Post by John on Feb 9, 2014 16:28:49 GMT -5
PSALM 145 AN ORIENTATION PSALM
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
We need to open our eyes to God's creation and get our hands dirty in making a difference to make a better world in partnership with God.
This is how life should be, and how really it is. God is great and God is good but humanity has diminished His greatness and polluted his goodness, and then turned round and ignored God and declared that he does not exist. With that attitude humanity's problems will never be solved. Human standards fall far short of what God intended and intends.
We too have lost sight of God's teaching contained in the Psalms.
It has been described that there are 3 types of Psalm.
Psalms of Orientation
Psalms of Disorientation
Psalms of New Orientation
Psalm 145 is a Psalm of Orientation.
About finding our way around and arriving accurately at our destination.
Psalm 145 is a Psalm of Creation
By “creation” we don't mean the creation-myths of the ancient world – of the Babylonians, the Egyptians, , the Norse, the Hindus and Chinese, the inhabitants of South America or the allegorical stories of the Hebrews, found in Genesis.
By “creation”we mean that which God has created and sustains.
Genesis 1 declares
IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED
when, how, why, for whom, are the questions of men
It is should be sufficient for us that in the beginning, out of nothing, God planned and made the Universe, for his own purposes.
How God did it misses the point of it all.
The Creation declares His Authority. God [ the LIGHT ] has shone into our dark planet and made wonderful things.
He brought order out of chaos.
Psalm 145 reminds us that life and creation is not unpredictable and chaotic.
It all belongs to Him who planned and formed it. Who set it on it's course. God governs and rules it.
God is predictably trustworthy.
GOD IS GREAT
The more that science reveals of our world, our solar system, our galaxy. our universe, adds to our knowledge that God is GREAT
also GOD IS GOOD
He is not capricious. He is not prejudiced against us, a source of wrath,who punishes. God is not vindictive.
This is the way it is, God is Great and God is Good.
That God is great and good should be a reason for us to celebrate.
To PRAISE HIM
My mouth shall speak forth PRAISE.
A song of creation – every creature shall praise God for ever and for ever.
Psalm 145 is also an Acrostic Psalm The first letter of each verse in Hebrew is a different letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. Words like completeness, trustworthiness, dependability, mercy revelation, grace. And it all adds up to God being Great and Good and worthy of our Praise.
In this connection we associate this Hymn
FAIREST LORD JESUS
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honour,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Saviour, art to me.
Beautiful Saviour! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honour, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.
[Resting by a Stream, by Thomas Hill (1829-1908)]
Resting by a Stream, by Thomas Hill (1829-1908)
The lyrics above are the ones shown in most hymnals. However , Seiss’s original translation is somewhat different ; he titled it “Beautiful Saviour” It is found under this name in many Lutheran hymn books.
Beautiful Saviour, King of Creation
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in the flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.
Beautiful Saviour, Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honour, Praise, adoration
Now and forever more be Thine!
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
We need to open our eyes to God's creation and get our hands dirty in making a difference to make a better world in partnership with God.
This is how life should be, and how really it is. God is great and God is good but humanity has diminished His greatness and polluted his goodness, and then turned round and ignored God and declared that he does not exist. With that attitude humanity's problems will never be solved. Human standards fall far short of what God intended and intends.
We too have lost sight of God's teaching contained in the Psalms.
It has been described that there are 3 types of Psalm.
Psalms of Orientation
Psalms of Disorientation
Psalms of New Orientation
Psalm 145 is a Psalm of Orientation.
About finding our way around and arriving accurately at our destination.
Psalm 145 is a Psalm of Creation
By “creation” we don't mean the creation-myths of the ancient world – of the Babylonians, the Egyptians, , the Norse, the Hindus and Chinese, the inhabitants of South America or the allegorical stories of the Hebrews, found in Genesis.
By “creation”we mean that which God has created and sustains.
Genesis 1 declares
IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED
when, how, why, for whom, are the questions of men
It is should be sufficient for us that in the beginning, out of nothing, God planned and made the Universe, for his own purposes.
How God did it misses the point of it all.
The Creation declares His Authority. God [ the LIGHT ] has shone into our dark planet and made wonderful things.
He brought order out of chaos.
Psalm 145 reminds us that life and creation is not unpredictable and chaotic.
It all belongs to Him who planned and formed it. Who set it on it's course. God governs and rules it.
God is predictably trustworthy.
GOD IS GREAT
The more that science reveals of our world, our solar system, our galaxy. our universe, adds to our knowledge that God is GREAT
also GOD IS GOOD
He is not capricious. He is not prejudiced against us, a source of wrath,who punishes. God is not vindictive.
This is the way it is, God is Great and God is Good.
That God is great and good should be a reason for us to celebrate.
To PRAISE HIM
My mouth shall speak forth PRAISE.
A song of creation – every creature shall praise God for ever and for ever.
Psalm 145 is also an Acrostic Psalm The first letter of each verse in Hebrew is a different letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. Words like completeness, trustworthiness, dependability, mercy revelation, grace. And it all adds up to God being Great and Good and worthy of our Praise.
In this connection we associate this Hymn
FAIREST LORD JESUS
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honour,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Saviour, art to me.
Beautiful Saviour! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honour, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.
[Resting by a Stream, by Thomas Hill (1829-1908)]
Resting by a Stream, by Thomas Hill (1829-1908)
The lyrics above are the ones shown in most hymnals. However , Seiss’s original translation is somewhat different ; he titled it “Beautiful Saviour” It is found under this name in many Lutheran hymn books.
Beautiful Saviour, King of Creation
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in the flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.
Beautiful Saviour, Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honour, Praise, adoration
Now and forever more be Thine!