The author of Psalm 146 is not known, but it shares with us a contrast between the help of man vs the help of God in our lives. Help from man is temporal and unstable, but help from God is lasting and complete. As an extra bit of information, these next five psalms (146-150), overflow with praise. Each begins and ends with "Praise the LORD." They show us where, why and how to praise God.
What does praise do?
It takes our minds off our problems and shortcomings, and focuses them on God; it leads us from individual meditation to corporate worship; it causes us to consider and appreciate God's character; and it lifts our perspective from the earthly to the heavenly.
In verses 3-8 (below), the psalmist portrays man as an inadequate savior, a false hope, even princes cannot deliver. God is the hope and help of the needy. Jesus affirms his concern for the poor and afflicted in Luke 4:18-21 and 7:21-23. He does not separate the social and spiritual needs of people, but attends to both. While God, not the government, is the hope of the needy, we are his instruments to help here on earth.
Psalm 146:9 - "The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked"
God's plans frustrate the "ways of the wicked" because his values are the opposite of society's. Jesus turned society's values upside down when he proclaimed the "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first" (Matthew 19:30), and that "whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it"
(Matthew 16:25). Don't be surprised when others don't understand your Christian values, but don't give into theirs.
Psalm 146 / New International Version
ReplyDelete1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
the LORD. who remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.