MONDAY 10th
Psalm 113
Praise
NIV (v3) ‘From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.’
ESV (v3) ‘From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!’
Our word from this psalm today is PRAISE. We are all familiar with these words as we became familiar with them through the song based upon them. Praise should be an essential characteristic of the Christian, one who has been born again by the Spirit of God. Praise was an integral part of the lifestyle of worship among the children of Israel, especially as they made their way up to Jerusalem, as we will see as we consider later the psalms 120-135 known as the songs of ascent.
We praise God both for Who he is and for all that he has done. We praise God for his work of creation and for his sustaining of it all, but we also praise God for his recreative work in redemption and his ongoing provision of grace to us all.
God is a good God, all the time, he is ever present, always faithful, continually loving and graciously merciful, he is worthy of our praise, he deserves our highest praise, he alone deserves all the glory and all the honour. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised.
There is another verse that talks of the rising and the setting of the sun in Malachi 1:11, it reads, ‘For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.’ It would seem in this secular and increasingly pagan society in which we are living that the Name of the LORD is no longer revered, rather it is profaned and blasphemed, even his very existence is denied, but thank God that because of his saving grace through the completed work of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary that there is a number who would call themselves the redeemed of the Lord throughout the four corners of the earth, the body of Christ, the Church who from the rising of the sun to its setting will continue praise the name of the Lord. We are a part of a great family, the family of God, found in every corner of the world, the Church universal, and we are a people who praise Him, from the rising to the setting of the sun, 24 hours a day, every day of the week, 365 days of the year as each time zone is greeted with the rising sun, men and women from all walks of life, of various colours, from different nations, a variety of races, praise the Lord, and do so till the setting of the sun.
Today consider God’s goodness and faithfulness in your life and join with others in giving your praise to the Lord.