Magnify Jehovah with me, and let us exalt his name together.
David wrote this psalm after a failure: he had deceived a foreign king, and God brought blessing out of it anyway. Now he refuses to praise alone, which raises two questions: what does it mean to make the LORD great, and why does praise look for company?
Praise Born Out of Failure
One writer traces how that failure turned into a call for others to join in:
While he was deceiving Abimelech, David was not blessing the Lord. But now he could say it truthfully. The Lord had used his failure to bring about blessing in the end, as He does for all believers when they judge themselves… So David invited them to magnify the Lord with him and exalt His name together (v. 3). There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. In the same way, David expects others to share in his praise to God, now that he has repented of his sad failure. For God is glorified when He forgives.
What "Magnify" Asks For
To magnify someone is to show that he is great. One writer traces the word into places nobody would call religious work:
In Acts 19:17 the Name of the Lord was magnified in Ephesus: it was shown to be great and mighty. And Christ can still be magnified today, in the body of the humblest and weakest believer, because His strength is made perfect in weakness. We can magnify Christ by praise, by prayer, and by witness to Him… Yes, we can magnify Christ even in our daily work in the house, the shop, the office, or the care of the children, just as much as those whose feet carry the Gospel of peace.
His Name, the Shared Ground
Why does the psalm say His name, and not just "Him"? One writer answers that, and links it to what the psalm records next:
A heart full of praise will look for others to share it. His Name will be a common joy, for His Name is the revelation of Himself. After the call to magnify His Name comes the experience that gives the call its text, so to speak. The living God had heard him, answered him, and delivered him from all his fears.
Another writer sees the same reach for company, and an order in the way God helps:
Now the soul looks for fellowship. It wants others in its company… I think the Lord often works to deliver us from our fears before He delivers us from our foes. Here is a man whom God delivered from the fear of the trouble before He delivered him from the trouble.
Why Self-Praise Scatters People
Boasting in anything but the Lord, one writer argues, has the opposite effect:
This lowly spirit, which glories only in the Lord, is what draws the saints together. So the Psalmist adds at once, "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together!" The believer who boasts in his wealth, or intellect, or birth is trying to magnify himself, and to that extent he divides the Lord's people. Empty pride that seeks to magnify self lies behind so much division among the people of God.
The positive result is a shared centre rather than merely a shared mood:
We thus learn that the humble spirit, that blesses the Lord at all times, boasts only in the Lord, and exalts His name, will draw the saints to one another with the Lord as their gathering centre and bond of fellowship.
A Greater Voice Than David's
Several writers hear more than David here. One reads the whole psalm as the voice of Christ teaching those God has given Him:
Set aside its reference to David for a moment, and this Psalm is a remarkable word from the Spirit of Christ. We seem to hear the blessed Lord speaking directly to the children whom God has given Him (Heb. 2:13). He explains to them the name and ways of Jehovah, using His own experience as the gracious illustration (verse 11). Jesus is the teacher of His people's praise (verse 3).
Another writer hears "together" as the fixed pattern of redeemed praise:
His glory is the tongue of redeeming praise, and how loud it speaks! Glory now bears witness to redemption, and His word is: "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together!" Always together!
Summary
- Together, after failure. David calls others into praise after his own failure and repentance. God's forgiveness glorifies Him, so praise for it should be shared, not hidden.
- Together, not alone. A heart full of praise looks for company. His name is the revelation of Himself, so it becomes a joy held in common.
- Together, in daily life. Preaching is not the only way to make the Lord great. The house, the shop, the office and the care of children magnify Him too.
- Together, only in lowliness. Boasting in wealth, intellect or birth magnifies self and divides God's people. Glorying in the Lord alone draws them together.
- Together, led by Christ. Commentators hear Christ in this psalm as the teacher of His people's praise. His word is always "together."