1Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises
to our God;
(good
for you good for others)
For it is pleasant, and praise
is beautiful.
2The Lord builds up
Jerusalem;
He gathers together the
outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
4He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
6The Lord lifts up the
humble;
He casts the wicked down to
the ground.
7Sing to the Lord with
thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to
our God,
8Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the
earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the
mountains.
9He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that
cry.
10He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the
legs of a man.
11The Lord takes pleasure in
those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His
mercy.
12Praise the Lord, O
Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children
within you.
14He makes peace in your borders,
And fills you with the finest
wheat.
15He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like
ashes;
17He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow,
and the waters flow.
19He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments
to Israel.
20He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they
have not known them.
Praise the Lord!
Preamble: Psalm 147 is thought to have been written after the exiled Israelites were returned from Babylon. That said there is a clear Messianic view within in it, foretelling the Lord Jesus Christ’s Reign when He prospers Jerusalem once again.
Commentary
Vs.
1
“Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises
to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise
is beautiful.”
This will be our song when we wake up in the Millennial dawn, when Lord Jesus Christ Reigns and He restores Jerusalem, all people there will be greatly refreshed in their souls and spirits, and this will be our desire everyday to praise the Lord, to sing praises to our God; for worshiping our Lord and Savior is pleasant, and His praise is beautiful resounding in the hearts of all who love Him.
Vs. 2-3 2The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the
outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
It is the Lord who builds Jerusalem, thus when the returning Israelite captives came back from Babylon, and they and their high priest Ezra and their governor Nehemiah rebuilt the Temple and Jerusalem, they could only return it to a shadow of its former glory. Therefore, this verse is not speaking of them and their mighty efforts, rather as it states is speaking of the Lord. For it is He who builds (not rebuilds) Jerusalem. It is He who gathers together all the outcasts of Israel, and it is He who heals all the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. This then will be His exclusive work on the Day that He does this for all His people (see Deut. 30:1-10 vs. 3; Isaiah 11:1-12:6; 27:12-13; 56:6-8; Jeremiah 29:13-14; 32:37-44; Ezekiel 34:11-16; 39:28-29 etc.). Therefore on that Day the Lord’s Greatness and His Goodness will be personally known to all of Israel!
Vs. 4 “He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.”
As evidence of the Lord’s capabilities to do this the Psalmist now directs us to consider the stars. For just as the Lord directs all the stars; counts, names, and numbers all of them, so He knows each one of us who believe in Him by our name. Not one of us then shall ever be lost or forgotten by Him (consider Isaiah 49:14-26, vs. 16; John 10:28-30).
Vs. 5 “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.”
Great then is our Lord, and mighty in power, His understanding is infinite. For even while directing the highest of heavens, He is always effortlessly working out all His plans for all His people, even as history turbulently winds down to its finial end. For our Lord’s plans are never thwarted, nor His understanding challenged by anyone or anything. Even Israel’s rebellion does not leave the Lord at a loss as what to do. For by His understanding, He always does justly while working out our salvation. For it is the Lord’s understanding of all things, of what is coming and what He will do, which He reveals to us through His Word, which stands forever!
Vs. 6 “The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to
the ground.”
It is the Lord who lifts up the humble; it is He who exalts them; and not they themselves as the proud do, therefore in doing so justly, He also deals with all the wicked whom He casts down to the ground. Their place then is to be found in the depths of the pit.
Vs.
7-9
7Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to
our God,
8Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the
earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the
mountains.
9He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that
cry.
Great delight then wells up in the heart of everyone who sees and considers the righteous and gracious Works of the Lord. Therefore the Psalmist now calls upon his brethren (on us all) to sing our praises to our Lord and Savior on the harp, for that was the most emotive musical instrument then. Therefore for us whatever musical instrument moves you, use it to make and sing your own praises to our Lord and Savior. For our Lord covers the sky with the clouds so He can bring forth His showers of blessings on the earth. He even makes the grass grow on mountains and hills for all the animals who dwell there, indeed every form of wildlife is fed by Him, even the young ravens who cry out for food are fed by His hand. This verse then declares just some of the providential care that our God has for all of His creation.
Vs. 10-11 10He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the
legs of a man.
11The Lord takes pleasure in
those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His
mercy.
Now as to His looking upon us, His creation, the Lord does not delight in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man, as carnal mankind does, who always looks to the physical stature and capabilities first to make their assessment of a person or a being. For the Lord always looks at the heart as a measure of man, of his fitness for His service (1 Samuel 16:7). For the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, who hope in His mercy. Therefore the meek and the humble, the repentant and believing are His chosen people, but the proud and self-sufficient He knows from a far (Psalm 138:6).
Vs. 12-14 12Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children
within you.
14He makes peace in your borders,
And fills you with the finest
wheat.
The call to praise the Lord is now directed exclusively towards Jerusalem. For all there to praise their God, O Zion! For it is the Lord who has strengthened the bars of your gates, it is He who gives you security, it is He who keeps back the enemy from entering your city. This is His Work and will be His everlasting Work when Jerusalem receives the Lord Jesus Christ as their King. Indeed, He has blessed your children within you, and during His Reign they will live many days, for He makes peace in your borders and fills you with the finest wheat, so you no longer fear invasion or starvation (see Isaiah 60:18; 65:20-22 etc.). This then is Jerusalem’s future, but first they must return to Him to have it all.
Vs. 15-18 15He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like
ashes;
17He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow,
and the waters flow.
Again, the Lord’s Sovereign Power is declared for Word runs very swiftly to accomplish His Will at His command. For it is He who gives snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. It is who He casts out His hail like morsels, raining it down on the earth to accomplish His purposes. Indeed, who can stand before His cold? For our survival is not within ourselves. And so, it is He who sends out His Word and He melts the snow changing the season and renewing the earth. He even causes His wind to blow and once again the waters flow. These then are just mere samples of our Lord’s Sovereignty and Power over all of His creation. Nothing then is to hard for our Lord to accomplish for us.
Vs. 19-20 19He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments
to Israel.
20He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they
have not known them.
Praise the Lord!
And so it is to Jacob, His chosen people, that God declares His Word. For all of God’s Word has come down to us through His chosen people. From Moses and all the Old Testament prophets to the Lord Jesus Christ and all of His chosen apostles, we have been given God’s Word. For to Israel first He declared all His Word and all His judgments. No other nation then has ever received this honor to be chosen to be His people and bring forth His Word into this world. Praise the Lord!
New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.
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