Sunday Devotional: Psalm 150:6

Let every breathing thing praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

I think this single verse, the last verse in the Book of Psalms, encapsulates the message of Psalms 147-150. It is both an exhortation and a command for every living creature, everything that draws breath, to praise the Lord. Why is the Lord worthy of the praise of all creation? This is spelled out quite clearly in the preceding Psalms.

Psalm 147 starts by simply stating that praising God is good, is pleasant, and it’s what we ought to do. The psalmist then begins a list of the ways the Lord blesses His people: gathering the outcasts, healing the broken and brokenhearted, bringing down the wicked, providing sustenance for the earth, and controlling the elements, to name but some. The impression he leaves us with is of a God who is mighty and powerful, but whose care is upon His people, and whose concern is with those who fear Him.

Psalm 148 extends the exhortation to praise, encompassing every created thing from the heights of the heavenlies to the very depths of the earth. The Lord’s praise ought to be heard from every location, whether it’s from angels in heaven, or sea creatures at the lowest point in the ocean. Kings, princes, women and children are included–young and old, mighty and helpless. These all should extol the Lord, because He is worthy of praise, and is responsible for the strength and prosperity of His people (the “horn” in verse 14).

Psalm 149 takes the exhortations to praise specifically to God’s people, the congregation of the saints, Israel. The Lord will bring them salvation, and He will give them the means of their deliverance. Their victory will be one way God bestows honor upon them, and a further reason for them to give Him all praise and glory.

Finally, Psalm 150 commands the praise of God within the sanctuary, the very place where corporate worship is proscribed. The praise of God is to be expressed through instruments and vocally. And it is because of His mighty works and His greatness that His people above all should praise Him.

There appears, then, to be a progression from all creation to the sanctuary as we go through these psalms. One thing is resoundingly clear, however: the praise of God is a necessary requirement upon every living thing: everything that has breath. Men in their sinful ignorance may mock God, and may deny that He is worthy of any worship. These psalms make it abundantly clear that we are so dependent on Him for all that we have, that even those who refuse to acknowledge Him owe Him everything. These psalms help us see our own position before God. We who consider ourselves self-made, independent, creators of our own destiny, crafters of our own world, are nothing more than helpless children before our Maker. We need Him, and the psalms, the Scripture, the gospel demand that we confess this fact.

When Jesus embarked on his ministry in Mark 1, the first words he spoke were a call to repentance: “The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” He didn’t explain why repentance is necessary, but I think these psalms help show us. God deserves our praise and adoration. He commands it, and He has every right to command it. And we all stand under the judgment of God for not acknowledging our debt to our Creator. We abuse the gifts He gives us, take from His provision without a word of gratitude, and mock those who come in His name to remind us of His love, and warn us of His wrath. Yes, we need to repent. And we need to find in the gospel, the God who loves His people, and still provides salvation for them.

May we constantly exhort ourselves to praise the Lord; He is worthy of our praise.

Have a great week!