Today’s little study begins a look at David’s Psalm of Praise, that is Psalm 145. Verses one through four tell us that God is great and worthy to be praised. His greatness is so grand that we cannot search it out.
David begins, “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:1) To “extol” means “to lift up, to set on high, to hold up, to celebrate by praise, to magnify, to celebrate, to laud.” David wanted everyone to know the magnificence and greatness of His God. God was to be lifted up and celebrated by praise with both words and singing. David placed great honor on the name of God. He would bless that name forever and ever. “Bless”, when used in the context of blessing God or His name, means “to kneel in adoration, to congratulate, to salute, to thank, to praise, to glorify, to extol for excellences.” It is evident that David placed great value on God and held Him in high esteem. This great God was his God and his king.
How often and how long would David bless and praise the Lord? Psalm 145:2 answers this question, “Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.” David would bless the Lord every day, and his blessing and praise for the Lord would never end.
Why is the Lord worthy of blessing and praise? Because He is great. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:3) There is no searching out of God’s greatness it is so grand, and God is greatly to be praised. Psalm 113 gives just a little glimpse into God’s greatness and into the type of praise which He should receive, “2) Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 3) From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised. 4) The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5) Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 6) Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (verses 2-6) The Lord’s name is to be praised from sunup to sundown, from this time forth, and forevermore, because there is no one like unto the LORD our God. He is greater and higher than all, exalted above the nations, and His glory is above the heavens. He has to humble himself, not only to see what is on the earth, but also to see the things that are in heaven. There is none greater or higher than the LORD God.
God’s praise endures from age to age. David says, “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4) Many years later, Isaiah said, “The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.” (Isaiah 38:19) And here we are thousands of years later, and we learn about the greatness of God and how He is worthy of praise. We learn about God’s truth. These things have never passed away, and they truly have continued on from generation to generation and from age to age. They will continue to endure throughout all eternity as the saints in heaven and the heavenly beings bow down and fall down before the Lord and worship and bless the Lord. Some of this is described in Revelation 5:11-14, “11) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12) Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13) And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14) And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”
Dear God, You are so great and so mighty, and no one even comes close to Your greatness. Your name is to be blessed, magnified, honored and extolled today and every day and forevermore. You are great and greatly to be praised!
-------------------------
References used for this little devotional:
Strong's Concordance
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, 1913 edition