Read Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Go Deeper
Psalm 146 is the first of five “hallelujah” psalms that serve as the endcap to the book of Psalms. Each Psalm begins and ends with the Hebrew phrase hallelu-yah which is an exhortation to the reader to “praise the Lord!” By design, the holy book of poems concludes simply, reminding us again and again, “In every circumstance, praise the Lord!”
But Psalm 146 has even more direct insight into our world today. The Psalmist exhorts us not to trust in princes or in leaders who do not have the power to save. Even if they are not evil, they are incapable of saving others. No matter how much we prop up politicians and heroes as “the right man for the job,” salvation and hope are not found in their election. They are humans whose plans come to nothing the day they die.
Multiple times, the Scriptures echo the sentiment of Psalm 103:15-16: “As for man, his days are like grass…when the wind has passed over it, it is no more” (ESV). Isaiah 2:22 puts it even more plainly: “Stop trusting in mere humans who have but a breath in their nostrils.” Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and every other figure of power are completely incapable of even creating their own next breath. Put no hope in them for salvation.
Instead, the psalmist adjures us to set our hopes, our eyes, and our praises on the sovereign King who is faithful forever. He sees the weak, the oppressed, the fatherless, and He upholds their cause. Only those whose help is in the God of Jacob are truly blessed.
As we consider the maelstrom of society and seek to find answers to the very complex and devastating issues that plague our world, we must ask how much of our hope is placed in government and like-minded politicians and how much truly rests on the character and power of the Everlasting God. The Psalmist asks us to understand that no matter how good and godly our leaders are, our hopes in them will be crushed. But more than that, no matter how evil and destructive our leaders are, our hope in God can stand secure.
Questions
- How have you misplaced your hope in a human to save humanity?
- Consider where you place your hope. Do you trust in the character and power of God, regardless of who is politically in charge?
- What can you do to discipline your heart to set your hopes, eyes, and praises onto an everlasting and sovereign God and not have your peace disrupted by the “rise and fall” of earthly politicians?
By the Way
After reading Psalm 146, read Isaiah 61 and Luke 4:16-21. Deep dive into the correlation of Psalm 146 and its significance on the advent and purpose of Jesus’ ministry.
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4 thoughts on “Psalm 146”
Our God is filled with compassion for the exploited, hungry, prisoner, blind, oppressed, foreigner, fatherless & widow. He alone has the power to truly help, but He invites us to join Him, so that His kingdom may come on earth. The question is, do we join Him or just look the other way? In His final words to his closest people in the Great Commission, Jesus spoke of His authority and the mandate to make disciples, teaching them to observe the ways he modeled. As He laid down His life, so should we lay down ours, setting aside our agenda for His. We hold a treasure that must be shared! Who needs to hear good news today in this crazy, messed up world? There will be opportunities to have life-changing conversations, let’s seize the day!
Our praises of God and His glory should be very common place but sadly it is not seen or heard. So if we would all go into our work place or at home with a Praise God on our lips as we go through the day perhaps things could be different. Hallelujah Praise the Lord for He is worthy and greatly to be praised in all things and through all circumstances!!!!
People are often blown around by the wind and rocked by the waves of life. They are not an anchor.
Jesus is the constant.
As I look around me today, I see such discourse and disconnection in humanity. I see “world leaders” with selfish ambition and desire for total control. BUT!!!
I also see a stirring for Christ and people pursuing Him as the foundations of the world are crumbling.
I am encouraged by the fact, The Bible app is approaching 500million downloads. I am encouraged by the fact, The Chosen’s new Christmas movie outsold all viewer financed films in a matter of mere minutes with millions of tickets sold.
This says to me, the hearts of God’s people are stirring, I too am an example of that.
Heavenly Father lead us! May your people continue to grow, develop and learn to understand the true meaning of the life You have given for us. May we rest on your salvation and put to rest the worldly ways that kill and destroy our souls.
Our citizenship is in heaven, yes, and we are merely pilgrims here. And yet Jesus invites to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10). The focus of this prayer for God’s kingdom to come on earth is primarily spiritual, most commentators agree, accomplished through the submission and obedience to the perfect rule of God, And yet, in this Psalm we see God’s concern also for the physical wellbeing of those in need and underserved. How God’s world has been distorted by sin. With the rich and powerful serving their own interests, we see the gap between the rich and poor ever widening and the greatest inequality since records began. May we remember the cause of the oppressed, the prisoner, the blind, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.