Psalms 148:1-14

Praise ye the Lord from the heavens.

The great, the greater, and the greatest: -

I. The great. Sun, moon, stars, etc.

1. How boundless in variety.

2. How immeasurable in extent.

II. The greater.

1. Rational and responsible existences.

(1) Angelic existences.

(2) Human existences.

2. This moral universe is greater than the non-moral.

(1) It reflects more of God. It mirrors His spirituality, His freedom, His conscience, etc. There is more of God seen in one holy soul than in the whole stellar universe. This moral universe is greater because--

(2) The non-moral is but the symbol, the instrument, the tenement, the garment of the moral. Great as is the non-moral universe, what is it without moral mind? A theatre without a spectator, a school without a pupil, a temple without a worshipper, a house without a tenant.

III. The greatest. What is the greatest? “The Lord.” “His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven.” Greatest because--

1. He is the Author of all.

2. He is the stability of all.

3. He is the law of all. The whole universe is His will in action. (David Thomas, D. D.)