¹Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; praise Him, O servants of the Lord, ²you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! ³Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

A declarative praise psalm extolls God for a specific event. In contrast, Psalm 135 is descriptive praise and extolls Him for His general dealings in human affairs. This psalm meditates on God’s providential guidance and His protection over Israel. It contrasts Him with the inanimate, human-manufactured objects called gods by the pagan nations. Rightly so, the true God, Yahweh of Israel (“Lord” in small caps), is to be praised.

The psalm begins with the Hebrew word, which is transliterated “Hallelujah,” meaning “Praise Yah.” The Hebrew “jah” (pronounced in English as “yah”) is the shortened form of “Yahweh,” which is the personal name of God (see Exodus 3:14-15, 6:2-3). Most English versions translate this phrase as “Praise the Lord.”

Poetically, the psalm calls for praising “the name of the Lord,” and it highlights His name in contrast to the false gods worshipped by the surrounding nations. He is “good,” and His name “is lovely” (vs. 3)—not because it sounds pleasing but because it reflects that the Lord is delightfully pleasant in His character.

The call to praise God goes out to the “servants of the Lord,” the priests and Levites who work in the temple (vs. 2). The psalm encourages them to praise God continually in their service. Indeed, it is possible to go through the prescribed motions of service without a heart devoted to extolling the Lord. Like the Levites and priests, all believers everywhere should make praise their regular mindset in their daily lives and work.

Verses 4-14 outline in broad terms God’s involvement in Israel’s history, beginning with His choosing of the descendants of Jacob (Abraham’s grandson). Why did God elect that people group? It was not because they were a great nation or morally better than any other people group. It was because of a promise He made to Abraham (Deut. 7:7-8, Genesis 12:1-3). The Lord thinks of Israel as “His own possession”; His goal is to showcase through Israel that He is great and incomparably superior to all the so-called “gods” worshipped by the surrounding nations (vs. 5). He is entirely unfettered, exercising His absolute sovereign will in overseeing all of existence in both the seen and unseen worlds (vs. 6).

The Lord is the providential cause behind the weather patterns (vs. 7), a particular point of interest in an agrarian society such as ancient Israel. He rescued His people from four hundred years of Egyptian slavery (vss. 8-9) and gave them military victory over the formidable kings standing in the way of their possessing the land of Canaan that was promised to them (vss. 10-11).

Their settlement and prosperity in the land is a benevolent legacy from the “everlasting” Lord (vs. 12). He is central to Israel’s existence and prosperity, and He is their constitutional centerpiece. This birthright defines them as the people of God. It is a continuing heritage, for the Lordthey serve is “everlasting” and, therefore, never changes (vs. 13). The Lord is Israel’s judge relative to the affairs of life, and He is also compassionate toward them (vs. 14).

In contrast to the favorable description of the living God of Israel in verses 4-14, the next verses serve as a polemic, or argument, against the false gods of the surrounding nations. Those imaginary deities are represented as idols, made by human hands from earthly metals of silver and gold (vs. 15). How ironic that anyone would turn around and submit in worship to that which they themselves had made! God made it clear that only He had the prerogative to create an image of Himself, and that was when He made us in His image! The ten commandments begin with a prohibition against making false idols or gods.:

“I am the Lord your God … You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them” (Ex 20:2–5a)

Inanimate idols cannot speak, see, hear, or breathe (vss. 16-17). It may seem ludicrous to us today that anyone would worship a crafted statue and believe it to be a powerful deity. But when people turn away from the living God who is real and who tangibly interacts in the world (as demonstrated by Israel’s history), they will unquestioningly believe in the products of their own vain creativity. As the psalm says, “Those who make them will be like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them” (vs. 18).

We are called, like Israel, the Aaronic priesthood, and the Levites, to hold Yahweh God in the highest place in our lives, which is His rightful place. We are to find our security in Him and bring to Him our well-placed praise. Is He not worthy of our blessing, that is, the desire to bring Him joy through our praise (vss. 19-21)? He is the living God who speaks, sees, hears, and breathes new life into those who believe in and praise Him.

Lord, I praise You and magnify Your lovely name, for You are good!