Poetry

Habakkuk 3:8-11, I Sing the Mighty Power of God

/ Melissa

Habakkuk 3:8-11, “8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation? 9 You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah   You split the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear.”

Are you a mountain person or a beach person? I’m 100% mountain girl! And I love all things fall—especially fall in the mountains! So, a couple weeks ago, I drove up to NC with the boys to introduce them to one of my favorite fall hobbies: antiquing! I don’t know what it is about old things, but I could spend hours in an antique shop; and some of them you can quite literally get lost in! It was a good teaching day—how to look and not touch, how to appreciate without having to purchase.

Maybe it’s the post-hurricane chaos, or maybe there’s a little extra grief because my mom loved fall so much, or maybe it’s the nostalgia from just reading Farmer Boy to my boys again, (or the fact that it’s an election year)—but, this year especially, I’ve been craving calm. Visiting these little towns is like going back in time; they’re smaller, slower paced—something I long for and strive really hard to hold onto for our family in our ever-racing spiral of a culture.

When you’re antiquing, sometimes you have a particular piece in mind. And sometimes, you’re just browsing because you need a place to slow down and think and remember. It’s good for us to remember days gone by and to teach our children about them too. It establishes an appreciation of the blood, sweat, and tears that came before us, and grows a sense of gratitude for what we have now. It’s good for us to slow down and look back. And, oh, the smell of old books! It’s good for us to pull out the old history books and even collections of nursery rhymes. Frankly, if we studied our histories better, maybe we wouldn’t repeat them so often. 😉 And it’s good for us to pull out the old hymnals and sing through their melodies.

Nursery rhymes and songs have been used through the ages to teach children history lessons. And Scripture uses poetry and song for the same reason—to teach God’s story to the children of His kingdom.

Today we’ll learn that one of the things God’s people remembered and praised God for was His wrath. This sounds strange to us today, but we need to lean into this part of God’s nature because His wrath and His love are both perfect and inseparable. God uses His wrath to save His people! And we can absolutely rejoice in that!

Let’s set the stage. Hab. 2:20 – Habakkuk sees the LORD in His holy temple! And there’s this cosmic mic-drop! The whole earth falls in silence at the woes the LORD has just pronounced on evil. But Habakkuk does something different—he can’t help but burst into a song of praise, recounting God’s past deliverance of His people, and resolving to wait for the coming deliverance of His Savior and LORD. And he calls the people of God to join Him in learning and singing this song in their temple worship as well.

Remembering God’s past acts of deliverance grounds our faith in His future and final acts of deliverance. And… Recalling God’s covenant anchors our hope in God’s future and forever reign.

Now, this song is structured in a way that points to the center; and the center of this song is verses 8-15. Now, we’re breaking this center section into two parts, which at first might seem a little odd, BUT I think it’s good to slow down and really dive deep into the center of this song because it holds a lot of rich theology. And the MAIN IDEA?  We don’t like to talk about this, but the main idea of this text is the WRATH of the LORD…and His SALVATION. God uses His wrath to save His people! God’s sovereign wrath is displayed over creation in v. 8-11, and then over the nations in v. 12-15; and the purpose of all of it? “in order to save His people.”

I. First, God’s Salvation is Declared.

I.A. Habakkuk starts this section with his final question, (again, starting with the LORD’s covenant name, as we’ve seen in each of his prayers thus far).

v. 8, At what or whom is God’s wrath directed? Is it the rivers or seas? The small bodies of waters or the large ones? Because sometimes, it has seemed like it was!

In last week’s lesson, we were drawn to thinking of the Exodus—being reminded of the plagues and pestilence that God used to draw His people out of Egypt. So, it’s natural to think of the Exodus again. Speaking of plagues, we remember the story of God turning the water of the Nile into blood, right? (Exodus 7)

And, of course, we remember the crossing of the Red Sea. But in that story, the Egyptians were the ones riding on chariots, and what happened to them?  Exodus 15: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. 4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.”

Was God angry at the waters? NO, God used the Red Sea that He created to swallow up the enemy of His people! And Isaiah tells us, that God divided the waters and led His people in order to make for himself an everlasting and glorious name (Isaiah 63:12, 14).

This wasn’t the only time the people walked across on dry land either! God did it again! In Joshua 3, the people walked across the river bottoms of the Jordan River into the Promised Land! And this time in flood season!

Why did God do this? Yes, to remind them of the Red Sea, but ultimately, He says it was “how [they] [would] know that the living God [was] among [them] and that He without fail will drive out … the Canaanites” (Joshua 3:10). But it wasn’t just for Israel; God says it was “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:24). The whole earth will fear the LORD! But He is our God forever!

Habakkuk is recalling these mighty deeds of God to mind and putting them into song, and he’s doing that to help himself and the people to remember that God is sovereign over His creation. The sea was a symbol of judgment in the Bible—from beginning to end. What was Habakkuk experiencing?

Well, the main god of the Babylonians was Marduk, the god of creation, water and storm. So, judgment using water was a direct hit on the Babylonians’ god (just like the plagues of Egypt were direct hits on their gods)!

Next, we know that Babylon covered much of the Sinai (now, Arabian) peninsula, which is surrounded by the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Mediterranean Sea; and Ur was on the Euphrates River, running right through the middle of the peninsula. We saw lots of fishing imagery in chapter 1, so we know they valued their seaports because it brought them their luxurious lifestyles.

At the end of Habakkuk, he mentions figs, vines, olives and fields perishing—so they may have already begun to experience droughts—the drying up of the rivers and the seas, as one of God’s means of calling His people back. (“yet you did not return to me,” Amos 4.)

So, we’ve seen God’s mighty deeds in the past, we’ve discussed a little of what He might have been doing in Habakkuk’s day regarding the rivers and seas, but then, because we’re looking at a prophet, we have to consider that there may be future ramifications as well.

The Past Exodus always points to the Future Exodus.

Remember, prophecy is kind of like a mountain range. I think we’ve talked about the mountain range before—how when you see a mountain range from a distance, it kind of looks like one big range, but the closer you get, you can start to tell that it’s actually a bunch of mountain ranges stacked against each other. So, with prophecy, it can have a direct fulfilment at the time it’s given, but then it can be fulfilled repeatedly throughout history—especially when it comes to the cross and Christ’s return.

So where do we see God using raging waters in the future? If you look at Revelation 8-10, Jesus opens the final seal, which brings woes upon those who refuse to repent—they include the sea turning to blood, darkness, plagues, a third of the earth’s population being destroyed, because they would not repent of their idolatry, violence, immorality, and theft. Sound like Babylon? (It even mentions the Euphrates River.) And as Jesus sets his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, he declares that when the final trumpet sounds, “the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” In Revelation 16-18, the same images are repeated for the same reasons, and he calls out Babylon specifically (which symbolizes all the evil nations by this point).

SO, no, God isn’t angry at the rivers or the sea. But He is using them! Why is he pouring out this wrath?  

I.B. God salvation is declared as He rides in wrath for salvation. What salvation? We have to look ahead to v. 13 – for the salvation of His people, and His anointed!

Now we shift from the “horse and his rider being thrown into the sea” to a picture of God Himself on His chariots! It reminds me of one of my favorite songs, “O Worship the King,” verse 2 – “O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space. His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.”

I asked you to read a couple of psalms last week. Hopefully that was refreshing and helpful. Psalm 68: 17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,  thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.  20 Our God is a God of salvation,  and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. 33 to him who rides in the heavens, …35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; …—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.                    

Who is this awesome God of salvation?  Rev. 6:2 says, “And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.”

And then in Rev. 19: 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. … 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and [His] name … is The Word of God. 14 … the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 …[He comes]  to strike down the nations, and … rule them …. [Then it says,] “He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  16…. [And his name is King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Jesus Christ holds the reins of His Heavenly Horses, and He is riding in wrath to save us—to save you!—His beloved Bride—all those who repent and believe!

TRANSITION: So, even though Habakkuk begins with a question, it’s more of a rhetorical one—he knows God’s wrath is right and good because when God shows His wrath to destroy the enemy, His intent is to save His people! Next, Habakkuk sees God’s Sovereign Splendor Displayed throughout creation! Let’s look at how creation responds to God’s chariot of salvation!

II. First, God’s Sovereign Splendor is Displayed as

II.A. God rightly judges over earth and heaven!

He continues with this War Imagery:

9 You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah

I’m a boy mom; I have 3 boys, ages almost 3 to 9, and they all love weapons! They are especially into bows and arrows. But this is no child’s play, so I did a little research on Avid-Archer.com. 😊 Avid-Archer explains, “In contemporary films, archery often symbolizes empowerment and liberation.” “In literature, archery often symbolizes the dual forces of love and war, [get this!] both of which require precision, focus, and an understanding of the target. [I thought that was cool.] Arrows can represent: [1] The piercing nature of love … [he mentions Cupid]… [and arrows can represent] [2] The destructive potential of war….” He goes on to say that “the bow often… symboliz[es] … power within waiting to be unleashed… As the arrow is released, it represents the triumph over one’s struggles—a climactic release of potential leading to victory.”

And there is no greater power than the power of our God. In v. 9, we see God as our Coming Warrior King, riding on his chariot. The sheath of the bow was part of the quiver; the sheath is what you would carry your bow in to protect it; the quiver would also carry the arrows. For riders, the sheath would either be worn on their backs or actually mounted to the side of the chariot, for easy access. When he strips the sheath from the bow, He is grabbing out his war bow.

This should remind you of the flood—when God hung his war bow in the sky—what we now call a rainbow! This rainbow symbol has been manipulated for evil and flown to celebrate the “Pride” of and for the LGBTQ+ community; they’ve even distorted into 6 colors instead of 7 (number of man vs. number of perfection); BUT, it will be redeemed by its Maker! And this bow will bring judgment, not in a worldwide flood (because God always keeps His promises), but in fire. And the rainbow will be seen again… Ezekiel saw it: … his first vision is of a storm and fire, a man seated on a throne, surrounded by a rainbow. And he realizes he has just been given a glimpse into heaven. He says, “Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and [listened]”(1:28). Then, in Rev. 4:2, John has a similar experience: “I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne… 3… and around the throne was a rainbow. … 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder,” and we see burning torches of fire and a sea of glass, all reflecting the glory of our Coming Warrior God!

Gospel Connection: FOR those of us who are believers, instead of using this bow on us, God stripped Jesus of His life at the cross, pouring out judgment on Him in our place.

The next line is really hard to interpret. ESV says “calling for many arrows.”

  • Other translations use various words for “Calling”, such as “ordering, swearing, oaths being sworn, even as thy word, etc.”
  • “Arrows” can be translated “rods, chastisement, spears,” etc.
  • “Many” can be translated as “7” – signifying fullness, completeness or the perfect number—exactly what God needs. Complete Jewish Bible: “order it (the bow) filled with arrows”

So, it is a perfect execution of this covenant promise to not only show steadfast love (Exodus 34:6), but keep reading the rest of the covenant… verse 7 says, “who will by no means clear the guilty.” God’s love and God’s wrath are inextricably connected! He must accomplish both things—rescuing His people AND destroying His enemy. If this idea of wrath and love being connected is hard for you, you might picture a mama bear acting in wrath to protect her cubs from a mountain lion.

The word “Selah” is a musical notation that most believe is like a “rest” or “pause” in order to reflect. So, the fact that Selah is here makes me lean toward the idea of the reminder of the covenant – we can reflect on God calling His perfect Word back to mind and using the Word of God, Jesus, to pierce the hearts of His enemies. For us, the Word pierced and divided our hearts to see truth and repent of our sin; for those who refuse to repent, the Word will pierce to destroy.

No matter how you translate this, God is intent on loving His people, and He releases a cosmic war effort to retrieve us. In the end, the cosmic battle will be once and for all won when all God’s enemies are cast into the lake of fire, and God’s people and brought to dwell with Him as His forever bride in His forever kingdom.

Psalm 7:11-13 says, “ 11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels [wrath] every day. 12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; 13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.”

Isaiah 43: the LORD says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

We love these verses, but I didn’t realize till I was studying for this that the context is God redeeming Israel from the hands of Babylon, v. 14, says “even the Chaldeans.”

16Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,
17who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:

And chapters 44-45 are where Isaiah foretells of not only their exile but their return…

[If you have time, spend some time soaking in Isaiah 40-50 this week; it’s so refreshing!]

TRANSITION: Salvation is Declared; Victory is Sure; God rightly judges over earth and heaven! A second way we see God judging rightly is how he “split the earth with rivers.”

We’ve already covered a lot on water imagery, and we’ve seen firsthand in the recent hurricanes how God literally redirects the flow of water; He unleashes the power of water to move mountains! Sides of mountains fell off their foundations last month. Towns and bridges were annihilated—washed away. Routes have been changed—not just in the roads but in where the rivers will run for years to come.

Several commentaries, and our workbook this week, pointed us to the splitting of the Rock in the wilderness, providing water for the Israelites, which is a valid point. But God has been splitting the earth and dividing waters since the very beginning.

Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. … 7 And God … separated the waters [below] from the waters … above. … God called [this] Heaven. [Then] God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together … and let the dry land appear.” … 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters … he called Seas.”

Gospel Connection: God is the Sovereign Judge of All Creation: He gets to decide where the land should split and the water run through. He Rightly Judges over Earth and Heaven. And He is Worthy of Worship.

Application: By the way, God rightly judges our hearts too. Proverbs 21:2, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” He changes kings’ hearts, and he can and will change our hearts too. Have you experienced this? Do you need to experience this? Ask God to show you how your heart needs to change—towards Him? Towards your spouse? Your child? Your neighbor? Your coworker? Pray that God would turn your heart to be pleasing to Him. And then watch Him work.

TRANSITION: Verses 10 and 11 switch from 2nd person (YOU) back to 3rd person, and we get to see how earth and heaven—all creation—responds to its Sovereign Judge. God came down, riding on his chariots of wrath, readying his bow and arrows, and

II. B. The power of His presence is utterly intense and supremely glorious!

The heavens and earth cannot handle it! How do they respond?

      ” 10 The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high.”

QUESTION: Have you ever “writhed” in pain? Childbirth and back pain come to mind for me. Can you imagine the mountains doing this? The mountains (think the Appalachians, the Rocky  Mountains, Mount Everest). Writhing. God is so supremely glorious that the mountains themselves writhe!

We saw this in v. 6, “the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low.” Now, “mountains” can also be symbolic for “nations”. So, both the literal, physical mountains, but also the symbolic nations, are writhing when God comes down. We see God as our Glorious and Sovereign Creator, but this time, He is leveling the landscape and beginning to make all things new, as He Recreates His Dwelling Place in the New Heaven and New Earth!

The mountains saw the LORD and writhed…then what happened? More water imagery. The Deep sees God and gives up its voice, being rendered utterly speechless. Or… when the deep gives forth its voice, it’s crying out—lifting its voice and its hands in surrender to the Almighty! Water is symbolic of chaos. And just as God did in Genesis 1, God sovereignly brings order out of chaos again and again and again throughout history—and one day, there will be no more chaos! The LORD is on His throne, and the earth is silent, swept away.

Psalm 77: “16 When the waters saw you, O God, …, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. […once again, we have thunder and lightning and earthquakes… Then it says,] 19 Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.“

Gospel Connection: Jesus walked through judgement for us. We cannot always see God working, but we must trust that He is. He will make our paths straight, and He will win in the end! But, in His love, God often uses His wrath in order to save His people!

In Revelation 16-18, we see the fall of Babylon, once again accompanied by lightning, thunder, and earthquake. Rev. 16:19-20, “And God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.”  In Rev. 17, God reveals a vision of mountains as actually the kings who “14make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

TRANSITION: God rightly judges over earth and heaven, and God’s righteous presence is supremely glorious. The mountains and seas writhe. Next, the sun and moon stand still. Joshua 10:12-14 gives us the story of “when the Lord gave the Amorites over to …Israel,” through Joshua’s request. Joshua said, ““Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 [and they did!], until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. 14…for the Lord fought for Israel.”

Why did the sun and moon stand still? Was it a solar eclipse? No, Habakkuk says it was because of God’s speeding arrows of light and the flash of his glittering spear! They saw his glory in full display, as He came to take vengeance on His enemies once again. This is a supernatural eclipse, a revelation of God’s glory—the all-encompassing, incomprehensible sum of all of God’s attributes, shining forth in His presence.

The sun and moon that God created were ordained to submit to their Sovereign Creator—as were we. One day, the sun and moon will stand still forever! In contrast to the city of Babylon being thrown down and her light being no more, we see in Rev. 21 “ a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [no more judgment or chaos] … 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb…and there will be no night.”

God, as the Glorious Sovereign, Eclipses us with His Glorious Splendor!

Speaking of the Heavens, we looked at prophecy as being like a mountain range. A second image that might help is a constellation. When we look up in the sky and see the Big Dipper, for example, it looks like a cluster of stars, but the reality is that these stars are literally Light Years away from us and each other! The stars in the Big Dipper range from about 78 light years away to 128 light years away! Just ONE light year = 6 TRILLION MILES. So, if we even COULD travel at 600 mph, it would still take us 1 MILLION YEARS to travel ONE light year! This is the vastness of God’s creative and redemptive power! He uses one text, one image, to remind us of His past, present, and future eternal reign!

Conclusion: I want to look at one final passage in Revelation 18. As Babylon is falling, you hear a voice, which I think is an echo of Habakkuk, along with Isaiah and Ezekiel, and the rest of the prophets—warnings to the nations—and to us.

Rev. 18:4-5 says, “Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

It’s a call to repent. Will you listen to His call? Are you one of the arrows? Jesus gave His life for you; are you willing to have your blood shed for Him? OR will you join Babylon and refuse to repent? Oh, I hope not. For the end of those who refuse to repent is to be pierced by His mighty arrows, fatally, for eternity.

God’s “splendor” and wrath bring salvation and destruction. God displays His wrath through creation in order to save His people. So, can you rejoice in God’s wrath better now than yesterday? The wrath of God is a sobering topic. But as believers, we can rejoice that God will rescue us through His wrath. He did this by pouring out His wrath on Jesus instead of us. And He will do it again when He comes to bring us finally Home.

I got a glimpse of this as a summer camp counselor during my college years. We were on a hike at the 4th falls at the Wilds (which is a pretty intense hike), but an unexpected summer thunderstorm came out of nowhere. Thunder, lightning, even limbs dropping onto the trail. We tried to find hollowed out places on the side of the trail to shelter until it passed. And someone began to sing this song. “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.”

So I want us to sing this together today. When I taught this to our preschoolers, we added a little bridge that can be sung at the beginning and end of the song. It’s really simple, and it’s become one of my sons’ favorite bedtime songs. It goes like this.

Teach Bridge:  “There’s no greater power than the power of our God.” X2 (LifetreeKids)

So we’ll sing the Bridge, all 3 stanzas, and close with the bridge. Let’s sing of the Glorious Splendor of our  Sovereign King, who will come in Victory—may it be soon!

I Sing the Mighty Power of God (Isaac Watts, 1715)

  1. I sing the mighty pow’r of God, that made the mountains rise,
    That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
    I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
    The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.
  2. I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
    Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
    Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
    If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.
  3. There’s not a plant or flow’r below, but makes Thy glories known,
    And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
    While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
    And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God, art present there.

Psalm 145: A Song of Praise to the King

/ Melissa / Leave a comment

Key: When we see Jesus as our King, the natural next step is to burst forth in praise!

  1. God’s Greatness, vv. 1-7
    • We Have a Great God!
    • God is worthy of Great Praise
  2. God’s Kingdom, vv. 8-14
    • The Character of the King, vv. 8-9
    • The Characteristics of His Kingdom, vv. 10-14
  3. God’s People, vv. 15-21
    • God Cares for His People, vv. 15-20
    • God’s People Respond with Prayer and Praise, vv. 18-21

Dear God, Thank you for Psalm 145. And thank you for this book of Psalms. Thank you for these ladies who are listening and learning to love the Psalms with us. Would you teach us to praise Your name today… give us Your wisdom and cause us to fear you and to love you and to praise you. We pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Psalm 145 has got to be one of the greatest psalms of praise in the whole book! We often think of Psalms as a book of praises, but today’s psalm is actually the only one with the word “Praise” in its superscript title! Last time I was up here, we were talking about the darkest psalm in the Psalter…and today we’re on the exact opposite end of the spectrum, with one of the brightest psalms!

2020 has been quite the year. We’ve lived through (or maybe I should say we’re living through) a pandemic and protests [fires in California; hurricanes, tornadoes, Sahara dust–anyone else start counting to see if we were going to get to 10 plagues this year?! I wish I was joking]. And we’ve had enough politics to last a lifetime–or at least another four years. Tonight we find out who our next president is, but today, we get to focus on Psalm 145 and praising the King of Kings! And tomorrow, when we wake up with whatever results in our nation, we still get to praise the King of Kings!

In my opinion, Psalm 145 is one of the most beautifully complex pieces of poetry in the whole book of Psalms. And in some ways, rightly so. All that’s left is the closing five psalms, which are thought of as a set; Psalms 146-150 are one continuous doxological praise reflecting the same scheme as 145, starting with I will extol and ending with all flesh/breath praising the Lord; they move from individual praise to universal.

Intro / Structure

A few years ago, we got invited to an absolutely gorgeous wedding of some dear friends! It was the most beautiful, elaborate, glamorous event I will probably ever get invited to. And every detail was thoughtfully put together and perfectly executed. It took place in this beautiful old stone church in Laurens and then we went back to the family estate where a gigantic tent was setup in the lawn with live music, a full sit down dinner, fresh flowers and lights everywhere, and the most gorgeous cake I’ve ever laid eyes on. Have you ever been to a party like that?! Well, I know this analogy will crumble at some point, but Psalm 145 is like a stunning, tiered wedding cake. It has layers upon layers of structure…it’s sweet and specially crafted for the most glorious party you’ll ever go to!

1. The first layer is a classic vanilla–its face value structure: this psalm is beautiful as it is in its natural poetic flow. You could break it apart into various attributes of God and it’s almost a symphony of praise–David is so full of praise for God that he just can’t contain himself and it comes bursting forth like praise fireworks; he HAS to tell the world and the coming generations all about this great God!  But it doesn’t stop there…

2. The second layer–pick your favorite flavor–is that this psalm is an acrostic poem: each verse starts with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Now, there are several acrostics in the book of Psalms. It’s interesting to note that the acrostic psalms only appear in Books I and V, helping God’s people remember key truths as they open and close the Psalter.

In book I, we have Psalms 9 and 10 combined to form one acrostic poem; then there are Psalms 25, 34, and 37. In book V, Psalms 111 and 112 are both acrostics: Psalm 111 proclaims Who God is and Psalm 112 proclaims who God’s people are; and they’re considered a pair because they are strikingly similar (and it’s no mistake that they follow one of the most well-known Messianic Psalms, Psalm 110). And we have the most famous one–Psalm 119, which has a whole stanza for each Hebrew letter. Psalm 119 shows up right between a set of Hallel (or praise) psalms (a group known as the Psalms of Ascent). And finally, we have today’s psalm–Psalm 145. And guess what comes right before it? Psalm 144 is a Messianic Psalm too. When we see Jesus as our King, the natural next step is to burst forth in praise.

3. Now, our psalm today is considered an incomplete acrostic because it’s “missing” a letter in some manuscripts (nun, other manuscripts add this one back in, like our ESV translation). But it may have been intentionally left out; the fact that the majority don’t include it leaves us with 3 sets of 7, 7 being the number of completeness or perfection, so this Psalm, closes out the greater book of Psalms as a perfect praise to the glories of God.

4. And finally, we have a decadent chocolate layer–a chiastic structure (that X structure).

  • At the beginning and end, we have praise for God,
  • Then we move in a few verses and see some of God’s attributes;
  • Move in a little more and we see God’s works and provision;
  • Then more of God’s attributes and how His works point to His character;
  • and right in the center, v. 11-12, we have a Purpose Statement — “to” or “so that”
  • to make known to everyone that God’s Kingdom is forever and God desires for all people thru all time to KNOW Him as part of His KINGDOM and praise him as the eternal KING forever.

You can’t tell me this wasn’t inspired because there is no earthly poet that could have that many layers of structure turn out so beautifully.

For simplicity, we’re going to stick with the 3 groups of 7.  We’ll look at God’s Greatness, God’s Kingdom, and God’s People. As we look at the first set of 7 verses, we see a repeated word/idea: Great, greatly, and greatness. This is where we get our first point:

I. God’s Greatness, vv. 1-7

As part of our homeschool curriculum, we’ve been working on some catechisms as a family. Do you remember the very first question in the Westminster Catechism? “What is the chief end of man?” The answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Right… So,  “How can you glorify God?” “By loving him and doing what he commands.” And “Where do you learn how to love and obey God?” “In the Bible alone.”  So, God made us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. And He gave us His Word to know how! So let’s look at His Word today…

I. A. We Have a Great God!

“I will extol [exalt, NIV] you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever” (vv. 1-2).

Before we go further, I want to point out the words “I” and “my”–this is personal praise. David has a personal relationship with the God of heaven and he calls Him “my God” [Elohim, God Almighty]–this shows a humility of spirit; then he calls Him “my King”–this shows submission–when the king of Israel tells the whole world, “God is my King” and I will bless His name “every day” for all eternity–“forever and ever”–this is noteworthy!

And the beauty is that it’s not just for David. This psalm was written down and preserved for all of God’s children to sing and claim. We can have this same personal relationship with Jesus as our King today and praise Him every day … forever and ever! Infinite praise to an infinite God! How well do I praise God? What am I doing to enhance my worship of Him? Well, in order to praise Him, we need to know Him. So let’s find out who this God King is and why we should praise Him. David begins to gush with what he’s come to know about his God: namely, He is great!

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable” (v. 3).

Notice what name he uses for God here: the LORD (all caps)–YHWH, the Savior! He’s talking about Jesus. And the greatness of this Savior God is unfathomable–we cannot comprehend it! And yet, we make our life’s work to endeavor to do just that–to understand and know Jesus!

I. B. God is Worthy of Great Praise!

And as we begin to see his greatness, what happens? Keep reading in v. 4. And I want you to notice the little word “shall.”

“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (v. 4).

It’s not that they “should” but that they “will.” When we are so consumed with the greatness of God, it will naturally spill forth into our conversation and relationships–with our friends, our families, your kids or grandkids, your students, the person in front of you at the grocery store…. Especially our families and close friends know what we think is great! Why? Because whether we try to keep it in or not, it comes up when we’re talking. It’s like finding the perfect Christmas for your best friend three months before Christmas–are you going to be able to keep it a surprise?! I mean, I’m not, it’s going to spill out at some point!

This psalm was likely written near the end of David’s life; he had a long, personal relationship with God, and he couldn’t help but pass it on. God commands His people to teach and obey His Law with the purpose of fearing the Lord. We’ve been talking about this all semester: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” When we fear God, we begin to walk in wisdom and obedience to His Word. And when we do this, we begin to love God, and that love begins to grow until it consumes “all” of our heart, soul and might; then that consuming love begins to overflow, and we begin to talk about it when we sit and walk and lie down and rise (Deut. 6, right). The fear of the Lord, seeing the greatness of our God, is on our hearts and on our minds, and on our lips! And one day leads to the next and the next, until we are praising God “every day” “forever and ever!”

Do we love God in a way that spills over into “every day” “forever and ever!”? Are the children that we influence catching our admiration and adoration for the “greatness of God”? What do they think we love most? Do they see our love for good food or a good book or good TV series or favorite hobby or activity…our phones? What are we most passionate about? Is it God? Let’s let that be our aim! To Fear God and Love God and His Word so much that it spills out every day forever and ever!

Serving in our children’s ministry has actually helped grow this in me. Especially in the preschool ages, there is natural wonder and curiosity about everything! And it’s contagious! So, as I work to put gospel truths onto a 3-5 year old level of understanding, I find their childlike awe and wonder reigniting in my heart too. And by God’s grace, the more I practice it, the more natural it becomes. Don’t let anyone tell you that wonder and awe is only for kids and it’s something you grow out of! You can totally grow in wonder and awe, no matter what age you are, especially when it has to do with God and His Word!

So, we know our aim. To Fear God and Love God and His Word so much that it spills out every day forever and ever! How do we get there? Well, I’m glad you asked.

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth [celebrate, NIV] the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness“ (vv. 5-7).

And we’re back to Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man…whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night!”

Notice what David says he’s meditating on here: “your majesty,” “your greatness,” “your abundant goodness”–this is Who God Is, God’s Person or Character; then “your wondrous works,” “your awesome deeds,” “your righteousness”–this is What God Does, His Word and Work in creating and redeeming His people.

And how does David meditate? He “speaks” and “declares”–he’s rehearsing the gospel to himself! Then he celebrates with joyful singing–music and movement. God made us to move and speak and sing–and every detail of His creation is so that we can glorify Him!

This past month for school, we were learning the “Star Spangled Banner,” so we talked about why we celebrate our independence with fireworks and watched a couple kid history videos; and I was moved to tears! It was Sept. 13, 1814, the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Sir Francis Scott Key was sent to negotiate the release of American soldiers from the British. But after they had negotiated an exchange, they informed him it wouldn’t matter because their entire fleet was going to lay siege on Fort McHenry that night. And they wouldn’t let him get back to the fort to warn the Americans. He had to sit there, waiting and watching the “rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air” (the original “fireworks” show) to see if the flag was still waving. See, all the Americans had to do was take down the American flag and wave the British one, but they wouldn’t do it. At the end of the night, the flag was at an angle–it was torn to shreds but it hadn’t touched the ground. It was still waving! And this is the part that hit me–the only thing keeping it in the air were the bodies of the soldiers propping it up by the sacrifice of their own lives. Their freedom–our freedom–was that important to them! And it drove a lawyer to write a song that would become our national anthem! 

Application: If we’ve trusted Christ as our Savior, the flag of Zion flies in our hearts because Jesus sacrificed his very life, fighting every enemy, and Psalm 145 is the song that becomes our anthem of praise as citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom, as praise to our true King! Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” We no longer serve Satan and sin; we are free in Christ because of His sacrifice! And it causes us to sing His praises!

And what is the song we sing for eternity? Revelation 15:3, “And they sing…the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!” God is great! And greatly to be praised! For Who He is and what He does! He is incomprehensible, and yet He is absolutely worthy of our thoughts.

How can we meditate on the glorious splendor and wondrous works of God? How has God made Himself known or proven Himself praiseworthy to you this week? Since we’re talking about acrostics, I actually found myself lying in bed one night this week and working my way through the alphabet as I prayed and thanked God for his character traits, His works, answers to prayer. I had a wise friend back in college encourage me to keep a 3-ring binder of all of God’s attributes in alphabetical order and as I found verses that mentioned those attributes to write it out. It was a way to prepare for those dark nights of the soul like we talked about with Psalm 88. When those hard times comes (as we all know they will), I’m able to pull out that old binder and have reminders of Who God is so I can preach the gospel to myself again and again just by reading and meditating through my journal of verses. And when we meditate on him, what is the result: praise! We tell, commend, speak, proclaim, celebrate, and joyfully sing of God’s greatness!

Next, we’ll look at the Kingdom of this Great King. We’ll see the Character of the King as well as the characteristics of His Kingdom.

II. God’s Kingdom, vv. 8-14

II. A. Character of the King, vv. 8-9

“The Lord is gracious and merciful (compassionate), slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (covenant faithfulness). The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made“ (vv. 8-9).

In these two short verses, we have a summary of Who God is from Creation (“all that he made”) to Consummation. And this isn’t the only time we’ve seen these attributes grouped together, is it? This group is found together all throughout Scripture, but the first time this grouping is expressed is by God Himself in Exodus 34, and it’s a response to Moses’ bold request. Moses asked to see God’s glory in Ex. 33:18, and what does God do? He hides Moses in the cleft of a rock, passes by, and reveals this description of Himself for the first time. And when Moses comes down from Mt. Sinai, he’s still glowing with God’s glory, even though he barely saw a glimmer of it! Moses’ face was so bright, the people couldn’t look at him without a veil over his face! Wow! Show me that glory! And if you kept reading, you saw that not only did God proclaim His glorious name, He made a two-fold promise: to forgive His people, and also to punish the guilty. And Moses’ response? Exodus 34: 8, “And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” Then he repented for himself and on behalf of the people and pleaded that God would “take us for Your inheritance.” And God did. God called them His people–and He calls us the same. God promised to be their God forever and ever, and the character and promise that He revealed to Moses that day hasn’t changed and never will.

When we repent and believe and trust Him as our Lord and King, He welcomes us into His Kingdom! Before we go on to talk about God’s Kingdom, can I make an invitation? Whether you’re new to church or have gone your whole life, if you’ve never personally seen God as glorious and repented of your sin and asked Him to rescue you and save you, would you do that today? If you have questions about that, please find a gospel preaching church near you. Let a true follower of the King sit down and share more of who this God is and how you can have a personal relationship with Him forever! God loves you so much, and He wants you to be part of His Kingdom!

II. B. Characteristics of His Kingdom, vv. 10-13

II. B. 1. God’s Kingdom is Glorious

“All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,  to* make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom“ (vv. 10-12). * [“to”(ESV) is a purpose statement; in the NIV: “so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.” — All people of all time Know the King of the greatest Kingdom!]

What is the Glory of God’s Kingdom? Glory is “something that secures very great praise, a distinguished honor, or worshipful exaltation.” This is basically the sum of all of God’s attributes! And it literally radiates from Him (like we talked about with Exodus!) God has secured great praise because of his works in Creation and in Redemption (remember Psalm 19), and He is worthy of worshipful exaltation because of His sovereign eternal reign. Revelation gives us a glimpse of this: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Creation; 4:11) And “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Redemption; 5:12). God’s Kingdom is full of glory because God Himself is glorious! Revelation 15:8 says, “and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power….”

God Kingdom is Glorious…and

II. B. 2. God’s Kingdom is Eternal

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind (faithful, NIV) in all his works.]” (v. 13).

Every word of God is true. He is trustworthy in all He promises; faithful in everything He says and does. God made a covenant with King David in 2 Sam. 7, and He intends to keep it! David recognizes this and rejoices in it!

Do you recognize God’s covenant promise and rejoice in God’s eternal reign? If we’re submitting to God as our Sovereign King, if we’ve trusted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then, while there may be a level of fear or dreadful awe in our souls, it should also comfort and thrill our hearts that we’ll get to be part of His glorious, eternal kingdom, as citizens with the privilege of serving and praising God forever! Let’s pray that we will stand in awe and bow in praise to this amazing King!

“The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down” (v. 14).

We looked at several psalms that talked about falling or “sinking down” (Ps. 66, 88, 130…) Do you feel like you’re falling? God upholds “all who are falling”–all–this isn’t just for believers; this is a general mercy for all of God’s creation; He upholds you by the power of His breath–that same breath that breathed into existence the whole universe is upholding it!

When you get this glimpse of God’s glory, do you bow down? Does it cause you to fall down in humility and worship? This reminds me of James 4, where it says, “God … gives grace to the humble.” He calls us to “Submit ….and draw near to God;” to “Resist the devil, and repent….” to “Humble yourselves before the Lord,” and then what does He promise? “He will draw near to you; … and he will exalt you.” When we humble ourselves and submit to God as King, God raises us up with Christ and turns our mourning into laughter. We are united with Christ in salvation and that union is eternal; it doesn’t go away. We get to sit together with Jesus in the New Heaven and New Earth, as co-heirs exercising dominion alongside Christ, our King.

In this final stanza, we’ll see God’s People–and we want to look at two different perspectives: God towards mankind (in His Care) and Man towards God (as they respond in praise). We’ll save the final verse for the end, but let’s read vv. 15-20 and point out these two perspectives as we go.

III.  God’s People, vv. 15-21

“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season” (v. 15). We look to God; we long for Him; our souls thirst for Him, and what does He do? He provides; our needs are met. Remember Ps. 105, as the Israelites sojourned in the wilderness and God gave them just the right amount of food that they needed at just the right time? “They asked, and he brought them quail; He fed them well with the bread of heaven and opened the rock, and water gushed out; flowing like a river in the desert.”

“You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing” (v. 16). He’s generous and freely gives us good gifts; again, this is a universal mercy here, raining on the just and the unjust.

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works” (v. 17). He’s just; perfectly right; He doesn’t make mistakes. He is merciful, showing steadfast love.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (v. 18). The Lord is close by; at hand when we pray. We’ll come back to this verse in a minute.

“He fulfills the desire of those who fear him” (v. 19a). In fact, He Himself is the Desire of Nations; notice the audience is narrowing; it’s not universal anymore, but those who fear or reverence Him. And what does He do? “He also hears their cry and saves them” (v. 19b). We saw this cry for help or deliverance in Ps. 66 and 130, and there is hope, because–look what He does–He listens and rescues us!

Then he closes the book of Psalms by going back to where it all began. In one verse, he summarizes Psalms 1 and 2: “The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy” (v. 20). Remember Ps. 66 and Psalm 1? What do we love or cherish in our hearts? Our sin? Or our Savior?

III. A. God Cares for His People 

Once again, you could break this apart into Who God Is (His Person) and What God Does (His Works):

1. Who God Is: Righteous and Kind and Near [“near”: this is the same word used to describe the kinsman-redeemer; it’s the next of kin, and he’s waiting, ready, and able to meet the redemptive need. The kindness of v. 17 is on display and grows through v. 18-20a. Even the destruction of the wicked can be a good thing for those who are being saved from them (see “Wrath” note from NIV Study Bible).

2. What God Does: if you include v. 14 from the last section, He upholds all who are falling, raises up all who are bowed down; gives food, opens His hand, satisfies the desire of every living thing, hears, saves, preserves, and even destroys the wicked. Again, He is listening, and He is able and ready to fully and completely rescue His people! He fulfills our desire for a curse-crusher by sending us His Son, Jesus. He hears and he saves! He is listening…and He is near! He is a Good and Great King to ALL who call!

III. B. God’s People Respond with Prayer and Praise

What key words do we see here? What do God’s people do? They “look” to Him…and they’re “satisfied.” Do we do this? How do you see God providing for you? Have you seen Him satisfy your desires–maybe not by giving you what you think you want, but by changing your desires and making your desires for “His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven”?

What else do they do? They “call” or “cry” to God 3x here. Note that phrase in v.18: “in truth” — this is someone who sees and begins to understand the truth about God–that He is King and He is in control. God is not our personal genie to be summoned to grant our wishes, but rather we are His servants and His children, and we cry out for help–for a Rescuer–and He is near, like a parent waiting outside the room (only He knows exactly when to let us keep crying and when to pick us up and allow us to rest and sleep in His arms).

And then in vv. 19-20, they “fear Him” and they “love him.” When we are properly fearing the Lord, we cry out and repent and ask Him to make us His own. And the longer we look on Jesus, the deeper we love Him. So, keep looking! Don’t let the world distract you; don’t let your sinful desires tempt you; keep looking to Jesus; and I promise you He will satisfy every longing of your heart, here now and forever in heaven.

How do we look to Jesus? We’ve come full-circle… by “meditating on His Law, day and night.” Just like Psalm 1 was the gatekeeper to the “temple” that is the Psalter, Psalm 145 feels like we’re standing on the threshold of Zion, and we’re about to enter into eternal praise. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Let’s look at our final verse: David’s conclusion and closing doxology.

“My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever” (v. 21).

The word “all” or “every” is used 19x in Psalm 145! We’re part of that “all flesh”–so let’s be part of the answers to David’s prayer of praise and bless the Holy Name of King Jesus today and every day, forever and ever!

How will all flesh bless his name? They have to hear it and see it lived out. We meditate on the law, we obey it, and the people around us see it. Deut. 4 showed us that the people of God were meant to show forth Who God Is to the surrounding nations; God would use His people to draw all peoples and nations into the covenant too. In Deuteronomy 4:6, Moses reminds the people of God to “Keep [the commandments they’d been taught] and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation [referring to Israel or God’s Kingdom, which we are part of His covenant people as believers in Jesus] is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?”

Fast forward to the New Testament and just before Jesus ascended into Heaven after his resurrection, He told His disciples in Matthew 28 to go out and tell all nations that Jesus is King! Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go … and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them … [and] , teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Once again, we have commands and a God who is near! And in Philippians 2, we know that David’s prayer will be answered, because we read “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

God is great; His kingdom is glorious and eternal; He is full of goodness and grace, and as we meditate on Who He Is and What He Does, we must–we shall–respond in praise and gratitude and obedience. The more you know someone and love someone, the more you can’t help telling everyone about him. WE MUST KNOW KING JESUS AND MAKE HIM KNOWN!

Dear God, Thank you for the book of Psalms. Thank You for this semester of slowing down and finding true gems in your Word. Help us as we seek to know You and to make You known today and for eternity. Show us Your great and mighty works, Your eternal kingdom, Your complete care and tune our hearts to sing Your praise now and forever. “Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the blessed and only Sovereign God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and glory and eternal dominion forever and ever.” In His Name we pray, Amen.

For Further Study: Read the following passages. How does each one help you understand this Psalm better?

  • Exodus 34:6-7
  • Deuteronomy 4:7; 6:1-9
  • Daniel 7:13-14
  • 1 Timothy 1:15-17; 6:15-16
  • Revelation 15:3