Bless the Lord, O house of Israel! Bless the Lord, O house of Aaron! Bless the Lord, O house of Levi! You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord! Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the Lord! —Psalm 135:19-21

This psalm ends along the very same lines as it began, calling upon the people to praise the Lord, including the priests and everyone who fears God. Psalm 150:6 reminds us, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” The City of Jerusalem, along with Mount Zion, located just outside the walls of the old city, was to be a place where blessing the Lord continued perpetually. If we combine both fear of the Lord and blessing the Lord, as in the previous verses, we gain further insight, and the door opens upon our last takeaway from this psalm. The idol makers (vv. 15-18) make idols that are like themselves, deaf and dumb. In contrast, the fear of the Lord imparts to man the very wisdom of God! The fear of the Lord initiates true religion as opposed to the appearance of religion (Colossians 2:23). The fear of the Lord inspires praise. The fear of the Lord makes our praises acceptable. Peter is quoted in the Book of Acts stating, “ . . . God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

One observation regarding this call to praise: Our God is the source of all blessing and alone is worthy of the highest praise. Remember what we learned in Psalm 128 in our message on courageous fear? We saw that a home that fears the Lord will be a safe haven in an evil world. Isn’t that a wonderful blessing from God? Shouldn’t we always praise God for His blessings? Who is this God whom we love and fear? He is El Shaddai, God Almighty, and His name is YHWH. God alone has people-changing power, a power that is greater than the combined forces of the universe(s), and that makes Him the only rightful authority over all, including our own little lives and homes. He is very source of all blessing, and He alone is worthy of our highest praise. So what is the only way we can respond to all of this? Praise the Lord!

Excerpt from “Beside Still Waters” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER

Spend a few quiet minutes in the Psalms each day. Keep reading in Beside Still Waters by Barry Stagner.

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