Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
The psalm begins with the first of ten hallelujahs which frame the last five psalms, the doxology. One could argue that Book 5 ends with Psalm 145 and the rest is doxology for the entire collection. They are all five untitled and are linked by the hallelujah frame. The first of these five psalm begins with a declaration of personal praise. This is where worship begins, our souls. The psalmist commands his soul to praise YHWH and then promises to “psalm” (sing praises) for the duration of his existence. This includes the duration of his life as well as “while I have my being”. This is an interesting phrase because it is one word in Hebrew, the common word, “yet, still”. It is an adverb that expresses continuance. Even when his life has come to an end, he will “psalm still.” It’s clear from other texts that the psalmist believed in an afterlife (Psalm 16:11; 23:6 for example), and here he envisions himself offering neverending praise with musical accompaniment. Singing songs apparently is something that we will do after our bodies fail us on this earth. Our souls continue to psalm. It is our nature, our core, our soul, O that everyone would see the goodness and greatness of YHWH and acknowledge him in this way. Regardless of what others do, the psalmist has made his promise. He’ll be praising and singing. This is a great attitude to bring to corporate worship. What if everyone called themselves to worship before experiencing gathered worship? What if gathered worship were just a continuation of the regular personal worship that is happening daily, rather than a single dose once a week? Train yourself to sing songs all day, making this a habit of the soul. You’re going to be doing this for eternity, so you might as well start now.
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
It’s not clear whom the psalmist is addressing here -- either himself or the reader (or both) -- when he says, “don’t trust in princes or in a son of Adam.” They cannot save. They are mere mortals. At some point you can count on the fact that their breath (ruah) will depart and they will return to the ground (adamah). The flesh will fail, bodies will wear out and break down and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. We live in a culture that denies the reality of death. There are so many products and services that promise eternal youth, but it is a lie. Focusing on the eternal nature of God provides a sharp contrast to our temporal boundaries. The plans of princes and sons of Adam alike will perish with them. I have a lot of plans, a “to do list” that numbers over fifty items. Some I must do today and others are more like wishes. What I do know is that they will never get done. I will pass away, and my “to do lists” will remain unchecked. There will always be more to do. Promises I’ve made will not be kept because I won’t be here to keep them. So don’t trust in men whether on a societal level (princes, government) or on a personal level (Adam couldn’t be trusted with a piece of fruit). This doesn't mean they are incapable of doing good, but just that they are insufficient and thus not worthy of our ultimate trust.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
What a contrast with the previous pair of verses. If you trust in princes (government, the community) or a son of Adam (a person, an individual) you will ultimately be disappointed. They cannot save, they cannot help. Rather, you’ll be blessed if you trust in the God of Jacob for your help, if you’ll place your hope in the Creator YHWH. The title “God of Jacob” is found elsewhere in Psalm 24:6 for example) and the name “Jacob” is used 34 times in the Psalms either in the phrase “God of Jacob” or in reference to the people of Israel. Jacob was the given name of the second born son of Isaac, and the name means “deceiver, one who grasps the heel”. His name was changed to Israel, “he wrestles with God” after he literally wrestled with God. It could be that the use of the name Jacob is meant to remind us of our human, fallen nature. God is still the God of that nature, the one in need of rescue and help. He is also the God of Israel, the one who strives with God, who chooses an honest relationship with God, rather than a trickster who uses his own wiles to get by in life. That was Jacob before he became Israel. YHWH is the God of all, of both the Jacobs and Israels, both types of people. He is also God of the material world because he made all things -- the heavens, the earth, and the sea. These three domains of creation are frequently mentioned together in the Psalms. God’s handiwork is all around us -- surrounding us above in the heavens and by the sea in every direction. We are hemmed in, behind and before (Psalm 139:5). It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” So don’t trust in men, collectively or individually, trust in YHWH who keeps faith (emeth) forever. God is ultimately reality, accept nothing less and you will be blessed.
7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
The psalmist begins listing all the ways that YHWH helps those who hope in him -- nine groups of people in three verses: the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, those bowed down, the righteous, the homeless, the widow, and the orphan. The Hebrew syntax emphasizes YHWH’s role in the action, placing his name first in each phrase. For eight of them, YHWH performs a specific action related to their need, but for the righteous, the psalmist says that he simply loves them. For those who are oppressed (and there are many), God executes justice. Sometimes that justice is delayed, but it is inevitable. What is not made right in this life will be rectified in eternity. For those who are hungry, YHWH gives bread. Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread, food enough for a day. For many in this world, that remains a very real prayer, and those of us that live in abundance must keep that in mind every time we sit down to a full plate of delicious food. For those who are imprisoned, YHWH sets them free. Some are in prison for the safety of society and for the punishment of wrong doing. Others are unjustly incarcerated because of poverty (debtor’s prison) or because of political viewpoints. This may also refer to the widespread practice of slavery in the world, including various forms of slavery in the modern world. YHWH can set them free, both literally and figuratively. For those who are blind, YHWH opens eyes. This phrase is found several places in the OT, most notably in the serpent’s temptation in Genesis 3 (“your eyes will be open”) and in the case of Elisha’s servant (2 Kings 6) who was blind to spiritual reality while having 20/20 vision. God is an eye-opener, and Isaiah prophesied that the messiah would open the eyes of the blind, something that Jesus did on several occasions. For those who are bowed down, humbled and broken by this world, YHWH raises up. Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD and in due time he will lift you up (I Peter 5:6). For those who are righteous, they will experience the LORD’s love. The term “righteous” refers to those who do what is right and just (the tzaddiqim). It is a term that describes those who are devoted to YHWH. This phrase is unique in that there is no specific action indicated, just a relationship. This is the ultimate reward of devotion to God, a relationship with the Creator who desires the ultimate good of all.
9 The LORD watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
The first two lines of verse 9 are stated in a chiasm as a way perhaps of underlining all that came before it, this list of nine groups who experience the faithfulness of God. “YHWH watches over the stranger, the widow and fatherless he upholds”. These three groups of people are listed together, one after another, and are three categories of those that Wolterstorff refers to as the “quartet of the vulnerable” (the other group being “the poor”). For the sojourner, the alien, the foreigner, the homeless traveler among you, the refugee, YHWH watches over them. This is the common word for “keep, watch, protect” that might be used for guarding property, livestock or a city. YHWH relieves the widow and fatherless. The word “relieve” has as its root the idea of “returning, restoring”. The widow and orphan have each lost someone so important to them, but the LORD restores that which was lost. He himself is the husband to the widow and the father to the orphan. The contrast to this list of nine groups of people that YHWH shows special concern for is found at the end of verse 9 -- YHWH “bends, perverts” the way of the wicked. Their path in life is tortured and broken, difficult and circuitous because they reject the straight and level path of YHWH. In short, there are ten groups of people that God helps, and everyone fits into one or more of these categories. Nine of them are helped in a positive way, while the wicked are “helped” negatively by experiencing the consequences of their own actions. The final verse leads us to the next psalm. “YHWH will reign forever, Zion’s God to generations and generations”. The psalm began as an individual call to worship and concludes with a reference to the community that will be summoned to worship as well in Psalm 147. God’s kingdom is a forever kingdom, and this is particular comfort for those who live on the margins of society, the very groups listed in verses 7-9. Ironically, those who seem to have it all in this life will ultimately discover that they themselves are walking the tortuous path of the wicked, outsiders to the glorious reign of YHWH.