Psalm 148: Horn

 

Buried within one of the last lines of one of the last psalms might be the answer to all of life’s questions. It’s almost ironic. The psalms probably ask more questions than any other book in the Bible. There are questions about why some things happen and why other things don’t, about how much longer suffering will last, if God is listening and when things will get better. There are questions that are clearly asked in anger, some in despair, a few in desperation, but almost all of them are asked because the writers, in all their trouble and pain, are convinced that God is for them, even in the seasons when it seems like He might not be with them. But then, in this psalm that asks no questions at all, the answer we’ve all been seeking is given. 

The psalm begins with the command to “Praise the LORD!” First, its the residents of the heavens that are told the give God praise, the angels and all God’s hosts. Then from the angels, the command is passed to the sun, moon, stars and clouds. Why should these things praise God? They praise because He created them, because they didn’t exist, God spoke and suddenly there was earth and sky, in that sky was the sun and moon, stars and planets, galaxies near and far. Their existence is praise to Him as their Creator, evidence of His power, the revelation of His might. 

From the heavens the baton of praise is then passed to the earth, first to the creatures of the sea and then to the weather that falls from the praising sky. How often do we view that weather as praise? More times than not I’m disappointed that the rain ruins my plans, or the sun burns my skin, or the snow is troublesome to shovel, but the psalmist says that the rain is singing, the snow is shouting, the lightning is dancing in praise to the God who formed and sustains them. The weather isn’t our reminder to praise, it is a praise all of itself. 

From the weather to the actual landscape, the mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, their beauty and harvest, their very existence give God praise. And then the “Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!” Colossians 1:16 says that everything, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, no matter who or what it is has been created through Jesus and created for Jesus—it all sings His praise. 

Finally, the last grouping of God’s creation is called upon to give Him the praise He deserves, humanity. We were not only created last, we were created in His image, in His likeness, but like everything else we were created for His glory. The last verse of the book of Psalms says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!” but here in Psalm 148, everything is named, described and defined. 

“Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.”

Earlier, when the inanimate objects of creation were commanded to praise, the reason for their praise was given as, “For he commanded and they were created”. As we said earlier, their reason to praise is their very existence, but mankind, God’s image-bearers, we have even greater reason to praise: “He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him.” In the most general of terms, to raise up a horn is to grant strength. In Psalm 132:17, God said that He would “make a horn grow for David” that He had “prepared a lamp for My anointed one.” Then in Luke 1:69, at the dedication of John the Baptist, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, “Blessed be the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David”. The horn of David, the horn for Israel, the horn for his people is Jesus the Messiah. Humanity’s reason to praise is not only our creation but our redemption, not only did God make us in His image, but He sent His Son in our image to redeem us back to His. 

The answer to all our questions is Jesus. I’m not trying to be vague or dismissive, I believe that if we truly stop and think we will discover that Jesus is the revelation behind everything that we’ve ever seen as clouded. The question about our existence, why God created humanity is found in the life of Jesus. He lived filled with the Holy Spirit and in perfect fellowship, ever-connected relationship with His Father. Jesus said in John 5:19 that He did nothing of or on His own, that He only did what He saw His Father doing. In John 12:49 He said that He didn’t even speak on His own authority but that the Father sent Him with a commandment of what to say and what to speak. Jesus lived in perfect obedience, perfect submission to the Father, but He also lived in the perfect love of the Father. The Father spoke His love at Jesus’ baptism and of His pleasure at His transfiguration. Jesus was so confident of the Father’s love that He spoke of it in John 3, John 5, John 10 and then, in John 16:32, Jesus was so fully convinced of the Father’s love that He told the apostles, “you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.” Yes, Jesus came to save us from our sins, but that was so that He could restore us to a right relationship with His Father; that’s what redemption is. It’s not just being forgiven, it’s not about heaven and hell, it’s about relationship with God because of the love of God through the death and resurrection of the Son of God. 

The answer to all our questions is found in the person of Jesus because in His person is the character and heart of God. Micah 7:18 says that God delights in mercy. I Timothy 2:4 says that God desires for everyone to be saved. II Peter 3:9 says that God wishes that none would perish but that all would come to repentance. Here’s the truth as I read it in Scripture, everything that God has done has been because He wants to save us. He is the God of salvation. In the garden when sin entered, redemption was immediately promised (Genesis 3:15). He formed Israel as His special nation so that He could use them to send the Messiah that would save all nations (Genesis 12:1-2). He sustained, protected, provided for, disciplined, even punished, forgave and restored Israel to show us His patience, His unchanging love and His unbreakable faithfulness. 

The answer to all the questions we have about the things that are happening in our lives is simple but not easy, God is working to save us and to save others through us. Joseph said it as early as Genesis 50:20, when he looked back over his life, being hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, lied about and falsely imprisoned, he determined, “God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (NIV). Why would it be any different in our lives than it was in Joseph’s? The rising and the falling is for salvation. The wounds and the rewards are for salvation. The seasons of ease and the times of struggle, all for salvation. But it’s not just in our lives, it’s in the entire world. We look and see things we don’t understand, but the Scriptures point us back, again and again to this truth, “He has raised up a horn for his people”. He is working salvation! He wants to save! We will always have questions, we will always see, feel and experience things we struggle to understand, but our calling is to believe that in all these things God is doing what He has always done and what He will always do. The Holy Spirit is pointing to Jesus, Jesus is leading to the Father and the Father is mighty to save. We have something greater than an answer, we have a horn, His name is Jesus, He is the God of our salvation, as Romans 1:16 says, to the Jew first and then to the Gentiles. Praise the LORD!