The Word Made Fresh
(A song of praise. Of David.)
1I will exalt you, my God and my King!
I will praise your name ever and always.
2I will praise you every day
and bless your name for ever and always.
3The LORD is great and is to be greatly praised.
The LORD is greater than words can express.
4One generation will describe your works to the next,
and in that way pass down word of your mighty deeds.
5I will ponder your incredible majesty,
and study your wonderful works.
6I will tell about the sheer might of your works
and your greatness will be lifted up.
7The next generation shall celebrate your fame and your goodness.
They will sing about your righteousness.
8The LORD is gracious. The LORD is merciful.
The LORD is slow to anger and filled with love.
9The LORD is good to everyone,
and has compassion for everything that was made.
10Everything you have made will thank you, LORD,
and those who are faithful to you will glorify you.
11They will tell about the wonder of your kingdom
and your awesome power.
12All the people will know of your mighty deeds
and the splendor of your kingdom.
13For your kingdom is everlasting, and your rule lasts for generations.
The LORD keeps every promise the LORD has made.
14The LORD steadies those who are falling
and lifts up those who have fallen.
15All eyes are on you, LORD,
and you never fail to provide them with food.
16Your hands are always open,
and you give everything living what they need.
17The LORD is fair in every way;
the LORD is kind in every act.
18The LORD is very near to everyone who calls
out to God in honesty.
19The LORD grants the desire of everyone who prays.
God hears their prayers and rescues them.
20Everyone who loves the LORD will be guarded by the LORD,
but the wicked will be destroyed.
21My mouth will proclaim the LORD’s praise,
and everything living will exalt the LORD’s name forever.
Commentary
Superscription: the 72nd and last of the “psalms of David,” and, fittingly, a hymn of praise.
1-3: The psalm begins with the declaration that God is always and ever worthy of praise.
4-7: Each generation has the responsibility of telling the next what God has done.
8-9: This is a standard “creed” of the Old Testament: God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, good to all, and concerned for all creation.
10-13: It strikes me that verse 11, “they will tell about the wonder of your kingdom and your awesome power,” is a lot like the Great Commission Jesus gives to his disciples (Matthew 28:19).
14-21: God made the world in such a way that everything needed is provided and provided for everyone. However, the wicked are singled out for exception. The belief expressed consistently in the Psalms is that the wicked represent counter-creation and therefore they will not be allowed to ultimately prevail.
Takeaway
It really falls to us, and to every generation of believers, to pass the faith on to the next generation. Here is a good place to stop for awhile and ponder what we have done, and what we can yet do, to pass on our faith.