231. The Book of Psalms, Part 294 (Psalms 147:12-20) – Pr. Will Weedon, 8/19/26

You remember that last time we looked at the first 11 verses of Psalm 147, which the Greek, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate, Jerome's Latin version, treat it as a discrete psalm.

In their numbering, Psalm 146.

But which the Masoretic Text, the Hebrew, joined with the verses we're gonna consider today and called it all Psalm 147.

It began with a, by now, familiar exhortation to praise the Lord.

But we learned that we ought to praise Him because it's good to sing His praises.

It's actually pleasant, and it's fitting.

Thus a conjunction of our duty and our delight.

And I spent a little bit of time pointing out how we have zero excuse these days for not singing the psalms to God because we have so very many handy ways of doing so.

The reason for this song of praise, as the psalmist gave it, was that the Lord builds up Jerusalem and gathers the outcasts of Israel.

We saw in those words the picture of the church as the home into which God is busy gathering His scattered people.

And what happens in that home? Well, there God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

We heard from the fathers how this equates with God healing the penitent or contrite heart, and we marveled at how He does this with His word, which He sings as a lullaby to quiet a troubled child.

See Zephaniah 3.

And now we get to sing this peace-giving, healing song after Him.

And we heard that it comes from the one who knows every star by name, and yet who humbles Himself to know us with His abundant power and His understanding, which is beyond our comprehension.

He delights to lift up the lowly, but He humbles the wicked.

We sing to Him our thanksgiving and rejoice not only in His providential care for us and for the whole creation, but how His delight and pleasure is in those who fear Him and hope or trust in His steadfast love.

You remember that last time we looked at the first 11 verses of Psalm 147, which the Greek, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate, Jerome's Latin version, treat it as a discrete psalm.

In their numbering, Psalm 146.

But which the Masoretic Text, the Hebrew, joined with the verses we're gonna consider today and called it all Psalm 147.

It began with a, by now, familiar exhortation to praise the Lord.

But we learned that we ought to praise Him because it's good to sing His praises.

It's actually pleasant, and it's fitting.

Thus a conjunction of our duty and our delight.

And I spent a little bit of time pointing out how we have zero excuse these days for not singing the psalms to God because we have so very many handy ways of doing so.

The reason for this song of praise, as the psalmist gave it, was that the Lord builds up Jerusalem and gathers the outcasts of Israel.

We saw in those words the picture of the church as the home into which God is busy gathering His scattered people.

And what happens in that home? Well, there God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

We heard from the fathers how this equates with God healing the penitent or contrite heart, and we marveled at how He does this with His word, which He sings as a lullaby to quiet a troubled child.

See Zephaniah 3.

And now we get to sing this peace-giving, healing song after Him.

And we heard that it comes from the one who knows every star by name, and yet who humbles Himself to know us with His abundant power and His understanding, which is beyond our comprehension.

He delights to lift up the lowly, but He humbles the wicked.

We sing to Him our thanksgiving and rejoice not only in His providential care for us and for the whole creation, but how His delight and pleasure is in those who fear Him and hope or trust in His steadfast love.