Psalms 148:7–13

(vv. 7-13) The earth is called to praise the Lord. The sea monsters and the deep they belong to; the changing elements, lightning and hail, snow and mist, and stormy wind doing His Word; the solid mountains and the hills; the trees and the animals — all of these are called to praise. Last of all comes man, the crown of the earthly scene. Kings and peoples, men and women, old and young are called to join in praising the One whose Name alone is exalted, whose glory is above the earth and the heavens.

The word may mean any great serpent or sea monster, a picture of a huge destructive creature… Scripture calls Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great dragon (Ezekiel 29:3). As one of God's creatures, the dragon is called on to praise the Lord (Psalm 148:7).

Revelation 5 describes the creatures who praise as "every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea." So earthly things as well as heavenly things will join the chorus… Some translate the word "dragons" in verse 7 as "sea monsters," so the sea as well as the earth is in view in the Psalm, just as in Revelation.

We have now the lower sphere of earth, and here the call for praise is just as wide. We begin with what is strangest and least known: the monsters and the deeps they seem to belong to.

It may seem strange that great sea creatures are called first. This is life mostly hidden from man's view, yet far more plentiful than everything living on the land. "All deeps" is added here. It hints that there are depths beyond what we can see or even understand, and they too call for praise to the Lord (v. 7).

The kings and peoples are not yet subject to God, and all is disorder. The root of the trouble is there. We have to admit that nothing much is wrong with the snow and wind, or with the mountains, trees, animals and birds. The only blight on them came from the fall of man… when man is set right on earth, the curse will lift off the face of creation.

What greets us in this high and beautiful song is the perfect harmony of a freed creation's praise. Its subject is the once-rejected Lord of glory. It is a song worth singing now by a Christian faith that looks ahead, while it still bears the scorn of a world that treats the mystery of a hidden and exalted Christ as little better than a clever fable.

Verses 8 and 9 also look at things that are not intelligent in themselves, but that still affect people in remarkable ways. There is fire and hail, no doubt mainly the fire of lightning. There is snow and cloud, amazing creations of God. And there is stormy wind, sent at set times to fulfil the Word of God. Everyone will see these creations magnify the name of the Lord Jesus when He establishes His millennial kingdom.

Scripture declares the supremacy of "the Word" in the workings of what we call nature, as in 2 Peter 3:5-7. (See Ps. 147:15, 18; Ps. 148:8)

Hail usually forms from natural causes that we may not understand well yet. Even so, Scripture often refers to it as one of the judgements of God. It formed one of the plagues in Egypt... The hail is called upon to praise Jehovah, because it fulfils His word. Ps. 148:8; Isa. 28:2, 17; Hag. 2:17. It will also form a notable part of the judgements of God in His future dealings with this guilty world.

All this display of divine power is to carry out His will. "Praise the LORD... fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!" (Ps. 148:7-8). Sometimes it is as an "overflowing scourge", sometimes, "You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it" (Ps. 65:9), but always it is God whose actions, plans and purposes are before the eye of faith.

Faith can discern the hand of God behind the schemes of Satan. If Satan is using man to hinder God's purposes, God is using Satan to carry them out. Every kind of agent is at God's disposal. Angels and archangels, saints and sinners, the devil and his demons, all serve to carry out God's plans. The very elements — fire and hail, snow and mist, and stormy wind — are "fulfilling His word" (Ps. 148:8). Nor is it otherwise with the circumstances of life, as we see in the story of Joseph.

Nothing happens but His hand is in it. Stormy wind and rain only fulfil His word. "He causes it to happen, whether for correction, or for His land, or for love" (Job 37:13). This is how we learn the most precious lessons. They are precious because we get past the trial that tests us and reach the loving-kindness of the Lord. Our feet can then stand in a level place.

Now Satan has almost unlimited control over the elements of nature. God is above all, and He overrules Satan's activities for His own glory and for the good of His people. Even so, the forces of nature do not always display the true character of God in a public way... When the Lord was here in humiliation He had to rebuke the winds and the sea (Matt. 8:26). But in that day, which will be full of His praises, there will be no occasion for His rebuke, for the stormy winds shall fulfil His will, like everything else (Ps. 148:8).

Even the stormy wind fulfils His word (Ps. 148:8)... this is the God who loves me! Our hearts bow down before the marvellous wisdom, skill, and greatness of such a God. And this God spans the heavens and measures the sea in the hollow of His hand. Yet He describes Himself as One who notices the falling sparrow and counts the hairs of His people's heads (Matt. 10:29).

(vv. 7-13) The earth is called to praise the Lord. The sea creatures and the deep they belong to; the changing elements — lightning and hail, snow and mist, and stormy wind fulfilling His word; the solid mountains and the hills; the trees and the animals: all are called to praise. Last comes man, the crown of the earthly scene. Kings and peoples, men and women, old and young are called to join in praising the One whose Name alone is exalted, and whose glory is above the earth and the heavens.

The mountains and hills are pictures of solidity. The trees introduce us for the first time to organized things. Next comes animal life — higher, and, in proportion, frailer. Then comes responsible man, in his various roles of responsibility.

In Scripture the cedar always stands for power or high position, if not pride. When the king of Israel wanted to pour contempt on the king of Judah, he compared himself to a cedar and Judah's king to a thistle (2 Kings 14:9). The psalm writer uses it for the prosperity of the righteous, who "grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (Ps. 92:12). When judgment falls on the great of the earth, Isaiah calls it the day of the LORD against the cedars of Lebanon (2:13). These mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.

David's harp is the sign of nature answering in tune under the hand of man, even in its lowest and lifeless forms. It falls to man, God's highest and intelligent creature, to bring out and express these harmonies, to give the silence a voice. If he does not take his God-given place, no one learns what nature can do. Its depths go unmeasured, and God's design and glory in it stay hidden and misunderstood.

The kings and peoples are not yet subject to God, and all is disorder. That is where the root of the trouble lies. We have to admit that there is nothing much wrong with the snow and wind, or with the mountains, trees, animals and birds — except for the blight that man's fall has laid on them. When Satan is thrown out of the heavens, any blight there will be gone. When man is set right on earth, the curse will be lifted off the face of creation.

Then mountains and all hills, each one fulfilling its function as God directs. All these created things will be seen to magnify the name of the Lord Jesus when He sets up His millennial kingdom.

But praise widens out to take in everything: 'from the heavens' (v. 1) and all that are there, and from the earth (v. 7) and all that are there. For the LORD 'commanded and they were created', and 'His majesty is above earth and heaven.'

(vv. 7-13) The earth is called to praise the Lord. The sea creatures and the deep where they belong are called to praise. So are the changing elements — lightning and hail, snow and mist, and stormy wind fulfilling His word. So are the solid mountains and hills, the trees and the animals. Last of all comes man, the crown of the earthly scene. Kings and peoples, men and young women, old and young are all called to join in praising the One whose Name alone is exalted, whose glory is above the earth and the heavens.

After this the animals of the earth will praise Him, though without understanding. This even includes creeping things and birds, which were created before man was (v. 10). But if those things praise Him, what of mankind? Great numbers today refuse to give honour to their Creator. But then the "kings of the earth" are called on to do so, and "all peoples"… No one is left out. "Young men and maidens, old men and children" are just as much called to join in this great symphony of praise to the living God.

Psalm 148 follows with Hallelujahs that seem to echo through the whole creation. It looks ahead to the glorious praise that will fill the millennial scene.

Sin has spread through the whole creation and corrupted everything. We see anger and strife, envy, greed, revenge and violence all through the animal world around us. It runs from the fierce lion down to the little angry bee, from the tame dog to the ravenous wolf… Right now the whole creation groans and suffers together in pain. It waits with eager longing for "the revealing of the sons of God." In the millennial kingdom it will be "delivered from the bondage of corruption." That kingdom is under the sceptre of the "Prince of Peace" and "King of Righteousness," and it is the time of the "liberty of the glory of the children of God."

Noah carried them, "two of every sort," with himself and his household through the waters into the new world. The same covenant that settled him and his descendants there provided just as much for them (Gen. 9:10)… Later Moses redeemed them all out of Egypt… And under the law he sanctified them all to Jehovah — the fruit of the land and of the cattle, as well as the fruit of man. This shows us that Jehovah claimed the whole system as His own… And in the coming kingdom they will still own Him. All will be in subjection to Him and will join in the joy of redemption, beasts and all cattle praising the Lord (Ps. 148:10; Heb. 2:8; Rev. 5:13).

David's harp is a sign: even the lowest, lifeless parts of nature answer and make harmony in the hand of man. It lies with him, God's highest and intelligent creature, to bring out and express these harmonies — to make the silence vocal. If he does not take his God-given place, no one knows what nature can do. Its depths stay unexplored, and God's design and glory in it are hidden and misread. What will its awakening be when the earth is put into the hands of the Second, the ideal Man? How our David will make all nature His harp of many strings, and lead the anthem of praise from all creation!

(vv. 7-13) The earth is called to praise the Lord. The sea-monsters and the deep they belong to are called to praise. So are the changing elements — lightning and hail, snow and vapors, and stormy wind fulfilling His Word. So are the solid mountains and hills, the trees and the animals. Last of all comes man, the crown of the earthly scene: kings and peoples, men and maidens, old and young. They too are called to praise the One whose Name alone is exalted, whose glory is above the earth and heavens.

Now we come to the lower sphere of earth, where the call for praise is just as universal. Here we begin with what is strangest and least known; the monsters and the deeps... The mountains and hills, by contrast, are pictures of solidity. The trees bring in organized things for the first time. Next comes life in the flesh — higher, and frailer in the same measure. Then comes responsible man, in his various characters of responsibility. Last of all, here too, come the fixed places they hold in relation to one another, and the limits of their time at either end.

After this the animals of the earth will praise Him, though without understanding. This even includes creeping things and flying birds, things created before man was (v. 10). But if those things praise Him, what of mankind? Great numbers today refuse to give honour to their Creator. But then "kings of the earth" are called upon to do so, "and all peoples." That takes in princes, those in places of dignity, and judges, those in authority. Yet no one is shut out, for "young men and maidens, old men and children" are just as much called to join in this great symphony of praise to the living God.

Here praise is called for from the heaven, and everyone and everything connected with it, the praise of Jehovah's name; so from the earth and all below, rising up to the kings and all peoples, of every age, sex, and degree, to praise His name set in His people, His holy or godly ones, beyond question Israel's sons.

The psalm then takes up Israel's part in this general or universal praise. This is the great result on earth in the millennium, but it is tied, as we have seen, to a sphere beyond it — all creation. "Praise Jah" is still the key-note... Then from the earth; and here the kings of the earth come in, and all people, princes, and judges of the earth. They are to praise the name of Jehovah; for His name alone is exalted — His glory above earth and heaven.

All this joy of heaven and earth is much spoken of. The times of restoration and refreshing are felt all through it. "The presence of the Lord" becomes the exhilarating atmosphere everywhere... But note this: the apostle hangs all this joy of creation on "the revealing of the sons of God" (Rom. 8), and the prophets hang it on the redemption of Israel.

The believer is told to give thanks in everything. Praise can only be known in its full and blessed character in redemption. Yet it is a question whether such praise marks the gatherings of the saints as clearly as it should. No sense of obligation can raise the notes of praise. They can only spring from hearts made "merry" by the enjoyment of redeeming love in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 148 first calls on heaven, and all in it, to take its part in the great Hallelujah, and to praise Jehovah, who created them and keeps them in their place. Then it calls on the earth, and all in it, to join in praising Him whose name alone is excellent, and whose glory is above the earth and heaven — but who also lifts up the horn of His people, the praise of His saints, a people near to Him. The great Creator whom heaven and earth must praise is the God of Israel, and Israel is His people.

Praise is vocal, "the fruit of our lips, confessing His name" (Heb. 13:15). Praise can be for the Person or for His work. "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted" (Ps. 148:13). This is the praise of His name, that which He is. "Praise Him for His mighty acts" (Ps. 150:2) is of course praise for what He has done. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is for something received.

The Lord Himself is praised, and His name is praised. His name, as distinct from Himself, is the varied honour and dignity He has gained by His mighty acts.

All who were exalted before are brought down to nothing, so that the Lord alone stands exalted. He is worthy of the fullest praise of all creation. This chapter has stressed His glory in connection with heaven and then the earth, since that glory is seen "above the earth and heaven." This looks ahead to the millennium. Joined to this praise is the lifting up of "the horn of His people." The horn speaks of power now given to His saints, and especially to the children of Israel, "a people near to Him." Can any place be more precious than this?

This hallelujah, or song of praise, calls on heaven and earth and everything in them to join in celebrating the glory of the Lord. And it calls for this praise from Israel, whose horn — her majesty — has been lifted up, and to whom "the first dominion," as another Scripture puts it, has now come. The Lord Himself, however, is above all this millennial earth and heaven, in a glory that is His own. His name alone is excellent. (See Psalm 8)

The blight will be gone and the curse lifted when, as verse 13 tells us, the name of the Lord alone will be excellent and His glory revealed. We know how that will happen. Psalm 8 has told us. It will be when the blessed Son of Man is shown openly, with everything under His feet. Then the shouts will wake the heavens! Hallelujah! And again, Hallelujah!

Psalm 148 and Romans 8 seem to give us good reason to include all creation in the homage due to "the Name JESUS."