Great is Jehovah, and exceedingly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145 carries the title "David's psalm of praise," and verse 3 gives the reason for that praise. Why is such greatness beyond all searching, and who leads the song?
The psalm follows the Hebrew alphabet, and both its title and its place in the book fit its subject.
Psalms 25, 34 and 145 are alphabetical psalms, each verse starting with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this last one the Holy Spirit has seen fit to leave out the letter Nun, so that there are only twenty-one verses in this psalm. How fitting it is that this psalm should carry the title "David's psalm of praise," for it comes just before the last five psalms, each of which begins and ends with "Praise the LORD," or "Hallelujah."
Verse 3 opens a block that runs to verse 7. One subject holds it together, and one name for God runs through it.
Throughout the psalm the writer uses the name Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God of Israel, who brought His people into relationship with Himself. Verses 3-7 form the second section. It takes up the greatness of Jehovah, which is beyond all searching, and He is to be praised beyond measure. Each generation praises the works of Jehovah to the generation that follows, and they declare His mighty acts, for "He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel."
Who leads praise like this? Commentators look ahead to the age when Christ reigns.
Psalm 145 goes on in thought into the millennium, after the distress is over, when Israel can celebrate the full deliverance. It is Christ in spirit — perhaps even in person — standing among Israel, leading the praises of Jehovah, and awakening praise among men.
Yet that future does not put the verse out of reach today.
Then everyone will recognise that "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised." It will be so impressive that at last it will convince many that His greatness is unsearchable. Of course, believers know this now, but then the whole world will know it openly.
"Unsearchable" is not a complaint that God hides. The depths in Him we cannot reach are exactly what satisfy us.
And yet the Bible contains deep things that are beyond us, and that very fact satisfies our souls. How can we understand God? He dwells alone in a solitude that fills us with awe, in light no one can approach. He was never created, yet He creates all things. Nothing holds Him up, yet He holds up all things. If we could understand all this, God would stop being God, for He would be no bigger than the measure of a man.
If the greatness cannot be measured, then no praise can ever match it — yet the answer is not silence.
He is to be praised not only "in" but "according to" His excellent greatness. Now, who is equal to this? The creature, however blessed and exalted, can never rise up to the level of the Creator. Yet in that day praise will surely rise that is equal to the task — praise that will satisfy the heart of God.
The greatness of verse 3 is not raw power on its own. The same voices tell of His acts against evil and of His goodness.
He is worthy to be praised: His greatness is an infinite reality. The generations of men, too, shall declare it. But one tongue alone can speak rightly of the glorious splendour of His majesty, and of His mighty works. They shall tell of the terrible acts by which evil has been dealt with and held down. He will declare God's greatness. Yet they, too, shall pour out their memory of His goodness, and sing aloud of His righteousness.
- Great. Verse 3 opens the psalm's second section (verses 3-7). Its whole subject is a greatness beyond all searching, and it calls for praise without limit.
- Unsearchable. No creature can rise to the Creator's level. A God small enough for us to understand would be no bigger than the measure of a man.
- Declared. What we cannot exhaust we can still tell. Each generation passes His mighty acts to the next, and one tongue leads the song.
- Praised. We praise Him not only in His greatness but according to it. The creature always falls short, yet praise will rise in that day that satisfies God's own heart.
- Good. The greatness sung here includes His acts against evil and the memory of His goodness. Believers know it now; one day everyone will own it openly.
One generation shall laud thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
Psalm 145 is a song of praise, and verse 4 sets it moving through time: one generation hands on to the next what it has seen of God. That raises three questions — who leads this praise, what His "works" and "mighty acts" are, and whether the handing-on is a future scene or a present duty.
One writer reads the psalm as looking ahead into the millennium — the coming age of God's kingdom on earth — and hears it as a conversation that Christ Himself begins:
Psalm 145 looks on in thought into the millennium, after the distress is over, when the full deliverance can be celebrated. It is Christ in spirit — perhaps even in person — standing among Israel, leading the praises of Jehovah and awakening them among men. So, though it only expresses purpose, the psalm has the character of a dialogue. First He expresses His own purpose of praising Jehovah, for ever and ever. One generation should do it to another... Notice that there is the leader who speaks in the psalm, the saints (the faithful remnant of Israel), and the world in general, the sons of Adam.
Verse 4 sits inside a section of the psalm about God's greatness:
Psalm 145:3-7 form the second section of the psalm. It is taken up with the greatness of Jehovah, which is beyond all searching, and He is to be praised greatly. Each generation praises the works of Jehovah to the generation that follows it, and they declare His mighty acts.
Verse 4 puts God's "mighty acts" in the mouth of each generation. One writer sets those acts apart from His "ways":
God too has "ways" and "acts." "He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel" (Ps. 103:7). His ways revealed His nature; His acts showed more of His power.
One writer lists what this praise is made of, then traces the line it travels down:
The material for this endless praise is also largely ready. His mighty acts, the glorious honour of His majesty, His greatness, goodness, and righteousness, His upholding of the weak, His granting the desire of the needy, His keeping safe those who love Him, His vengeance on the wicked — these are among the themes of praise that will fill the joys and songs of the coming kingdom. One generation is to tell them to another. And the Lord Himself is the leader of this praise... The saints, as it were, take it from the lips of the Lord and teach it to the nations, and one generation teaches it to another.
What God has done for a people is what makes them fit to speak of Him:
The deliverance of Israel, and God's dealings with them, will make them able to declare His acts to the people yet to be born. Messiah and His saints speak these things together, and they tell the nations what their God is (vv. 11, 12)... Israel's work will be to learn the character of God and make it known to the nations; and this should be the work of God's people now. The world cannot know God, but we are called to be the "letter of Christ, known and read by everyone."
One writer turns the same duty on believers today:
If we were more alive to God's ways with us, the natural result would follow: we would be far more able witnesses to those who come after us on the same path... This is what secures the blessing in it — that it is His praises being kept up and spread widely. God is in His place, and so is everything else, to the same degree that He is.
- Leader — Christ leads this praise. He starts it among His people and awakens it among men, so the psalm reads like a dialogue.
- Material — His greatness is beyond searching, so the supply never runs dry. Praise draws on His mighty acts, His majesty, His goodness, and His care of the weak and needy.
- Meaning — His "acts" display His power. His "ways" reveal His nature. Each generation reports what it has seen God do.
- Reach — the song travels outward as well as forward. It goes from the Lord's lips to His people, from His people to the nations, then from one generation to the next.
- Result — those who have known God's dealings become able witnesses to those coming after them on the same road. Where God keeps His place, His praise keeps going.
I will speak of the glorious splendour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
Psalm 145 is a song of praise with more than one voice in it. In verse 5 one speaker turns from what God has done to who God is — which raises the questions of who this "I" is, and what "the glorious splendor of your majesty" means.
The verse sits inside a psalm that moves back and forth between a leader and the people around him. One commentator reads it as looking ahead to the millennium — the coming age when the distress is over — with the speaking parts shared out.
Psalm 145 goes on in thought into the millennium, after the distress is over, and the full deliverance can be celebrated. It is Christ in spirit — perhaps even in person — as in the midst of Israel, leading the praises of Jehovah, and awakening them among men. So, though it only expresses purpose, it has the character of a dialogue. One generation should do it to another. "I will speak." One sees his heart is full of praise, and he speaks of it (v. 5). … In general, the rest speak more of the outward acts and greatness, while the leader speaks of what Jehovah is — though he does celebrate His wondrous works as well.
One writer takes the "I" of verse 5 as more than David. He hears Christ here, speaking for His people.
Then the psalmist says for himself that he will meditate on the glorious splendor of God's majesty and on His wondrous works. If this is true of Christ Himself in that great day, then He speaks as the Representative of His people.
Many voices can report what God has done. Only one, says another writer, is equal to who He is.
He is worthy to be praised: His greatness is an infinite reality. The generations of men, too, shall declare it. But one tongue can speak rightly of the glorious splendor of His majesty, and of His mighty works.
The Hebrew stacks nouns on top of each other, and a close translation keeps the weight of them rather than smoothing it out.
The majesty of the glory of your honour, and the words of your wonders, I will meditate.
Why such piling up? Because the subject cannot be measured, and the verse belongs to a section built on that fact.
First the psalmist celebrates the greatness and power of God. The Lord is great with a greatness that is unsearchable. His acts are "mighty," "wondrous," and "terrible." The generations of men will declare the greatness of His works, the glory of His majesty, and the terror of His acts of judgment. They will keep alive the memory of His goodness to His people, a goodness founded on righteousness.
What the psalmist dwells on, he also says out loud. David and the faithful few around him — the remnant — take up the same themes. (Older translations read "glorious honour" where the ESV has "glorious splendor.")
David could speak for himself of "the glorious honour" of Jehovah's majesty, and of His wondrous works. The remnant could join in to tell of His terrible acts, and of the great deeds the psalmist declared.
What does it mean to meditate? One writer explains the word itself, and shows where meditation begins.
adds the source's definition of "meditate"; splits two very-hard sentences
Verse 5 names things worth dwelling on. One writer lists them, and shows who hands them on.
The materials for this unceasing praise are also largely prepared. His mighty acts, the glorious honour of His majesty, His greatness, goodness, and righteousness. He upholds the weak, fulfills the desire of the needy, preserves those who love Him, and takes vengeance on the wicked. These are among the themes of praise that will fill the joys and songs of the coming kingdom. One generation is to rehearse them to another. And the Lord Himself is the leader of this praise, according to what He had vowed in His distress. (Ps. 22:22)
- Unsearchable. Verse 5 sits in a section built on one fact: God's greatness is unsearchable. No one can measure it.
- One tongue. Many voices report His acts. One speaker takes up the splendour of His majesty — commentators read him as Christ, leading praise for His people.
- Meditate. Praise comes first. Then the heart dwells on the Person — and whoever draws near finds He draws near in return.
- Speak. Meditation does not stay silent. The psalm is a dialogue: he speaks of what God is, they tell of what God has done.
- Hand on. The themes are ready and waiting. One generation rehearses them to the next, and the songs never end in the coming kingdom.
And they shall tell of the might of thy terrible acts; and thy great deeds will I declare.
Psalm 145 has two speakers. A crowd tells of God's awesome deeds. A single voice answers, "I will declare your greatness." Commentators read this exchange as praise in the coming kingdom, once deliverance has come.
The shift between "they shall speak" and "I will declare" is not accidental. One writer reads the whole psalm as a conversation. He sets it in the millennium — the coming age of God's kingdom. Christ Himself starts the praise, and others take it up.
In thought, Psalm 145 moves on into the millennium. The distress is over, and the full deliverance can be celebrated. It is Christ in spirit — perhaps even in person — standing among Israel, leading the praises of Jehovah and awakening praise among men. So, though it only expresses purpose, it has the character of a dialogue... In general, the rest speak more of the outward acts and greatness. The leader speaks of what Jehovah is, though he does celebrate His wondrous works... Note that there is the leader who speaks in the psalm, the saints (the Jewish remnant), and the world in general, the sons of Adam.
The deeds men speak of here are not gentle ones. They are the acts by which God ends what is wrong — and the same mouths go on to sing of His kindness.
He is worthy to be praised: His greatness is an infinite reality... They shall tell of the terrible acts by which evil has been dealt with and held down. He will declare God's greatness. Yet they, too, shall pour out their memory of His goodness, and sing aloud of His righteousness.
There is a difference between reporting what God has done and describing what God is. The verse hands the second task to one speaker.
Others speak of the might of God's awesome acts (v.6), while He declares God's greatness. Men may recognise and speak of what the Lord does. But only Christ can rightly declare the actual personal greatness of God. Then His people together shall utter the memory of His great goodness (v.7). They will well remember how God dealt with them, bringing them out of the tribulation and establishing them in millennial blessing.
Verses 3 to 7 hold together things we tend to keep apart. The psalmist stacks three words on God's acts. The memory His people keep runs from judgment straight through to kindness.
(vv. 3-7) First the psalmist celebrates the greatness and power of God. The Lord is great with a greatness that cannot be searched out. His acts are "mighty," "wondrous," and "terrible." The generations of men will declare the greatness of His works, the glory of His majesty, and the terror of His acts of judgment. They will keep alive the memory of His goodness to His people, founded on righteousness.
The two voices also have a plain setting in Israel's story. The psalmist speaks from his own experience. The faithful remnant answers him. What they learn becomes the message for everyone born later.
David could speak personally of the glorious splendour of Jehovah's majesty and of His wondrous works. The remnant could join in to tell of His terrible acts, and of the great deeds the psalmist declared. In the coming day, the godly remnant of Israel will learn afresh the greatness of Jehovah's power. That will happen when the Lord Himself comes to deliver them from their enemies and to bring down all who have opposed them. In that day these words will be fulfilled: "They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness" (verse 7).
Commentators draw a direct line from this pattern to Christians now.
Israel's deliverance, and God's dealings with them, will make them able to declare His acts to the people still to be born. Messiah and His saints speak these things together, and they tell the nations what their God is (vv. 11, 12)... Israel's business will be to learn the character of God and make it known to the nations. This should be the business of the saints now. The world cannot know God, but we are called to be a "letter from Christ," known and read by all.
- Delivered — the praise comes after the trouble is over. The remnant learns God's power first-hand when He comes to rescue them.
- Divided voices — "they shall speak" and "I will declare" mark a dialogue. The crowd tells of the acts. The leader of the praise tells of what God is.
- Declared — men can report what God does, but only Christ can rightly declare God's personal greatness.
- Double subject — one song holds both the terror of His judgment and the memory of His goodness, founded on righteousness.
- Dispersed — what a rescued people learns of God becomes their message to everyone else. Saints today have the same work, as a letter from Christ read by all.
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
This verse is a promise about voices. A crowd will pour out what it remembers of God's goodness, and its song will turn to His righteousness. Who are these singers, and when do they sing?
Where the ESV says "pour forth the fame," another translation says "pour forth the memory." That rendering also sets the singer's own voice beside the crowd's:
And the strength of your terrors they shall tell; and your greatness, I will declare it. They shall pour forth the memory of your great goodness, and your righteousness they shall sing aloud.
This overflow has a cause and a time. One writer places the psalm in the millennium — the age of blessing after Israel's distress is over — and hears three voices in it:
Psalm 145 goes on in thought into the millennium, after the distress is over and the full deliverance can be celebrated. It is Christ in spirit — perhaps even in person — in the middle of Israel, leading the praises of Jehovah and awakening them among men. So, though it only expresses purpose, it has the character of a dialogue... "They shall speak of the memory of your great goodness, and shall sing of your righteousness." Then He breaks off most beautifully to speak of the goodness. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth still speaks. It is to be remarked that there is the leader who speaks in the psalm, the saints (the faithful remnant of Israel), and the world in general, the descendants of Adam.
The dialogue divides the subject matter between the speakers:
While men may recognize and speak of what the Lord does, only Christ can rightly declare the personal greatness of God Himself. Then His people together shall utter the memory of His great goodness (v.7). That is, they will remember well the great goodness of God in the way He has dealt with them. He brings them out of the tribulation and establishes them in millennial blessing.
The two halves of the verse are not separate topics. One holds up the other:
First the psalmist celebrates the greatness and power of God. The Lord is great with a greatness that is unsearchable. His acts are "mighty," "wondrous," and "terrible." The generations of men will declare the greatness of His works, the glory of His majesty, and the terror of His acts of judgment. They will keep alive the memory of His goodness to His people, a goodness founded on righteousness.
That is why one people can sing about both. God's kindness and God's judgments feed a single song:
Above all, one thing fills the hearts and mouths of those whose song is of His righteousness: the memory of His "great goodness" toward the people of His name (verse 7). His judgments will have been in the earth, and He will have made a short work in righteousness (Rom. 9:28) — so making His glory visible in the sight of all flesh.
Memory does not stay inside the circle that holds it. God deals with a people, and that experience fits them to explain Him to everyone else. One writer draws a straight line from Israel to believers now:
The deliverance of Israel, and God's dealings with them, will make them able to declare His acts to the people yet to be born... Israel's business will be to learn the character of God and make it known to the nations. This should be the business of the saints now. The world cannot know God. But we are called to be a letter from Christ, "known and read by all." The church has to be Christ's letter of recommendation to the world.
Memory feeds this praise, so forgetting silences it. One writer takes the Lord's own question about remembering and marks out what we may forget and what we must not:
Lack of memory. "Do you not remember?" — and then the Lord pointed to the two miracles of the loaves. We may usefully forget the things behind us, which relate to how far we had come in the Christian life (Phil. 3:13). But the memory of the great goodness of the Lord should always be with us, stirring us up to continual praise (Ps. 145:7). The recollection of the Lord's ways with us in the past gives us guidance for the present. When we remember the food-miracles of yesterday we do not fear a famine today or tomorrow.
- Memory first. Praise starts with remembering. Goodness already received is its raw material, and forgetting is the quickest way to a silent mouth.
- Memory overflows. The mouth pours out what fills the heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
- Memory rests on righteousness. God's goodness to His people is founded on His righteousness. Mercy and judgment feed one song, not two.
- Memory has a leader. The psalm is a dialogue. The people tell what God has done, while Christ alone declares who God is.
- Memory travels. People God has dealt with can explain Him to others. The church is Christ's letter of recommendation to the world.