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 encourages all of God’s creation to simply praise Him for His majesty.
The psalmist begins by declaring the great hallelujah, Psalm 148:1, that is, praise the LORD, Psalm 148:1. They call upon all of the heavenly beings and bodies to praise Him, Psalm 148:1.
The angels and heavenly hosts are also encouraged to praise Him, Psalm 148:2, that is, all the spiritual beings who dwell in the heavenly realm, Isaiah 1:9 / Revelation 4:8.
The sun, moon and shining stars are also encouraged to praise Him, Psalm 148:3 / Psalm 98:7-8 / Isaiah 55:12. The personification of the sun, moon and stars demonstrates the majesty of God and the fact that it is right that only He be praised, for He was the Creator of all.
The highest heavens, Psalm 148:4, that is God’s dwelling place, Deuteronomy 10:14 / 1 Kings 8:27 / 2 Chronicles 2:6 / Nehemiah 9:6 / Psalm 115:16, are called upon to praise Him, along with the waters above the skies, Psalm 148:4 / Genesis 1:7.
It was God who commanded them to be created, Psalm 148:5. We must remember that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were all involved in creation, Genesis 1 / Colossians 1:16.
All of the heavenly beings and bodies were not only created and established by God at His command, but they will also continue because of His decree, Psalm 148:6 / 2 Peter 3:7 / 2 Peter 3:10 / 2 Peter 3:13.
After calling upon all the angelic beings and all the heavenly bodies, the psalmist now calls upon all of the creatures on the earth to praise God, Psalm 148:7. The great sea creatures, Psalm 148:7 / Job 7:12 / Ezekiel 29, and all creatures who live in the depths of the ocean are called upon to praise Him, Psalm 148:7.
All the phenomena of weather, that is, lightning, hail, snow, clouds, and wind, Psalm 148:8, are also encouraged to praise God. Everything on the land, things which don’t move, the mountains and hills, fruit trees, and cedars, Psalm 148:9, and all the living animals, Psalm 148:10, are also encouraged to praise God.
The psalmist now encourages all humans to praise God. The kings of the earth, all nations, princes, rulers, Psalm 148:11, young men and women, old men, and children, Psalm 148:12. Life and the created world should praise the One who brought all things into existence.
The very name of God confirms His existence, Psalm 148:13, and so, His right to be praised by those who recognise His existence. He deserves praise because He alone is God and His splendour is clearly seen above the earth and the heavens, Psalm 148:13, that is, He is more glorious than all the things on earth.
God should be praised because He has raised up for His people a horn, Psalm 148:14, that is, He gives His people power and prosperity, Psalm 89:17 / Psalm 92:10 / Psalm 112:9.
He should be praised because He has come closer to His people, Psalm 148:14 / Deuteronomy 4:7 / Deuteronomy 33:29 / Ephesians 2:13 / Acts 2:39. The psalmist ends their psalm in the same manner they began, Psalm 148:1, with the great hallelujah, praise the LORD, Psalm 148:14.
The psalmist encouraged all of God’s creation to praise the LORD because He and He alone is worthy of receiving our praise. In Revelation 5, we’re introduced to the Lamb, ‘who was slain before the foundation of the world’, Revelation 5:12 / Revelation 13:8.
John has a scroll that no one can seem to open, but the Lamb then comes and opens the scroll in order to unleash the wrath of God. Christians, as a result, cry out, ‘Worthy is the Lamb!’ Revelation 5:12. Who is this Lamb? It’s Jesus, the Lamb of God, John 1:29.
Christians were being persecuted; they wanted to know if God is in control, and who would help us overcome the great world power that is Rome? The Lamb takes the scroll and unleashes the vengeance of God. It’s Jesus Christ, who is able to offer help during times of persecution.
The Lamb is pictured as the One Who is worthy to receive our honour, Revelation 5:12. We aren’t to pay honour to Domitian. The Lamb is going to unleash God’s vengeance, and He’s the One Who is worthy of our honour or glory.
Our lives must be about giving Jesus, the Son of God, the glory and honour He deserves. In fact, that’s what our lives are all about, Isaiah 43:7 / 1 Corinthians 10:31. Revelation 5 tells us that the Lamb is worthy, He’s able to unleash God’s vengeance, and we must give Him the glory and honour that He deserves.
It’s through Jesus that the devil, the beast, and Rome itself will be defeated because of Jesus’ actions. Jesus, through death, overcame that ‘he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil,’ Hebrews 2:14.