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135 Praise the LORD!
Praise the name of the LORD,
give praise, O servants of the LORD,
who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God!
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
For I know that the LORD is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.
For the LORD will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them.
O house of Israel, bless the LORD!
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
O house of Levi, bless the LORD!
You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the LORD!
(ESV)
Our God is praise worthy in every age and season. No matter the circumstances, God is with us and for us. Often, it is hard to understand and believe this when we look around at reality.
Take the Israelites, for example. They go into exile due to their persistent idol worship and rebellion against God. When they finally return, their situation is much different than their ancestors. Even though they were back in their land, with a new temple and worship back in full force, they were no longer a free nation ruled by their own king and government. They were vassals to the Persians and ultimately under their rule and authority. Next, it would be the Greeks. In Paul’s day, it was the Romans who ruled over them.
Psalm 135 captures the one constant throughout. Despite times changing and consequences unfolding, the people were encouraged to remember the God who has been faithfully with them through all of this. The psalm draws our heart to what has sustained us in the past. It focuses on the foundation that was laid long ago for our lives and continues to guide us through new and unforeseen difficulties. Praise is not an act reserved only for times of prosperity. It is a reflection on the faithfulness of God in all situations and circumstances.
LORD, you will always be proclaimed as God; all generations will remember you.
Psalms 135:13 GNB
“The God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob is not the God of the dead, but of the living; and that is true spiritually as well as naturally. Those who are spiritually dead refuse to own him, and set up gods that they have imagined; but those who are quickened by his grace delight in him, and glorify his name. Let this, beloved, be our joyful song, “Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever.”
Charles Spurgeon