Pss 146-150 serve as a climactic symphony of praise to the
LORD. The praise of God’s people is a bold and daring reminder to the nations
that the LORD is indeed king. The journey through the Psalter is a difficult
one. In the Psalms, we encounter the good and bad of life. There are
celebrations of God’s abundance and laments over the perceived absence of God.
There are liturgies for giving thanks and historical retellings of the failings
of God’s people. There are praises for God’s reign and confessions of sin.
The Psalter however does not end in ambiguity. The life of
faith has a destination and the faithful will reach it: the constant and perpetual praise of the Lord. Through the journey,
God has showed himself trustworthy and faithful. God has called God’s people to
serve as ambassadors to the nations and the end of the Psalter demonstrates
that this mission will succeed. If the introduction to the Psalter (Pss 1-2)
opened with an invitation to the nations: Blessed
are all who seek refuge in him (2:12b), the Psalter concludes with an
exhortation to worship: Let everything
that has breath praise the LORD (150:6).
Is your life marked by obedient praise of God? How would you
live differently if you anticipated
history reaching its climax in a chorus of praise to the LORD?
© 2015 Brian D. Russell
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