This follows on from Psalm 147 (Part 1), A plethora of praise.

One of the casualties of the predominantly humanist culture in which we live is the awareness of Divine Providence in all its glory. Sadly, this can even affect believers. In contrast, the first part of Keil & Delitzsch’s summary¹, ‘the Sustainer of all things’, brings us to the psalmist’s recognition of the Lord’s continual action in his created world. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews confirms this: having written about the Son’s action in creation, he then points out that the Son is presently “sustaining all things by the word of His power” (Heb 1:3).

God sustains his creation

In verse 8 of this psalm, we read that he “covers the heavens with clouds”. Here’s a question for you: when was the last time we praised the Lord for a cloudy day? Yet the psalmist exhorts us to praise him “with thanksgiving” (v.7) for his provision of clouds and rain. The sequence of verses 7 to 9 is instructive, outlining the causal sequence

CLOUDS     →     RAIN      →    GRASS GROWTH     →     CATTLE FOOD.

And in the agrarian society of the day, the next step, food for people, perhaps was so obvious as to need no comment. What seems particularly striking, if not startling, is the final step the psalmist takes in verse 9, where he declares that the LORD gives food “to the young ravens that cry”. To the Jews, these were unclean, appearing in the list of birds that were, from a dietary point of view, “abominable” (Lev 11:13-19). Yet even these “young ravens that cry”, as they await their parents bringing stinky carrion, are seen as being fed by the LORD! Remarkably, Jesus uses this same example during His teaching of the disciples not to be anxious: “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, and have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them”, yes, even them! (Luke 12:23-26). Those who maintain that such perceptions are primitive and outdated are arguing with the Son of God Himself, the One who is still actively involved with his planet."He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call." (v9)

Another focus on the LORD’s continued sustaining of creation occurs in the psalmist’s 15th to 18th verses, in which he returns to weather phenomena. Verse 15 declares the action of God: “He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly” (calling to mind again the message in Hebrews: “upholding all things by the word of His power”). Verses 16 and 17 focus on winter conditions – snow, frost, hail, cold – all unpleasant in many ways, despite their perceived beauties, especially in Israel, where a much warmer climate than ours applies. The psalmist, however, sees their material benefits coming as a result of the LORD’s actions: “He sends out His word and melts them, He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow”, waters which are particularly welcome in the semi-arid areas of Israel.

God lifts up those who trust in him

There are also several verses that are intertwined with the creation elements we’ve been considering, verses that focus on the Lord’s relationships with people. Verse 6 assures us of his justice, as he “lifts up the humble and casts the wicked to the ground”. In the psalmist’s Hebrew, ‘humble’ signifies poor, lowly, and afflicted. God’s caring provision is here guaranteed for those who trust him, and although his judgment on the wicked can be swift or long deferred, that too is guaranteed. In verse 10 we encounter something that at first reading can seem rather odd: “He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man”. However, this stands in stark contrast to the next sentence: “The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy”. In the last clause, the American Standard Version has the better translation: “to those who wait for His lovingkindness” – using the word coined by Coverdale to express the richness of the Hebrew “chesed”²."He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills." (v8)

In our rather atomised culture, there has been much encouragement to ‘stand on your own two feet’, to be independent. And as atheism has increased, so dependence on God has decreased. This can be illustrated by the title of Prince Harry’s athletic competition for injured veteran soldiers, ‘Invictus Games’, drawing on the scarily defiant 1888 poem, ‘Invictus’ by William Henry, that concludes:

‘It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.’³

A humble dependence, together with a patient expectation of gracious provision, characterises the attitude the Lord is seeking in each one who turns to him.

A further illustration of the undesirability of outright independence is found in the life of Jacob, who, after his wrestling with God, walked with a limp for the rest of his life, as a continual reminder of his former self-willed, selfish, character (Gen.32). We all need to give up our wilful independence – without exception. A humble dependence, together with a patient expectation of gracious provision, characterises the attitude the Lord is seeking in each one who turns to him. In fact, the Hebrew behind the assertion that the Lord “takes pleasure in” (ratsah), means ‘to be pleased’, ‘to be accepting’, ‘to be favourable towards’. What amazing grace is this! What a promise to live by! What a cause to praise the LORD!

God’s covenant with Israel

Finally, in verses 19-20, the psalmist turns to the basis on which the celebration of the restoration of Jerusalem was founded – the covenant with Israel. He recognises that it stems directly from the LORD’s declared Word (v.19), and he recognises the privileged position that Israel holds: “He has not dealt thus with any nation”. Ideally, the translators should have inserted ‘Gentile’ before ‘nation’, as the Hebrew word ‘’goy” usually refers to Gentile peoples. Although through the New Covenant we believers have legitimate and free access to so many of God’s promises, verse 20 is true as ever. No other nation has an everlasting covenant of the land (e.g. Gen 17:3-8; Jer 32:40-44) and no other nation has the promise of the preservation of all its tribes (e.g. Deut 30:3-6; Hos 1:11; Jer 31:10). Moreover, no other nation received the promise of Messiah. No wonder that the song ends with the exhortation, “Praise the Lord!” And, without the fact that the Lord dealt specially with Israel, we Gentiles would know nothing whatever of salvation. All the more reason for each one of us to respond with joyful thanksgiving to the exhortation, “Praise the Lord!”

Endnotes ¹ Keil, K & F Delitzsch (1861) Commentary on the Old Testament: Vol 5: The Book of Psalms
² For more detail, see the study on Ps.63 ‘Lovingkindness in desert places’ (PT, 10 July 2020)
³ Wikipedia cites reports that revolutionaries who have engaged in violent politically motivated public acts have used this poem as an explanation/justification for their actions, including Timothy McVeigh, the American citizen who attacked the Government of the United States with a bombing in 1995, and Brenton Tarrant, the Australian who committed a massacre at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on 15 March 2019.