Psalms 147 - Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

This is one of the Hallelujah Psalms; it begins and ends with «Praise ye the LORD.» May our hearts be in tune, that we may praise the Lord while we read these words of praise!

Psalms 147:1. Praise ye the LORD:

It is not enough for the Psalmist to do it himself. He wants help in it, so he says, «Praise ye the LORD.» Wake up, my brethren; bestir yourselves, my sisters; come, all of you, and unite in this holy exercise! «Praise ye the LORD.»

Psalms 147:1. For it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

When a thing is good, pleasant, and comely, you have certainly three excellent reasons for attending to it. It is not everything that is good; but here you have a happy combination of goodness, pleasantness, and comeliness. It will do you good to praise God. God counts it good, and you will find it a pleasant exercise. That which is the occupation of heaven must be happy employment. «It is good to sing praises unto our God,» «it is pleasant,» and certainly nothing is more «comely» and beautiful, and more in accordance with the right order of things, than for creatures to praise their Creator, and the children of God to praise their Father in heaven.

Psalms 147:2. The LORD doth build up Jerusalem:

Praise his name for that. You love his church; be glad that he builds it up. Praise him who quarries every stone, and puts it upon the one foundation that is laid, even Jesus.

Psalms 147:2. He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

Praise him for that. If you were once an outcast, and he has gathered you, give him your special personal song of thanksgiving.

Psalms 147:3. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Praise him for that, ye who have had broken hearts! If he has healed you, surely you should give him great praise.

Psalms 147:4. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

He who heals broken hearts counts the stars, and calls them by their names, as men call their servants, and send them on their way. Praise his name. Can you look up at the starry sky at night without praising him who made the stars, and leads out their host?

Psalms 147:5. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Praise him, then; praise his greatness, his almightiness, his infinite wisdom. Can you do otherwise? Oh, may God reveal himself so much to your heart that you shall be constrained to pay him willing adoration!

Psalms 147:6. The LORD lifteth up the meek:

What a lifting up it is for them, out of the very dust where they have been trodden down by the proud and the powerful! The Lord lifts them up. Praise him for that.

Psalms 147:6. He casteth the wicked down to the ground.

Thus he puts an end to their tyranny, and delivers those who were ground beneath their cruel power. Praise ye his name for this also. Excuse me that I continue to say to you, «Praise ye the Lord,» for, often as I say it, you will not praise him too much; and we need to have our hearts stirred up to this duty of praising God, which is so much neglected. After all, it is the praise of God that is the ultimatum of our religion. Prayer does but sow; praise is the harvest. Praying is the end of preaching, and praising is the end of praying. May we bring to God much of the very essence of true religion, and that will be the inward praise of the heart!

Psalms 147:7. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

«Unto our God.» How that possessive pronoun puts a world of endearment into the majestic word «God»! «This God is our God.» Come, my hearer, can you call God your God? Is he indeed yours? If so, «Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.»

Psalms 147:8. Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

They did not talk about the «law of nature» in those days. They ascribed everything to God; let us do the same. It is a poor science that pushes God farther away from us, instead of bringing him nearer to us. HE covers the heaven with clouds, HE prepares the rain for earth, HE makes the grass to grow upon the mountains.

Psalms 147:9. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

Our God cares for the birds and the beasts. He is as great in little things as in great things. Praise ye his name. The gods of the heathen could not have these things said of them; but our God takes pleasure in providing for the beasts of field and the birds of the air. The commissariat of the universe is in his hand: «Thou openest thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing.»

Psalms 147:10-11. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Kings of the olden times rejoiced in the thews and sinews of their soldiers and their horses; but God has no delight in mere physical strength. He takes pleasure in spiritual things, even in the weakness which makes us fear him, even that weakness which has not grown into the strength of faith, and yet hopes in his mercy. «The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.»

Psalms 147:12. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

Let whole cities join together to praise God. Shall we live to see the day when all London shall praise him? Shall we, ever, as we go down these streets, with their multitudes of inhabitants, see the people standing in the doorways, and asking, «What must we do to be saved?» Shall we ever see every house with anxious enquirers in it, saying, «Tell us, tell us, how can we be reconciled to God?» Pray that it may be so. In Cromwell's day, if you went down Cheapside at a certain hour of the morning, you would find every blind drawn down; for the inmates were all at family prayer. There is no street like that in London now. In those glorious Puritan times, there was domestic worship everywhere, and the people seemed brought to Christ's feet. Alas, it was but an appearance in many cases; and they soon turned back to their own devices! Imitating the Psalmist, let us say, «Praise the Lord, O London; praise thy God, O England!»

Psalms 147:13. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

As a nation, we have been greatly prospered, defended, and supplied; and the church of God has been made to stand fast against her enemies, and her children have been blessed.

Psalms 147:14-15. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

Oriental monarchs were very earnest to have good post arrangements. They sent their decrees upon swift dromedaries. They can never be compared with the swiftness of the purpose of God's decree. «His word runneth very swiftly.» Oh, that the day would come when, over all the earth, God's writ should run, and God's written Word should come to be reverenced, believed, and obeyed!

Psalms 147:16. He giveth snow like wool:

Men say, «it» snows; but what «it» is it that snows? The Psalmist rightly says of the Lord, «HE giveth snow.» They say that according to the condition of the atmosphere, snow is produced; but the believer says, «He giveth snow like wool.» It is not only like wool for whiteness; but it is like it for the warmth which it gives.

Psalms 147:16. He scattereth the hoar frost like ashes.

The simile is not to be easily explained; but it will often have suggested itself to you who, in the early morning, have seen the hoar frost scattered abroad.

Psalms 147:17. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

None can stand before his heat; but when he withdraws the fire, and takes away the heat, the cold is equally destructive. It burns up as fast as fire would. «Who can stand before his cold?» If God be gone, if the Spirit of God be taken away from his church, or from any of you, who can stand before his cold? The deprivation is as terrible as if it were a positive infliction. «Who can stand before his cold?»

Psalms 147:18. He sendeth out his word, and melteth them; he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

The frozen waters were hard as iron; the south wind toucheth them, and they flow again. What can God not do? The great God of nature is our God. Let us praise him. Oh, may our hearts be in a right key tonight to make music before him!

Psalms 147:19. He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

This is something greater than all his wonders in nature. The God of nature is the God of revelation. He hath not hidden his truth away from men. He hath come out of the eternal secrecies, and he hath showed his word, especially his Incarnate Word, unto his people. Let his name be praised.

Psalms 147:20. He hath not dealt so with any nation:

Or, with any other nation. He revealed his statutes and his judgments to Israel; and since their day, the spiritual Israel has been privileged in like manner: «He hath not dealt so with any nation.»

Psalms 147:20. And as for his judgments, they have not known them.

Even today there are large tracts of country where God is not known. If we know him, let us praise him.

Psalms 147:20. Praise ye the LORD.

Hallelujah! The Psalm ends upon its key-note: «Praise ye the LORD.» So may all our lives end! Amen.

Psalms 147:1. Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant;

Ye that know him, ye that love him, «praise ye the Lord.» «It is good: «it is right, it is acceptable; it is good for you, the Lord counts it good. «It is good to sing praises unto our God;» and to God alone. There is no better argument for anything than that it is good, for good men delight in that which is good because it is good. «For it is pleasant.» That is a very happy conjunction, for it is not everything that is good that is pleasant, medicine to wit. It is not everything that is pleasant that is good, for there are some things that are pleasant in the mouth, but they are poison in the bowels. But to sing praises unto our God is both good and pleasant.

Psalms 147:1. And praise is comely.

Or, beautiful, delightful, it is the right thing. Men never look so like angels as when they are praising God, and angels are never more heavenly than when they are engaged in the worship of heaven; and that worship is praise. Here are the psalmist's reasons for praising God,-

Psalms 147:2. The LORD doth build up Jerusalem:

Praise him for that. He is the great Builder, the Builder of the Church. He laid the foundations in the everlasting covenant, he carries on the building with infinite skill by his Divine Spirit: «The Lord doth build up Jerusalem.»

Psalms 147:2. He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

These are the stones with which he builds, men who were like outcasts. What wonderful living stones these outcasts make! They love the Lord best who once were most his enemies. None sing of «free grace and dying love» with sweeter accents than the men who have had much forgiven. «The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.» Mark the connection between the two; it is when great sinners are saved that the Church is built up. There was more done when Paul was converted, I wot, than at almost any other time, for he became the great apostle to the Gentiles through whom myriads were saved.

Psalms 147:3. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

To be a builder and a physician, too, are strange offices to be combined in one, yet so it is with God. Is there a broken heart here? The Lord is ready to heal you. See how he does it. «He bindeth up their wounds,»-puts on the strapping, wraps round the linen cloth, and secures the flesh until it heals. A wonderful surgeon is the Lord God Almighty, there is none like to him. «He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.» What a singular thing it is that the next verse should be what it is!

Psalms 147:4. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

In his condescension, stooping over a broken heart; in his omniscience, telling the number of the stars. The word signifies as when a merchant counts his money into a bag. So does God, as it were, count the stars over, like so many golden coins. «He calleth them all by their names.» as when the muster-roll is read, and the soldier answers, «Here!» so does the Lord speak to the stars, and they answer to their names.

Psalms 147:5-19. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The LORD lifteth up the meek:

They are down very low in their own estimation, but the Lord lifts them up.

Psalms 147:6. He casteth the wicked down to the ground.

The Lord is the great changer of men's positions; those that are up he throws down, and those that are down he lifts up. Thus the blessed virgin sang, «He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.»

Psalms 147:7-19. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

This is the true science, this is the real philosophy; not merely the laws of nature, but God everywhere; God cloud-making, God rain-preparing, God clothing even the hill-tops and out of the way places with grass which no man has planted, and which no man will ever mow. Perhaps there is somebody here who, when at home, is like grass on the mountains, away from all means of grace, with nobody to help you, nobody to guide you. Listen to this Psalm, and praise the name of the Lord, «who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.»

Psalms 147:9. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

The very best illustration of that verse is to be found, I think, in crows going to bed at night. You may have heard their caws. White says, in his Natural History of Selborne, that a little child said in his hearing, «Hark, father, the rooks are saying their prayers.» It does seem something like it; and I believe David had heard it, and that is why he put it here: «the young ravens which cry,» for those strange birds, rooks, crows, ravens, and the like, even with their wild cries, do speak to God. Who can listen to the birds in the early morning without feeling ashamed of himself for not singing more to the praise of God? Some of the feathered songsters lift up their voices even in the night; the nightingale charms the hours of darkness, and should not we sing unto God when all nature rings with his praise? «He giveth to the beast his food.» Any of you who are in great distress may pray to God, «Lord, feed me, for thou givest even to the beast his food.» Do any of you need spiritual food? Cry to him to feed you, for he giveth even to the beast his food. Are you not much better than many animals? I remember «Father Taylor» once saying to himself, and then writing it, «I am in distress just now, and full of doubts: but what am I at? When the great whale goes through the deep, the Almighty Father gives him a ton of herrings for his breakfast, and never misses them; surely he can feed me.» Assuredly he can; he can give to all of us all that we need.

Psalms 147:10. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

As the kings did in those days; their infantry and their cavalry were their glory. The Lord does not care for that sort of thing; what gives him pleasure, then? Listen

Psalms 147:11. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

As kings have gloried in their troops, so does God glory in tender hearts that fear him, and that hope in his mercy. I love that double description-« them that fear him,» «those that hope in his mercy.» There is a mixture there,-fearing and hoping,-but the mixture makes a sweet amalgam of grace. It is like a fisherman's net; there is the lead to sink it, and here are the corks to float it. If you only hope in his mercy, you shall not come back empty from the great banquet of everlasting love: «Jehovah taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.»

Psalms 147:12-13. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

Happy Zion, which God secures so well that even bars and posts are finished; not merely walls and gates, but the bars of the gates. There is nothing wanting in the covenant of grace. If the gates need bars, God thinks of the little as well as of the great: «He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.»

Psalms 147:14. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

An old commentator says, «Generally, if you get quantity, you do not get quality; but when you deal with God, ‘he filleth thee,' there is quantity, ‘with the finest of the wheat,' there is quality.» You get both in God, an abundance of the best.

Psalms 147:15. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

Great kings have tried to make their postal arrangements act with rapidity; in the olden time, they employed swift dromedaries for this purpose, but «his word runneth very swiftly.» When God has a message to send, he can flash it by lightning, or dispatch it in an instant by one of his angels: «His word runneth very swiftly.» I wish it would run to some of you who are rushing fast into sin, and that it would overtake you, and arrest you, and bring you to repentance and to faith in God. Here is a verse that may help to cool you on this summer's evening

Psalms 147:16. He giveth snow like wool:

It is as soft as wool, and, like wool, it is a covering, and keeps the earth warm in the bitter frosts, and saves the plants from death: «He giveth snow like wool.»

Psalms 147:16-17. He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

I want you to notice how, in the olden days, good men felt God to be very near. They thought that all this was caused by God: «he giveth snow; he scattereth hoarfrost;» and they speak of «his ice, his cold.» It is a poor progress that philosophers have made, to try to get us farther off from God than we used to be; but I bless his name that he is as near as ever he was to those who believe in him. They can see his working, and feel the touch of his hand. But what a wonder-working God this is who uses snow to warm the earth, and makes the frost to act like ashes,-yea, who makes bread out of ice, for when there is no frosty weather, the harvests are not half so good; but the very frosts break up the clods, and help to create bread for men! The Lord works by contraries. Perhaps, at the time that he means to save you, you will think that he is destroying you. If he means to heal you, he will wound you. If he means to lift you up, he will throw you down. Learn to understand his method, then, for this is the mode of his working.

Psalms 147:18-19. He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

That is the best news of all, that God reveals himself to his children. All he works in nature is eclipsed by what he does in grace.

Psalms 147:20. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalms 147:1. Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

«It is good,» that is to say, it is a thing that ought to be done, it is a right thing «to sing praises unto our God.» «It is good,» that is to say, it is profitable, it is beneficial to our own hearts. Prayer is refreshing, but praise is even more so, for there may be, and there often is, in prayer, the element of selfishness; but praise rises to a yet higher level. Prayer and praise together make up spiritual respiration; we breathe in the air of heaven when we pray, and we breathe it out again when we praise. «It is good to sing praises unto our God.» What a mercy it is that it is pleasant, too! There are many things that are good that are not pleasant, and many more things that are pleasant that are not good; but here is a holy duty which is also a heavenly pleasure. It is the bliss of heaven to praise God; let us anticipate that bliss by praising him now, «for it is pleasant.» And then there is a third commendation: «and praise is comely.» That is to say, it is beautiful, it is a good thing in its right place, it is according to the natural and spiritual fitness of things that God should be praised. In God's sight, one of the most beautiful things in the world is a grateful heart: «it is pleasant; and praise is comely.»

Psalms 147:2. The LORD doth build up Jerusalem:

There is something for which to praise him. When the Jews came back from captivity, and found their beautiful city all in ruin, God helped them to build it up again, so they sang, «The Lord doth build up Jerusalem.» We may sing the same sacred song, for the psalmist does not say, «The Lord hath builded,» but «The Lord doth build up Jerusalem,» he is going on to build it: the Divine Architect's plan of salvation is still being carried out, the great Master Builder is still placing stone upon stone in the wondrous courses of his election of grace: «The Lord doth build up Jerusalem.» O Lord, build up this part of the wall!

Psalms 147:2. He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

Those that were far away, captives in Babylon, he brought back again. God has a long arm, which he is casting round his outcast chosen ones, for he means to gather them all to himself. He has an elect redeemed people, and they are scattered throughout the whole world; but even Caiaphas knew enough of the truth to declare that Christ «should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.»

Psalms 147:3. He healeth the broken in heart,

He does it still, mark you, for the verb is in the present tense: «He healeth the broken in heart.» These are two of God's great occupations, to gather outcasts, and to heal broken hearts.»

Psalms 147:3. And bindeth up their wounds.

Oh, what a blessed God he is, thus to interest himself in the sorrows of mankind, to give his infinite mind and heart to this wondrous work of healing the wounds of our lost humanity! You see, it is thus that the Lord buildeth up Jerusalem; the two verses are the complement of each other. «The Lord doth build up Jerusalem,»-with what? Outcasts, and broken hearts, and wounded spirits. Many of the stones that God puts into his great temple are such as men would exclude. Broken hearts and bruised spirits, that look as if they never could have any strength in them, God uses in building up his Church. What a wonderful leap it is from this third verse to the next!

Psalms 147:4. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Yet is there as much grandeur and glory in his compassion as in his omniscience. To bind up wounds, is as God-like a work as to count the stars; God doth both, taking perhaps a greater delight in the first than in the second. There is not a star in the church's firmament to which God has not given the light, he knows the number of his shining ones, and he keeps their light burning; their names are all in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Psalms 147:5-19. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The LORD lifteth up the meek:

That is the Lord's usual way; those that are down, he raises; but

Psalms 147:6. He casteth the wicked down to the ground.

This is what God is always doing, uplifting and overturning, putting people and things in their right places.

Psalms 147:7. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

False gods have been served with discordant yells and cries of agony, but our God is to be worshipped with songs of thanksgiving. Think not that he desires you to come before him with groans and moans: he will hear them if they he sincere, but he would have you raise your hearts to something higher and better.

Psalms 147:8. Who covereth the heaven with clouds,

Little children do not think that is a matter for gratitude; they are sorry to see the clouds and the rain, but wise men know how fraught with blessing are the clouds God sends. It is even so in providence and grace.

Psalms 147:8. Who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

For every blade of grass, we ought to thank and praise the Lord. If he be a benefactor who makes two blades of grass grow where only one grew before, what a Benefactor must he be who makes all the blades of grass to grow, without whom there would be none at all! Even on the mountains, where it may be that we have no cattle, yet there are wild creatures that must be fed, so the Lord maketh the grass to grow there. We are often selfish, and we talk of things so being useless if they are of no use to us. Are there no other living things, then, but men; and is God only to care for those animals which most of all rebel against him? Let us think differently of this matter, and bless the Lord even for the grass that grows on the waste places, where only the chamois or the wild gazelle will feed, for they, too, have their purpose to fulfill in God's sight.

Psalms 147:9. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

Unclean creatures though they be, God feeds them. We have known people have only one bird in a cage, and yet forget to feed it; but God has myriads of birds, millions of beasts, and fishes innumerable, yet they are not starved. The commissariat of God never fails: my soul, will he not feed thee? If he hears ravens, will he not hear thy cry?

Psalms 147:10. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

Man boasts of his strength, and he looks at his fine horse, and glories in its strength; but God has something higher and better than sinew and muscle to boast about.

Psalms 147:11. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him,

That is his joy. As a man is proud of his horse, or of the muscles which enable him to run swiftly, so God takes delight in those that fear him,

Psalms 147:11. In those that hope in his mercy.

These are his jewels; these are his glory.

Psalms 147:12-14. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders,

What a blessing this is, not only in a nation, but in a church! If you were ever members of a church where they seemed to quarrel punctually once every month, you would soon be sorry to be a professor of religion at all, but to live in a church where brotherly love rules, this is a thing for which to praise the name of the Lord. «He maketh peace in thy borders,»

Psalms 147:14. And filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

There is generally peace where there is plenty. Dogs fight when there are few bones, and when God's people are well fed, they do not so often quarrel with one another. If they are fed with the finest of the wheat, there will be peace in their borders.

Psalms 147:15-16. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool:

Light and fleecy, it covers the plants, and protects them from the cold; the snow is a kind of garment to them from the frost.

Psalms 147:16. He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

You must often have been reminded of white ashes as you looked at the hoarfrost in the early morning.

Psalms 147:17. He casteth forth his ice like morsels:

Hailstones, like little pieces of bread, broken off and scattered abroad,-

Psalms 147:17. Who can stand before his cold?

In all this, the Lord is really fattening the soil, and preparing food for man and beast in the coming spring and summer.

Psalms 147:18. He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:

He has only to speak a word, and the ice, the snow, the hoarfrost, and every sign of winter will disappear, and we shall begin to swelter in the heats of summer.

Psalms 147:18. He causeth his wind to blow,

That is all,

Psalms 147:18. And the waters flow.

Ice-saws and axes could not set free the frozen rivers but his wind, the very breath from the mouth of God doth it at once.

Psalms 147:19. He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statues and his judgments unto Israel.

And we have come into the place of Jacob and Israel, even we who have believed; for Abraham is the father of believers, and we are his spiritual seed according to the promise. So we have to bless God that he has showed unto us his word, his statutes and his judgments.

Psalms 147:20. He hath not dealt so with any nation:

There are no other people who know the Lord as God's people do; and remember, they constitute one nation. We are Englishmen, perhaps, or Americans, that is a skin-deep distinction: but if we are in Christ, we are one family, we are of that one peculiar nation which, all over the world, is distinct from every other nation.

Psalms 147:20. And as for his judgments, they have not known them.

If they have been left in the dark, let us do all we can to carry or send the light of the gospel to them; and so we think of the great things God has done for us, let us join in a joyful Hallelujah, as the Psalm ends,

Psalms 147:20. Praise ye the LORD.

This Book of Psalms ends its golden stream in a cataract of praise. The last Psalms are Hallelujah Psalms; this one begins and ends, as several others do, with «Hallelujah.»

Psalms 147:1. Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God;

His «our God,» whether he be the God of other men or not.' He is «our God» by his choice of us, and by our choice of him; «our God» by eternal covenant, to whom we also pledge ourselves: «This God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.» Then let us «sing praises unto our God,» for «it is good» so to do.

Psalms 147:1. For it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

It is the most pleasurable of all exercises; it is the occupation of heaven. «It is pleasant;» it is delightful to the heart. Nothing tends to lift us out of sorrow and trouble like giving ourselves to singing the high praises of God. «It is good;» «it is pleasant;» «it is comely:» it is becoming, fitting, beautiful. Praise and Jehovah should go together. He is so worthy-to be praised that, to withhold his praises, would be an uncomely thing; but to adore him, to magnify him, is the very beauty of holiness.

Psalms 147:2. The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

There is the first reason for praise. The Jews were pleased to behold their city rising out of the heap of ruins, they were glad to see the scattered ones, the outcasts, coming back to their native place, and entering into citizenship in Zion. Shall not the Church of God, of which Jerusalem was a type, praise God that he is steadily and solidly building up a Church to his praise and glory? He is building it out of strange materials; outcast sinners, who were far from him by wicked works, are brought nigh by the blood of Christ. Stones from nature's quarry are changed into living stones, and then built up into a living temple for his praise. «Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem.» Not the minister, not the workers in the church, but the Lord himself does it. «He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.» An uplifted Christ draws all men to him; the gathering power is with him. «Unto him shall the gathering of the people be.» Let us praise God that this does take place in a measure in our midst, and in other churches where his name is honoured.

Psalms 147:3. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

He is such a condescending God that he walks the hospitals, and is familiar with despondency, and enters in sympathy into the cases of distress which others shun because they are unable to help. Where he comes as the Good Physician, «He healeth the broken in heart.»

Psalms 147:4. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

I call your attention, dear friends, to the wonderful change from the sick to the stars, from the broken in heart to the starry hosts of heaven. Our God is equally at home with the little and with the great; with stars, which to us are countless, and with men, who to us are comfortless. God is just as great in dealing with our sorrows as in guiding the stars in their courses. He is as great as he is good, and as good as he is great.

Psalms 147:5. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

There are three things here predicated of him, first, that he is great in himself, great in the vastness of his being; next, that he is of great power; and, then, that he is of great, yea, of infinite understanding. Here is the mercy of it all, that he brings that greatness, that vastness of power, that infinity of knowledge, to bear upon poor broken hearts, that he is just as wise in meeting our distresses as he is in marshalling the stars that he has made. Oh, what a God is ours!

Psalms 147:6. The LORD lifteth up the meek; he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

Ours is a singular God; there is none like him. He is undoing all the things that are, turning things upside down. The lowly, he lifts up; but the proud, he throws down to the ground, even into the dust. This is his way; and this is always a special note in the songs of God's people. Remember how Mary sang, «He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.» This singular behavior of our God, who has no respect unto the persons of men, is a special cause for our thankfulness; therefore, let us magnify his name.

Psalms 147:7. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

Let every form of melody and harmony be consecrated to him. Give him thanks-giving and thanks-living; and as he is always giving to you, take care that you give to him what you can, namely, your thanks.

Psalms 147:8-19. Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

God, the Infinite One, makes the clouds; not the laws of nature, which are dead, inoperative things without him; but Jehovah himself fashions the clouds, and prepares the rain. There is an infinite wisdom about the preparation of every raindrop, and the sending it in such form and way that it shall be balanced upon each blade of grass, and shall hang there glittering in its perfection, and nourish even the least herb of the field. Only infinite wisdom could have thought of or prepared a single shower of rain. This rain is for the grass; does God think of the grass? Yes, not only of the cedars of Lebanon, but of grass, and not only of the grass that grows in the fruitful meadow, but of those little tufts which are here and there upon the rugged mountains. He thinks of clouds, and of rain, and of grass which he makes to grow upon the mountains, that he may feed cattle. Does God, the high and lofty One, stoop to give to the beast his food? Ah! and more than that, he feeds all those wild birdlings that seem of no use to men, the young ravens which clamor for the parent bird to return, and fill them when they are hungry. Does God turn feeder of ravens? Ah, so it is; then, again, blessed be his name! Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to such a condescending God as this. I am sure that you can draw the inferences for your own comfort. Do you seem like a little bit of grass on the bare mountain-side? He has clouds and rain for you. Do you seem like a neglected bird in its nest, crying for food? He who feeds the ravens will feed you. The Hebrew has it, «the sons of the ravens,» and if God gives food to the sons of the ravens, he will certainly feed his own sons.

Psalms 147:10-11. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse; he taketh not pleasure in the legs of man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Again, you see, it is the same strain; it is not the great things or the mighty things that attract him, but the little things, and the weak things, and the despised things.

Psalms 147:12-13. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

There shall be special hallelujahs from God's own people. His holy city and his holy hill should magnify the thrice-holy God. O beloved, if we are indeed children of that Jerusalem which is from above, which is the mother of all believers, let us prepare a new song to the Lord our God for all his mercy to us. Praise him in your own houses, in «Jerusalem.» Praise him in his own house, in «Zion.» Let your praise thus be continuous, where you dwell and where he dwells: «He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates.» The fortifications are finished, and he has made all secure; therefore, magnify his name.

Psalms 147:14. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

When the Church is peaceful, and when the gospel fills the saints, and they feed upon it, and feel it to be the very finest of the wheat, should not God be praised? Does not the hallelujah come in here again? Praise ye the Lord for spiritual meat, and spiritual peace, and spiritual security.

Psalms 147:15. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

Oriental kings made a point of having swift postal arrangements by which they could send their decrees to the extremity of their dominions, sometimes on horses, and sometimes on swift dromedaries; but God's command, God's decree, God's «word runneth very swiftly.» He dwells in the midst of his people, and forth from Zion he sends his decree; he dispatches his couriers, and they run very swiftly to work his will. It is so in providence; it is assuredly so in grace. As to providence, see what God does :

Psalms 147:16. He giveth snow like wool:

People say, nowadays, «It snows.» They said among the Hebrews, «HE giveth snow.» There seems to be a tendency to get further and further away from God in these very learned days. If this is all that science can do for us, put God further off, it shall be our injury rather than our benediction. «He giveth snow like wool.» The flakes are like the fleece, and fall softly. Snow clothes the earth with a white, warm garment, as the well-washed sheep are clothed with wool.

Psalms 147:16. He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

There are black frosts and white frosts; and you know how, sometimes, vegetation appears to be burnt up with cold. It is God who does it all: «He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

Psalms 147:17. He casteth forth his ice like morsels :-The hailstones come like morsels, like crumbs, that is the word, like crumbs of ice; or, as the ice is formed upon the lake, it comes like crusts.

Either way, «He casteth forth his ice like morsels:»

Psalms 147:17. Who can stand before his cold.

If God displays himself as fire, who can stand against his burnings? Or if he chooses to display himself in cold, there is as much of consuming force about intense cold as about vehement heat: «Who can stand before his cold?»

Psalms 147:18. He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:-

The icebergs float southward, and are melted. The rivers that had been held in chains of ice leap into liberty, and all at the word of the Lord: «He sendeth out his word, and melteth them.»

Psalms 147:18. He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

«This is the result of the laws of nature.» So say those who are still in nature's darkness. «This is the work of God,» say those who have come out of that darkness into his marvelous light.

Psalms 147:19. He showeth his word unto Jacob,

Observe that, when God's people know God's Word, it is as much the work of God as when the waters are loosed from their bands of ice.

Psalms 147:19. His statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

The Lord does it according to his own sovereign will.

Psalms 147:20. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. -Praise ye the LORD.

Here, you see again, is a peculiar reason for thanksgiving: «Praise ye Jehovah.» «It is good to sing praises unto our God, for he hath dealt with us in a special manner, with peculiar and discriminating grace. ‘He hath not dealt so with any nation; and as for his judgments, they have not known them.'» Therefore are they silent, but let us not be dumb. With such a revelation as we have, with such teachings of his Spirit to make the Lord known to us, let us not be ungrateful, but ever praise his name.

Psalms 147:1. Praise ye the LORD:

This Psalm begins and ends with Hallelujah. So may this service, and so may our lives, commence and conclude with Hallelujah!

Psalms 147:1-19. For it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. The LORD doth build up Jerusalem:

Oh, that the Lord would do so here tonight!

Psalms 147:2. He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

We want that blessing, too. Oh, that some outcasts might be gathered together! It shall make our hearts cry «Hallelujah!» indeed, if there be a building up of the church and an ingathering of the outcasts.

Psalms 147:3. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

As we read that, we may well say again, «Hallelujah!»

Psalms 147:4. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

And the Hallelujah is not louder because of that fact than it is for the other truth. What a condescending God: «He healeth the broken in heart.» How infinite is his mind: «He telleth the number of the stars.»

Psalms 147:5-19. Great is our lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

The LORD lifteth up the meek:

How wonderful it is that the Lord should use the greatness of his power and the infinity of his understanding for the lifting up of those whom men often despise, «the meek»!

Psalms 147:6-11. He casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Other kings tell of their cavalry and infantry, they boast of their regiments of horse and foot guards, but our great God finds his delight in them that fear him and even in the feebler sort of these: «those that hope in his mercy.» These are the courtiers of Jehovah. These are the forces of our God, through whom he will win great victories.

Psalms 147:12-16. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

Our King's warrant runs everywhere, all over the world. He has universal power in nature, in providence, and in grace: «His word runneth very swiftly.»

Psalms 147:16. He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

The Hebrews saw God in all the phenomena of nature; let us do the same. Let us attribute every snow-flake to the divine hand, and every breath of frost to the divine mouth.

Psalms 147:17-18. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:

It is just as easy for him to send warm weather as to give us the chill of winter.

Psalms 147:18. He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

His own soft south wind comes, and the fetters of frost dissolve, and the waters flow. It is the Lord that doeth it all. He is not far from any of us; therefore let us not forget him.

Psalms 147:19. He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

The rest of the world can only see him in nature, but his own people see him in revelation, in the movements of his Holy Spirit.

Psalms 147:20. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.

Therefore, ye who are favored with his special manifestations of love, take you up the joyous song even if others do not. Hallelujah! «Praise ye the Lord.»

Now let us read in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 26, beginning at the sixth verse.

This exposition consisted of readings from Psalms 147:1, And Matthew 26:6-30.