Psalm 145 originates from true and wholesome worship from King David’s lips. With his last writing in the book of Psalm, David focuses on a wonderful God, who lives for eternity, with no beginning or end. Here we see a unification of praise. Anyone can sing this praise, Jew or Gentile, man or woman, and old and young.
Furthermore, David tells us that we are all recipients of God’s goodness and mercies. We all experience God’s magnitudes starting with His general revelations to those whom He chooses for His divine grace. David begins by exalting the Ruler of all creation. In this Psalm, he looks to Zion, beyond the skies to the throne of God.
Let us begin this study by first placing Christ in the throne of our hearts. In the center of all our being, the pump that flows life through our veins. Let us focus on His majesty, His wonders, His mystery, His gifts, and His magnitude.
Psalm 145:1-10
1. GOD GENERATES A MAGNITUDE 1-6
1 "I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever."
(A relationship with God)
1A. David is saying that nobody can praise God apart from a personal relationship with Christ. Can you worship God without a personal relationship or trust in Christ? Trying to worship God apart from a personal relationship is improper.
1B. Here, we see evidence that David had long given up his rule to God. God was his King. Just like you and I, David was a man under authority. Notice that David did not consider an end to the Lordship in his life. It was “forever and ever.”
2 "Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever."
(David praising God-Every day)
2. We can see that David never let a day go by w/o praise. What a noble desire for us to imitate. He did not want to have to start out in the childlike mind state to learn how it was done. He wanted to take what he had learned (here on earth) in praising God, arrive into heaven and hit the ground running, able to praise God w/o delay.
3 "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom."
(The mystery of God’s Person)
3. David is talking about the great I AM. The God whose name is unspeakable. This is the God who spoke through a burning bush (to whom?) Moses, who had to remove his sandals because he was standing in holy ground.
Our God is so covert (secret –His ways are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:9)) that no human being can fully understand Him. He is a God who reveals Himself in the Trinity - as the Father, - Son, and - H.S. Three in one and one in three.
When addressing the greatness of God, I want you to think about your existence here on earth, you have a beginning and will have an end. Your schooling will have a beginning and an end. Your pets have a beginning and an end. Everything we know has a beginning and an end. We all begin with an introduction and finish with a conclusion. Even angels had a beginning.
Now, I want you to think about God’s existence, He is a God who is w/o beginning or end. Can you try to comprehend this? This is pure faith. Surely, like King David in this Psalm of worship, we must fall to our knees and worship at His feet.
4 "One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts."
(The strength of His power)
4. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Our foundations of our faith in God begin on Gen 1:1. At the very least, look at His general revelation around us. The universe, with its planets, stars, moon, and sun speak of His might acts. Here one earth, mountains, canyons, and life speak of His mighty acts.
You will hear of man-thought theories about “mother nature”, but no amount of theories, however they are presented or delivered, broadcasted, or spread, will stop a Christ loving individual from praising God and giving real credit to the creator.
5 "They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works."
(The splendor of His works)
5. Here, David is amazed by the splendor of God’s majesty. The O.T. is full of God’s glorious splendor in the lives of the Israelites (the flood, the parting of the red sea, and Gen 3).
In the N.T. we see God’s works of mercy at the cross, where He fulfilled Gen 3. Where God poured His own wrath upon Himself for our sake. His cross is a symbol of divine grace for our sin. And this, like David, we should meditate on and give Him thanks.
6 "They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds."
(The splendor of His works)
6. Throughout David’s life, God kept David saved from his enemies. Thus, he proclaims God’s great deeds because he was a product of His awesome works.
God’s awesome works are so powerful that to the unbeliever, or unsaved, this should spell horror. To us, Christians, God’s great deeds should be our testimony. (Let your mess speak of God’s awesome works in your life).
2. GOD’S MERCIES 7-10
7 "They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness."
(The goodness of God)
7. Is God good? God is good. In fact, it is impossible for God to be anything but good. To think otherwise, contradicts everything surrounding our faith. Even when we use sin (evil), God turns it into goodness according to His righteousness.
Let’s look at Joseph, (Gen 37) the son of Jacob. His brothers sold Joseph into slavery. They meant it for evil but God used their actions and turned it into goodness.
In Jeremiah, the Lord says that even out of the pains of labor, He delivers goodness. I want you to know that God does not make mistakes. His works are always good. Does God have an eraser? God makes no mistakes, therefore we should let our tongues dance and sing with our lips of his righteousness.
8. "The LORD is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and rich in love."
(Does God have limits?)
8. The goodness of God reaches the lost and the fallen. His gracious and compassion is another wonder of His mystery. Perhaps, grace and compassion is what surrounds His agape love, driving Him slow to anger.
Do you ever wonder how much does it take to drive God mad? Sin is very real in our lives. We do many things that aren’t pleasing to God. So at some point, do we reach our limit that God says enough? God does not have a limit. He died for every one of your sins—those you’ve committed and those you will commit—past, present, and future. You need to begin looking at your sin the way God looks at it. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9) “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
9. "The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
(Mercy on all)
I want you to think of a rainbow for this verse. What does it symbolize to you? A rainbow symbolizes God’s mercy and the covenant He made with Noah (representing mankind) not to destroy the world in such a way again (flood). This covenant covers both the sinner and the Christian. He is good to all. He makes His rain pour on the bad as well as the good.
10. "All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you."
(Everything screams the praise of God)
What do “His works” reveal about God? That His mind is more powerful and His creativity infinitely more amazing than anything humans can possibly grasp. He is too awesome for words!!! Therefore we must worship God not only with our words, but with our bodies, hearts, mind, and strengths.
As we finish this first study of Psalm 145:1-10, I want you to take time and thank God for His goodness in your life. To tell you the truth, it is often in our midst of trouble, in our lowest moments that we realize that God is a great King and that we are at His mercies. King David felt the goodness of God in his lowest moments, and he never forgot. So like psalmist, remember that God is wholesomely good, His works are good, His blessings are good, His creation is good, His mercies are good.
