3. Extolling Our All-Caring God

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Hymns: RHC 339 When I Fear My Faith Will Fail, 348 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah, 351 He Leadeth Me

 PSALM 147

 1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. 2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. 6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. 7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: 8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. 9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. 10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. 13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. 14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. 15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly. 16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. 17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? 18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. 19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. 20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 147:1-20 (KJV)

EXTOLLING OUR ALL-CARING GOD

OUTLINE

  • His Redemptive Care (v1-6)
  • His Provisional and Protective Care (v7-14)
  • His Instructive Care (v15-20)

 

INTRODUCTION

It is observed, “The God of Israel is set forth in His peculiarity of glory as caring for the sorrowing, the insignificant and forgotten.” (CH Spurgeon) This is the singularly gracious God that the psalmist praises, to impress upon our hearts to extol and glorify.

God’s people, Israel, were wayward. They went after idols. God had to deal with them after their sins. Even after repeated warnings by God’s prophets to awaken them from their spiritual adultery, they were unrepentant. The Babylonians were sent to destroy Jerusalem. God’s people were exiled from the Promised Land for 70 years. It was a time of great sorrow. God brought them back to the land through the decree of Cyrus, the king of Persia.

When Nehemiah and his people finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, restoring the gates, and resettling the people, they called a great assembly for celebration and dedication, and it is likely that this psalm was written for that occasion (v2, 12-14; Neh. 12:27-43).[1]

(1) His Redemptive Care (v1-6)

1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. 2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. 6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

God’s people were described as “outcast”, “broken in heart”, wounded, precious – “He calleth them by their name”, meek.

God is described as One whose great power redeemed the “outcast”, “broken in heart”, wounded of His people. This is the loving character of God, to help the helpless, save the powerless, strengthen the despondent.

Jesus demonstrated this character for our learning.

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.Matt. 9:35-36 (KJV)

Indeed, “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) This is the redemptive care of God for His people through His Son. He saved them from their sins. This was just the beginning of that journey to heaven. He was there humbling, restoring, uplifting His people as they learn to live like Jesus lived.

Verse 1 – And so the psalmist explained that praise is comely. It is most appropriate. There is that sweetness, pleasantness that warms the heart each time the psalmist give thought to the gracious acts of God in his life and those of Israel.

Although in their time, Messiah has not come, God is no less active working out His redemptive plan for His people through Israel before the fullness of time. The psalmist saw the good hand of God binding up the brokenhearted, healing the wounded, restoring the wayward.

Today, we look backwards in time for Messiah, Jesus Christ, has come. We have a rich store of the heavenly treasure of the life of Christ for our comfort and encouragement.

Verse 2-4 – Jerusalem was rebuilt from its ruins. God restored worship in Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity. God restored Israel to the land on 14 May 1948 after 2000 years of Diaspora. Israel today as a nation, does not acknowledge Jesus Christ, as Lord and Saviour. But the time will come when all Israel shall be saved. Jesus shall rule from Jerusalem.

The Apostle Paul tells the church not to write off Israel. Jesus will return and establish His millennial (1000 years) rule on earth. Jerusalem will be the capital of the world (Rev.20).

Romans 11:24-26 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Verse 5-6 – The psalmist tells us that God’s power to discern hearts and distinguish evil from good must cause us to live righteously. God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His justice. He makes right all wrong. The meek are the afflicted ones who trust God to order their life aright. Like the importunate widow in the parable of our Lord, the meek is one who will go to God to seek redress from any grievance he experienced – “Men ought always to pray and not to faint.” As Jesus explained as a conclusion to the parable, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8) The downfall of the wicked is that they take matters into their own hands to act unjustly.

(2) His Provisional and Protective Care (v7-14)

7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: 8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. 9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. 10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. 13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. 14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

God not only heals the souls of the broken hearted and the wounded but He practically provides for their needs. In this second thought, we meditate upon His provisional care.

Verse 10 – He provides for our every need without us having to go out of His ways to provide for ourselves.

Verse 11 – Jesus taught His disciples against weariness worrying for the material things of this life but directing them to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness which the psalmist tells us is the fear of God and the faith to trust in the unfailing mercy of God to provide for their needs.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

 Verse 12-14 – We also remember His protective care interspersed with His provisions for our needs. The psalmist praises the almighty power of God to give to them secure fortifications at the gates of the city against the aggression of enemies so that the people might have peace to rear their children. Indeed, He puts the enemies at bay so that peace can come to His people. He shall cause their crops to yield plentifully. Indeed, as we study Israel’s history we see that it is God who raises Israel’s enemies to humble them when they departed from their God.

 Judges 3:7-11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

 

(3) God’s Instructive Care (v15-20)

15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly. 16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. 17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? 18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. 19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. 20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.

 God works according to who He is. He revealed Himself to man through His Word. And His Word accomplishes His will, for when they are spoken, they are done, as the psalmist observed, the ice that melts come by God’s instruction. Nothing happens that does not come from the hand of God. It is by His Word that this universe was created. It is also by His Word that this universe is sustained. He not only controls nature, all that is around us. But His government is upon all people. It is especially so upon His people whom He has entrusted His laws and judgements so that by the lives of God’s people, the world can see the living and true God living through them.

5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Deut. 4:5-9 (KJV)

Israel, entrusted with the oracles of God, must realize their great privilege. They are to live by them, teach them to their children and experience the rich blessing of God upon their families and thus their nation.

We, in the New Testament church, have the fullness of God’s revelation in our hands, may we live by them and experience His abundant blessings.

CONCLUSION

The psalmist tells us that we have an all-caring God worthy of our praise. He instructs us to mediate upon His redemptive care, His provisional and protective care and His instructive care for our lives. May we extol our great God with all our hearts as the psalmist did! Amen.

[1]Warren Wiserbe, Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament – The Bible Exposition Commentary – Wisdom and Poetry.