Psalm 150

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! [Hebrew expanse (compare Genesis 1:6–8)]

This final psalm invites everyone everywhere to praise YHWH with everything. The first verse highlights two locations for the worship of God: his sanctuary and his mighty firmament. The word “sanctuary” means “holy place” and it may refer to God’s most holy dwelling in the heavens or his dwelling place on earth (a physical location such as the tabernacle or temple). We don’t know when the psalm was written, although it was probably post-exilic, given its location in the 5th book. At this time, the temple was being rebuilt and so this could be a reference to the second temple. However, given the universality of this psalm and the parallel with “mighty firmament”, I think it’s more likely that this is a reference to the ultimate dwelling place of God in the heavens. The fact that the psalmist uses the more universal name El (God) rather than the covenant name YHWH is further evidence of this. God is the one true and high God who reigns from his sanctuary in heaven over all things. The parallel location is the “mighty firmament”, the same word used in Genesis 1:6-8 and Psalm 19:1 for the sky. In the hierarchy of Hebrew cosmology God’s sanctuary in heaven was above everything else and below it was the sky, then the earth, and then the sea and the waters under the earth. The psalmist calls upon the inhabitants of the sanctuary (the throne angels) and the sky (sun, moon, stars, clouds, storms, wind) to praise God. Not that they need the psalmist’s permission, but it serves as a prelude to what the psalmist himself will offer with song and instrument. The psalm is a symphony of praise, and the ongoing worship in the heavenly holy place and across the 13 billion light years of space are the music of the first movement. 

2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

This verse contains the reason for universal worship of God -- his might and his excellent greatness. The word for “mighty deeds” is common in the OT and is all about power and strength, suggesting the omnipotence of God. This is best displayed in his creation and management of the cosmos, but it doesn’t preclude his acts on earth on behalf of his people (the exodus event, provision in the wilderness, the conquest of the land, and protection in the land from various foreign invaders over the centuries). These were the stories that inspired the nation and reminded them of their role in the redemption of the world. The second praiseworthy attribute of God is his abundant greatness. Surprisingly, this word “greatness” is found in the Psalms only here and in Psalm 79:11. It occurs thirteen times in the OT, two of those referring to the arrogance of men. It is associated with splendor, beauty, and elevation. The fact that the adjective “abundant” is attached to it points to the various ways that God’s greatness is on display -- his power, goodness, justice, sovereignty, grace, kindness, faithfulness -- these could all be placed under the umbrella of greatness. God is the definition of greatness. He is the standard by which all other great things are measured. In short, we might say that this verse invites us to praise God for what he has done and for who he is -- his deeds and his attributes.

3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!

4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!

5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

These six commands bring the total to ten -- ten commandments to praise God. The first two commands focused on location of praise, the next two on the reason for praise, and these last six on the means of praise. In short, we are to use every musical and artistic expression available to make much of God. First blast a shofar, strum the lute and harp. “Lute” comes from a word that means bottle-shaped, so likely a stringed guitar-type of instrument. Then praise Him with tambourine (timbrel) and dance (Psalm 149:3). Use rhythm instruments to get the people moving. Praise him with strings and pipe (flute). Finally, make a lot of noise with cymbals. Smash metal discs together. Interestingly the word “cymbal” is built on a word that means “whirring, buzzing” and is used elsewhere in scripture of the sound of crickets. Of course now we associate crickets with quiet stillness. The psalmist moves through all three types of musical instruments in this order: wind, string, percussion, string, wind, percussion with “dance” right in the middle. This arrangement places the total number at seven, a symbolic number of completeness. Engage the whole orchestra. Use every tool available to make a sound and draw attention to our God. Make it beautiful, powerful, stirring, unforgettable. Create musical experiences that stir the soul. I believe that great music does this even for people who don’t believe in God. How else do you explain the survival of classical music as a genre today? It is expensive, requires tremendous discipline, and it hasn’t changed in hundreds of years. Listening to great music can be a transcendent moment as we experience something that is beyond words, timeless and beautiful, moving us to tears or joy. Even the ancients with crude instruments understood this, and so the psalmist summons artists to create musical experiences for the glory of God. Bach famously signed every one of his compositions, SDG -- Soli Deo Gloria -- “To God alone be the glory.” Other artists have done the same. If I were ever to get a tattoo, it would probably be these three letters - SDG.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

The psalmist concludes this short psalm with a verse that is a fitting conclusion to the entire Psalter as well. “All breathing things, praise YHWH, praise YHWH!” The last “praise YHWH” is “hallelujah”, the same phrase that begins and ends each of the last five psalms. It’s a phrase that occurs 22 times in the book of Psalms, 22 being the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, suggesting completeness. This final “hallelujah” brings to a completeness this collection of prayers and songs, but it is an invitation for worship to continue through the end of days. Those who are called to worship are “all breathing things”, to include animals and humans. Animals have no choice in the matter. Their very existence and the manifold ways that their bodies and behaviors exhibit the wisdom and beauty of God are a type of worship that doesn’t require verbalization. Humans on the other hand have a choice to praise God or deny his reality. Those who reject God, still by their very being, give credit to his creative power and love, even if they will not see it or admit it. Life itself is evidence of God. No one has yet to explain how living things arose from non-living things although it is an essential tenet of the theory of evolution. I’m convinced that this leap cannot be explained by chemistry and blind chance. Theory is one thing, but reality is another. Even if that moment of ancient transformation from non-living to living could be recreated in a lab, all it would show is that a higher intelligence is necessary to create life. Someone has to monkey with the system in order to get life from that which is not living. God is life and all life originates from Him. He loves life, and so he made so much of it. The psalmist is acknowledging the obvious: Life itself praises God. It cannot help itself. Wisdom calls us to acknowledge this truth and join the song of the earth and all of its breathing inhabitants. Pick up whatever instrument or tool you have and use it for the glory of God. This is what we were made to do.