The theme of the first three verses of Psalm 135 is praise. In those three verses, the word “praise” is mentioned five times. Let us take a look.
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.” (verse 1) All praise belongs to God. Praise should come from those who know God and walk in His ways, those who are righteous. Praise becomes the righteous – that is, praise to the LORD is a suitable and beautiful thing for the righteous to do. “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.” (Psalm 33:1)
Psalm 135:1,2 addresses a certain group of people. It says, “Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD. Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.” Not only are the righteous to praise the Lord, but specifically the servants of the Lord are to praise Him. This Psalm also tells a specific time God’s servants are to praise Him – as they stand in the house of the LORD and in the courts of the house of God. Praise is comely in God’s house and in the presence of God’s people.
Verse three of Psalm 135 says, “Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.” Here we see that praising the LORD is pleasant. Praising the Lord is comely, praising the Lord is pleasant, and praising the Lord should be done by the servants of the Lord in the house of the Lord. One way to praise the Lord is by song. Notice the middle part of this verse, “sing praises unto his name.” Psalm 133:2,3 says, “Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.” Praise can be played on instruments; praise can be sung with the lips and voice; praise can be played loudly as long as it is done skillfully. Praise is a good thing for God’s people to do, “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” (Psalm 33:4,5)
The verses quoted in this study mention several reasons to praise the LORD.
1. He is good
2. The Lord’s name is pleasant
3. Praise is comely for the upright
4. The word of the Lord is right
5. All of the Lord’s work is done in truth
6. He loves righteousness and judgment
7. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Lord, we praise You today. We see that You are a good God, a true God, a righteous God and a great big God whose goodness is spread throughout all the earth. May all the earth hear of You so that everyone can trust in You and give praise to Your name. Amen.