How Good It Is to Sing to the Lord! -- Psalm 147:1-11
How Good It Is to Sing to the Lord! -- Psalm 147:1-11
By Pastor Lee Hemen
May 17, 2020
One of my favorite old time movies is “Singing in the Rain”. I like the simple storyline where boy meets girl, girl misunderstands, and boy finally gets the girl. Of course one of the iconic scenes in the movie is when Gene Kelly sings and dances in the rain outside of his girlfriend’s building. During this time all of us could do well to remember to not just sing in the rainstorm of life but rather how good it is to sing to the Lord!
God’s grace and greatness is a couple of things all believers should be willing to sing to the Lord about. Singing to the Lord is a wonderful way of praising him. The Psalmist understood this and here in this song to the Lord we discover just how good it is to sing to the Lord. Let’s see how…
READ: Psalm 147:1-11
We are not sure who wrote this Psalm but the verses are really good for us to remember. I have divided them by premise so that when we read them they will not be in the same order as they appear in Scripture but they will make more sense as we learn how good it is to sing to the Lord!
I. We should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us! (Vv. 1-3, 6)
Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp… the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. (Vv. 1-3, 6-7, 11)
1. The Psalmist comes right out and begins his song by singing: “Praise the Lord.” It is a great place to start. God’s people should be more than willing to praise him and in fact we read “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” One of things I miss during this time of social distancing is the ability to be with others who love the Lord and who really enjoy like I do singing his praises. It is indeed “pleasant and fitting to praise him” with fellow believers! However the Psalmist remembered that it was “the Lord” who “builds up Jerusalem”. Last week, we studied how both Ezra and Nehemiah worked together to encourage the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the worship of its people. This psalm is generally assigned to that time of dedication of the city wall and so the Psalmist writes that God “gathers the exiles of Israel.” It is good for us to remember now during this time that it is God who builds his church. It was a time for the Israelites to be joyous because of what God had done for them! The same is true for us because even now “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Just as the Israelites had mourned and wept over their situation of being held captive, we now may feel held “captive” as well. But like them we can find the joy of having our broken hearts healed and our wounds wrapped in his loving arms! How beautiful to know that “The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.” We may not see those who deserve to be held accountable be judged but the promise of God is that all people will be judged. Jesus taught that both the wheat and the weeds will be gathered together where the weeds will be burned and the wheat harvested. (Matthew 13:24-30) The Psalmist continues by telling his readers to “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving”! God’s people should be thankful for what the Lord has done and be willing to “make music to our God on the harp” or however they can! The reason for the Psalmist was simple; he knew that “the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love”. So, it is his people who should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us!
EXAMPLE: As I am beginning to think about retiring I am often reminded of the times when Denise and I had to totally trust in the Lord. We began ministry in a church that had only known deceit, divisions, and conflict. The name of the church had been changed in order for it to renew its outreach to the community and it was written off by our State Convention! Needless to say Denise and I did not want to come but we were being called by the Lord to do so. And in every instance through the years ahead God walked with us. The same is true today as well. We should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us!
II. We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might! (Vv. 4-5, 8-10)
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man…. (Vv. 4-5, 8-10)
1. David would sing in one of my favorite Psalms, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2 NIV) David was awestruck by the handiwork of God he saw in the night sky. He would also sing in awe, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalms 8:3-4 NIV)” How could the One who created such things care about him personally? And here this Psalmist related that it was God who “determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” Some think that he may have been speaking of the angels of God. I believe he is singing of the sustaining power of God’s greatness as seen in his creation! And goes on to declare, “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Indeed there is no limit to the wonder, might, and power of God. Yet this mighty God knows our innermost thoughts and our every whim even before we do because we too are the work of his mighty power! David would write, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalms 103:13-14 NIV)” He gives us what we need just when we need it: “He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.” In our day and age we are not as closely linked to the land as were the people of the Psalmist’s day. Yet we know when shortages occur because of what is happening yet we can take comfort in knowing that “He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” If God’s “eye is on the sparrow” that falls to the ground then certainly his gaze is squarely on those he calls his children. We should rejoice and be glad like the Psalmist is telling us to do knowing that God’s “pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man”, again his delight is in us who have put our “hope in his unfailing love”! We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might!
EXAMPLE: When we are personally confronted with things we do not understand it is easy to ask “Why is God allowing this?” We can focus so much on what is happening to us that we forget that we live in a fallen creation where one day we all will pass from this existence; whether from some virus, physical condition, or tragedy. Everything winds down, rots, dies, or decays because of sin but God in his mighty power has provided and does provide for those who love him! The sting of death no longer has any hold on us! Just as he provides the light of our sun, moon, and stars he has given us eternal life through his Son! We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might!
Conclusion:
We should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us! We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
May 17, 2020
One of my favorite old time movies is “Singing in the Rain”. I like the simple storyline where boy meets girl, girl misunderstands, and boy finally gets the girl. Of course one of the iconic scenes in the movie is when Gene Kelly sings and dances in the rain outside of his girlfriend’s building. During this time all of us could do well to remember to not just sing in the rainstorm of life but rather how good it is to sing to the Lord!
God’s grace and greatness is a couple of things all believers should be willing to sing to the Lord about. Singing to the Lord is a wonderful way of praising him. The Psalmist understood this and here in this song to the Lord we discover just how good it is to sing to the Lord. Let’s see how…
READ: Psalm 147:1-11
We are not sure who wrote this Psalm but the verses are really good for us to remember. I have divided them by premise so that when we read them they will not be in the same order as they appear in Scripture but they will make more sense as we learn how good it is to sing to the Lord!
I. We should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us! (Vv. 1-3, 6)
Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp… the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. (Vv. 1-3, 6-7, 11)
1. The Psalmist comes right out and begins his song by singing: “Praise the Lord.” It is a great place to start. God’s people should be more than willing to praise him and in fact we read “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” One of things I miss during this time of social distancing is the ability to be with others who love the Lord and who really enjoy like I do singing his praises. It is indeed “pleasant and fitting to praise him” with fellow believers! However the Psalmist remembered that it was “the Lord” who “builds up Jerusalem”. Last week, we studied how both Ezra and Nehemiah worked together to encourage the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the worship of its people. This psalm is generally assigned to that time of dedication of the city wall and so the Psalmist writes that God “gathers the exiles of Israel.” It is good for us to remember now during this time that it is God who builds his church. It was a time for the Israelites to be joyous because of what God had done for them! The same is true for us because even now “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Just as the Israelites had mourned and wept over their situation of being held captive, we now may feel held “captive” as well. But like them we can find the joy of having our broken hearts healed and our wounds wrapped in his loving arms! How beautiful to know that “The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.” We may not see those who deserve to be held accountable be judged but the promise of God is that all people will be judged. Jesus taught that both the wheat and the weeds will be gathered together where the weeds will be burned and the wheat harvested. (Matthew 13:24-30) The Psalmist continues by telling his readers to “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving”! God’s people should be thankful for what the Lord has done and be willing to “make music to our God on the harp” or however they can! The reason for the Psalmist was simple; he knew that “the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love”. So, it is his people who should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us!
EXAMPLE: As I am beginning to think about retiring I am often reminded of the times when Denise and I had to totally trust in the Lord. We began ministry in a church that had only known deceit, divisions, and conflict. The name of the church had been changed in order for it to renew its outreach to the community and it was written off by our State Convention! Needless to say Denise and I did not want to come but we were being called by the Lord to do so. And in every instance through the years ahead God walked with us. The same is true today as well. We should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us!
II. We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might! (Vv. 4-5, 8-10)
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man…. (Vv. 4-5, 8-10)
1. David would sing in one of my favorite Psalms, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2 NIV) David was awestruck by the handiwork of God he saw in the night sky. He would also sing in awe, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalms 8:3-4 NIV)” How could the One who created such things care about him personally? And here this Psalmist related that it was God who “determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” Some think that he may have been speaking of the angels of God. I believe he is singing of the sustaining power of God’s greatness as seen in his creation! And goes on to declare, “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Indeed there is no limit to the wonder, might, and power of God. Yet this mighty God knows our innermost thoughts and our every whim even before we do because we too are the work of his mighty power! David would write, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalms 103:13-14 NIV)” He gives us what we need just when we need it: “He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.” In our day and age we are not as closely linked to the land as were the people of the Psalmist’s day. Yet we know when shortages occur because of what is happening yet we can take comfort in knowing that “He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” If God’s “eye is on the sparrow” that falls to the ground then certainly his gaze is squarely on those he calls his children. We should rejoice and be glad like the Psalmist is telling us to do knowing that God’s “pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man”, again his delight is in us who have put our “hope in his unfailing love”! We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might!
EXAMPLE: When we are personally confronted with things we do not understand it is easy to ask “Why is God allowing this?” We can focus so much on what is happening to us that we forget that we live in a fallen creation where one day we all will pass from this existence; whether from some virus, physical condition, or tragedy. Everything winds down, rots, dies, or decays because of sin but God in his mighty power has provided and does provide for those who love him! The sting of death no longer has any hold on us! Just as he provides the light of our sun, moon, and stars he has given us eternal life through his Son! We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might!
Conclusion:
We should sing to the Lord as we remember how he deals with us! We should sing to the Lord as we remember his wondrous might!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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