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The new song to sing our will to the Lord
(Psalm 145)
Andy Nagahara
1. Features of this psalm
Today’s psalm is the 145th. The Psalms can be classified into several collections of songs, and Psalm 145 is the last of the collection known as the Davidic Psalms, which follows Psalm 138, because each psalm has the title “Psalm of David” at the beginning of it. In the Psalms of David, even within a single poem, there are often songs of hope along with despair, trust along with distrust, and praise along with lamentation, and as we read, we too feel a real sense of the gap between our own situations and our faith, and the trust and distrust in God that lies in our hearts.
However, this final piece does not follow the previous content, nor is it a summary; it is an independent and unique song. Also, like Psalm 119, it uses the technique of beginning each verse with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in sequence. This poem is completely free of the lamentations, supplications, despair, and complaints that have been uttered painfully or even screamed up until now. Instead, it is a beautifully woven declaration of who the Lord is, along with a strong personal and communal determination to serve him in various ways.
In the previous Psalm 144, there was the phrase, “I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you (9)”.
And the church has come to understand that Psalm 145 is that “new song.” In what sense is it “new”?
This song is not one that hides the sorrow and hardship that existed up to 144th and tries to cover up faith with only positive expressions. Rather, it is a new song in the sense that it opens a new chapter in our faith by singing about how, while acknowledging all the realities described up to Psalm 144, God’s greatness is incomparable to anything else, and by expressing our will to respond to that God.
2. Who is the Lord? (3,8-10, 13-20)
In order to clarify the content today, we will read it in parts according to its content, but this may make it difficult to feel the harmony of the whole. So please try reading it through on your own this week, remembering what I spoke today.
So let’s start by looking at the part that declares who the Lord is.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. [1]
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
Now that you have been reading the Psalms for a few years, you are probably familiar with all the ways the psalmists have described who the Lord is. There is nothing new written here. However, it is important to remember each one as a different blessing. Because the problems we face are many and varied. What it is about the Lord that will be of strength, help, or comfort to us at that time will change depending on the situation.
Great one (3);
gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (8);
good to all, having compassion on all he has made (9);
King and Ruler of the world (13);
Helper of the weak in need, fulfilling their needs and never disappointing (14-16);
righteous and loving (17);
Nearby (18);
Fulfilling our hopes and hearing our cries (19);
Generous giver and protector (20)
For example, verse 18 reminds us that when we feel alone, the Lord is the one who is closest to us. Verse 17 can give us the strength to look forward with expectation and hope for the Lord’s justice to be manifested when we suffer discrimination and injustice.
I mentioned earlier that the Hebrew alphabet is assigned in order at the beginning of each verse of this psalm, and I believe that this was not only an elaborate technique, but also an aid to memory.
What is God like to you now? How do you feel about him? If someone asked you what kind of God you believe in, how would you answer?
3. I (they) will …
Now let’s turn our attention to the parts we didn’t read earlier.
1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.
a. It’s a battle against the sin within us
The common thread in the passages we have just read is that they sing of the will to the Lord.
But did you notice that there were two different subjects?
They are “ I” and “they.”
In the Psalms of David that we have read up until now, “they” has referred to enemies, but here it is used to refer to people who, like David, believe in and are trying to follow the Lord. Although it is written in contrast like “I do, and they do,” the content is not contradictory; it is so harmonious that they could all be summed up as “we do.”
We can only imagine why the psalmist made this distinction, but it gives us some good insight into our own way of faith. The message I get from this is that our faith has a personal and a collective aspect and we cannot neglect either.
Jesus’ desire was neither “individualistic” nor “community-oriented.” For Jesus, individuals do not exist separately, but are connected to the “community” that is the church, and each is an indispensable part of it.
For Jesus, Judaism at that time was not a trustworthy community. This was alienating many individuals who should have been valued, and Jesus did not tolerate this.
The first church, started by the disciples according to the will of Jesus and recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, was joined by many people and was well received by the people around them. We can imagine it was a community filled with great joy.
However, the church is also a human organization, and over time it will suffer structural fatigue and deteriorate into something that hinders the individual, just as Judaism did in Jesus’ time. The Church has overcome the crisis through various reforms. The Reformation of the 15th century is a prime example of this. The 31st of this month is Reformation Day, which has now become established in Japan as Halloween. If you like, check out Wikipedia to find out what Martin Luther did on this day.
Our relationship with God cannot be thought of apart from the church, which Jesus says is his body. If we do not think about the body of Christ, of which we are a part, as our own, and modify it if necessary, the church will become something far removed from the will of Jesus.
b. Our will toward God
Let me read again what we are going to do for the Lord.
I will exalt the Lord, and praise him. (1,2)
They will declare what the Lord has done. (4)
I will meditate on the Lord’s wonderful works. (5)
They will tell of the power of the Lord, and I will proclaim his great deeds. (６)
They will celebrate the Lord’s abundant goodness and joyfully sing of his righteousness. (7)
All His creations give thanks; His faithful ones praise Him. (10)
They will tell of the glory of the Lord’s kingdom and speak of his might. (11)
My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. All creation will praise his holy name for ever and ever. (21)
In short, these are declarations of intent to live with worship at the center of everything we do. While our common worship is the pinnacle of our worship, worship does not just mean this one moment on Sunday morning.
In fact, here is the significance of the subject being “I” as well as “we”. Worship takes place there during the week, whether we are alone or with others. When we thank the Lord, rejoice, and say thank you in our hearts, that is worship. When we share memories of grace with someone who is there with us at that moment, worship is taking place.
Sometimes I hear people say, “Worship is important, but we also need to evangelize.” But, “evangelism” is not something we must do separate from worship; it is something that “happens” when we live according to the will to worship as described here.
So let us offer up our heartfelt worship to our Lord this morning.
(Prayer) Thank you, God who is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, for coming into this world as Jesus Christ, inviting us into your family and being with us.
We worship you with all our hearts, remember all you have done for us, and tell those in need of your grace, “The Lord is with you.”
Fill us with your Spirit and use us so that we may walk as parts of your body, healing, comforting, strengthening, and meeting the needs of others.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Summary
This psalm, placed at the end of the Psalms of David, is a song of a new departure, fitting for us to sing to the Lord. It is a new song to take us a step further in our faith journey and into a new chapter. What gives us strength in our new journey is the many blessings that the Lord has abundantly bestowed on each individual and on the community from the day of creation until now, and our willingness to follow the Lord in response to those blessings.
For Discussion
- How would you answer if someone asked what kind of God you believe in?
- In what way do you want to serve the Lord?