The Source of a New Song
"I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You."
Psalm 144:9
Like David, our new song will come from the depth of grateful hearts that have experienced God's ongoing divine interventions.
The obvious shallowness of much of what is called "Christian music" is the result of having nothing to really praise God for. There is little personal experience with the glory of God in the lives of those whose only goal is a hit song.
David is the example of someone whose daily life was not lived in a "lab" but in a place where he could experience real life. David wrote praise to God in songs rooted in his personal discovery of God's divine training. He learned how to win on the battlefield, overcome liars, and see in real life God's financial prosperity (v. 1-2 7-8, 13-14).
Some of the best worship songs are sung alone to God. But don't worry if it's a "hit" in His eyes. It's enough. For what more could you wish?
He is Great
"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable."
Psalm 145:3
"All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, And Your saints shall bless You."
Psalm 145:10
The greatness of God is best discovered by taking the time to test His word of promise in your own life. When your life needs grace, take God at His word and make it your own. When you need compassion, begin to praise Him in expectation of how great the compassion will be when you fully embrace it. When God says He is good to all, then act like it. God does not wait for perfection to do something great in our lives. He is waiting for faith in who He has declared Himself to be.
Without faith it is impossible to please God.
But by acting in faith in God's character, your very life becomes a psalm of praise about how great He is and how great are the things He will do for those who trust Him.
Trust in Whom?
"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help."
Psalm 146:3
The sooner we learn that our faith in man is misplaced, the better. Let us love all, friend or enemy. But to trust in them is to play the fool. The best of us can never compete with the ability and faithfulness of God. Man's best plans can easily perish while God's plans cannot be moved.
God deals best with the human struggles we all must face in a fallen world.
We are good at creating injustice, poverty, and the like. God is at His best in taking the results of our sin and bringing His greatness to it. Let Him bring His thoughts and plans to every trouble we face in this world of sin. If you do, you will find yourself, like David, praising God until you breathe your last breath.
Psalms 144
~A Psalm of David
1 Blessed be the LORD my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
3 LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.
7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
8 Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives salvation to kings,
Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!
Psalm 145
~A Praise of David
1 I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.
6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
14 The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.
Psalm 146
~The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the LORD
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 While I live I will praise the LORD;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
Psalms 144
There is a close relationship between this psalm and Psalm 18. The psalmist may have reworked some of the images and thoughts of the earlier psalm into a new petition.
v. 1 Blessed be the LORD my Rock – Compare with Psalm 18:2: "The Lord is my rock and my fortress." Fortresses were usually constructed on high rocky crags; David had a "rock" in the wilderness that he repeatedly fled to when pursued by his enemies. Many Bible scholars think this may have been the almost impregnable rock of Masada, near the Dead Sea.
Who trains my hands…my fingers – The Lord put David through many trials and tests to make him into the warrior he needed to be. David recalls several instances from his time as a young shepherd when he appeals to Saul to let him go out to fight Goliath (1 Sam. 17:34-37). The hand holds the sword; the fingers pull the bow string.
v. 2 my people – There is better textual evidence for "the peoples," i.e. the nations opposed to Israel. "It is God who… subdues the peoples under me" .
(Ps. 18:47)
v. 3 – This verse is a strong echo of Psa. 8:4. The psalmist expresses that he is fully aware that he has no "right" to demand God pay heed to him; it is pure mercy on God's part.
LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
v. 4 Man… a breath…, a passing shadow – Humankind is not even as substantial as breath on a cold day; we are just "shadows".
v. 5 what is man, that You take knowledge of him? – recalls Ps. 18:9
v. 6 arrows – i.e. lightning bolts
v. 7 Stretch out Your hand from above – Literally "shoot out" Your hand; the same verb that referred to God "shooting out" His arrows of judgment against the poet's enemies in the previous verse.
great waters – The "waters" are a common image in the psalms for threat, danger and death.
From the hand of foreigners – i.e. those who do not worship the true God
v. 8 whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood – Perhaps the hand of the deceivers who raised it in a false pledge of loyalty or peace.
v. 11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners – Repeats the last two lines of verse 8, like a grim drum cadence pounding home the duplicity of David's enemies.
v. 12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth – Begins a new section of the song; it pictures the overflowing blessings of peace and prosperity that come from God's intervention and gift of victory.
plants grown up in their youth – i.e. young saplings
That our daughters may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style – The young women are as shapely as the ornate carved columns decorating the palace.
v. 13 That our barns may be full – Reflects on the blessings of agricultural bounty: full granaries, plenty of produce, full flocks with thousands of sheep grazing in the open countryside.
v. 14 That our oxen may be well laden – i.e. cattle fat with young
no breaking in – i.e. no breach in the defensive walls of the city
or going out – i.e. in chains, being led into captivity
no outcry in our streets – i.e. no shouts of terror at the hands of an enemy army
v. 15 Happy are the people who are in such a state – summarizes the blessings that come upon a nation or people that follows God's path Psalm 145
Psalm 145 begins a series of six praise psalms. They are, along with Psalm 100, a traditional part of Jewish morning prayers (Shacharit).The psalm is an acrostic; each verse (including v. 13; see note below) begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
a psalm of praise – This is the only psalm thus titled. Its theme is the kingship of God (v. 1). Verse 11 spells out the conditions in His Kingdom.
v. 1 I will exalt you, my God, O King – The theme of God's kingship has a very central place in the faith of Israel and later Jewish tradition. The beginning of the "blessings" (birkot) of traditional Jewish prayer repeats the refrain:
"Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe."
v. 2 praise – hallel (Heb.) the psalmist piles up synonyms for "praise"
Your name – God's name is the virtual "summary" of all His virtues and glorious attributes.
v. 3 unsearchable – its depth cannot be fathomed
v. 4 One generation…to another – The Biblical pattern is for God's message to be passed on from the older to the younger, generation for generation (Deut. 6:6-8).
v. 5 wondrous works – Verses 4-7 lines up four synonyms for God's action into creation and human history: "Your mighty acts" / "Your wondrous works" / "Your awesome acts" / culminating in v. 7: "your great goodness."
v. 6 men shall speak – Signals a switch to third person tense. The psalmist is showing that it is not just his voice that is raised in praise to God. He is part of a huge chorus.
v. 7 They…shall sing – probably in the community at worship in the Temple
v. 8 The LORD is gracious – recites the revelation of the divine glory to Moses on the mountain in Exodus 34:5
v. 9 The LORD is good to all – This is the point of truth that Satan always attempts to attack and obscure:
God is good… to all… always!
v. 10 all Your works – all creatures
saints – righteous ones
v. 12 His mighty acts …the glorious majesty of His kingdom – God does not simply act randomly; His every move into creation and human history is aimed at the redemption of His lost creation, the establishment of His eternal kingdom of justice and right.
v. 13 an everlasting kingdom – Major ancient Hebrew manuscripts include a second half with this verse: "The Lord is faithful in all His words, And holy in all His works." (It constitutes the letter "n" of the acrostic.) The NIV includes this line in the main text of the psalm; the NKJV notes the textual issue but relegates the verse into a footnote.
v. 15 eyes of all look expectantly – emphasizes the dependence of all living things on God's gracious hand
v. 16 every living thing – God's care is directed to His entire creation. While humankind has a special place in His heart, His love is limitless toward all He has made.
v. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him – The "nearness" of God has a very prominent place in the faith of Israel; God is not "far away" or preoccupied.
v. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him – Desire, meaning pleasure. Pleasure as such is not evil; in fact God wants to satisfy our deepest longings. It is our misguided and self-centered striving to satisfy ourselves that is the root of sin. The old Westminster Catechism captured the idea with its first question:
"What is the chief end of man?" Its answer: "To glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
v. 20 preserves – guards" (against evil)
all the wicked He will destroy – The Bible spells out the grim fate of those who choose willfully against God's grace.
v. 21 the praise of the LORD…His holy name – The concluding verse of the psalm neatly recapitulates the theme introduced at the beginning. This "envelope" structure is a common feature of Hebrew poetry. Psalm 146
Psalm 146 is the second of the six "praise psalms" concluding the Psalter. It, along with the next four, begins and ends with "Hallelujah!" (Also true of Psalm 111-117.)
It celebrates God's caring and compassionate concern for His world and humankind.
v. 1 Praise the LORD! – Literally "Hallellu-Jah!"
v. 2 While I live – while I exist (Heb.)
while I have my being – while I breathe
v. 3 princes – the highest human resource
in whom there is no help – "who offers no rescue"
v. 4 His spirit – breath (Heb.) an interesting play on v. 1: "as long as I have breath, I choose to praise God for…(v. 4), even princes will someday, as they descend into the grave, no longer have breath"
he returns to his earth – part of the judgment pronounced upon humankind by God (Gen. 3:9)
his plans – that which one had decided to do in the future
v. 5 the God of Jacob – Whenever God is described as "Jacob's God" it should be a great encouragement to us: Jacob the schemer, the weasel, the fearful; but also Jacob the one who called upon the God of his fathers and finally became "God's man," not in his strength but in his weakness.
v. 6 Who made – the list is meant to imply that God has made everything
Who keeps truth – faithfulness to His promise
v. 7 executes justice for the oppressed – makes a representative list of those in need or who are oppressed by other human powers
v. 9 the strangers – those who were not Israelite citizens
the fatherless and widow – the two most vulnerable groups in ancient society
turns upside down – i.e. twists out of shape. In ancient times, a straight and level road was a great thing; twisting and contorted roads were dangerous both from natural danger and the attacks of robbers.
Prayer Focus
"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help."
Psalm 146:3
It is a hard lesson to learn, God, that we really cannot trust anyone in this world except You. If we have not yet learned this lesson, bring us through it so that we may learn to lean wholly and solely upon You. If we have learned this lesson, keep our hearts tender, Lord, so that we may forgive those who have failed to help us in our need.
Arabian Peninsula
The government is taking radical steps against Christianity in Iran that it has not never taken in the history of Iran/Persia. There is going to be intense attack and persecution against Christians.
Prayer Points
- for the building and house churches as they are under great attack and persecution
- for the believers in Iran and all of the open hearts in Iran who are thirsty to hear the Gospel
