Praising Scripture - Dec 30

Paising Month Introduction...

Psalm 147:1-11,19-20
（Memorization Scripture :10-11）
1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted , And binds up their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
…
19 He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
Praise the Lord!

【Reflection】The first verse of this psalm could read as : ‘how wonderful to sing hymns, how joyful to give proper praises.’ (Tyndale Bible Commentary). Indeed, we have so many reasons to praise God! But we often don’t know how to praise Him. So, let’s learn to praise the Lord from the psalmist.

First, the psalmist gives thanks to God who counts the number of the stars yet takes care of the little ones—heals, binds up, supports, redeems, gathers, and build ups, to make us His people, His country becomes our country, and His home becomes our home!

God reigns over all. He protects and provides for all He creates. But He desires human beings to glorify Him as God. He does not delight when they glorify themselves rather than Himself as He has said, “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.”

Then, the psalmist continues to elaborate that God is of immeasurable power and wisdom besides being in charge of the whole universe, He graciously gives us His laws to lead us. “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation.” Without the instruction from His word and statues, we are but arrogant, forgetful and ignorant people who easily fall into the trap of being conceited and drift away from God’s heart. His love and mercy are far better than we could ever imagine.

Come, let us praise this almighty, merciful and thoughtful God!

【讚美月簡介】...

詩篇 147:1-11,19-20
(背誦經文:10-11)
1 你們要讚美耶和華！因歌頌我們的 神為善為美，
讚美的話是合宜的。
2 耶和華建造耶路撒冷，聚集以色列中被趕散的人。
3 祂醫好傷心的人，裹好他們的傷處。
4 祂數點星宿的數目， 一一稱它的名。
5 我們的主為大，最有能力，祂的智慧無法測度。
6 耶和華扶持謙卑人，將惡人傾覆於地。
7 你們要以感謝向耶和華歌唱，用琴向我們的 神歌頌。
8 祂用雲遮天，為地降雨，使草生長在山上。
9 祂賜食給走獸和啼叫的小烏鴉。
10 祂不喜悅馬的力大，不喜愛人的腿快。
11 耶和華喜愛敬畏祂, 和盼望祂慈愛的人。
…
19 祂將祂的道指示雅各，將祂的律例、典章指示以色列，
20 別國祂都沒有這樣待過；至於祂的典章，他們向來沒有知道。
你們要讚美耶和華！

【心得分享】 這篇詩的第1節可以譯為：「唱讚美詩是何等美好，獻上合宜的稱頌何等快樂。」(──丁道爾聖經註釋) 我們實在是有太多的理由可以來讚美 神！但是我們常常不知道如何來讚美祂。所以，讓我們繼續跟著詩篇的作者來學習讚美。
首先，詩人感謝歌頌這位數點星宿的 神這樣眷顧微小的人，醫治、纏裹、扶持、拯救、召聚、建造，使我們成為祂的百姓。祂的國成為我們的國，祂的家成為我們的家！這位 神統管萬有，保護並供應一切祂所造的，卻盼望人要尊祂為 神，不喜歡他們自恃其能，倚靠自己甚於倚靠 神。「耶和華喜愛敬畏祂和盼望祂慈愛的人」。
接著，詩人又想到這位能力、智慧都無法測度的 神，在掌管宇宙之餘，還將祂的律例典章指示我們，「別國祂都沒有這樣待過；至於祂的典章，他們向來沒有知道。」沒有這些律例典章的指示，我們這些驕傲、健忘、愚昧的人，很容易就墮落在自高自大的陷阱中，遠離了 神的心，並且我們也無從也世界分別。祂的慈愛實在是遠超過我們可以想像。
來啊，我們一起來讚美這位大能慈愛，又體貼細緻的 神！