Author: Administrador

And Heav’n and Nature Sing It’s always been one of my favorite Christmas carols. How could you lose with this one? The words are by Isaac Watts and the tune, at least according to some hymnbooks, is by George F. Handel. The combination of words and music is just right. Notice that the melody runs … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by James Limburg”

Isaac Watts got it right: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” — which means, he writes, that every heart will “prepare him room” and that “heaven and nature” will sing. Or, better, Psalm 98 got it right, the text that Watts paraphrases in his famous hymn. There, too, all creatures clap their hands … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by Fred Gaiser”

A lot of praising has been going on before we get to the 148th Psalm, and now we sense the Psalter rising to a climactic crescendo, pulling out all the stops.  The Psalm tantalizingly suggests that a lot of praising was going on, not merely before the 148th Psalm, but before there were Psalms, or songs, … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by James Howell”

In the “Preaching from Psalms” class I am teaching, we are reading/singing/meditating our way through the Psalter. Encountering Psalm 148 through the ancient method of lectio divina brought forth a number of insights. One student from Burma reminded us of the potential for harmonious co-existence of all things. Another student was struck by the power … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by Shauna Hannan”

Praise songs for Christmas! God forbid? In the so-called “worship wars,” traditionalists have been heard to grumble about “praise songs” and everything that’s wrong with them. One element of the litany of objections to “praise songs” is the alleged repetition. “It’s the same words repeated over and over again,” is perhaps the most common form … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by Hans Wiersma”

The psalmist of Psalm 148 sings: Praise the Lord from the earth      You sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost,      stormy wind fulfilling his command. What an odd call to praise! What an utterly odd call to praise! I live in the northern hemisphere. And not just in the … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Psalm 148 is classified, along with Psalms 8, 19, 65, and 104, as a Creation Psalm. While the Creation psalms in general reflect on and celebrate God’s sovereignty over the created world and the special place of human beings in the world (see, for example, Psalms 8:3-8 and 65:2-5), Psalm 148 is an unbridled cry … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by Nancy deClaissé-Walford”

Psalm 148 poetically reflects on the essence and expression of praise. In a poetic flourish of word images readers and hearers are invited into complex worlds of thought where everything from inanimate to animate life are encouraged, incited, invoked, or commanded to praise God. The content of this praise is unspecified other than it is … Continue reading “Psalm 148 Commentary by Paul O. Myhre”

January has always seemed to be something of a letdown. How Can We Keep From Praising? If “April is the cruelest month,”1 then January is the coldest month, at least in the Midwest where I have lived my life. December always seems cheerful, warm, and bright, with carols near a fireside, vacation from school, skiing … Continue reading “Psalm 147:12-20 Commentary by James Limburg”

Psalm 147 is one of five psalms that concludes the Psalter. Each of these psalms has the words “Praise the Lord” as their first and last lines (see Psalms 146:1, 10; 147:1, 20). Thus, the call to praise God is their organizing feature. The general reason for praise in each case is that God has, … Continue reading “Psalm 147:12-20 Commentary by Jerome Creach”