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Psalm 148

Alleluia!

Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him from the heights.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens
and the waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord.
He commanded: they were made.
He fixed them for ever,
gave a law which shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
sea creatures and all oceans,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy winds that obey his word;

all mountains and hills,
all fruit trees and cedars,
beasts, wild and tame,
reptiles and birds on the wing;

all earth’s kings and peoples,
earth’s princes and rulers;
young men and maidens,
old men together with children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord
for he alone is exalted.
The splendour of his name
reaches beyond heaven and earth.

He exalts the strength of his people.
He is the praise of all his saints,
of the sons of Israel,
of the people to whom he comes close.

Alleluia!

Commentary

This psalm, whose author is unknown, constitutes a Halleluia Chorus of such beauty and poetry that it defies analysis, even though it has a definite plan, which we shall see. It should be appreciated as a whole, listened to and, above all, experienced. It should be contemplated, or better still, sung, in the blazing glory of an evening sunset when the heart is opened to feel the presence and glory of God in the wonder of His creation. The psalm was used in the Temple liturgy in the post-exilic period, either by a choir or a soloist. It is a universal call to praise the Lord, which has two parts, as follows:

(1) Praise from the heavens (1-6)
    The call to praise (1-4)
    The motive for praise (5-6)

(2) Praise from the earth (7-14)
    The call to praise (7-12)
    The motive for praise (13-14)

Alleluia!

Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him from the heights.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens
and the waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord.
He commanded: they were made.
He fixed them for ever,
gave a law which shall not pass away.
                                     (vv. 1-6).

This hymn of praise follows the course of God’s revelation of Himself to man, seen first of all in His creation, then through the ministry of angels who are sent to help Him on His journey of salvation, until finally He reveals Himself. The pagan world worshipped the sun, moon and stars, and even God’s own people were tempted to worship angels (see Colossians 2:18; Revelation 22:8ff), but here they are all united in one call to prostrate themselves before the Living God and worship Him. There is no fear of misunderstanding for the writer names the heavens, the heights, the sun, moon and stars, with the mysterious rain above the heavens; they must praise God who is their maker and controller. He also calls upon the angelic hosts by name for they too must worship God (see Revelation 5:11-14).

Praise the Lord from the earth,
sea creatures and all oceans,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy winds that obey his word;

all mountains and hills,
all fruit trees and cedars,
beasts, wild and tame,
reptiles and birds on the wing;

all earth’s kings and peoples,
earth’s princes and rulers;
young men and maidens,
old men together with children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord
for he alone is exalted.
The splendour of his name
reaches beyond heaven and earth.

He exalts the strength of his people.
He is the praise of all his saints,
of the sons of Israel,
of the people to whom he comes close.

Alleluia!
                                       (vv. 7-14).

The first stanza began at the top, with the celestial heights, and worked down from there, but the second one begins in the depths and works up! The first begins with rational angelic beings, and the second ends with rational human beings. The celestial beings were to praise God for what He did in creation, as well as who He is, and what He does in maintaining and controlling that creation. Now the call to praise rings out to the depths of the earth, firstly from the oceans with their teeming life; then the elements are called upon, those same elements which God used to herald His approach on Sinai and elsewhere – fire, hail, stormy wind – which are known to obey His Word (see 1 Kings 19:11-13; Exodus 19:16-25).

Following this the plant and animal kingdoms are called to recognize their creator and sustainer; and lastly man himself, with all his kings and rulers, and with the whole community of Israel, comprising all ages and ranks; the author here is following the order of creation as given in Genesis. Man was the last to appear on the scene and so is the last to be summoned in praise. This leaves him without excuse, for all creation is already praising God, and man has more reason for praise than all the rest of creation put together, because God, in His mercy, also chose a special people for Himself, bound to Him by covenant love, a people who were close to Him and cared for by Him. To them He had revealed both His name and His nature, His majesty and His love. They above all others are duty bound to praise Him.

St Bernard of Clairvaux, in his lament over the death of his brother Gerard, said: “Who could ever have loved me as he did? He was a brother by blood, but far more in the faith. God grant, Gerard, that I may not have lost thee, but that thou hast only gone before me; for, of a surety, thou hast joined those whom, in thy last night below, thou didst invite to praise God, when suddenly, to the surprise of all, thou, with a serene countenance and cheerful voice, didst commence chanting that Psalm, ‘Praise ye the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights. Praise ye Him, all His angels; praise ye Him all His hosts.’ At that moment, O my brother, the day dawned on thee, though it was night to us; the night to thee was all brightness” (see Bernard’s Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles).

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