Original Meaning
Heading (145:0)
AS WITH EACH OF THE POEMS IN THE FINAL Davidic collection in the book of Psalms (Pss 138–45), the superscription includes the phrase “Of David” (ledawid). There are three other Davidic collections in the Psalter. Books 1 and 2 in the Psalter contain two large collections that include “David” in the superscriptions (Pss 3–41; 51–72) and culminate with a reference to the “prayers of David” in Psalm 72:20. In Book 5 (Pss 107–45) David reappears in the superscription of two collections. The first collection, Psalms 108–10, begins Book 5, and Psalms 138–45 serve as a concluding collection. The reemergence of David in the superscriptions in Book 5 signals that David has become emblematic of the poor servant who depends entirely on Yahweh for deliverance.8
As noted above, the other word in the superscription, tehillah (“psalm of praise”), is unique to this psalm.
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
Original Meaning
Vow to Praise God (145:1–2)
IN THE OPENING LINE THE PSALMIST confesses Yahweh as “My God the king.” Although kingship language is frequently used to describe Yahweh, only here and in Psalm 98:6 is Yahweh declared “the king” (the noun with the definite article). Some interpreters understand both terms as vocatives and translate the phrase as “My God and King” (cf. NRSV), but it should be understood as a truncated nominal clause, “My God (is) the king.”9
Understood in this way, the statement is univocal: there is no king but the God of the psalmist. The NIV interprets the phrase similarly.
In the light of his confession the psalmist commits to three actions: “exalt,” “praise,” and “extol.” The verb “exalt” comes from the root rum, meaning “to lift high” or “to raise up.” The psalmist pledges to “lift high” Yahweh, even as servants might literally lift high a king in honor. The next two verbs (vv. 1b, 2a) come from the root brk, “to bless.” The psalmist vows to “bless” Yahweh. For an extended discussion of the meaning of the root brk, “to bless,” see the comments on Psalm 134. The final verb in the opening strophe is halal, “to praise” or “to extol.” All three verbs in the opening strophe are part of the vocabulary of praise that dominates the first half of the psalm.
In the first two verses the psalmist refers to the name (shem) of God twice (vv. 1b, 2b); the psalmist pledges to bless and extol the name of God. In this instance the “name” (shem) of Yahweh is “metonymical for the nature of the Lord.”10
Thus, in pledging to bless or extol the shem of God, the psalmist is actually vowing to celebrate the defining characteristics of his God, the King. This association between the character of God and the name of God is clearly evident in Exodus 34:5–7. In that context the name of God is mentioned first, followed by a list of attributes meant to describe God. Similarly, in Psalm 145 the psalmist mentions the shem of Yahweh in verses 1–2 and then celebrates the character of God in the subsequent verses. The psalm concludes with a third reference to the shem of Yahweh—all creation will celebrate the shem of Yahweh and bless him for who he is.
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
Original Meaning
Praise of God (145:3–7)
IN THE OPENING STROPHE THE PSALMIST vows to praise God, the only King. This vow is predicated on the psalmist’s understanding of God and his work in history. The second strophe begins with a succinct statement about the character of God in verse 3, followed by the praise of God uttered by all generations.
Great is the LORD. To declare Yahweh “great” is to do far more than make a subjective assessment about the nature of God. In the ancient Near East, the label “great” was applied to deities in combination with their role as kings. Examples of this practice abound in ancient texts, stela, and iconography. In ancient Mesopotamia the prologue to the Lipit-Ishtar law code begins “Anu, the great, the father of the gods.”11
In Egypt the god Resheph is declared “the great god, lord forever, ruler of eternity and lifetime” on a stela found at Deir el-Medina.12
And the Cyrus Cylinder, so named for the Persian king, refers to Marduk explicitly as the “king of the gods” and “the great lord.”13
The connection between kingship and the label “great” also appears in the Psalter. In Psalm 95:3 the poet declares that Yahweh is “the great God, the great King above all gods.” The declaration that Yahweh is great in Psalm 145:3 complements the earlier confession that he is the King (v. 1a).
One generation commends your works to another. The confession that Yahweh is the “great God” is not a static confession locked into a moment in Israelite history; instead, the claim is one that transcends time as each generation confesses the works of Yahweh to the next. The vocabulary of praise referenced above spills over into verses 4–6 as each generation speaks, confesses, and proclaims what they know to be true of Yahweh. In these verses the psalmist uses four different words to convey the magnitude of Yahweh’s greatness. In verse 4a he refers to the “works” (ma‘aseh) of Yahweh. Ma‘aseh comes from the root ‘sh, “to make” or “to do,” and often refers to acts of creation (cf. Ps 104:13, 24) but can also refer to God’s creative power in delivering his people (Ps 66:3). The second word, “mighty acts,” is the plural form of the noun geburah, a term used to refer to God’s strength and power. His “mighty acts” are demonstrations of his power as the “great King.” In Psalm 145:5b the psalmist refers to Yahweh’s “wonderful works” (nipla’ot). While the term nipla’ot contributes to the larger thematic thread in verses 4–6 concerning the works of the Lord, the term appears elsewhere in the Old Testament with a specific reference to the exodus event (cf. Exod 3:20; 34:10; Pss 78:4; 105:5; 106:22; 136:4). In that moment of deliverance Yahweh indeed proved himself the great King, as expressed in the confession of the people in the Song of Moses (Exod 15:18). In Psalm 145:6a the community will tell of Yahweh’s “awesome works.” The Hebrew term is a niphal participle from the root yr’, “to fear.” Thus Yahweh’s “awesome” works are in fact those works that should inspire fear and awe in both the recipients and the beneficiaries of Yahweh’s faithful acts (cf. 2 Sam 7:23).
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
Original Meaning
Confession of Yahweh’s Character (145:8–9)
FOLLOWING THE REHEARSAL OF GOD’S faithful action in behalf of Israel in verses 4–6, the psalmist returns to explicit statements concerning the character of God. In celebrating God’s character, the poet references the “graciousness formula” of Exodus 34:6–7 in which Yahweh self-describes. Psalm 145:8 quotes the Exodus text nearly verbatim but with one notable change. The NIV translates the last phrase in verse 8b as “rich in love [hesed].” In the Exodus text the phrase is “abounding [rab] in love,” but in Psalm 145 the poet has changed the phrase to read, literally, “great [gadol] in love [hesed].” The Hebrew word hesed, “love,” is often translated as “steadfast love” or “covenant love” and has the sense of abiding commitment and loyalty. To say that Yahweh is “great in love” is to declare that he is “fiercely loyal” to his people. Thus, both Yahweh and his covenantal faithfulness (hesed) are “great [gadol]” (vv. 3a, 8b); they are marks of the King (v. 1a).
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
Original Meaning
Interlude (145:10)
AS NOTED IN THE INTRODUCTION ABOVE, verses 1, 10, and 21 each contain the verb “bless” (barak) and facilitate the movement of the psalm. In verse 1 the psalmist pledges to “praise” (NIV) or “bless” Yahweh (v. 1b). In verse 10a the poet explains that all God’s works will “praise” (yadah) him. The Hebrew term yadah can also be rendered “confess” or “make known” (cf. Pss 111; 118). While the difference between praise and confess may appear minimal, it proves instructive for understanding the interlude. The psalmist pauses to claim that all God’s works “confess” who he is; they bear witness to his identity as the great King who is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger,” and “rich in love” (i.e., “great in covenantal faithfulness”). In verse 10b the psalmist shifts to declare that the faithful people of Yahweh will “extol” him. God bestows blessings upon his people, and his people in return speak well of God; they bless or praise God for the good he has brought to them.
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
Original Meaning
In Praise of Yahweh’s Kingdom (145:11–13)
WITHIN THIS SHORT SECTION of the psalm, the word malkut (“kingdom”) appears four times, each time referencing Yahweh, the Divine King. In his outline of the psalm, Barnabas Lindars contends that these verses function as the center of an extended chiastic structure and together reinforce the psalm’s primary theme.14
In addition to the repetition of malkut in these lines, another structural device confirms the emphasis on kingship. Lindars, following the earlier suggestion of Watson, observes that the three Hebrew letters that begin each of these lines are kaph, lamed, and mem. Rearranged in reverse, the three letters mem, lamed, and kaph are the root letters for “king” (melek) and “kingdom” (malkut).15
Some interpreters have attributed this occurrence to mere happenstance based on the order of the Hebrew alphabet itself; but given the heavy emphasis on malkut (“kingdom”) in these three verses and the emphasis on kingship throughout the psalm, there seems to be more at work than coincidence.16
Likely the arrangement reflects the artistic work of a skilled poet seeking to join form and meaning in order to reinforce a particular theme.
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
Original Meaning
Characteristics of Yahweh’s Just Rule (145:14–20)
IN THE FINAL STROPHE THE PSALMIST builds on the fourfold reference to Yahweh’s kingdom in verses 11–13. In this lengthy strophe the psalmist confesses Yahweh’s sovereign care over all creation (vv. 14–16), and in particular over those who call on him (vv. 18–20).
The LORD upholds all who fall. Yahweh’s concern for the poor, marginalized, and oppressed appears throughout the Old Testament and is clearly on display in the Psalter. God holds up those who are falling and “lifts up [zaqap] all who are bowed down [kapap].” The latter verb, kapap, “bowed down” or “discouraged,” is a passive participle and implies that another person is causing the psalmist to be bowed down and discouraged; the psalmist is not just “down” but has been brought down by the activity of another. Thus, the psalmist confesses that Yahweh the King will act in their behalf. The reference to Yahweh’s lifting up the poor appears elsewhere, in 1 Samuel 2:8 and Psalm 113:7, though these texts use a different verb from that in Psalm 145:14.
You open your hand. Verses 15–16 refer to God’s sustaining care for his creation; “all” (kol) eyes look to God for their provision. The verb “look” is the Hebrew word sabar, which means “to wait for” or better yet, “to hope for.” The verb suggests that all creation waits to see whether God will satisfy their needs, whether he will act beneficently toward a creation that stands in need. He will. As nearly identical to Psalm 104:27, Psalm 145:15b confesses that God gives food at the appropriate time, and rather than clenching his fist, Yahweh responds to his creation with an open hand (v. 16a). Yahweh’s beneficence is neither ill-timed nor begrudgingly parceled out, but instead reflects his character—gracious, compassionate, and good (vv. 8–9a).
Both images, care for the poor and the sustaining of creation, reflect kingship motifs. The prologue to the Code of Hammurabi reflects this motif, as does the extended reflection on kingship in Psalm 72. Thus, the language in Psalm 145:14–16 portrays Yahweh as the model king. In addition to noting Yahweh’s royal prerogatives toward creation, the psalmist also notes the nature of Yahweh’s kingdom. The word “all” (kol) appears four times in the three verses (vv. 14a/b, 15a, 16b), thus reinforcing the scope of Yahweh’s royal rule—he rules over “all.”
The LORD is righteous in all his ways. Verses 14–16 noted the universal scope of Yahweh’s concern as the Divine King, yet lest the community be concerned that Yahweh has reordered his commitments and lost sight of the Israelites, the psalmist confesses that Yahweh is “just” or “righteous” in his ways and “faithful” (hasid) in what he does. The latter word, hasid, might better be translated as “loyal”; Yahweh’s action for all creation in no way undermines his loyalty to his people. Thus, with verses 17–20 “we move from universal providence to the dependable way in which the LORD meets the needs of his own people.”17
Although Yahweh is the Divine King who stands over “all” creation as provider and sustainer, his nearness is reserved for those who “show themselves loyal” to Yahweh (v. 18).18
In verses 18–20 the people of God are described as those who call on him in truth, those who fear him, and those who love him. In accord with the confessions made in Psalm 121, Yahweh watches over his people, but the way of the wicked he will destroy (cf. Ps 1:6).
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
Original Meaning
Postlude (145:21)
THE PSALM CONCLUDES BY REPEATING three words from verse 1: “praise” in verse 21a, and “name” and “praise” (barak, “to bless”) in verse 21b. In verse 21 the psalmist expresses his desire for “every creature” (lit., “all flesh”) to praise or bless God, thus bringing the psalm to a fitting conclusion. Psalm 145 opens with the psalmist’s vow to bless (barak) God, moves to the declaration that the faithful people of God will bless (barak [v. 10]) him, and concludes with the desire that all creation bless (barak) God’s holy name. From beginning to end Psalm 145 declares Yahweh’s kingship and indicates that his kingship demands our response. Even as his kingdom is everlasting (v. 13), so too must our praise be “forever and ever” (v. 21c).
Bridging Contexts
BOOK 5 OF THE PSALTER (Pss 107–45) was composed well after the exile and, in many ways, functioned as a response to the crises produced from that experience, crises that prompted questions that were both theological and anthropological—who is God and who are we? Although the collection opens with a remembrance of how God gathered his exiled people from all regions (Ps 107:3), that celebration is tempered by the reality the postexilic community experienced. While Yahweh led Israel out of Babylon, the world remained far from idyllic. Throughout the Psalter’s Book 5, the psalmists lament the persistent threat of enemies. While the precise identity of these enemies proves challenging to determine, there are instances where it appears that the psalmists are referring to the powers that dot the political landscape around them (e.g., Pss 108; 124; 125; 129; 144). In the face of such challenges, however, the book of Psalms affirms the reign of God in the world. Yet to be clear, this struggle is not a struggle among equals. Israel’s declaration sets Yahweh apart as the Divine King, the one who rules over all nations and all peoples. In Psalm 113 the poet announces that this God
is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high? (vv. 4–5)
Because Israel’s God reigns, the nations tremble and the earth shakes (Ps 99:1); “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD . . . of al l t he earth” (Ps 97:5). Such language is not meant to be hyperbolic or escapist but instead truly confessional. The psalmists are keenly aware of the threats before them, but they make their confession in “My God the king,” thus declaring that the Lord is near to all who call on him (145:18).
In the New Testament, the kingship of God is central to the preaching of Jesus. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears fifty-three times in the Gospels, and the synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” another thirty-two times in Matthew. In the majority of instances it is Jesus who references the kingdom, but there are others who also declare the fullness of its arrival. In the opening chapter of Mark, for example, John the Baptist announces that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). The description of the kingdom permeates the preaching of Jesus. Thus, through both parables and pronouncements, Jesus attempts to communicate to his disciples the reality of the kingdom and its nearness.19
Yet to speak of the kingdom of God (whether in the Old Testament or the New) is not to refer to a region or a domain, as though “kingdom” signaled a defined area, rather, “kingdom” refers to God’s rule, to his power and authority over all creation.20
To declare God as “King” (Ps 145:1) or to refer to his kingdom (v. 13; Mark 1:15) is to suggest that God’s power and authority are being made manifest and that all other claims to authority are denuded. All those who call on him, fear him, and love him (Ps 145:18–19) will find their home in this kingdom, a kingdom ruled unlike any other. This psalm reminds us that we are invited “to live in the world of God’s reign, the world where the fundamental reality and pervasive power is the gracious, compassionate and faithful love of God.”21
Knowledge of that truth should lead to unbridled praise of God.
Contemporary Significance
PSALM 145 IS A PRAISE PSALM. From beginning to end, from aleph to taw, the psalm calls us to praise God. Central to the praise of God is our capacity to bear witness to who God is, and central to understanding the identity of God is remembering his activity. Beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 145, the psalmist instructs those who pray to tell of God’s mighty acts, to speak of his majesty, to meditate on his wonderful works, to tell of his awesome works, and to proclaim his great deeds. But to do all of those things requires remembering.
The psalmist explains that a people of praise are those who remember and tell, recall and proclaim. The majority of terms in verse 4–6 appear in the story related to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. These same terms are used repeatedly in other texts to point back to that moment in Israel’s past. That moment was emblazoned in their collective mind as a perpetual remembrance of the God they serve: God the King, God the fiercely loyal one. That story and every story of deliverance since then was seared into their memory. To recall those stories was to proclaim God. To recall those stories was to be shaped as a people.
Most of us are controlled by the immediacy of the present. Our schedules are busy, life seems full, and we have little time to breathe, much less remember. But if we desire to live a life of praise in the presence of the Divine King, then remember we must. Our history, both our individual histories and our histories as communities of faith, are marked with moments that remind us that God is still at work. The psalmist calls us to the task of remembering those moments. We do so not to be nostalgic and “remember the good ol’ days,” or worse yet to wax on about returning to those days; rather we recall those moments so that we will remember the faithfulness of the God we serve as we lean into the future. We remember those moments so that we will be reminded of our hope. In our moments of weakness and powerlessness, fear and dread, when it seems as though the powers of the world hold sway, we remember and confess that God the King, the one enthroned over the heavens, has the power to act. And in our moments of brokenness and waywardness, apathy and disillusionment, when we are not sure who we are, the compassionate God who is fiercely loyal steps toward us in love. And in those moments our voices join with the voice of the psalmist in declaring, “the LORD is near.”
NIDOTTE 4:148.