Psalms 148:1

The Bible says in Psalm 148:1-6, “Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.[2] Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.[3] Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.[4] Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.[5] Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.[6] He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.” Eight times in the first five verses we are told to praise the Lord. But not only are we told to praise the Lord, but also the angels and all of creation as represented by the sun, the moon, the stars, the heavens, and the waters. How can material things praise God? They praise God because even they have a message if you are able to understand their message. Their message is: God made me, and I stand as an eternal witness to His greatness and His wisdom. It says in Psalms 19:1-3, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.[2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.[3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” It also says in Psalms 97:6, “The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.”

The Bible says in Psalm 148:7-12, “ Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:[8] Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:[9] Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:[10] Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:[11] Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:[12] Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:” The Psalmist did not want to leave anyone or anything out in this command to praise the Lord, and so a long list of created things, animals, and people are given. The word that is translated “dragon” in verse seven has a very broad meaning and does not refer to a dragon as we use the term in fairytales. Elsewhere in the Bible it is also translated as “whale” and “serpent.” And so it means “an animal that lives in the water,” and the context provides a more exact meaning to what is referred to. It is never a “dragon” in the sense of a fairytale, but it is always an animal that God created.

With such a long list of the things that praise God, it means that everything praises God. We can look at anything and find a reason to praise the Lord. There is something marvelous, something great, something miraculous, and something beautiful about every created thing from the atom to the expanse of the universe. When you look at something, do you see it? Do you see how wonderful it really is? Do you see how it fits into God’s plan for goodness and beauty in the world? Do you praise the Lord?

The Bible says in Psalm 148:13, “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.” Two reasons are given in this verse to praise the name of the Lord: His name and His glory. God has many names. His names reveal who He is, and they reveal His character. In this verse the name is “the LORD.” Notice that the word “LORD” is in caps. In the KJV translation of the Bible the word “Jehovah” is translated “LORD” with caps. One reason for this is because the Jews would never say the name “Jehovah.” When they read the Old Testament scriptures instead of reading “Jehovah,” they would say “Adonai,” which means “Lord.” It was a way of showing respect and making sure that they did not take God’s name in vain. The word “Jehovah” means eternally existent-one. He is the great “I AM.” God lives forever. That is why Jesus is called the living water, the bread of life, and the first and the last. The biggest problem of human life is its short duration that ends in death. Jehovah has fixed that problem. Jesus has fixed that problem. Everyone who becomes attached to Jesus through faith becomes attached to eternal life, and has eternal life because of his relationship with Jesus. That is why Jesus said that you must be born again. There is a spiritual birth through faith in Christ that gives you eternal life.

We should praise God for His “glory.” Two definitions for the word “glory” are: 1. High renown or honor won by notable achievements. 2. Magnificence or great beauty. Every being has a certain amount of glory because we are all created by God, and God does not make mistakes. Each of us has abilities, and accomplishments. But there is no comparison to God. “his glory is above the earth and heaven.” One of the wonders of heaven will be to experience the glory of God as never before. Just think of the love and the power and the knowledge and the existence of God emanating from His being with magnificent beauty with every one of our senses taking it in with wonder and enjoyment. “Eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard.” If you know Jesus as Savior, one day you will see and you will hear.

The Bible says in Psalm 148:14, “He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.” The fact that God is so much higher than all of us who live on this earth makes it even more amazing that “He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints.” A “horn” in the Bible refers to power and authority. God gives to believers tremendous power and authority that we have both in this life and that we will have in the next. In this life He gives us the world to rule and govern. He gives us gifts and opportunities. He gives us His most important message, the Gospel of Christ, and He empowers us to take it to the rest of the world. We are all kings and priest through Christ. We will judge the world with Him. Notice the phrase in verse fourteen that says that we are “a people near unto him.” If you have ever been separated from fellowship with God, then you know that it is wonderful to be close to Jesus. Daily confess your sins to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will stay close to Him.

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