Key Text: Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations (Psalm 145: 13).
David’s “Cause for Praise” offers five key reasons and promises to praise the Lord: “I will extol thee, I will bless thee everyday, I will praise thy name for ever and ever, I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and I will declare thy greatness. To this resolve, the Psalmist adds that all men “shall aboundantly utter the memory of the great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.” According to David, He is gracious and merciful vv 8-9, He sustains all who fails v 14, and He is righteous in His ways and kind in His deeds v 17. David, the king of Israel, extolled God as his king, “Every day will I bless thee” was a promise to “bless thy name for ever and ever” v 1. So great is God that man cannot begin to search His greatness v 3 and even the knowledge of the “unsearchable greatness “ is that “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts” v 4. In worship of God, David speaks of the adorable glory of the majesty of the King of Kings v 5; including His awesome acts, His wrath, and His grace; who is also worthy of the highest praise.
David’s Song of Praise moved to a quartet of attributes: “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works. Truly, He is a great God; He makes the sun rise on the evil as well as the good, and He sends rain upon the just as well as the unjust. The Psalmist is drawn to the greatness of God’s mercy v 13. God is always there for us to rely upon Him. God is not so far above us that He cannot condescend to lift us up and hold us up when we fall. Both the ways and works of God are worthy of our praise. It is God’s way to give us all that we need, and it is for this reason that He gives us “Meat in due season” v 17.
David’s last praise to God is enumerated in genuine faith that the Lord is never too busy to hear our prayers nor in “His will” to answer them. According to John Calvin, “Oppressions and afflictions make man cry, and cries and supplications make God hear.” God promises to be near us, to fulfill our desire, to hear our cries, to save us, and to preserve us. However, such is not the case with the wicked: for “all the wicked will be destroyed.” God will never tolerate wickedness; He will always destroy it. David ends his Psalm of Praise as it began. All flesh, all created beings of God are designed to reflect praise to Him. When we do not reflect praise to the name of His holiness, we fail to accomplish the purpose for our existence. AMEN!
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