Jason Silver

Saturday, September 25th, 2021

The Point is Praise

This last poem of the Psalms wraps things up nicely. Not only does it end the final five Hallelujah-psalms; not only does it complete the last Book Five from the collection; but it also concludes the whole book, ending with the same number of verses as it started with, back in Psalm 1.

With such symmetry in editorial design, is there something we are meant to conclude from Psalm 150?

To discover this key, we must understand the structure of the whole book. We can see it has an intentional design. Over the course of each of these songs, poems, and laments we can observe a parallel to the Torah - the first five books of the Old Testament. We learn about praise, about God's expectation for righteousness, about the temple of God. We're taken through the tragedy of the exile, and we hear foretelling of the coming messiah. It's all there, in poetic and symbolic form.

We may also infer that God does not expect us to ignore the pain of our lives, but instead, to look forward to His promise and continue to praise him despite our suffering! Through faith, hope, lament and praise we gradually become the people of God, bringing about His justice in the world, and glorifying him for his mercy and grace!

Therefore, Psalm 150 can be seen as the completion of our hope, and the peaceful conclusion of our lament. We can now join God in His mighty firmament, worship him in His sanctuary, lift our instruments in praise, and join with everything that has breath to glorify our God in heaven.

Psalm 150 is a call for us to exalt in our God for all that he is and all that he does. Will join me?

Praise the Lord!