Psalm 145:21 Kommentar

The five foregoing psalms were all of a piece, all full of prayers; this, and the five that follow it to the end of the book, are all of a piece too, all full of praises; and though only this is entitled David's psalm yet we have no reason to think but that they were all his as well as all the foregoing prayers. And it is observable, 1. That after five psalms of prayer follow six psalms of praise; for those that are much in prayer shall not want matter for praise, and those that have sped in prayer must abound in praise. Our thanksgivings for mercy, when we have received it, should even exceed our supplications for it when we were in pursuit of it. David, in the last of his begging psalms, had promised to praise God (Psa 145:9), and here he performs his promise. 2. That the book of Psalms concludes with psalms of praise, all praise, for praise, is the conclusion of the whole matter; it is that in which all the psalms centre. And it intimates that God's people, towards the end of their life, should abound much in praise, and the rather because, at the end of their life, they hope to remove to the world of everlasting praise, and the nearer they come to heaven the more they should accustom themselves to the work of heaven. This is one of those psalms which are composed alphabetically (as Ps. 25 and Ps. 34, etc.), that it might be the more easily committed to memory, and kept in mind. The Jewish writers justly extol this psalm as a star of the first magnitude in this bright constellation; and some of them have an extravagant saying concerning it, not much unlike some of the popish superstitions, That whosoever will sing this psalm constantly three times a day shall certainly be happy in the world to come. In this psalm, I. David engages himself and others to praise God (Psa 145:1, Psa 145:2, Psa 145:4-7, Psa 145:10-12). II. He fastens upon those things that are proper matter for praise, God's greatness (v . 3), his goodness (Psa 145:8, Psa 145:9), the proofs of both in the administration of his kingdom (Psa 145:13), the kingdom of providence (Psa 145:14-16), the kingdom of grace (Psa 145:17-20), and then he concludes with a resolution to continue praising God (Psa 145:21) with which resolution our hearts must be filled, and in which they must be fixed, in singing this psalm. David's psalm of praise.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 145 David's Psalm of praise. This psalm is rendered by Ainsworth "a hymn of David"; and the whole book of Psalms is from hence called "the Book of Hymns"; see Eph 5:19; It seems to have been a psalm David took great delight in, and it may be that he often repeated and sung it, as it was made by him with great care and contrivance, in a very curious manner, as well as he was assisted in it by divine inspiration; for it is wrote in an alphabetical order, each verse: beginning with the letter of the alphabet in course, and goes through the whole, excepting one letter; and very probably it was composed in this form that it might be the more easily committed to memory, and retained in it. The Jews have a very high opinion of it; their Rabbins say, that whoever says this psalm thrice every day may be sure of being a child of the world to come. This is mentioned by Arama and Kimchi; and which the latter explains thus, not he that says it any way, but with his mouth, and with his heart, and with his tongue. It seems to have been written by David after the Lord had granted him all his requests put up in the preceding psalms, and had given him rest from all his enemies; and when he turned his prayers into praises; for this psalm is wholly praise from one end to the other; and so are all the five following ones; they begin and end with "hallelujah": nor is there a single petition in them, as I remember; so that it may in some sense be said, "here the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended". It no doubt, as Cocceius observes, belongs to the Messiah and his kingdom, which is everlasting, Psa 145:13.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,.... Always, at all times, as long as he lived; and particularly when all the Lord's people shall be brought safe to glory, and the wicked destroyed; when, as Kimchi observes, he should live again with the dead that shall be raised; and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever; not every animal, or irrational creature; not carnal men, but spiritual men; such as are praying ones, that come to a God hearing prayer: these should be praising ones; such who have hearts of flesh given them, and are sensible of divine favours, as well as of their sinfulness and unworthiness; Jews and Gentiles, all sorts of men called by grace, all flesh on whom the Spirit of God is poured; these are all excited to praise and bless the holy name of the Redeemer, with the words and by the example of the psalmist. And thus the psalm ends as it begun, with praise and blessing. Next: Psalms Chapter 146

My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

We have confessed that God the Word took not a body only but also a soul. Why then did the divine Evangelist omit in this place mention of the soul and mention the flesh only? Is it not clear that he mentioned the visible nature and intended to include the nature united to it? For the mention of the soul is understood of course in that of the flesh. For when we hear the prophet saying, “Let all flesh bless his holy name,” we do not understand the prophet to be exhorting bodies of flesh without souls but believe the whole to be summoned to give praise in the summoning of a part.

(Compare Psa 33:21). all flesh-- (Psa 65:2). The Psalm ends, as it began, with ascriptions of praise, in which the pious will ever delight to join. Next: Psalms Chapter 147