In Psalms 146-150, the focus is purely on praising God. There are no requests, and there are no cries of distress; they are all simply psalms of praise, where the psalmists praise God for who He is and what He’s done. In this psalm, the psalmist simply praises God because He is the only One who has the power to save, protect and meet everyone’s needs.
The psalmist begins by declaring the great hallelujah, that is, praise the LORD, Psalm 146:1. They will praise him with their soul, Psalm 146:1, that is, their inner being.
They will praise Him with their life, Psalm 146:2, that is, with everything they’ve got, with their entire being, they will praise Him all the days of their lives, Psalm 146:2 / Psalm 104:33.
The psalmist tells his readers that princes, Psalm 146:3, that is, the rulers, and human beings, shouldn’t be praised because they can’t save, Psalm 146:3, that is, they are merely mortals, Isaiah 2:22 / Jeremiah 17:5.
When princes and rulers die, their spirit departs from them, and they return to the ground, Psalm 146:4 / Genesis 3:19 / Ecclesiastes 12:7 / Isaiah 2:22. On the day they die, their plans come to nothing, Psalm 146:4. In other words, the very thoughts of mortal man stop being an advantage to those who are still alive, Luke 12:19-20.
After telling us that princes and human beings can’t save us, the psalmist now tells us that God has the power to do so. We’re blessed when we put our hope in the LORD our God, the God of Jacob, Psalm 146:5, instead of humans.
It’s only God who can help us, and those who put their trust in God are assured of His help, Psalm 146:5. Princes and human beings don’t possess the power to create anything, whereas God is the Maker of heaven, earth, the sea, and everything in them, Psalm 146:6.
In other words, we should put our hope in God because He is the creator of everything. If God is powerful enough to create everything out of nothing, Genesis 1-2, then surely He has the power to take care of those who put their trust in Him.
Unlike princes and human beings, God remains faithful forever, Psalm 146:6, that is, He never changes. He is trustworthy. He never breaks His promises to those who are faithful to Him.
He speaks up and defends those who are oppressed, and He provides food for the hungry, Psalm 146:7 / Luke 1:53. The LORD can be trusted because He sets prisoners free, Psalm 146:7, that is, He vindicates the righteous, and so, frees them from their oppression, Job 36:8-9.
The LORD can be trusted because He gives sight to the blind, Psalm 146:8, that is, it’s through truth, and we come to know God, Isaiah 35:5 / Matthew 9:27-29. The LORD can be trusted because He lifts up those who are bowed down, Psalm 146:8; that is, those who are humbled through grief are encouraged, Luke 13:11-13.
The LORD can be trusted because He loves the righteous, Psalm 146:8, that is, those who live right in God’s eyes, Matthew 13:43 / Matthew 25:46. The LORD can be trusted because He watches over the foreigner, Psalm 146:9, that is, He protects and looks after those who aren’t Israelites, Exodus 12:49 / Exodus 22:21 / Exodus 23:9 / Leviticus 19:33 / Deuteronomy 1:16 / Deuteronomy 10:18-19 / Isaiah 56:3 / Isaiah 56:6 / Matthew 8:5-10.
The LORD can be trusted because He sustains the fatherless and the widow, Psalm 146:9, that is, He cares for the needs of those who are vulnerable in society, Luke 7:12-15 / James 1:27.
The LORD can be trusted because He frustrates the ways of the wicked, Psalm 146:9, that is, He will execute justice on all those who practice wickedness, Matthew 21:12.
The psalmist ends by declaring to all of Zion, Psalm 146:10, that is, Israel, that their God, their LORD, can be trusted because He shall reign forever, He shall reign through all generations, Psalm 146:10 / Exodus 15:18. The psalmist ends their psalm in the same manner they began, Psalm 146:1, with the great hallelujah, praise the LORD, Psalm 146:10.
The psalmist simply praises God over and over again, because He is a God who can be trusted. Most of us enjoy relationships with others, and these relationships are built on the foundation of trust. Sadly, many relationships fall apart because trust becomes a major issue.
People start lying to each other, people start to change their minds, they make promises but fail to fulfil them. All of these things bring about distrust and can easily bring any relationship to an end.
The good news is that God can be trusted because He isn’t like humans; He doesn’t lie, He doesn’t change His mind, He acts upon what He says He’s doing to do, and He fulfils the promises He makes, Numbers 23:19.
Although human relationships break down, which often results in one person leaving the other, our God can be trusted because He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us, Hebrews 13:5.