Trusting God
Psalm 146
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
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- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
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Key Verse: Psalm 146:2 –
“I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.”
It’s not uncommon, especially in the comics, to see a depiction of someone who has sought out a guru living on a mountaintop in hopes of finding the meaning of life. A quick Google search turns up a page full of them.
One guru responds: “The meaning of life? Gee, that’s kind of a toughie …” Another says
I don’t know: the computers are down.” A Bizarro strip has the guru respond to the question by saying “Have you tried Googling it?” Another person asks the meaning of life, only to be told “You do the Hokie Pokie and you turn yourself about, that’s what it’s all about.”
My current favorite has shivering guru saying “If I knew the meaning of life, do you think I’d be sitting here on top of a mountain?”
As we study a series of Old Testament texts this fall, we come time and again to the theme of finding what it takes to live a meaningful and happy life. The author of Psalm 146 believed he knew the answer.
Invitation to praise (vv. 1-2)
Psalm 146 is the prayer of an individual who has experienced divine aid and who desires to give public testimony of God’s help through corporate worship. We don’t know what his or her problems were: the psalm itself gives us few clues as to the specific nature of God’s assistance, and that’s good: the generic nature of the psalm allows us to incorporate it more easily in our own praise and worship on troubled days. [DD]
The poet’s praise is unadulterated. In the first two verses, the he skillfully uses repetition to intensify words of adulation. He begins by calling the congregation to praise the Lord, then immediately calls himself to offer praise, as well: “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!” (v. 1).
“O my soul” translates the Hebrew word napshî, from the noun nephesh. The Hebrews did not share the Greek concept of a soul that was separate from the body. The concept of a nephesh refers to one’s innermost being or truest self. So, the psalmist challenges himself to offer praise from the deepest part of who he is.
The psalmist then moves to a declaration that he will not only praise God with all of his life, but for all of his life: “I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long” (v. 2).
Having used the same word for “praise” (halal) in the first three lines of his invitation, he switches in the last line to a special word for singing praise (zamar). “I will sing praises to my God all my life long,” he says – literally, “in all of my continuing.” The psalmist’s personal praise serves as a public challenge for the worshiping congregation to join him in song.
The psalmist’s invitation to praise calls us to recall the many things for which we can give praise to God – and it also reminds us how our own testimonies of praise may encourage others to trust in God and to sing hallelujahs of their own.
Invitation to trust (vv. 3-4)
Why should we worship God? The psalmist believes there is no other source of sure and lasting help – especially in other humans, even royal ones. A few “royal” psalms offer both praise and prayer for the king, but the poet advises against putting too much trust in royalty or in other mortal beings, “in whom there is no help” (v. 3). Humans may have great plans and good intentions, but they all have at least one failing in common – they die (v. 4).
Given the reference to “princes,” we wonder if the psalmist was writing in the aftermath of a popular king’s death. Many were doubtless dejected, for example, when young King Josiah, who had followed the teachings of Deuteronomy to institute many cultic reforms, was killed in an unwise conflict with Pharaoh Necco of Egypt. Prophets and others had hoped Josiah’s reforms would lead to a national revival and encourage God to keep the nation safe despite the growing power of Babylon. With Josiah’s death, hope faded.
The observation that everyone dies (v. 4) may provide a clue to the psalmist’s personal experience. Perhaps someone he loved or leaned on for support had died, and he had known the feeling of abandonment that comes when that happens. Grief-stricken persons often have a vague sense of anger at their loved ones for dying and leaving them. Human relationships can be wonderful and supportive. None of us could enjoy life without them. But, we must also remember that human support is always limited by human finitude. Those who are wise will also seek a connection with the one source of help whose being has no bounds.
Jeremiah knew this truth. He declared that those who trust in mortals alone would be like lonely shrubs in the desert, experiencing the curse of dry hearts and empty lives. On the other hand, he believed that people who put their trust ultimate trust in God would be like trees in the fruitful community of an eternal oasis (Jer. 17:5-8).
Most of us have experienced something like that. Maybe someone we loved and depended on has died, leaving this life on earth. Or maybe someone just left us, choosing another path and essentially becoming dead to us. We’ve known what it is to love someone and to lose them. We’ve learned that we need the support of one who will never leave us or forsake us, even by death, and we can rejoice that God is present and willing to supply that need.
Celebration of deliverance (vv. 5-9)
In vv. 5-9, the worshiper shows the contrast between finite humans and the infinite God. Those who put their trust in God experience happiness, he says: “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose help is in the LORD their God (v. 5). [DD]
And why does the psalmist believe Yahweh is so trustworthy as to bring happiness? Because it is God who created the great triad of heaven, earth, and sea – and all that lives within them (v. 6). If God is the author of life, then God can be trusted to keep faith with the results of his creation.
Yahweh’s credibility is seen not only in God’s creation, but in God’s relations with humankind. In vv. 7-9, the poet reminds his hearers of God’s continual kindness toward his people. Yahweh gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry, sets prisoners free and gives sight to the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down by the burdens of life. Yahweh is one who cares for those who cannot help themselves. In ancient society, the most helpless were those who had no family to support them: immigrants, orphans, and widows. God has the power to bless the way of the righteous and to ruin the plans of the wicked.
The themes mentioned here are echoed in Isaiah 61:1, often interpreted as a description of the coming Messiah: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners. . .” Jesus, apparently familiar with this text, took it as his own mission statement in his first sermon at the Capernaum synagogue (Luke 4:18). [DD]
A problem with reading and interpreting vv. 7-9 is the reality that many people remain oppressed, needy, blind, or imprisoned, while wicked people may prosper and not face ruin.
The psalm is no promise that everyone who looks to God will be delivered from trouble and restored to freedom, health, or financial security – or that every evildoer will get a comeuppance in this world.
Still, for persons who find themselves downtrodden or in need, the psalm assures the ongoing presence and comfort of God. In addition, the psalm is a reminder that those who worship God and understand God’s call to love their neighbors may become the instrument of God’s care to those in need (See “The Hardest Question” online for more on this).
A doxology for eternity (v. 10)
The poet has offered praise to Yahweh as the only one who gives lasting help, as Israel’s true and eternal king. While earthly rulers are temporary, “the Lord will reign forever” over countless generations of his people (v. 10).
Hebrews living during the Old Testament period did not have the same concept of eternal life in heaven that became popular by New Testament times. For them, “forever” implied an unending presence of God’s special people on earth.
The psalmist concludes in the same way he began, “halelu-yah – Praise the Lord!” We can imagine that the congregation might have joined him in this final “Hallelujah!”
The depth of feeling in this psalm suggests that the psalmist had personal experience with the hard side of life. He knew what it was to be pressed down by trials and abandoned by those who had promised help. Yet, the testimony of this psalm is that he found God to be present in the darkness, perhaps even in the valley of the shadow of death.
His words offer comfort to the hurting, assurance that Yahweh is personally concerned – especially concerned – for those who suffer – and that even in our suffering we can praise God as we discover that praise itself brings strength and courage to face another day.
Can you speak a little Hebrew? Hallelujah!
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: Psalm 146
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
Who do you trust around your students? If we are considering who we want to influence our students, the better question may be: Who do our students trust? Trust is tricky isn’t always given to those who deserve it. Sometimes trust is given through manipulation or popularity. Sometimes trust is never given because of past hurts. With trust comes influence; words spoken turn into action. If you really want to influence your students, surround them with people you trust.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: Psalm 146
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“Learning to Trust Scene” from The Great Wall
Via www.youtube.com
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