1

Another hymn of praise to the Lord from all of creation

We are just three Psalms away from the end of this glorious and unique collection of hymns and songs. This offering is dedicated to every created aspect of the heavenly and earthly spheres, that all things that God has made should be willing to praise Him, even inanimate objects like the stars or the weather! The icing on the cake of this symphony of worship is the nation of Israel, or all God’s chosen people, that we too should unite in bringing Him tribute and expressing our gratitude and wonder at who He is and all that He has done.  

 

V1-2    The origins of worship are in the heavens and the first 6 verses of Psalm 148 call upon the celestial beings and objects to recognise the Creator who brought them into being. This is a common theme of the Psalms, that actually we owe the Lord our gratitude and undying admiration, simply because we exist! The few insights that the Scriptures give us into the heavenly realms reveal that there are, indeed, countless beings who worship and sing endless praise to the Lord, the Choirs in Revelation just exude eternal glory and majesty to the “One who sits upon the throne.” Are we feeding the ego of a self-indulgent deity? No, we are acknowledging our humble position before Him and the fullness of his provision, protection and deliverance. The Hebrew word here for heavenly “hosts” is masculine, suggesting that the writer is talking about angels and all those who minister before God’s throne. The intention is to exalt Him before all other deities and to show mankind that this God is higher, greater and wields more power and authority than any others invented by the Satan or by gullible men. 

The interesting fact is that angels and archangels are just as dependant on the Lord as we are! Their status before Him is no different to ours. What is required from them is also required from us; in reality it is to give the Lord the respect and the honour that He deserves, to elevate Him above all else and to worship Him and Him alone. Our praises unite before His throne and send out their echoes throughout the universe. Let’s remember the importance of the contribution we make and who we are singing with, next time we join with others to “praise the Lord.”

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