Psalm 150

When you read and study the psalms, you meet with joys and sorrows, tears and trials, pains and pleasures, but the book of Psalms closes on the highest note of praise! Like the book of Revelation that closes the New Testament, this final psalm says to God’s people, “Don’t worry—this is the way the story will end. We shall all be praising the Lord!” The word praise is used thirteen times in this psalm, and ten of those times, we are commanded to “Praise him.” Each of the previous four books of psalms ends with a benediction (41:13; 72:18–19; 89:52; 106:48), but the final book ends with a whole psalm devoted to praise. Like the previous psalm, it gives us a summary of some essentials of true worship.

The Focus of Worship: The Lord (1a, 6b). Hallelu Yah—hallelujah—“Praise the Lord!” Jehovah (or Yah, for Yahweh) is the covenant name of the Lord. It reminds us that He loves us and has covenanted to save us, keep us, care for us, and eventually glorify us, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His Son, on the cross. The new covenant was not sealed by the blood of animal sacrifices but by the precious blood of Christ. “God” is the “power name” of God (El, Elohim), and this reminds us that whatever He promises, He is able to perform. Worship is not about the worshipper and his or her needs; it is about God and His power and glory. Certainly we bring our burdens and needs with us into the sanctuary (1 Peter 5:7), but we focus our attention on the Lord.

The Places of Worship: Heaven and Earth (v. 1b). The “firmament” is the great expanse of heaven (11:4; 148:1; Gen. 1:6) where the angels and “spirits of just men made perfect” (148:1–7; Heb. 12:23) worship the Lord. The “sanctuary” was the Jewish tabernacle or temple where the priests and Levites led the people in praising God. We know that the Lord does not live in the structures that we design and build (Acts 7:48–50; 17:24–25), but there is nothing sinful about setting aside a place totally dedicated to worshipping the Lord. The early church met in the temple, in upper rooms, in private homes, and even in synagogues, and when persecution began, they met in caves and underground burial chambers. People who excuse themselves from public worship because they “worship God in nature” need to be reminded that the God of nature has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and commanded us to gather together with other believers (Heb. 10:25). We can lift our hearts to the Lord from any geographic location, for our God fills heaven and earth.

The Themes of Worship: God’s Acts and Attributes (v. 2). The Old Testament is a record of “the mighty acts of God” as performed for the nation of Israel, the chosen people of God. Especially notable are the exodus from Egypt, the conquest of the Promised Land, the expansion of the Davidic kingdom, the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, and the restoring of the nation. In the four gospels we see the acts of God as done by Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and in the Acts and Epistles, we have the record of the Holy Spirit’s mighty acts accomplished through the people of God. The acts of God reveal the character of God, His holiness, love, wisdom, power, grace, and so on—what the psalmist called “His excellent greatness” (NASB). The nation of Israel had a calendar of special feasts to help them remember who God is and what God had done (Lev. 23), and there is nothing wrong with the church having a similar calendar for the great events in the ministry of Christ. However, we must beware lest the routine use of the calendar becomes more important than the meaning of the days, or that the observing of these days is a means of salvation (Rom. 14:1—15:13; Gal. 4:8–10; Col. 2:16–17). We cannot plumb the depths of all that God is or all that He has done (106:2; 145:4, 11, 12). This is why our eternal worshipping of God will never become boring!

The Means of Worship: Musical Instruments and Human Voices (vv. 3–6). When it is used correctly, by God’s grace and for God’s glory, the human voice is the most perfect musical instrument in the world, but we find no prohibitions in Scripture against using man-made instruments in the worship of God. Instruments will be used in heaven (Rev. 5:8; 8:6–12), and there will also be singing (Rev. 5:9–14; 15:1–4). The psalmist seems to be describing an orchestra that has stringed instruments, percussion instruments, and wind instruments. The trumpet was the shofar or ram’s horn that the priests and Levites used (47:5; 98:6) along with the harp and lyre (1 Chron. 25:1). The timbrel was probably what we know today as a tambourine. It was usually played by the women to accompany their sacred dances (Ex. 15:20–21). There were two kinds of cymbals, smaller ones that gave a clear sound and larger ones that gave a loud sound. But the final verse sums it up. Whether you can play an instrument or not, no matter where you live or what your ethnic origin, male or female, young or old—“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” After all, that breath comes from the Lord (Acts 17:25), and if things that do not have breath can praise the Lord (148:8–9), surely we can, too!

Praise the Lord!

QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION
OR GROUP DISCUSSION