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Psalm 135Praise for God’s Goodness and Might1 Praise the L ord! Praise the name of the L ord; give praise, O servants of the L ord, 2 you that stand in the house of the L ord, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 Praise the L ord, for the L ord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious. 4 For the L ord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the L ord is great; our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the L ord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both human beings and animals; 9 he sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. 10 He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings— 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan— 12 and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O L ord, endures forever, your renown, O L ord, throughout all ages. 14 For the L ord will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 16 They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; 17 they have ears, but they do not hear, and there is no breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the L ord! O house of Aaron, bless the L ord! 20 O house of Levi, bless the L ord! You that fear the L ord, bless the L ord! 21 Blessed be the L ord from Zion, he who resides in Jerusalem. Praise the L ord! New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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8. He smote the first-born of Egypt He now reverts to those more special benefits, by which God had laid his Church and chosen people under obligation to his service. As it was the Lord’s believing people only whom he addressed, the chief point singled out as the subject of praise is God’s having adopted them, small as they were in numbers, from the mass of the human family. Again, there was the fact of his having set himself in opposition, for their sakes, to great kingdoms and mighty nations. The wonderful works done by God in Egypt and in Canaan were all just so many proofs of that fatherly love which he entertained for them as his chosen people. It is not strictly according to historic order to begin with mentioning the destruction of the first-born of Egypt; but this is instanced as a memorable illustration of the great regard God had for the safety of his people, which was such that he would not spare even so mighty and wealthy a nation. The scope of the passage is to show that God, in delivering his people, had abundantly testified his power and his mercy. |