¹Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights!

Placed in the middle of the concluding series of Hallelujah psalms (145-150), this psalm offers a crescendo of praise to the Lord God. Less is said about what God has done for His people and more about who He is and His character. Verses 1-10 focus on the call to every part of the universe to praise God, including angels, the stars, and the earthly creation. Verses 11-14 summon all humankind to praise the Lord.. The psalmist begins with the highest realms and moves to the earthly sphere; one can imagine the symphony of voices that join together, a choir entered into and appreciated by all who are faithful.

The first call to praise the Lord (vss. 1, 2) is to those beings in the angelic realm, which is called the third heaven by the apostle Paul (2 Cor.12:2). The call to “all His hosts” in verse 2b indicates a progression of focus from the angels (sometimes called “the host of heaven,” e.g. 1 Kings 22:19) to the celestial bodies (likewise called “the host of heaven, e.g. Deut. 4:9). These latter (referenced in vss. 2b-4a) occupy interstellar space, which we may call the second heaven. The charge to the celestial bodies that they should worship God is a refutation of pagan worship of the sun, moon, and stars. These all were created by Yahweh God and exist for His glory; He alone is to be worshiped and praised.

This psalm calls on the non-human ‘objects’ of creation to praise the Lord, giving them human characteristics. Indeed, when Jesus calmed the Galilean sea, His disciples expressed their astonishment in a similar way that speaks of the forces of nature as having human qualities: “Even the winds and the sea obey Him” (Matt. 8:27). When the Pharisees objected to the crowd praising Him during the triumphal entry to Jerusalem the week before His crucifixion, Jesus rebuked them, saying, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40). Indeed, all of God’s creation will speak forth praise to God:

“For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isa. 55:12)

Verse 4b is an allusion to the creation account in Genesis 1:7-8, where we read that God separated the waters that engulfed the world’s initial creation, resulting in water being both above the heavens and below them (e.g. the oceans and rivers, etc.). Most commentators understand the upper waters as the cloudy atmosphere around the earth above where birds fly (we might call this the first heaven). The point is that all that exists above the earth is called upon to praise God (vs. 5-6):

“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible… all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Col. 1:16)

The call to praise the Lord extends to life in the oceans and natural phenomena, such as fire, hail, snow, and storms (vss. 7-8). Indeed, all of creation is to join with the seraphic voices recorded by the prophet Isaiah:

“And one [seraph] called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.’” (Isa. 6:3)

The mountains, hills, fruit trees, the mighty cedars, beasts, cattle, things that crawl on the earth, and things that fly in the air—all are called upon to praise the Lord (vss. 9-10)!

In a climatic conclusion, the psalmist charges all humankind to praise the Lord, not only those in power and the world’s elite but “all peoples” (vs. 11-12). People from every walk of life were created to praise God: princes, judges, young men, young women. (The Hebrew word bethulah can mean “virgins” or simply “young women,” which is the more natural meaning in this context, following “young men.”) The elderly and young children also are to praise the Lord. “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven” (vs. 13). His name, Yahweh, is the concise and complete description of who He is in relationship to His people. He is the God who is there and always acts on behalf of those who trust Him, in a way that is focused on meeting their needs. Similarly, in the NT, the name Jesus, which means savior, reveals that He meets our greatest need, which is for salvation. His name is above every name (Acts 4:12) and before His name, all creation will bow in worship (Phil. 2:9-11).

Finally, from our perspective as individuals, it is what the Lord has done for us that animates our praise: “He has lifted up a horn for His people” (vs. 14a). In ancient Israel, the horn, symbolizing strength, speaks of the Messiah, who is the strong one—Psalm 132:17). For NT believers, the gospel is message is powerful, for it is the message of the Messiah who is our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord (see Rom. 1:16, Psalm 18:2).

Lord, with the choir of all creation, I join in calling out: Praise the Lord—Hallelujah!