Psalm 145

Great is the Lord A Song of Praise of David Verses 1-9

Who is David? And why is he a man after Gods heart? (Acts 13:22) Before we dive into this psalm, it is important to understand who the author is and why he wrote it. David came from a modest family he and his father (Jesse) were shepherds. o He was a shorter man, had red hair, very built, but also had an artistic side he played many instruments and sang. David + Goliath David defeated the Philistines which resulted in a great victory for Israel. He became the king of Israel after Saul (who Samuel appointed) and David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He was a great leader for Israel. David was human and wasnt perfect. He was too focused on material gains. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband, Uriah, to cover it up. o Wait how can a person have a heart that longs for the Lord and commit these crimes? Despite human faults, David was always a dedicated and repentant man of God. He knew how to forgive, knew how to repent, and never blamed others for his mistakes. He was a man after Gods own heart because he hated sin but loved to forgive it! We can all relate to David. We all sin and make mistakes. We all focus too much on material things. And we all need to have a heart like Davids a heart that truly understands the weightiness of sin and gives all the praise to the Lord. No matter what sin you have committed in the past, or will commit in the future the Lord has already forgiven that through His son. If he forgave and blessed David who did some pretty awful things then that should prove that He will forgive and bless you. Not a future version of you when you get your act together, but the person you are right now. Notice the title of the psalm A song of Praise. Of David. This was one of the psalms that David wrote to praise the Lord. It is said that this psalm was Davids crown jewel. He poured his heart into this psalm and we can all still relate to this day. This psalm specifically praises the Lord of his goodness and generosity especially to his people. David uses so many words for praising extol (v1, to tell how great God is), bless (v1,2, to speak well of God for his generosity), praise (v2,3, to glorify God for his magnificent qualities), commend (v4, to speak highly of God), declare (v4), meditate (v5), speak (v6), pour forth (v7), sing aloud (v7), give thanks (v10). o David used all the vocabulary he can muster to describe this activity of praising God for his greatness and goodness. o How am I praising God? Am I using all that God has given me to sing his praises and goodness or am I holding back in some areas? o Each member of the congregation makes this pledge in v1 I will extol you my God and King (I will tell how great MY God and King is). This is a big deal because they are pledging a personal relationship with God whereas before it was a corporate relationship. Such a little sentence but it has huge meaning. Every day I should wake up and pledge this before my feet hit the ground. o and I will bless your name forever and ever. (v2) David is praising the Lord with a personal affection. And he will do it forever and ever. Davids praises have no end.

Our praises should never end because our God never ends. Each and every thought is revealing our allegiance to something. We are either pledging our allegiance and worship to the Lord or to the enemy with our sin. Verse 3 greatness is unsearchable At first glance I didnt understand this. I think I do see Gods greatness in everyday life. Look outside and see natures that alone shows Gods greatness. What this verse means is that it will take many worshipers and a very long duration (forever and ever) to even begin to do justice for what the Lord deserves. One version says that no one can fathom Gods greatness. So what we see in everyday life will not compare to the glory that is to come. Without Christ men can only find out about God that they can never find Him. Thomas LeBlanc Verses 4-7 show the ACTIONS of praising God declare, meditate, speak, pour forth, sing aloud o Am I doing these actions every day? What are areas where I need to step up my praising of God? What are some actions that I do use to praise God? o Meditate: to engage in thought or contemplation; to reflect The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. v8 o Abound: to occur or exist in great quantities or numbers, to be rich or well supplied, to be filled The Lord is rich/filled in steadfast love. o How do I view the Lord? Do I see him as gracious and merciful? Does my view of the Lord change when situations change? Is it dependent on situations or independent? o The Lord does not punish you out of spite the difficulties that you are walking through are for your good, even if you do not see how. Verse 9 the Lord is good to all and his mercy is over all that he has made.