1 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Yahweh God is great and good, both terrible in justice and incomparably magnanimous in His mercy, and He is worthy to be praised.
“I will bless your name forever and ever!” This is a personal song of praise and worship. Even when we are alone, we find great delight in lifting praises to God. We speak affirming words, grateful words, awe-inspired words, boastful words, concerning the Lord of our lives. In some sense men are made to boast. It is when we boast in ourselves that the words turn to sawdust in our mouths. Yet when we boast in God in worship, we discover great reward and excitement of heart that will increase in intensity. It is a life experience for which we will never regret.
Verses 1-6
There is no higher calling in life than to praise the name of the Lord our God! It is the highest purpose for which we were created. There is nothing more rewarding than to cast off the constraints of a self-centered, man-centered existence and shout the praises of God. Here the psalmist pours forth gems of praise, one after another, without any restraint. His heart is literally bursting with the grandest things he can think of in this psalm of praise.
Three words are used for praise in the first two verses. “Exalt” speaks of boasting and lifting up the Person and works of God. “Bless” is a softer term involving humble adoration (often expressed by kneeling). And “praise” is a joyful acknowledgement of an aspect of God’s nature or work.
Primarily, the attributes that David chooses to praise in these six verses are God’s kingly traits of majesty, might, and greatness. The psalm opens with the reference to “my God, O King,” and it follows that these regal traits should be recognized. Our undignified and informal age usually fails to recognize dignity or majesty. The proud minds of small men can hardly recognize true greatness. If by God’s grace we can see some of the awesome greatness of God, if we are struck by His incomparable majesty, we want to recite this psalm as His true subjects. Truly God is King over all of creation, and the Lord Jesus Christ is Lord over all. This praise includes a deep sense of subservience to the King. As one who is truly greater than we are, One who is majestic and great, His very nature and presence demands praise. He is “greatly to be praised.”
In this section, David is lining up all the various sources from which praise will rise to God. He commits himself to God’s worship forever and ever, which is a tacit confession of future resurrection and glory. In order that the glory of God would never wane on the earth, he commits the next generation to praising God’s works also (vs. 4). Then, he speaks of other men, perhaps from other nations around the world, joining into this praise. God’s praise must continue into eternity, with no gaps in between. Every day, the praise of God must resound from our lips.
Verses 7-9
These verses further describe our King in His goodness and graciousness. He is a beneficent King, who for thousands of years demonstrates kindness to those who live in rebellion to Him. His care for the earth is seen in the grocery stores, from which thousands are fed (most of whom live in rebellion against Him). Every drop of rain that waters the earth is an indication of the tender care of His creation. His compassion and graciousness is best understood in the real historical account of His Son’s visit to earth. There He fed thousands who were hungry, on the mountain. He healed every sick person and every blind man who asked for healing. He resuscitated every dead person He encountered in His three-year ministry. This is our God with whom we have to do. He is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger and of great mercy.
Verses 10-13
The works of God also demonstrate His power and majesty. Everywhere, we see the fingerprints of God upon His creation. The godly man notes God’s works in nature, in history, and in the world’s events. He studies all of these things for one reason—to better know the works of God and to realize His praise. All of God’s works of creation and providence shout His praise. Every nation that rises and every nation that falls, every animal born into the wild, and every field of grass is a testimony to God’s praise. The entire world in the physical realm, indeed the whole universe, is one perpetual chorus of praise to the Creator. This is the way we must interpret the reality that appears around us. To bring any other interpretation to it is to embrace a lie and to deny the Creator the worship that is due Him. This universe is not the product of random chance. It is the deliberate, intentional, purposeful, creative work of Almighty God, and it must stimulate wonder and praise within us.
Therefore, the saints of God must talk of His power. It must control our conversations in and outside of the church. It must be our passion to share the mighty acts of God and the glorious majesty of His kingdom with the sons of men. Thousands of times, we have reminded each other that our Lord beat the devil at His cross. We glory in the historical acts of the church, since One stronger than the Strong Man robbed his house. Church history is a mandatory course for our children’s education, because it is the story of the conquering Christ in history. We are ashamed that for too long Christians have taught World History and American History and Western History, but they have forgotten to tell the story of the glorious Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. We remind each other that Christ is indeed head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22). His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, which has only grown steadily since AD 33. We delight to remind each other of all of the kingdoms of men that have collapsed, while the kingdom of Jesus Christ marches on from century to century.
Verses 14-21
The remainder of this praise psalm speaks of God’s acts of providence and redemption. He feeds every living thing in due season. Only a very small percentage of the animals on this globe are domesticated: well under 1%. The rest of them are fed directly by the hand of God. Most of the species can easily reproduce themselves, because God sees to it that they do. Even the penguins in the brutal winters of Antarctica feed their young in the most unusual way. The males sit on the eggs for two long months, while the females fill up on squid, fish, and krill. Upon the return of the females, the starving males take their turn at eating while the females care for the young hatchlings. Indeed, God does give these vulnerable, short-legged, flightless creatures “their food in due season!”
For us, however, He provides salvation from our sinful and miserable condition. Blessed are the poor in spirit, and the broken hearted, and those that mourn, because He raises them up and comforts them (vs. 14). David is careful to point out that the Lord is still righteous and holy when He draws near to those who cry out to Him. He cannot compromise His righteousness as He saves sinners from their sins (vs. 17). When we finally see the true state of our hearts, and sincerely cry out to Him for salvation, He will save us. “Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). The soul that cries out as the blind man did when Jesus came near will most certainly find mercy. “He will hear their cry, and will save them” (vs. 19).
The psalm first assumes that those who cry out to Him really do fear Him. There is a healthy respect for God that yields a conviction of sin, a true sense of spiritual impoverishment, and a need for cleansing. The Lord also preserves them that love Him (vs. 20). While the reprobates and the wicked around us face the awful judgment of God, Jude tells us to just “keep yourself in the love of God” (Jude 1:21). Realize the love of God for you, and love Him in return. Remain in relationship. Abide in the vine.
Given all of these reasons to praise the Lord, the psalm closes with another warm sentiment of praise and blessing. If God is all of this, wise and good, powerful and majestic, then He is worthy of praise from the mouth of every person on earth forever and ever. Amen.
May our hearts be warmed by the memory of God’s goodness. We forget a great deal, especially as we grow older, but let us be a grateful people that remember the many instances of God’s goodness in our lives. Praise needs to be a daily part of our lives, whether in prayer or hymn. What a cold home it would be where there is no thanksgiving and prayer!
Our worship services should be full of the recounting of God’s great acts of mercy and compassion. There should be abundant testimonies of the “memory of His great goodness” (vs. 7). All of us have stories to tell of how God saved our souls, how He saved our lives, how He provided for us in wondrous ways, and how He answered our prayers. We can tell of supernatural acts also, but equally important are the stories of His regular acts of providential care for us.
1. What are the differences between the words “exalt,” “praise,” and “bless?”
2. How does the psalmist commit himself and others to praising God (in the first six verses)? What does he sign himself up for in these verses?
3. How do we see the goodness of God in His providence?
4. How does God’s kingdom compare to the kingdoms of men?
5. Why is church history an important part of our children’s education?
6. Why does the godly man want to study nature and history?
1. Provide specific reasons for thanking the Lord, exalting the Lord, and blessing the Lord right now.
2. How much does praise make up the atmosphere of our home? What is the temperature of our praise? Rate it from 32 degrees to 212 degrees.