Psalm 147:1-6
The people of God should praise the Lord because His greatness is not abstract power alone, but restorative covenant power. He rebuilds what sin and judgment have broken, gathers those scattered in weakness, heals hearts crushed by sorrow, knows the stars by name, and bends His rule toward the humble rather than the self-exalting.
1 Praise Yah, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and fitting to praise him.
2 Yahweh builds up Jerusalem. He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite.
6 Yahweh upholds the humble. He brings the wicked down to the ground.
The people of God should praise the LORD because his greatness is not abstract power alone, but restorative covenant power. He rebuilds what sin and judgment have broken, gathers those scattered in weakness, heals hearts crushed by sorrow, knows the stars by name, and bends his rule toward the humble rather than the self-exalting.
To summon the covenant community to praise the LORD because he restores Jerusalem, gathers the outcasts, heals the brokenhearted, governs the cosmos with perfect knowledge, and reverses human pride by sustaining the humble while casting down the wicked.