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Let us praise the name of the LORD

(Psalm 148)

Andy Nagahara

Today’s psalm is the 148th. The word that appears most frequently in today’s verse is “Praise.” This psalm sings, “Praise the Lord” or “Praise the name of the Lord,” and actually I covered the difference between these phrases in my talk about Psalm 124 about a year ago, so if you’re interested, please read it again.

Jesus Is The Name Of The Lord (Psalm 124)
https://yourchurch.jp/wpe/2023/10/08/e231008

This morning I would like to consider why we should praise the Lord. First, let’s read up to verse 

1. Let us give thanks for creation and praise the name of the Lord (1-6)

1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. 
2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 
3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 
4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. 
6 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

The cover of today’s bulletin is a fresco in an old church in Denmark showing God placing the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. It would be easy to read the account of the creation of the world in Genesis, which served as the subject of this painting, and laugh at it as being unscientific, but that does not mean we can deny God’s creation.

There is a legend called “groundless worry.” During the time when prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah were active in Israel, there was a small country called Qi in China. This phrase comes from the story of a man who lived there and was so worried about what would happen if the sun, moon, or stars fell from the sky that he couldn’t sleep at night or eat. It refers to worrying about impossible things. 

However, the people of Israel of that same time had no such fears. Even today, humans only know a very small amount about the universe, and much of it remains a mystery. Although the people of Israel at that time had much less knowledge about the universe than we do today, they believed without a doubt that God created the universe. Did the universe come into being by chance? Or was it created by God? It is impossible to verify this. We can either believe it or not. The Earth’s satellite, the Moon, which has a major influence on the orbits of the Earth and other planets around the Sun, as well as the tides, and stars located outside the galaxy. Like the people of Israel, I believe that these things were created by God’s will and not by chance.

Even if we do not understand the full extent of the universe, if we believe in a God who created it of His own will, all problems become nothing more than groundless fears. In this case, the meaning of “groundless worry” is not so much worrying about something that can’t happen, but rather worrying about something that you can’t do anything about.

The opposite of groundless fear is faith. I believe that faith means trusting in God, who created everything, including ourselves, and leaving the things that we cannot do anything about to God. Since God saw that everything he created was good, it is only natural that all creatures should rejoice and give thanks to their Creator for having been made good.

Here, God is the creator not only of humans, animals, and the planet Earth, but of everything in the universe, most of which we don’t know much about. Instead of worrying about various things, let us give thanks and praise to God.

2. Let us give thanks for nature and praise the name of the Lord (7-10)

Now, from verse 7, the psalmist’s eyes shift their focus from space to the Earth.

Let’s read up to verse 12.

7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

The psalmist here encompasses everything that exists on earth and commands them to praise the Lord. It is to the sea and the creatures that live in it, to natural phenomena, mountains, plants, and animals. We should keep in mind that all of these things are God’s creations, just like us humans.

Genesis 1, which we have quoted many times in this Psalm series, says, “God created man in his own image, to have dominion over the other creatures on the earth.” Also, Genesis 2:19 says, “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what the man would name them. And the man gave a name to every living creature, that was the name of every living creature.” Governing is the mission of humanity entrusted to us by God. It does not mean that we can treat them as we wish.

However, humans have only ever viewed these things as resources that exist for their own benefit, rather than as fellow creatures, and I do not think that they have been able to govern them properly. God desires a situation in which all His creatures can joyfully praise Him. And humans are in a position to either maintain or destroy that situation.

How should we govern this world on God’s behalf? The sin of human self-centeredness has led to the misrule of the Earth. Does nature rejoice in its creation and praise the Lord? To me, they appear to be suffering, grieving over a threat to their survival. Those who believe in God must remember that they praise the Lord along with other creatures, and must govern them wisely so as to sustain them rather than destroy them.

3. Let us give thanks to society and praise the name of the Lord (11-14)

Now, in the final part of the verse, humans are addressed for the first time. Verses 11 to 14. Let’s read it.

11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and maidens, old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.

Verses 11 to 13 are actually one unit with verses 7 to 10 in terms of the poem’s structure. In other words, it calls for the final praise of human beings in the earthly creation. Then in verse 14, the focus is narrowed down to the people of Israel, calling them to praise.

It is striking that the first people to be addressed are kings, those in high positions, and rulers. Next come young people, the elderly, and children. Is there any intention behind this order? To me it seems like a warning that the greater the power one has, the more aware one must be that they are a created being.

Whenever a person has power, they begin to regard themselves as gods and demand obedience from others, despite the fact that they are creatures. The role of a true king is to provide an environment in which those who have such a status can joyfully praise together as fellow creatures with those who do not have it, such as the young, the old, and children.

Power does not exist only in the political world. Power also exists between teachers and students in schools, between bosses and subordinates in companies, between doctors/nurses and patients in hospitals, and between parents and children at home. In that sense, you too are someone who has power and control over someone else. In order to use that power properly, it is important for us as creatures to praise our Creator.

The shopping centres have already put up their Christmas trees as soon as Halloween is over, and  yourchurch will also be decorating for Christmas after next week’s service. Christmas is the day when God Himself comes into the world as the true King to all people. From the words and actions of Jesus recorded in the Gospels, we can learn and walk the way of a king who is pleasing to God who created us.

(Prayer) We praise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank and praise You for your creation.
We thank and praise You for saving us.
We thank and praise You for being with us.
Teach and guide us so that we may live worthy of Your people.
We thank you, we praise you, and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Summary

Praising God is the most basic attitude for us as creatures to behave properly. The situation around us does not look optimistic, there are various problems, and it can be worrying to think about what dangers await us, but if we recognize that we are one of God’s creations, we will realize that these are completely groundless fears. Let us walk in trust and praise to God who created everything in the universe as good.

For Discussion

1. Why are we encouraged to praise?
2. What responsibility do we have towards nature?