Praise the Lord!
Psalm 148
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
It would be hard to find music more compelling and dynamic in its expression, more emotionally powerful and captivating, than that played by a full orchestra. Over one hundred musicians playing in time together, each striking the right notes, every individual part working to paint a musical masterpiece. Like an orchestra playing in perfect harmony, each part adorning a different aspect of the musical composition, so God’s creation together plays a beautiful symphony of praise to its glorious creator.
In Psalm 148, the orchestra playing this song of praise is made up of all creation. The stars, the angels the hosts of heaven (2-4), the creatures of the sea (7), the storms and movements of nature (8), all praise the Lord. The mountains and hills (9), beasts and livestock who inhabit those hills (10), all praise the Lord. All the people of earth, from the greatest, to the least (11), from the oldest to the young (12), give praise to the Lord whose majesty far exceeds what we see on the earth and in the heavens (13). And just as many symphonies feature a soloist, playing notes only they are fit to play, so the symphony of praise to our creator has a soloist. Humanity alone is able to sound a musical note of praise to God, which no other part of the orchestra of creation can play. It is the sound of praise that comes from those who are near to the Lord in covenant love (14).
Creation is declaring the glory of God; but by nature our hearts are hardwired to suppress the truth. So God gives us special revelation — His Word — and makes known his glory uniquely in Christ, the incarnate Word. Christians are those whose hearts have been changed so we can see the glory of God. We now join in the song of creation, but our song is unique. It is not the song of an inanimate creation giving praise to its creator merely by it existence. No, it is a song of praise to our Creator and Redeemer. As redeemed humanity, we are most fully being what we were intended to be when we’re declaring, not just from our lives, but from our hearts and with our voices the greatness and glory of God. Prepare to gather as the church this Lord’s day, with this realty in mind.