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One sure way to doom yourself as a preacher is to make a habit of beginning your sermons by quoting the commentaries. After all, Bible commentaries provide background information; such information does not necessarily preach, especially when quoted verbatim. The more recent the commentary, the more this observation holds true. On the other hand, occasionally … Continue reading “Psalm 147:12-20 Commentary by Hans Wiersma”

Let’s go with the snow. It stands out in the text, because it is rare in the Bible, as it is in Palestine. Like all the psalms, this poetic text contains many more rich images than any one sermon could possibly deal with; so, for now, let’s go with the snow: [God] gives snow like … Continue reading “Psalm 147:12-20 Commentary by Fred Gaiser”

Psalm 147 is classified as a Community Hymn — a hymn of the people that celebrates God’s sovereign reign over the community of faith and over all creation. It is the second of the five psalms known as the “Final Hallel” (Hallelujah) that form the doxological close of the book of Psalms (Psalms 146-150). As … Continue reading “Psalm 147:12-20 Commentary by Nancy deClaissé-Walford”

Psalm 147 is part of a group of Psalms (146-150) which close the Psalter. One word, Hallelujah, a plural imperative meaning “Praise Yah,” is a crucial component, found three times in this Psalm and ten times in Psalm 150. All five are praise Psalms, including the elements of and the reasons for praise. In our … Continue reading “Psalm 147:1-11, 20c Commentary by Wendell Frerichs”

Praise the Lord! Psalm 147 is the second of five “Alleluia” hymns that close the Psalter. Each of the last five psalms starts and ends with the imperative, “Praise the Lord!” (Hebrew, halelu; Greek, alleluia). Together, these psalms put a final exclamation point on the book that the Jewish community calls, “Praises” (tehillim). In other … Continue reading “Psalm 147:1-11, 20c Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Praise the Lord.” What more is there to say? “Praise the Lord.” Period. The psalmist has offered five ways to proclaim praise to the Lord with the five Hallelujah Psalms that conclude the Psalter. Even within each of these five psalms, the psalmist offers myriad ways to say essentially the same thing: “Praise the Lord … Continue reading “Psalm 147:1-11, 20c Commentary by Shauna Hannan”

Psalm 146 is the first of the five great Hallel (praise) Psalms (146-150) that conclude the book of Psalms. All five psalms begin and conclude with the refrain, “Praise the LORD!” (verses 1a, 10b).  The words gather together themes worthy of praise to the God present in the Torah, the prophets, and the writings. The … Continue reading “Psalm 146:5-10 Commentary by Paul S. Berge”

Drinking Deeply from the Psalms Commentary and hymns for a six-part preaching series on the Psalms.1 This worship and preaching series on the Psalms is meant to move through six psalms in a manner that reflects how believers actually experience the life of faith. The series loosely follows Walter Brueggemann’s typology that in life we … Continue reading “6-week preaching series on Psalms.]

Psalm 146:5-10

Psalm 146:5-10 Commentary by Hans Wiersma”

[This is Week 6 of a 6-week preaching series on Psalms.] Week 6 (July 5, 2015) Preaching text: Psalm 146; accompanying text: Luke 7:18-23 Reorientation, Part 3: Praise and Trust The Psalter ends with an extended call to praise — seven psalms of praise bring the Psalter to an astounding peal of praise. Psalm 146 … Continue reading “Psalm 146:1-10 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

As I have done with the previous three Psalm lections, I again tie the theme of worship with some other theme of the passage. Worship is obviously an appropriate concept to anchor Psalm 146, the first of the concluding five “hallelujah” psalms and a fine example of the “hymn” genre,1  or what Claus Westermann refers … Continue reading “Psalm 146 Commentary by James K. Mead”