“A Hallelujah Hymn of Israel” Psalm 113:1-9

This blessed psalm of praise was sung during three great feasts of Israel:  Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacle.  This majestic psalm is among the group of Hallel psalms (Psalm 113-118).   The word “hallel” means praise.  The psalm before us calls for majestic praise and worship of our God because of who He is and certainly what He has done.  In this psalm of splendor our God is exalted and praised because He is both the Creator and the Redeemer.  Yes, our Lord is worthy of all of our praise and adoration, and let us exalt His name with the psalmist in Psalm 105:1-5, when he says: “O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people.    Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works.   Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.  Seek the LORD, and His strength: seek His face evermore.   Remember His marvellous works that He hath done; His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.”

In addition, we ought to praise Him for saving our souls through Jesus Christ, for I John 5:11-13 says: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

In verses 1-3, the wonderful psalm before us begins and ends with the expression “Praise ye the Lord.”  Notice verse 1 states: “Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.”  The psalmist calls on the servants to praise the Lord’s name.  The Lord’s name should be praised everywhere, from the east to the west as verse 2 puts it: “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’s name is to be praised.”

His name represents His attributes such as His holiness, justice, mercy, love, immutability, kindness, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.  These are some of the attributes that come to my mind; however, these are not all of the attributes that He alone possesses.

In verses 4 and 5, the psalmist says that the Lord should be praised because He is exalted: “The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens” (v. 4).  Our God is transcendent, for verses 6-9 states that He is indeed gracious in that He condescends to those of low estate.

In reading theses verses, I am so thankful that the Lord condescended to the lowly descendants of Adam (Romans 5:12) by taking on human flesh to die for our sins, for II Corinthians 5:21 states: “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  This marvelous psalm ends with the same expression as its beginning – “Praise ye the Lord.”

May God Bless!