Psalm 145 is the prelude for the crescendo of eschatological praises to Yahweh which conclude the Psalter. Musically, the Psalter is moving inexorably from lament to endless praise and thanksgiving to God for all his works. David the king, ordained to represent God’s eternal rule upon the earth, honors God as his eternal king:
I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
(vv. 1-2)
David leads all people in this praise by
teaching why all are to praise Yahweh:
3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And
His greatness is unsearchable.
The amount of praise God deserves is proportional
to his greatness. The muchness of
God warrants much praise. And David’s exemplary praise makes much of God. But not only is God great, His greatness
is “unsearchable”. Not only is it impossible to make too much of God’s muchness,
but his muchness is for our getting lost in making much of him. David praises God by inviting him to
reflect upon the future implications of His greatness. His unsearchable
greatness will be read and rehearsed through all future generations from the musical score of his redemptive works and the goodness of his covenant fidelity and saving justice.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness.
7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
In this manner, David continues the rest of the psalm to delight in unpacking what remains eternally dense, even in its expansion.
The present Hermeneutics World War has made proof texts the battleground for opposing dogmatic armies. What do we do when our national battle cry “Sola Scriptura” is heard from the lips of another nation attempting to capture the same territory on the same basis that it first belonged to them? Some in the confusion have decided to raise their voice over the rest; others have changed their battle cry to “Sola Prolegomena”. However, I suggest something remarkably foolish. What if, instead of waiting for the pearly whites of our enemies, we let our eyes rest Sabbath-like upon the ground on which we stand? Then, remembering our famished estate, pluck heads of grain from our neighbor’s field, make ourselves to sit upon the green grass, and taste once again the land flowing with milk and honey. You might think this a sure way to get oneself captured and thrown into prison! And so it shall come to pass as you meditate upon these things alone in your closet that you shall remember it was through a prison that the whole world was captured (Acts 28:28-31). Then the world shall hear a strange sound from your cell, when our battle cry has become a hymn of praise to God for his unsearchable works of incomprehensible wisdom and majesty.