Psalm 148 is a hymn of praise. The hymn is of uncertain date. Psalms 146-150 form a hallelujah chorus, a doxological conclusion to Book V (Psalms 107-150) of the Book of Psalms, ending the psalter with a sustained note of praise. As the hymnbook of ancient Israel, the religious community called upon the Psalter to express the range of human experience with the world and with the divine, and Israel expressed its faith nowhere more clearly than by concluding its hymnal on a sustained note of praise. The Septuagint of Daniel 3 includes this Psalm as a song of praise by the three men in the burning furnace, called the Song of the Three Holy Children in the Apocrypha (200-1 BC). Placed between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24, it begins with a confession of sin and after an angel keeps the fires of the furnace away from Azariah and the other three faithful of the Lord, they offer a praise to the Lord, and this psalm is part of that offer of praise. Verses 28-68 relate to this psalm and would offer a nice expansion of all that is to offer praise to the Lord: night and day, light and darkness, ice and cold, lightning and cloud, seas and rivers, whales and all that swim in the waters. As it invites people to bless the Lord, it includes Israel, priests, servants of the Lord, spirits and souls of the righteous, the holy and humble in heart, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, the latter because the Lord has rescued them from Hades and the power of death in the fiery furnace. It concludes by giving thanks to the Lord for the Lord is good, the mercy of the Lord endures forever. The Psalm begins and ends with Praise the Lord! (halelu-yah).[1] It praises the Lord for creation and invites that creation to praise the Lord, from celestial beings to all the rulers and people, including the animate and inanimate. It invites us to look at our world as something dedicated and committed to God. No aspect of life is beyond the purview of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is everywhere. Let us give all our hopes and dreams, all that we possess, over to the Lord. The Psalm echoes part of the story of creation in Genesis 1.
In Psalm 148: 1-6, the heaven and celestial beings offer praise to the Lord. 1Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Genesis 1:1-2 refers to the heavens, earth, with the earth being a formless void and darkness covering the deep. The psalm begins with the note of cosmic scope that the ancient writers envisioned a single heaven with multiple layers. Eventually, in later Jewish and early Christian writings, cosmology developed into seven layers. The psalmist then identifies the personnel of the heavens/heights. 2 Praise him, all his angels (malakh, which can refer to either an entourage of angels or divine biengs, as in Psalm 8:6 and Job 1:6, or that the celestial bodies are messengers of the Lord), praise him, all his host! (tseva`ot, fighting multitude, armies)[2] One of the most prominent appellations of the deity in the Hebrew Bible is “(the) Lord, (the) God of hosts” (II Samuel 5:10; I Kings 19:10, 14; Psalm 59:5; 80:4, 7, 14, 19; 84:8; 89:8; Jeremiah 5:14; etc.), which means “Yahweh, God of armies.” Israel’s patron deity was not a pacifist; he was a divine warrior who commanded heavenly armies: “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran. With him were myriads of holy ones; at his right, a host of his own” (Deuteronomy 33:2, one of the most ancient fragments in the Hebrew Bible; see also Judges 5:4). Of what, exactly, those heavenly armies consisted — later tradition will identify them as angels, e.g., III Maccabees 6:18 — is uncertain, but one ancient poetic fragment identifies them as the ordinary celestial body of stars: “The stars fought from heaven, from their courses they fought against Sisera” (Judges 5:20). Wind, fire, and flame are messengers of the Lord (Psalm 104:4). Throughout the ancient Near East, various aspects of nature, including heaven, earth and the heavenly bodies, religions worshiped such objects as living deities. (Vestiges of that perception of a sensate nature remain in the Hebrew Bible, such as Deuteronomy 4:16, where it calls upon heaven and earth to witness the covenant between God and Israel.) While the practice of worshiping “all the host of heaven” was specifically prohibited for the Israelites (e.g., Deuteronomy 4:19; II Kings 17:16; 21:3, 5; Jeremiah 8:2), the temptation nonetheless remained for the Israelites to confuse their divine heavenly ally with living celestial allies. Further, 3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Day four of creation (Genesis 1:14-18). Job 38:7 refers to the morning stars and the heavenly beings shouting for joy at creation. 4Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens, as in Genesis 1:7, where God separated with a dome the waters above from the waters below on Day 2 of creation! Here is where the Lord dwells, usually enthroned upon the cherubim (which are winged, griffin-like creatures, not chubby babies with wings; Psalm 80:1; 99:1; Isaiah 37:16; Ezekiel 10:1). In the cosmology of the Hebrew Bible, the heavens were both the lowest part of as well as the upper extension of the transparent dome (traditionally called the “firmament”) that separated the waters above the flat earth from the waters under it (Genesis 1:6, 7, 8, 14, 15). The layer nearest the ground and most apparent to humans is the sky, which is the natural habitat of birds (“... and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky,” Genesis 1:20b). Well above that layer (“high and lofty,” Isaiah 6:1), separated from human view by the celestial waters and clouds (upon which the Lord rides, Psalm 68:4) is the abode of the divine beings: God, angels, the “host of heaven,” and the bene `elim, “the sons of God” or “heavenly beings” (Genesis 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Psalm 29:1). 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. A reminder that each day of creation in Genesis 1 begins with: And God said. 6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. Jeremiah 5:22 refers to the Lord making the sand a boundary for the sea. Job 38:4-6 refers to foundations of the earth, it measurements, its bases, and its cornerstone, while 38:8-11 prescribed boundaries for the sea and the clouds. Thus, the psalm begins with a cosmic scope of praise. The Lord has a personal relationship with every part of nature. All of this suggests that an order and teleology is at work that nothing can break.[3]
Psalm 148: 7-12 hints at the earth, even the sinister parts of life on earth, offer praise to the Lord.[4] 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters, which on Day 5 of creation God created (Genesis 1:21), the Lord crushed the heads of dragons and Leviathan, giving their bodies food to other animals (Psalm 74:13-14), and the Lord cut Rahab in pieces and pierced dragons (II Isaiah 51:9) and all creatures of the deeps, as Genesis 1:2 refers to covering the face of the deep and as Job 38:16-17 refers to the springs of the sea, the recesses of the deep, and the gates of deep darkness, 8 fire (lightning, which the Lord asks Job can send it forth in 38:35) and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Psalm 104:4 refers to the wind and fire as messengers of the Lord. Job 38:22-23 refers to the snow and hail the Lord is reserving for the time of trouble, battle, and war. 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, viewed as the stateliest of trees and were used in the construction of the Temple! Day 3 of creation brought forth all this (Genesis 1:11-13). 10 Wild animals, such as lions (Job 38:39) and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds (such as ravens in Job 38:41)! Day six of creation included their creation (Genesis 1:24-25). Only in this great chorus of heavenly beings and nature are people to praise the Lord. Those of social and political standing among human beings are to praise the Lord. The nearness of the Lord assures people of salvation and new vitality.[5] 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and women (belulah, young woman of marriageable age and not necessarily a virgin, as the Septuagint famously translated it in Isaiah 7:14) alike, old and young together! Day six of creation included human beings made in the image of God and giving the command to be fruitful and receive dominion over the living things of the earth (Genesis 1:27-30).
Psalm 148: 13-14, offer the reason for offering such praises to the Lord. It is precious in the Jewish liturgy as the words are included in the liturgy for returning the Torah to the Ark. Since the Lord alone is sublime, 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone, the divine essence, is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. For modern persons, a name is an arbitrary identification. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”[6] Ancient people saw the name as symbolic and revelatory of the thing named. “Name” functions as the hypostatized reality of the deity, as names functioned in general in the ancient world. Thus, the importance of the disclosure of the divine name to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14): “I am who I am” (or “I will be who I will be” or “I cause to be what I cause to be”). Summoning people to praise “the name” of the Lord was to praise the very essence of the Lord. 14 The Lord has raised up a horn, the power of a king or savior or even the people of the Lord, for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Thus, the entire world is to give praise to the Lord for the victory given to the people of the Lord. This expression describing the Israelites as close to the Lord is unique and peculiar; nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible is Israel described as being “close to” the Lord. A similar expression occurs in the apocryphal book of Judith — “[T]he Lord scourges those who are close to him in order to admonish them” (8:27) — and in the book of Ecclesiasticus (in the hymn inserted between 51:12 and 51:13, which quotes this psalm). Quite amazing, really. Amid such cosmic praise, where the glory of the Lord is in the highest heavens, the people of the Lord are still close to the Lord. The Lord has raised up a savior. The psalm ends as it began, Praise the Lord!
I am going to offer two approaches to this text.
One approach focuses upon the movement contained with this psalm.
I hope you do not mind a little humor. Three friends die in a car crash, and they find themselves at the gates of heaven. Before entering, St. Peter asked each of them, “When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you?” The first person says, “I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor and a great family man.” The second person says, “I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and schoolteacher who made a huge difference in our children.” The last person replies, “I would like to hear them say ... LOOK! HE’S MOVING!”
Movement in a human life is important. Sometimes, we see movement where we did not expect to see it. How will you allow this great movement of praise to affect the movement of your life? Well, most of us would like to see some movement in our lives. Some movement may come in unexpected places. I want to offer you some suggestions for some spiritual movement, spiritual growth, in your life.
First, let us reflect upon the subtle influence of the Spirit of the Lord. I mention this first, in part, because I have been mentioning the influence of wind. The word “spirit” is in both Hebrew and Greek a word that means “wind” or “breath.” “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). When asked if he had ever seen God, Billy Graham said he had never seen the wind, but he had seen the effects of the wind. While God is not physically visible, the way God affects people is. Where is the Holy Spirit convicting us of needed life change today?
Second, let us reflect upon the ways in which we connect with Christian community. The Psalm mentions the people of the Lord as those who are faithful to the Lord, those who are close to the Lord. We want to be with these people. We want to be that person. We need to be around people who know us, and whom we can know; we care for us, and for whom we can care; whom we can challenge us, and whom we can challenge. How do we intend to allow giving and receiving from community to shape our today?
Third, let us reflect upon the ways in which Scripture will shape us. Are there particular things about the Lord that you want to learn? Are there parts of the Bible you want to understand and love better? What truths do you want to shape your life this year?
Fourth, let us reflect upon prayer. How has prayer influenced your life? What is your plan for prayer? What would happen if your prayer included more praise?
Fifth, let us reflect upon our unwillingness to move. We give ourselves far too much credit. We want to think of ourselves as people who always want to move where the Lord wants us to move, but we also have an inner resistance to such movement.
There is a scene in the movie, The Godfather, Part III, in which the Godfather, Don Corleone, must visit Cardinal Lamberto, bearing the unwelcome news that a business deal involving the Vatican Bank has gone bad. After hearing the Godfather’s news, the Cardinal picks up a stone and says, “Look at this stone. It has been lying in the water for a very long time. The water has not penetrated it.” Then, he smashes the stone. Picking up one of the fragments, he shows how the inside is perfectly dry. “The same thing has happened to men in Europe. They have been surrounded by Christianity for centuries, but Christ does not live in their hearts.”
Are we willing to let the Lord change us? Are we willing to do the sometimes hard and uncomfortable work of moving to where the Lord has directed us?
Another approach focuses upon the note of praise that dominates this psalm.
When was the last time you wanted to invite all nature to join you in offering praise to the Lord?
Stan Purdun was pastor at a wedding and a funeral that suggest that praise can happen in the most difficult of circumstances.
First, we consider the wedding.
A pastor was newly appointed to his first church when a member of the congregation asked him if he would officiate a wedding for the parishioner’s nephew, whom the pastor did not know. The member said the nephew did not have a church, so the pastor agreed to perform the ceremony. When he met with the couple in advance to go over the details of the service, he found them to be pleasant people and clearly in love. But when the pastor asked Jody if anyone would be walking her up the aisle — “giving her away” as it was called in those days — she looked sad. “No,” she said. Her father, with whom she’d been very close, did not approve of Tom because he was older than she was, had been married previously, and had a child she would be helping to raise. Her father was so against the marriage that he not only refused to contribute toward it, he refused to even come. Jody was a grown-up and had made her own decision to marry Tom, but her father was adamant: he would have nothing to do with the wedding. Later, Tom told the pastor privately that her father’s attitude was breaking Jody’s heart. Things went well and the bridal party was supportive at the rehearsal and at the wedding itself. But it seemed to the pastor that there was a note of sadness there in the bride. He thought about that, especially as she walked up the aisle by herself to the sound of the wedding march. She did not cry and she smiled bravely, but still, the sad tone was there. At the end of the ceremony, as Tom and Jody started back down the aisle together as man and wife, the pastor saw a man walk in the back door. He just stood there in the back, without removing his coat or sitting down. And the pastor thought, I bet that is Jody’s father. Indeed, it was, and when the newlyweds reached the back of the church, the man put his arms out and Jody moved into them, and they both wept.
Praise the Lord! …
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord …
(vv. 1, 3-5)
Second, let us consider the funeral.
Rosie, along with her daughter and granddaughter, were active members of a church. Rosie sang in the choir, helped with church projects, served on committees as needed, and so forth. Once, when the pastor accidentally tore his pastoral robe, she took it home and repaired it for him. But Rosie endured some hard knocks in life, and one of the biggest was when she discovered that her husband had another family in a nearby town. Rosie had since divorced that man, but one of her grown sons somehow took his father’s side in that split and made no effort to stay in touch with her. Her other grown son, Mike, had stayed in contact with her, but he had his share of problems. He had two sons of his own, but no longer lived with their mother and had a rocky relationship with his current wife. And then suddenly, Mike was on the front page of the local paper. An argument with his wife had gotten out of hand, he shot her, and she died. He called the police, told them what he had done and where he was. Before the police arrived, he used the gun to kill himself. The local newspaper had obtained the 911 call Mike made and posted the audio on their website. They also reported the contents of the call in the paper, and it was headlined: “Killer’s 911 call offers chilling insight into wife’s slaying.” Can you imagine what it must have been like for Rosie to learn about this terrible thing her son had done, and then, the next morning, to see that headline in the paper? Rosie asked her pastor to conduct the funeral for Mike. Mike’s wife’s family was having her funeral separately. As the pastor thought about what he might say at the funeral — and there were some good things to say about Mike — he decided that he should listen to the phone call. The pastor did not think news services contributed to the common good when they played private 911 calls for the public to hear, but since they had published it, he listened to it, knowing that he would be speaking to Mike’s family. Once he heard the call, he realized the headline was wrong. There was no “chilling insight” into the tragedy. Some editor, he suspected, was trying to sensationalize an event that was not sensational; it was just sad. In fact, there was nothing “chilling” in Mike’s final phone call. What the pastor heard was deep weariness, the sound of a man for whom the struggle to wring meaning and joy from life had finally become too much. And that made his very last act — the ending of his own life — understandable, even if the pastor could not condone it. At the funeral, where those gathered grieved both for Mike and for his wife, the pastor explained that he had listened to Mike’s 911 call and said there was nothing chilling about it. The pastor talked about the life-weariness he heard in Mike’s comments and voice and went on to share some words of Scripture and some things about Mike. After the funeral, they went to the cemetery where Mike was laid to rest. Country churches have a wonderful practice called the funeral dinner. After the committal, the deceased’s survivors and guests come back to the church for a meal prepared by the church folks. And there, many church members came to Rosie and hugged her. The same thing happened the following Sunday when Rosie came to church. People surrounded her with compassion, and it occurred to the pastor that God’s goodness was there in loving actions of God’s people — in their response to the event. After the morning service, Rosie sought out the pastor privately and said, “What you said at Mike’s funeral about his call not being chilling but simply sad — that helped me. Thank you.” On the way home in the car, it occurred to the pastor that if his words had helped Rosie, then he, too, had been a channel for God’s mercy and goodness to someone who was facing one of the hardest things there is in life. “... that helped me, Rosie said.
Praise the Lord! …
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
... stormy wind fulfilling his command!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven. …
Praise the Lord!
(vv. 1, 7-14)
[1] The form comprises the Piel plural imperative of the verb halal, which means “praise” (in the base form it means, “be boastful”), plus the apocopated (shortened) form of the divine name, Yahweh. The form appears as two words in Psalm 135:3, but otherwise (and always when it opens and closes a psalm) as a single coalesced word (as the English word “another” joins “an” with “other”). The verb is common in biblical Hebrew, especially in the Psalter, where the praise of God is second only to personal lamentation as a theological theme.
[2] the basic meaning of which is “multitude,” but which has the more common meaning of “fighting multitude.”
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[6] Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, II, ii, 1-2)
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