As we are in the midst of the Christmas season, one thing that many people enjoy doing is going to a production of Handel’s Messiah. Many churches, universities, and community choirs give performances throughout December. One favorite part that many people look forward to is the famous “Hallelujah Chorus”. Our psalm for this week could be said to begin a type of Hallelujah Chorus to close out the Book of Psalms. Let’s take a quick look.
The Book of Psalms contains 150 songs, which are a mixture of praise, prayer, confession, lament, and encouragement. The last five psalms in this type of Biblical hymnbook each begin and end with a call to praise the Lord. Depending upon your translation, it might be written as “Hallelujah”. The word hallelujah is Hebrew, and means “praise Yahweh”, or as we frequently say, “praise the Lord”. These last psalms of praise are a most fitting way to close out the Book of Psalms, the Bible’s hymnal.
As our psalm begins, the psalmist proclaims that he will praise the Lord as long as he is alive (vs. 2). There is nothing that will stop him from praising God. As we don’t know who the author of this psalm is, we don’t know what his life was like. However, as we all can attest, everyone has various and diverse trials, so we can know that he, like everyone, had difficulties that he went through. No matter what he faced, the psalmist was determined to continue to praise the Lord. His is an example that we should follow. No matter what we face, we should also proclaim that “while I live I will praise the Lord.”
The psalmist continues to instruct us to not put our ultimate trust in our political leaders or other leaders (vs. 3-4). Instead, we are instructed to put our trust in the Lord (vs. 5). I don’t know about elsewhere in the world, but it seems that here in the U.S. there are always elections for something happening, and campaigning going on. We just had elections for many state governors and senators. I live right near Chicago, and they are having an election for mayor soon. There is already talk of who will be running for president, with campaigning for that beginning in little over a year. There are so many campaign promises for any election, promising they can do more and better than the next guy. Who will bring a better economy, ensure healthcare or jobs, bring down crime, etc? No matter what they promise, God’s Word says we shouldn’t be putting our ultimate trust in them. They are only human, and are not our source for help. Instead, we are to put our trust and hope in the Lord God.
There is a big contract between trusting in God, the King of Kings, and trusting in earthly rulers. Man is faithless, powerless, and mortal. Jesus is faithful, all-powerful, and eternal. As we’ve all probably experienced, so many politicians' promises rarely come to pass. They promise everything just to get a vote, but ultimately are not faithful in keeping those promises. Even outside of politics, so many people’s words cannot be relied on. Many times our leaders aren’t able to bring us the help that we need, as they don’t have the power to. Even if we do find a good leader, they are human, and don’t live forever. However, when we are trusting in the Lord for all we need, we know we can trust His Word, for He always keeps His promises. He also is omnipotent, and is able to do anything and provide everything that we could possibly need. Our Lord is eternal, as well, and is always present to help us.
As our psalmist continues, he gives us many reasons to put our trust in the Lord God rather than man, and to give Him praise. Yahweh is the One who made all creation, brings us justice in an evil world, and provides our food and sustenance every day (vs. 6-7). God cares for the oppressed, the poor, the prisoners, the blind, orphans, and widows (vs. 7-9). None of the Old Testament prophets ever healed the blind. Jesus did, though, on numerous occasions. He opens the eyes of the physically blind and the spiritually blind. We have a model of compassion and mercy in the Lord Jesus (Luke 4:16-21).
As we close the first of the final five praise psalms, the first of the Book of Psalms “Hallelujah Chorus”, we can learn that our allegiance should not be to the things of this world. Praising God helps to remind us where our true source and hope lies, in the Son of God, whose birth we celebrate this month.
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