Date:   08/16/2009

Text:   Psalm 145

Title:   The Ultimate Decoder

Theme: Since God has done marvelous work in His creation, we can whole heartedly trust him.

Introduction:

  Several years ago, during a family reunion in China , an uncle gave me a small piece of paper with some strange wor ds printed on it . Knowing that I am a minister, he thought I could make some sense out of it. It could have been some ancient Middle Eastern language. I showed this to an OT professor and his conclusion was that most likely this does not mean much or worth much. However, I still wish someone would be able to recognize the words and explained their meaning to me.

  Do you ever feel like this about life? There are many times when we simply can't make much sense out of it. We want our lives to be steady and predictable and this is one reason we are working hard towards it. Just when we feel we are there, a phone call, an email, a text message or an unexpected bill, throws us into turmoil. We don't like our boats being rocked. We find ourselves in a tunnel with no light at the other end. Sometimes life seems to be a puzzle with several pieces missing and without them, the picture does not make sense. How we wish someone would come along side and put in the missing pieces or decode our circumstances so we can make sense out of it. Or we may feel that we are like the frog sitting at the bottom of a well, looking up at the sky and what we see is so limited. How we wish there is someone who can come along and take us out of the well and see the sky in its entirety.

  Last week, we looked at some attributes of God and how they bring great comfort into our lives. We want to avoid the pitfall of trimming God to fit our size, our desires and needs. Instead, we are to see God for who He is. This morning, through our study of Psalm 145, we want to understand God's work in this world and what it means to us. This is the last psalm by David in this book. Each verse in this psalm begins with a Hebrew alphapet. From this psalm we want to see the truth that Since God has done such a marvelous work in His creation, we can trust him whole heartedly.

I •  We are to be a people of praise. Vs. 1-3

In vs.1-3, “ I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. ” David extols, blesses, and praises God. This is a personal praise and adoration of God. In David's other psalms, he addressed God as the Rock, Fortress and Deliverer. Here, it is God's greatness and universal care for His creation. We note here that it is one finite human being who praises the infinite great God.

And then in vs.4, “ One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. ” it is moving from one person to another generation, and then another generation. From one man, David, to successive generations. By the time we come to the end of this psalm, vs.21, “ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. ” It has become all flesh will praise God. David would never have thought that all flesh would include you and me, living some 3000 years after him. And furthermore, in Rev. 5:13, “ 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” ”. This is the movement we see in the scriptures. From a personal praise, it then passes on to successive generations, and finally people from all nations will come and worship God.

As I examine my own life, or my spiritual journey, I recognize the lack of praise and adoration for this God. Instead there have been plenty of whines, complaints and questions. Yet, we are reminded to be a people of praise. Now, let's explore what some of the reasons for praises are.

II •  We praise God for His Greatness. 1-7

In vs.3, “ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. ” We praise Him because He is great. What does this greatness include?

1•  Work of Creation . Vs.4, “ One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. ” On the one hand, David looked at the heavens above him, the sun, moon and the stars. On the other hand, he had the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the OT. He knew the first words in the scriptures: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Seeing this, he knew the universe above and the world around him were God's work and mighty acts. They are God's majestic creation.

Last week we read or heard of the news from Detroit that in 2011 GM will produce a car that is rated 230 mpg. We may say, Wow, that bailout money must have done something wonderful. Moreover, we are also curious about the company or the design and production team behind this car. Look at this picture of the stars in this solar system. This is the earth. This is certainly infinitely more than what David saw some 3000 years ago. On this earth, there is you, me and the other 6.7 billion people. Looking at this, can we not wonder who is behind all this? Can we not sing with David, vs. 3-5, “ 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. ” There is more to this.

2 •  Work of Redemption. Vs.6-7, “ 6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. ” This is a reference to the Israelites Exodus experience. David recalled what was recorded in the book of Exodus. The 10 plagues God sent to Egypt was an open confrontation with the 10 gods of Egypt and He was the victor. God parted the Red Sea , and He used the pillars of clouds and fire to guide the Israelites as they travelled in the wilderness for 40 years. He provided them with food and water. He gave them the 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai so they could experience holy and abundant living. He brought them into the land that was promised to their ancestors: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He established a kingdom for his people and had chosen David to lead and shepherd them on His behalf. This is what David saw and he praised God for His redemptive work.

However, David did not see what we see today. We know that several hundred years after David, Jesus Christ, the Messiah came. He was born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. The third day, he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the father almighty. And then one day in the future, he will come again and bring us to where he is and spend eternity with him.

This is God's greatness; his greatness in creating the heavens and the earth, his greatness in his redemptive work, forgiving our sins and bringing us into God's kingdom.

III  •  We praise God for his Goodness.

Vs.7, “ They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing of your righteousness.” God is great, and He is also good. How so?

1 •  God is Compassionate. Vs. 8-9, “ 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” vs.8 is almost a direct quote of Ex 34:6, in which God explained himself to his people, Moses and the Israelites. This is the 5 th appearance in Psalms. He is gracious, merciful, abounding in love to all that He has made. Very often we ask, if he is good, merciful and loving, why would tragedies and crisis occur? The challenge before us is this: even in the midst of those tragic unhappy, unplanned events, God is still good, merciful, gracious and loving. For this reason, we ask God to strengthen our faith in his goodness.

2 •  God is king. Vs.10-13, “ 10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, 12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] ” He is good because he is also the king. Several months ago I had a conversation with a person from another state. As we discussed some of the essence of the Christian faith, the issue of God/Jesus as our king came up. This was his response, “everything about Christianity is good and I can accept, but I have serious problem to accept that He is the king. It is ok that he is a shepherd, a savior, but king? No.” Not too many of us want our lives to be ruled by a government. We want to be our own king in our own lives but we soon find out this doesn't work too well. There are just too many things we cannot control or veto. So why are we so resistant to having God as our king? Maybe we should first find out what it means to have God be our king. As a king, he rules and defends us, restrains and conquers all his and our enemies. He has our entire well being in mind. His kingship is both physical and spiritual. Can we trust anyone to rule and defend us, to restrain and conquer our enemies, physically and spiritually? The creator, the great God, the good God, is not just high and far away from us, he is also our king. He is our defender and protector. Now, you want Him to be your king, or do you have someone greater than He is?

3 •  He is the Provider. Vs.14-20 tells us about God's provision. First vs.14-17, “ 14 The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” It tells us about God's provision and care for all that he has created. There is the help for the little one s and those that are oppressed. God will send the sun and rain so the hungry will be fed. Even as I am saying this, I think some of you are asking, if this is true, why are there so many who still live in poverty and oppression. If I am to ask God this question, what do you think his answer will be? I think He will look at me and say, “I have given you abundantly, now, go and help them.”

Secondly, another aspect of God's provision. Vs. 18-20, “ 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. 20 The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. ” tells us about those who pray, who call on God. What happens when God's people, His children pray? He will be near to them. There is the spacial aspect; that he is beside us. Many of us may have experienced that at times when we pray, or when we worship, we may feel a very special presence of God. Our hearts are touched and there is an outflow of our emotions. We can feel that he is very near, as if we can almost touch him. There is another aspect of His nearness. It is about a very intimate and close relationship with him.

Not only is He being near, He also answers His children's prayers. When his children live in obedience to him, loving Him and men, He'll grant them the desires of their hearts. There is one more thing about God being the provider of his people. He will protect us from enemies and save us from the power and attack of Satan in our lives.

David concludes this psalm with these words, vs.21, “ 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. ” As mentioned earlier, in vs. 1-3, it was David alone praising God. And now it is an appeal to all flesh, including everyone. He is to be praised because vs.13, “ [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] ”

Conclusion:

Looking at this psalm, some may suggest that these words are like a collection of clichés. “Praise the Lord, He is great, He is good, He is compassionate…” Is life really that simple? Are these simple words an outcome of David's simplistic and naïve life? No , far from being naïve , it was David's experience that enabled him to write these words. David had discovered that on the far side of trial and suffering, that in the end this is how things are. We may not understand fully what is going on, but it is this ultimate decoder that unlocks many of the secret codes in life. Yes, there is much evil in the world; but taking the long view, God is the ultimate victor. So how shall we then live?

Theologian Brueggemann points out it is the one who thinks simply, that God is great and good, who will benefit most from this psalm. He writes that it is about the one with looking eyes and open hands and yearning desire, doing nothing, producing nothing, earning nothing, manipulating nothing, possessing nothing, and only gladly, trustingly receives.

The God in Psalm 145 is the same God that feeds the birds of the air, takes care of the lilies in the field and clothes the grass of the field. No wonder Jesus told us not to worry about life. Instead we are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to us.

The movie Slumdog Millionaire is about a boy growing up in India 's slum area, and how he overcame the odds and won the grand prize in a TV show. It is a contrast of night and day compared to my children. Their world is so simple. Yes, there were things they could not understand, but it did not bother them one bit. Why? Because they felt secure under the parents' wings. Isn't it true that the best gift we parents can give to our children, is the knowledge and assurance that they are safe, they are being well taken care of.

The same is true with life. Yes, there are many times that we feel so insecure and confused by what is going on in our lives. Some of us are hard hit by the Recession. We can't make sense of our world. We then need to pause and think of the great and good God we believe in. With a God like this, even though we may be confused and can't make heads or tails out of our world, it is ok. All we need to learn is to simply stretch out our hands, gladly and trustingly receive what he will give us.