Psalms 148:1-14
1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flyinga fowl:
11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent;b his glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.
This is the psalm of the whole creation. It has two movements indicated by the words “From the havens” (v. Psa 148:1), and “From the Earth” (v. Psa 148:7). In the first the scale is a descending one. “In the heights” to “His angels,” “Sun and moon.” Of all of them it is true that He created and established them. In the second the scale is an ascending one, from the deeps and the dragons, through the elements and Nature, to the sentient life, and onward through kings and princes and all human beings. From the heights and depths and all that lies between, praise is to be offered to Jehovah, for “His glory is above the earth and heave.”
This praise however, in the mind of the singer is to be perfectly expressed through Israel, a people near unto Him. This is an all encompassing note of adoration, which one of our more recent singers has perfectly expressed in the lines:
“The whole creation joins in one
To bless the sacred Name
Of Him Who sits upon the Throne, And to adore the Lamb.”