A Brief Comment on Psalm 145

The psalm is ascribed as being a psalm written by David. This is written as a psalm of praise to God. David makes a point of God's greatness in verse 1, when he addresses God as "my God, O King.” He is clearly showing the Lord's supremacy by the king of Israel addressing God as his King. He also uses a common Hebrew form of poetry by repeating a statement for emphasis on what he is saying. In verse 1, he says, "I will bless your name forever and ever." He makes a very similar statement in verse 2 by saying, "I will praise your name forever and ever." This is a Hebrew poetic device called "parallelism".

He further emphasizes God's greatness by saying that he is "highly to be praised" and the his greatness is unsearchable. We can, and should, try to understand God and his workings both in our lives and in the world. But David affirms that our understanding of God is incomplete because he is so far superior to us. Isaiah reiterates this idea in Isaiah 55:8, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD."

Giving praise to God even has an educational aspect, as verse 4 says that one generation shall praise your works to another. The people of Israel were encouraged to talk about the things the Lord had done for Israel when they were at home or walking down the road together. They were keenly aware of their spiritual heritage and the things that God had done for them in delivering them from Egypt. They were equally aware of a coming Messiah. It is important that we remember God's faithfulness in the past, as this is assurance of his faithfulness in the future, because God never changes. This means talking about God and encouraging each other in day-to-day life, rather than just in church.

Verses 5 and 6 further emphasize this idea, when David says that he will meditate on God's wonderful works and on God's majesty. These are not just fleeting thoughts, but rather he dwells on them for some period of time. He allows the truth to sink in. Dwelling on these thoughts helps David have a better understanding of God and live obediently to him. It is clearly also inspiring him to praise, and it should inspire us to do the same. But it goes even farther than this. Verse 7 says that people will speak of God's awesome acts, and David says he will tell of God's greatness. Not only does this inspire him to praise God, it also causes him to share his faith with others. We are seeing worship and evangelism go hand-in-hand here.

In verse 8, David moves from talking about God's acts to talking about his qualities. He affirms that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. This is something David has seen firsthand in his own life. God is good to all and his mercies are over all his works. That second half of verse 9 can be difficult for us, when it says that God's mercy is ultimately behind all of his works. Yet Scripture affirms that this is true. Romans 8:28 echoes this same idea, saying that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

We can all think of situations where we are unable to see how God is using a difficult situation for the good of someone who loves him. The book of Job states that a godly man named Job went through this very situation, and God never did give him an explanation of what was going on. The entire book of Job deals with the issue of suffering, and countless books have been written on the issue over the centuries. The question of how God uses those circumstances is far beyond the scope of this commentary, and the writer will not even pretend to have the answers to all those questions. This is an example of where our understanding of God is incomplete, but we can trust God in this issue because of his faithfulness in the past.

Verse 10 says that “all your works shall give thanks to you, and your godly ones shall bless you.” To say that God's works shall give thanks to him is a metaphor for the endless gratitude that God deserves for all that he has done for his people, both in terms of salvation and simply for the fact that he created us. The greatness of God's kingdom and his power will be a topic of conversation that should be passed on from one generation to the next. We all need to be reminded of that from time to time, especially when we are facing difficult circumstances. These reminders help us, as the apostle Paul might say, to walk by faith and not by sight.

Verse 13 affirms that God's kingdom is everlasting, so there isn't a need to worry about the great things that God has done coming to an end. The psalmist states that his dominion endures throughout all generations.

Verses 14 through 20 speak of God's love for us, assuring us that he will sustain us when we fall. We have already been assured of God's mercy and grace in verse 8. Verse 15 says that God also provides for our physical needs, providing food when we need it. He provides for all of our needs, whether it be food, water, clothing or whatever. The mention of food is an example of God's provision. This doesn't necessarily mean that he is going to provide everything that we desire, but that we can be assured he will see to it that our needs are met.

The psalmist assures us that God is near to all who call upon him and that he will answer and save them. We are assured that God keeps those who love him, but the wicked will be destroyed. David closes the psalm by reiterating that he will praise the LORD, not just now, but for ever and ever.