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Divine Kingship A Song of
Praise Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.—Ephesians 5:19, NIV A verse-by-verse study of Psalm 145 by Leonard Griehs Psalm 145 is the first of six psalms of praise that end the book. It is one of many that are acrostics, meaning each verse starts with the successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. However, Psalm 145 as it appears in the King James Version uses only twenty-one of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first verse begins with the first letter aleph; the last verse begins with the last letter tav, but there is no verse corresponding to the letter nun.
Naturally, translators and scholars have debated why
there is no verse corresponding to the missing letter. Some translations do
contain a verse with this letter. Some suggest that copyists omitted it. Others
say the author purposely omitted the verse to show that the praise of men for
God is imperfect and incomplete at best. God’s Divine Kingship—Psalm 145:1-4 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. God’s divine kingship is the main subject of this psalm of praise. Our first obligation is to recognize that God is truly sovereign over all of his creation. Not only is it the basis of our belief, but it also should be the primary basis of our praise. “Every day will I bless thee” instructs God’s children to consider praise in their daily meditation. Jesus encouraged this behavior in his model prayer as he instructed us to thank God in advance for our daily bread and to thank him for leading us in paths of righteousness. This acknowledgment that God’s wisdom in directing his creation is superior to ours, or to that of any other human, is important. When we begin our day by offering prayer, reading an inspirational text, or singing a hymn, we help to assure that we do not take for granted God’s blessings and providence. Pausing for a moment of prayer before we begin our workday helps make us aware of God’s daily overruling providences. We should never forget that God overrules everything in our life, as well as all the affairs of the world, for the ultimate outworking of his plan (Romans 8:28). We may not know the purpose of each individual trial until our death and resurrection, for only then will we know for sure why certain things were necessary. Our prayers must seek first the development of God’s plan for the collective development of the entire church.
The hymn Known Only to Him contains the
chorus, “I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
Although we may sometimes struggle to understand God’s purpose in a particular
trial or difficulty in our life, we can trust God completely and be assured that
he will give us no trial or test that is not needed to further his cause in us,
in our brethren, or in his creation. This is the reason to praise him. God’s Wondrous Works—verses 5-12 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Humanity’s concept and understanding of God’s involvement in our world varies greatly. Some credit him when good fortune happens and blame him when tragedy strikes. Others praise their “God-given ability” to perform at a higher level than their fellows. Many tend toward a selfish view of God, to look upon him as little more than a personal valet to get them through the trivial aspects of their lives. Few understand how God is working out his plan, why he permits evil, or what the real destiny for his creation is. Few recognize his loving character in dealing with his creation. Only those begotten of God’s spirit can discern his love, justice, wisdom and power, both in present day circumstances and in his promises for all mankind (1 Corinthians 2:14,10; Mark 4:11; Matthew 13:16). The apostle Paul said Satan has blinded most people through Adamic sin (2 Corinthians 4:4). His enlightened children, however, see God’s overruling in the events of earth and praise his works. Thus we should not be surprised when our friends or neighbors ask why God permitted their loved one to die or a tragic accident to occur. Man cannot perceive God’s ways: “The LORD says: My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours” (Isaiah 55:8,9, Contemporary English Version). Among those who profess to know God, their belief that he will condemn the majority of mankind to an eternity of torment, or isolation from him, prevents them from appreciating God’s majesty and mercy. Those who truly understand and love him proclaim God’s mercy and his mighty works in a positive way, praising him for the plan he has to bring all people to a knowledge of him in the resurrection. The sweeping statement of verse nine, “The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works,” provides insight into the wisdom of God. On the surface, a reader might question this assertion since all people do not prosper, and many experience poverty and destitution for most of their lives. Masked by evil surroundings, rejection, and disobedience, God is focused on executing his plan. Yet he still overrules for the care of his creation, including his material universe (Matthew 5:45). Much of God’s overruling is seen by many as mere chance, luck, or fate, or just the natural order of things. However, those who know God see his hand in overruling circumstances for the long-term good of his creation. Consider, for example, what happened in the Amazon to the rain forest. In the 1980s, scientists said the Amazon in South America was burning and would disappear by the end of the twentieth century. It is now three decades later and the dire predictions have not happened. The Amazon basin, comprising around eighty percent of the world’s largest remaining tropical wilderness, is thriving. It is a vast carpet of green crisscrossed by the Amazon River and its eleven-hundred tributaries. The rain forest’s survival has more to do with God’s overruling of the economics and politics of the area than with the worldwide environmental campaign to save it. In the 1980s, Brazil was under a military dictatorship which had ambitious plans to develop Brazil’s portion of the rain forest, a total of 1.6 million square miles. If the country had not suffered during a massive debt crisis in the late 1980s, “everything would be gone by now,” says Philip Fearnside, an American scientist at the Brazilian government’s National Institute for Amazon Research. God used the natural selfishness of man to end the threat against an important part of his creation. The whole universe is under God’s care. His wisdom, power, goodness, and benevolence are equal to the responsibility. He is worthy to be praised. He has a memory that never fails, a judgment that never errs. He has a wisdom that plans for eternity without the possibility of failure and he times that plan with unerring precision. He can harness every opposing element and make everything work together for the accomplishment of his grand designs. He has a tireless vigilance that never ceases nor seeks relief from the pressing cares of universal dominion. His eye never sleeps, his ear is ever open, and he is ever cognizant of all the necessities, and ever active in all the interests of his broad domains. While God’s providences in this age are mainly over those who have covenanted to submit their will to him, there is no human creature that at some time in the future will not receive an opportunity to experience God’s mercy. God’s Care for All—verses 13-16 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. Most ancient translations, as well as the text of this psalm found at Qumran and one medieval Hebrew manuscript, have a verse for nun, which follows the thirteenth verse. That verse according to the Septuagint reads: “The Lord is faithful in his words and holy in all his works.” There is ample evidence to support the existence of this verse in the original psalm. It was probably accidentally dropped while being transcribed into what became the Masoretic text, the preferred text by modern students and from which the King James Version was translated. Assuming this verse was intended to be part of the psalm, the meaning is clear: God’s word is his law and his creation will ultimately reflect and express his holiness. Man in his current state does not reflect the holiness of God and the dominion that he granted man at creation. Man’s dominion over the earth is limited by his current association with sin. There is a limit beyond which God will not let man proceed. No one can ignore the natural laws of the universe. Just as in the United States, each state can govern its constituents and make its own laws, but no state can pass a law which usurps the authority of the Constitution of the United States. Thus it is with God. Man can go as far as God permits, but can never thwart his ultimate plan. For example, God declares: “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever” (Ecclesiastes 1:4). Despite the current threat of nuclear war, man will never be allowed to obliterate the earth through weapons of mass destruction. When man is restored to perfection and prepared to rule in harmony with God’s principles, the earth will reflect God’s intention for man’s dominion. Everlasting dominion will be tempered by the peace and harmony which was intended for Adam and his surroundings in the Garden of Eden. All who prove obedient and loyal to God at the close of the Millennium will participate in a kingdom filled with blessings. It will be more wonderful than anything man has ever experienced. God Is Righteous—verses 17 and 18 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. God is always righteous: “I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil” (Isaiah 45:7). “Evil” is best understood as referring to calamities. God does allow these as chastisement for sin. Adam and Eve in Eden were protected by God from any harm, but when they chose to disobey, God withdrew his protection and mankind has experienced the consequences ever since. Now only those who seek God have his special protection, though that protection does not spare their lives from trouble and pain. They experience with the world the results of the fall, although they have God’s special care in each experience. Knowing that this world is not the way God intended it to be, and knowing that God plans to transform it, should inspire confidence and bring lasting comfort to those who honor and love him. Ultimately God will make apparent the folly of those who dishonor him. Not only is he continuously declared to be righteous and holy, he is also proclaimed to be a “God of truth and without iniquity” (Deuteronomy 32:4). “The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity” (Zephaniah 3:5).
Habakkuk said of God, “Thou art of purer eyes than to
behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). James wrote,
“God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13). And
in the fifth psalm: “Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness:
neither shall evil dwell with thee … thou hatest all workers of iniquity” (Psalm
5:4,5). The evil we see today is temporary. God’s Care Is Real—verses 19 and 20 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. Jesus needed strengthening throughout his ministry and often sought his heavenly Father in prayer. If the master needed strengthening, so do we. We can be assured that when we cry to God, he responds. He is pleased to bestow the full assurance of faith which is able to strengthen us to endure any and everything in his name and service. In the midst of the evils of our day, how precious should be the assurances of divine protection, care, and personal love. Although the Lord permits conditions which he disapproves, he declares that he will ultimately destroy all those out of harmony with his ultimate plan. There are evil principles at work in this world, and behind them there are evil spirit beings led by Satan. Certain statements are made in Scripture regarding Satan that conclusively show him to be a sentient being, not an evil principle. Jesus declared he was a “murderer” from the beginning—and a “liar” (John 8:44). He said he saw him “as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Hebrews 2:14 refers to “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” At the close of the Millennial age, when Christ shall have conquered sin, Satan will be destroyed. Then the universe shall be in absolute harmony with God who will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28). Throughout all eternity there will be no opposition to his will. None will be allowed to live everlastingly whose misuse of life would be an injury and source of misery to themselves and others.
Paul wrote: “Who [God] desires all men to be saved, and to come to an accurate
knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4, Emphatic Diaglott). Mankind will
be saved from Adamic death through the ransom price given by Jesus. Afterward,
in Christ’s thousand-year kingdom, all will be brought to an accurate knowledge
of the truth under the favorable reign of Christ. If, after achieving this
knowledge, they come to love God and show that love by obeying his laws and
principles perfectly, they will be welcomed into everlasting life. Let God Be Praised—verse 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. When we have said all we can in praising God, still there is more. The end of one mercy is the beginning of another. So the end of one thanksgiving leads to the start of another. While we have breath, let us continually praise his name! |