146 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Section Overview
As the Psalter nears its close, the last five psalms (Psalms 146–150) all begin and end with “Praise the Lord!” (Hb. hallelujah). The form of this word is a plural imperative, addressed to a group of people (hallelu!), calling them to praise, followed by a short form of the special divine name (yah, short for yhwh).799 This envelope makes clear that each of these psalms calls God’s people to praise him, with each psalm stressing its own aspect of that praise. The theme of Psalm 146 is that the Lord’s reign makes him a sure hope for God’s suffering people.
The song opens by having each singer declare his or her intention to praise the Lord in song for all his or her life (vv. 1–2) and then admonishing one another not to trust in merely human deliverers, such as princes (vv. 3–4). The Lord has shown himself to be a reliable help for the helpless (vv. 5–9), and therefore the singers repeat their call to one another to praise him (v. 10).
Section Outline
I. I Will Always Praise the Lord (146:1–2)
II. Do Not Trust in Mere Princes (146:3–4)
III. Blessed Is He Whose Trust Is in the Real God (146:5–9)
IV. Praise the Lord Forever! (146:10)
Response
The OT records many instances in which God’s faithful suffer intensely. These occasions present many challenges to endurance, many apparent reasons to throw over one’s faith and assimilate with those who seem to have more power. To sing a song like Psalm 146 offers a perspective and a reassurance that should strengthen faith and faithfulness among God’s people. It also keeps them mindful of their calling to maintain a community whose shared ideal is the imitation of God—and the psalm especially stresses the Lord’s tenderness toward the weak and disadvantaged.
The apostle Paul likewise reassures the Galatian Christians, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9; cf. Heb. 12:3). To sing Psalm 146 should help us to endure—and to do so joyfully.Psalm 146
Psalm 147