HAPPY IS HE WHOSE HOPE IS IN THE LORD–PSALM 146:1-10

HAPPY IS HE WHOSE HOPE IS IN THE LORD
PSALM 146:1-10

Key verse: v. 5, Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

This is the “Hallelujah” section of the book of Psalms. From here to the end of the book is about PRAISE. The word “hallelujah” means “PRAISE YE JEHOVAH,” frequently rendered “Praise ye the LORD.” This appears 24 times in the Psalms.

Charles Spurgeon writes of this portion of the Psalms, “The rest of our journey lies through the Delectable Mountains. All is praise to the close of the book. The key is high pitched: the music is upon the high sounding cymbals. O for a heart full of joyful gratitude, that we may run, and leap, and glorify God, even as these Psalms do.”

I. MEN NEED TO BE CALLED TO PRAISE vv. 1-5

A. Praise the LORD, v. 1; Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”

1. It is a call to worship and praise, Psalm 135:3, “Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.”

2. It is a call to faithfulness, Deuteronomy 5:29, “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

B. Praise the LORD, O my soul, v. 1; Psalms 103:1, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”

1. For His greatness, Psalms 104:1, “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.”

2. For His works among men, Psalms 103:22, “Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.”

C. Men need to praise the LORD while they live, v. 2; Psalms 104:33, “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”

1. Testifying of the salvation we have in Christ, Psalms 71:15, “My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.”

2. Manifesting the trust and happiness we have in the Lord, vv. 3-5.

a. Men are not trustworthy, Psalms 62:9, “Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.”

b. It is better to trust in the Lord, Psalms 118:8, ”It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

D. A Happy Man has the God of Jacob as his God.

1. The God of Jacob is the only living and true God, Jeremiah 10:10, “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.”

2. The God of Jacob is the God of the covenant, Deuteronomy 4:23, “Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.”

3. The God of Jacob is the God of wrestling prayer, Genesis 32:24-30, “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25- And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26- And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27- And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28-And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29- And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30- And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

4. The God of Jacob is he God of the tried believer, 1 Peter 1:7, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

II. OUR HAPPINESS IS DRAWN FROM GOD’S PROTECTION vv. 5-10

A. The Lord never dies for He is everlasting, Isaiah 40:28, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.”

1. He is the Creator, v. 6; Psalms 33:6, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”

2. Who is the Faithful God, v. 6; Psalms 89:33, “Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.”

B. He supplies the believer’s needs, vv. 7-10.

1. He administers justice, v. 7; Proverbs 22:22-23, “Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.”

2. He opens the spiritual eyes of the blind, v. 8; Matthew 11:5, “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

3. He protected strangers, v. 9; Deuteronomy 10:19, “Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

4. The Mosaic Law made provision for destitute persons, v. 9; Jeremiah 49:11, “Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.”

CONCLUSION:

Jehovah is King, and his kingdom can never come to an end, v. 10; Psalms 10:16a, “The LORD is King for ever and ever:” Psalms 145:13, “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.”