He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
Psalm 147 has been praising God for His power over wind, snow and the changing seasons. Now it names His best gift to His people: He tells them His own mind and His own laws.
Power seen by all, mind known by few
Everyone could watch the God of Jacob at work in the weather and the seasons. What set Israel apart was that He also told them what He thought.
J. N. DarbyIn verses 15-18 we see His power in His dealings with the seasons. In verses 19 and 20 we see Him showing His word and judgments to Jacob, as He had not done to any nation. Other nations might have seen the power of Jacob's God in creation and in His care of the world, but His mind and His laws belonged to His people.
Two names, one people
The verse names the same people twice: first Jacob, then Israel. One name marks their weakness; the other marks the honour grace gave them.
L. M. GrantBut God declares the truth of His Word to Jacob — a weak, undeserving creature of dust. He declares His statutes and judgments to the same nation, but now grace calls them Israel, "a prince with God." Clearly they are in a most favoured position, for God has not dealt with any other nation as He has with them.
Given to those who hope in mercy
Just before this, the psalm says whom God delights in. The same people are the ones who hold His word.
J. N. DarbyHe takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy — not in their own righteousness. They also have His word, God's own spoken words. He had not dealt so with any nation.
F. B. Hole draws the line from what pleases God to what God gives:
F. B. HoleWhat pleases Him is not raw physical strength but the right moral condition, as verses 10 and 11 show. That is why He has shown His word to Jacob in verse 19.
A gift meant to be shared
God's word was not a private treasure. Other nations had to come and learn it from the people who held it.
A. PridhamGod had not dealt so with any other nation. But to Jacob He had shown His word — His statutes and His judgments to Israel (verses 19, 20). If the other nations wanted to know Jehovah, they had to receive that knowledge from this wise and understanding people. God had clothed them with everlasting favour as His chosen priests: the keepers of His truth and the ones who pass it on.
A wall God built — and later removed
God Himself built the wall that kept Israel separate from other nations. He is also the One who took it down.
W. W. FeredayNotice that God has "broken down" the wall that He Himself put up long ago. It would have been sin for anyone else to do it. The godly gloried in that separation, and could say, "He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel" (Ps. 147:19)… But such distinctions belong to the past. God's present work is the forming of the one body.
The desire behind the law
The statutes point to something behind them. God wanted a people He could speak to.
The Christian's FriendSo there was a hint of what was in God's mind — to have a redeemed people for Himself, a people to whom He could communicate by His word what was of Himself. (Psalm 147:19-20.) In this way He would have formed them for Himself to show His praise, if only they had the kind of heart that would fear Him and keep His commandments. It will be so when He puts His law inside them and writes it on their hearts.
The same privilege, now open
The psalm ends in "Hallelujah." Israel was trusted with God's own spoken words. That same word is now in our hands, and it is meant to do the same work in us.
F. B. HoleThe possession of His word, His statutes and His judgments was one of the great privileges given to Israel. Romans 3:2 tells us that one of their chief advantages was that "they were entrusted with the oracles of God." He had not dealt in this way with any other nation. At last His word will have its proper effect on them. It will produce the meek and broken heart He desires, and they will be blessed and burst out in a heartfelt Hallelujah. Through God's goodness His word is available for us today. If it humbles us as it should, we too shall be blessed and able to take Hallelujah on our lips.
Summary
- Power — creation shows what God can do; only His word shows what He thinks. Israel saw both; the nations saw only the first.
- Grace — the word went to "Jacob," the weak and undeserving, and to those who hoped in God's mercy, not in their own righteousness.
- Trust — God placed His word with Israel as keepers of His truth, so other nations could come and learn it from them.
- Purpose — God wanted a redeemed people He could speak to, and He will have it when He writes His law on their hearts.
- Reach — God built the wall and God took it down; His word is now open to us, and it calls for a humbled heart and praise.