Making 'Psense' of Psalms--Psalm 150: Hallelujah!

A rose from my garden--just one tiny part of God's
praiseworthy creation.

And so we come to the end of psalms. It began with a blessing on the one who follows God above all else. It ends with that follower praising God above all else. Simple in words, deeper than words, lovely just by itself, it is a fitting conclusion and invitation to respond to God with praise, and praise, and more praise. “Hallelu-Yah,” Hebrew for “Praise the Lord.”

Just the word “Hallelujah” prompts many to think of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s oratorio, “The Messiah.” He completed the massive work (my edition of the vocal score is 250 pages) in 24 days in 1741. Tradition says that at its 1743 London premier, King George 2 was present and so moved that he stood, meaning all others had to stand, too.  Some scholars say the king wasn’t there at all, but the custom has persisted. Despite the use of the word “Hallelujah,” Handel’s famed chorus (which concludes the second of three parts in The Messiah) isn’t based on Psalm 150 but on three exultant songs of heaven given in Revelation:

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.” (19:6)
“The Kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (11:15)
“King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” (19:16).
The focus of Revelation’s “psalms” is the victory of Christ, slain for the sins of the world, risen to be exalted forever. Psalm 150 tells one part of the God-story, looking forward to a Messiah. Revelation is its final chorus, its true Hallelujah.

Yet Psalm 150 has its own magnificent message. It climaxes the psalter’s five final praise psalms, all of which start with “Praise the Lord” or “Hallelujah.”

Psalm 146 praises God’s greatness in creation and His grace in providing for all, including the oppressed, hungry, prisoners, disabled, alien, fatherless and widowed.
Psalm 147 praises God for allowing exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. It also speaks of God’s provision for daily life through the divine plan of growing seasons.
Psalm 148 gives voice to all in heaven and earth in praising God, from sun, moon and stars to the weather, topography and creatures that inhabit it. This psalm reminds me of Jesus’ retort in Luke 19:40.  He had just entered Jerusalem on a donkey to the crowd’s triumphant shouts. But some Pharisees, as usual, disapproved of the love and acclaim Jesus’ followers had given Him. He replied, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Indeed, in a week, the Lord would die and the earth convulse. Then a stone would pull back from a tomb opening. I wonder, did it shout “Victory”? He’d rise again, and all Heaven break out in unfathomable rejoicing.
Psalm 149 describes saints in exuberant praise and how evil will be annihilated.
Then comes Psalm 150, like the loudest of the five very loud concluding songs of praise.

TO WHOM? GOD!

“Praise the LORD” (v. 1), the name here being “Yahweh,” the gracious, attentive, caring covenant-keeping God of indescribable love and absolute holiness.

WHERE?

“Praise God in his sanctuary” (v. 1b)—at that time, the temple. “Praise him in his mighty heavens.” The sky, the vault of heaven, reminds us to look up and praise the One who fills the universe. Worship isn’t to be parceled off to a time at church or Bible study, or even that special “devotional time.” It can happen everywhere, anywhere, anytime. God is too big to put in a box.

WHY?

“Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness”  (v. 2).  One is God’s works, starting with the moment He said, “Let there be light” and proceeded to design and populate the earth. It’s His decision to judge the sin-polluted earth with a flood and give it a second chance via a boatload of hope. His power also sent Jesus Christ, His Son, to earth, to pay for my sins and yours through an excruciating death.

All these lead to awe and praise for God’s greatness and glory. We can praise Him because He isn’t a remote, disinterested or fickle god. He is holy but stoops to the lowly. His love for His creation is beyond understanding or description.

These talented hands belong to our long-time
church organist, who has served God
through music for six decades.

HOW?

God’s people used every instrument of their times at their disposal to praise Him.

“Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet”—probably the rams’ horns (shofar) of those times.

“Praise him with the harp and lyre”—simple stringed instruments, like David played.

“Praise him with the tambourine and dancing”—as also used for Miriam’s victory dance (Exodus 15:20-21), the women welcoming Saul and David as victors (1 Samuel 18:6-7), and David’s uninhibited joy-dance when the ark was returned to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-16).

“Praise him with the strings and flute”—again, early ancestors of today’s instruments.

“Praise him with the clash of cymbals…with resounding cymbals”—bronze instruments used by temple musicians like Asaph (1 Chronicles 15:19), credited with Psalms 50 and 73-83.

The fish symbol for this tambourine!

Today, opinions about “appropriate” instruments for worship go across the spectrum. Some “non-instrumental” church bodies, sensitive about instruments once used in worldly places like dance halls, practice singing a capella. At the other end are those using all modern instruments at their disposal (including those orchestras-in-a-box called synthesizers). Though his comments were made more than a century ago, it’s worth noting that William Booth, who established Salvation Army bands for street evangelism, declared that we should sanctify and use our voices and any instruments for the Lord. As for texts, Scripture gives us these guidelines:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20)

WHO?

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.”
Another psalm reminds us that even things without breath praise Him:
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy. (Psalm 96:11-13)

Devotional poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) famously wrote that “Heaven is revealed to earth as the homeland of music.” Isaiah 55:12 says some day, “the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”  When the Lord spoke to Job about His majesty, He asked, “Where were you….while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4a, 7).

What more could be said for “praise”?  Perhaps just a reminder of the object of our praise, expressed in the final chorus of “The Messiah,” based on Revelation 5:12-13.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.  Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.  Amen.

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As I end these ten months of studying my “Top 40” psalms, I’m wondering if any readers have been encouraged by any specific posts. The blog “engine” tells me there are readers all over the world, with the top four countries of origin regularly being United States, Ukraine, Turkey, and France. I’d love to hear from you (use the reply form below). To God be the glory! I hope you’ll continue visiting as I seek to write about encouragement from God’s Word.