He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 147 ends by naming the one thing that set Israel apart. It was not their size, their strength, or their land. God had spoken to them. So why did God hand His word to one nation and not to the rest?
Praise Built on God's Dealings with Israel
The psalm's calls to praise are not general. They rise out of what God has done for one people.
F. B. HoleGod's dealings with Israel and Jerusalem are what especially call out the Hallelujahs of Psalm 147. The psalm does look at His glory and might shown in creation. Yet all of that seems to be only a background. Against it, the kindness of His dealings with His people shines all the more brightly.
What Every Nation Could See, and What One Nation Heard
Anyone can see wind, snow, stars and rain. The closing verses move from what everyone can observe to what God gave to one nation only.
J. N. DarbyIn verses 19, 20, He shows His word and judgments to Jacob as He had not done to any nation. They might have seen the creative and providential power of Jacob's God, but His mind and laws were His people's.
This verse also settles a question about the law of Moses: who received it?
C. J. DavisThe law itself was not given until Sinai, and to one particular people. Some say it was given to the whole world. But how could it have been given to the Egyptians? It opens by addressing Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." And in Psalm 147:20 we read that He has not dealt this way with any nation, and they do not know His rules. Cain was not under it, yet sin was there (Gen. 4:7). Nor do we read of it during the whole book of Genesis. Yet responsibility was there, and sin, and God's judgment.
The Greatest Advantage a Nation Ever Had
The New Testament names this same privilege as Israel's chief advantage — and the same word now reaches us.
F. B. HoleHaving His word and statutes and judgments was one of the great privileges given to Israel. Romans 3:2 tells us that one of their chief advantages was this: God entrusted them with His own words. He had not dealt in this way with any other nation. One day His word will have its proper effect on them. It will produce the meekness and brokenness of heart that He desires, and they will be blessed and break out in a heartfelt Hallelujah. Through God's goodness His word is available to us today. If it humbles us as it should, we too shall be blessed and able to take Hallelujah on our lips.
Why the Word Was Sent, and Why to "Jacob"
Just before this, the psalm shows God sending His word to melt ice. The next verse uses that same picture for His people, and the name it gives them is not accidental.
F. B. HoleIn verse 18 God sends out His word and melts the snow and ice. In verse 19 He shows His word to Jacob, so that Jacob might feel that same melting power. Jacob was his name according to nature. Israel was his name according to the grace God gave him.
Entrusted, Not Hoarded
Holding God's word alone put Israel in a position of service toward the other nations.
A. PridhamNo other nation had been dealt with so. But to Jacob He had shown His word — His statutes and His judgments to Israel (verses 19, 20). If the Gentiles wanted to learn the knowledge of Jehovah, they had to receive it from this wise and understanding people. God had adorned them with everlasting favour as His chosen priests, the keepers and dispensers of His truth (Zech. 8:23; Isa. 61:6).
A Wall God Raised — and Later Removed
Verse 20 describes a separation God Himself made. He did not leave that wall standing forever.
W. W. FeredayNotice that God has "broken down" the wall which He Himself put up long ago. It would have been sin for anyone else to do so. The godly gloried in this. … But such distinctions belong to the past. God's present work is the forming of the one body. Christ has abolished the enmity in His flesh (Ephesians 2:15). Peace is now proclaimed to those far off and to those near, and both draw near to the Father.
Summary
- Word, not wonders. Every nation could see God's power in stars, snow and rain. Only Israel heard His mind, His statutes and His judgments.
- A gift, not a wage. The word came to "Jacob," the name he had by nature. The God who sends His word to melt ice sent it to melt a hard heart.
- The chief advantage. God entrusted Israel with His own words. They held that truth as keepers and dispensers of it for the nations around them.
- Not the world's law. God gave the commandments at Sinai to one people. Yet sin and responsibility before God existed long before Sinai.
- The wall down. God raised the separation this verse describes, then removed it at the cross. Peace now goes out to those far off and those near — and the word Israel alone once had is open to anyone today.