Salmos 113
John Phillips · Citado em PreceptAustin
Salmos 113
Phillips put it) our God is too small. We need to get the biblical view of God high and exalted." (Steven Cole's exposition of Psalm 113:1-9 God is Great and He is Gracious) D A Carson He is exalted over every people and every place, incomparably exalted, so transcendent that he must stoop even to see the heavens. His glory is the highest of all realities, his person is above all dignities, his omniscience embraces all creation. The shared exaltation. He is Himself exalted (4); He lifts, ‘exalts’ the needy; He Who sits enthroned (5) seats the needy (enthroned)—out of the dust, onto a throne, into personal fulfillment. He takes people in their helplessness (poor … needy), countermands their unworthiness and reverses their hopelessness. How true all this is of the inner realities of the exodus—from the Lord’s control over earthly powers (Ex. 4:22–23; 14:30–31) to his awareness of his people’s needs (Ex. 2:24–25; 3:7) and to the despairing cries of forcibly bereaved mothers (Ex. 1:22)! But its revelation of the Lord is permanent: what he was then, he is now. (New Bible Commentary) His glory is above the heavens - Ps 99:2; Ps 138:5; Isa 57:15; Eph 3:10. Ps 99:2 The LORD is great in Zion, And He is exalted above all the peoples. Ps 138:5 And they will sing of the ways of the LORD. For great is the glory of the LORD. 2Chr 6:18 But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built. Isa 57:15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. Eph 3:10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. Glory (03519)(kabod) is derived from a root which means to be heavy or weighty and is only rarely used literally. The figurative use is more common and conveys the idea of a "weighty" person in society, one who is honorable, impressive, worthy of respect, the meaning in more than 50% of the OT uses. Kabod is translated in the Septuagint with the Greek noun doxa. High above - This reminds us that God is beyond our comprehension (See Incomprehensible and Transcendent) Above all nations - Signifies His sovereign rule over all nations, yea, over all creation and every creature! Above the heavens - Ps 57:5, 11; 99:2; 108:5; 138:6; Isa 6:1; 57:15 Alexander Maclaren the construction which regards the totality of created things, represented by the familiar phrase “the heavens and the earth,” as being the objects on which Jehovah looks down from His inconceivable loftiness, accords best with the context and yields an altogether worthy Transcendent elevation, condescension, and omniscience are blended in the poet’s thought. So high is Jehovah that the highest heavens are far beneath Him, and, unless His gaze were all-discerning, would be but a dim speck. That He should enter into relations with creatures, and that there should be creatures for Him to enter into relations with, are due to His stooping graciousness. These far-darting looks are looks of tenderness, and signify care as well as knowledge. Since all things lie in His sight, all receive from His hand. (The Expositor's Bible) Spurgeon has these notes... The loftiness, the majesty, the sublimity of God are attributes that are terrible in themselves; yet they minister much joy to those who love the Lord. For, you know, we can never make too much of those whom we love; and if we see them exalted, then is our soul glad. Would you wish to have a little God? Would you wish to have a God who had but little honour, or little power? No; you ascribe to him all conceivable and all inconceivable greatness, and you exult as you think what a high and mighty God he is. Who is like unto Jehovah our God, who dwelleth on high? Spurgeon's Exposition - The Lord is high above all nations. Though the Gentiles knew him not, yet was Jehovah their ruler: their false gods were no gods, and their kings were puppets in his hands. The Lord is high above all the learning, judgment, and imagination of heathen sages, and far beyond the pomp and might of the monarchs of the nations. Like the great arch of the firmament, the presence of the Lord spans all the lands where dwell the varied tribes of men, for his providence is universal: this may well excite our confidence and praise. And his glory above the heavens: higher than the loftiest part of creation; the clouds are the dust of his feet, and sun, moon, and stars twinkle far below his throne. Even the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. His glory cannot be set forth by the whole visible universe, nor even by the solemn pomp of angelic armies; it is above all conception and imagination, for he is God—infinite. Let us above all adore him who is above all. (Treasury of David—Psalm 113) Psalm 113:5 Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high, like: Ps 35:10; 71:19; 77:13, 2Sa 7:22 Ps 89:6 For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD, Deut 33:26 “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. Isa 40:18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?...25 “To whom then will you liken Me That I should be his equal?” says the Holy One. Jer 10:6 There is none like Thee, O LORD; Thou art great, and great is Thy name in might. A WONDERFUL RHETORICAL QUESTION Who is like the LORD our God - Rhetorical because clearly no one is like Him. He is incomparable! There is not even a "close second!" The effect is to cause one to pause and ponder His uniqueness. He is God and we are not! Micah 7:18+ Who is a God like Thee, Who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. (Read Isa 40:12-41:4) Our God - The writer personalizes God. He is the writer's God and Israel's God. He is their God (and they are His "wife" = "I was a husband to them" Jer 31:31, cf Hos 2:19, Isa 54:5 cp Jer 2:2, 3:14) by covenant relationship which is substantiated by use of His covenant name Yahweh or Jehovah. Jehovah is the "possession" of every genuine believer. Better, we belong to Him and are no longer our own (see 1Cor 6:19-note 1Cor 6:20-note, Titus 2:14-note, 1Pe 2:9-note). THOUGHT - This begs the question - How am I living? As if I belong to myself or to God. Is He "my God" and am I His possession? Adam Clarke Those who are highly exalted are generally unapproachable; they are proud and overbearing; or so surrounded with magnificence and flatterers, that to them the poor have no access; but God, though infinitely exalted, humbles Himself to behold even heaven itself, and much more does he humble himself when he condescends to behold earth and her inhabitants; (Ps 113:6.) But so does he love his creatures that he rejoices over even the meanest of them to do them good. Spurgeon in the introduction to his sermon From the Dunghill to the Throne (Ps 113:7-8) writes that... The greatness and majesty of the Most High God are utterly inconceivable. The most masterly minds, when in the most spiritual state, have felt it impossible for the utmost stretch of their imagination to reach to the grandeur of God. Our loftiest conceptions of the universe probably fall very far short of what it really is; although the researches of astronomy have revealed facts surpassing all the powers of the human mind in the attempt to grasp them. Thought, reason, understanding, and even imagination are bewildered in the vast and illimitable fields of space amidst the marvels of God’s handiwork. Yet all the wonders which the human eye has seen, or mortal spirit guessed at, are but parts of His ways. We have heard no more than one stanza of Creation’s never-ending Psalm. We have viewed but one stone in the vast mosaic of the Maker’s works. An infusorial atom of life in a drop of water may know as much of the great sea as we do of the universe as a whole. An ant creeping over a sand heap by the seaside must not boast of having counted the grains which bound the ocean—nor must the most learned mortal dream that he has a full idea of the vast Creation of God. Above all this, however, is the fact that all these wondrous works bear no more proportion to the unseen, all powerful God, than one line written by the pen of Milton would bear to his masterly mind. When God has made all that He ordains to create, and when we have seen all that He has made, yet there remains in Himself infinite possibilities of creation. The potter is far greater than the vessel which he fashions, and the Lord is infinitely greater than all His works. He fills all things, but all things cannot fill Him. He contains immensity; He grasps eternity; but neither immensity nor eternity can encompass Him— Great God, how infinite You are! What worthless worms are we!
Salmos 113
Phillips writes that "David determined never to let a day go by without discovering some way to freight it down with praise. What a noble ambition for us to emulate--and all because David was looking forward to praising God forever and ever in yonder bright regions of joy. He wanted to be in practice." Warren Wiersbe concurs writing "We will spend all eternity praising the greatness of our God, greatness (which) is unsearchable." And so it follows that our praise shall be unending! To be sure, praise in this brief passing life is simply preparation for perpetual praise in eternity future. As Puritan John Boys put it "The servants of the Lord are to sing His praises in this life to the world's end; and in the next life world without end." Hallelujah! PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME - "Praise the LORD, O my soul, all my inmost being, praise His holy NAME. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and never forget the good things He does for me." (Ps 103:1-note) "I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the NAME of the LORD Most High." (Ps 7:17-note) "I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to Your NAME, O Most High." (Ps 9:2-note) I will tell of Your NAME to my brethren; In the midst of the congregation I will praise You. (Ps 22:22-note) Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy NAME. (Ps 30:4-note) "Like your NAME, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth...." (Ps 48:10-note) "I will sing praise to Your NAME forever" (Ps 61:8a-note) "Sing the glory of His NAME; Make His praise glorious." (Ps 66:2-note) "I will praise the NAME of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving." (Ps 69:30-note) "Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your NAME." (Ps 74:21-note) "Let them praise Your great and awesome NAME; Holy is He." (Ps 99:3-note) "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His NAME." (Ps 100:4-note) "Praise the LORD! Praise the NAME of the LORD; Praise Him, O servants of the LORD" (Ps 135:1-note) "My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless His holy NAME forever and ever." (Ps 145:21-note) Let them praise His NAME with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre. (Ps 149:3-note) Let them praise the NAME of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created. (Ps 148:5-note) "Through Him (Jesus our Great High Priest) let us continually (as our lifestyle) offer up a SACRIFICE OF PRAISE to God (the essence of real worship), that is, the fruit of lips (real, heartfelt, verbal praise out of our mouth as the fruit and overflow of our heart) that give thanks to His NAME. (Heb 13:15-note) Joni Eareckson Tada reminds us that "A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE will always cost you something. It will be a difficult thing to do. It requires trading in our pride, our anger, and most valued of all, our human logic. We will be compelled to voice our words of praise firmly and precisely, even as our logic screams that God has no idea what He’s doing. Most of the verses written about praise in God’s Word were penned by men and women who faced crushing heartaches, injustice, treachery, slander, and scores of other intolerable situations." John Piper agrees calling us to "praise God continually through good times and bad times—wherever our pilgrim journey takes us. There are not praise-God times and criticize-God times. There are only praise-God times. That doesn’t mean there are no tears. And it doesn’t mean there are no perplexities about the way God works. But it does mean that through tears and unanswered questions we praise the Lord. We speak well of Him. We don’t call Him into question. We submit to Him as wise and powerful and good." Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. AMEN. P - Personal - Praise nurtures intimacy with Abba R - Read - Praise Him as you read the songs of Psalms A - Always - Praise Him at all times, in all ways I - In the Spirit - Praise Him filled with His Spirit S - Sing - Praise Him with hymns, psalms, spiritual songs E - Everywhere - Praise the Creator for His creation INDEED - "Let everything that has breath PRAISE THE LORD. PRAISE THE LORD!" (Ps 150:6-note)