“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him, all creatures here below!” —Thomas Ken (1674)
Psalm 135 begins with the word Praise! Who should praise Him? His People should! “O you servants of the Lord! You who stand in the house of the Lord” (vv 1-2). Today every believer is a “full-time servant of the Lord” and has unlimited access right into the sanctuary of God. Why should we “Praise the Lord!” (v 1)? First and foremost, we should praise Him forHis Person. “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good” (v 3). There’s no one like our God who is good and does good (119:68). We should also praise Him for His Plan. “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure” (Ps 135:4). It was not His intention to be Israel’s private God. He chose those He called “the least of all peoples” (Deut 7:7), determining that through them “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3). Through this little nation would come the Scriptures, the Savior, and the Spirit, God’s three greatest gifts. We should praise the Lord, too, for His Preeminence. “For I know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods” (Ps 135:5, cf vv 15-18). Here “gods” refers to spirit beings, both good and bad. He’s the only uncreated Being, infinitely above all. And of course He should be praised for His Power, first seen in creation. “Whatever the Lord pleases He does, in heaven and in earth” (v 6ff). Everything from the gargantuan galaxies to the subatomic particles, all resides in His hand. But His power, in a more thrilling way, is seen in redemption. “He destroyed the firstborn of Egypt…He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt” (vv 8-9ff). But He delivered us from a far greater enemy than Egypt! We’ve been saved from sin, death, and hell! “You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!…Praise the Lord!” (vv 20-21).