THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PRAISE AND BLESSING (Psalm 135)

Psalm 135 picks up exactly where Psalm 134 left off. In fact, Psalm 135 repeats some of the same emphases that are found in the previous two psalms.

Verses 1-3: “Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.”

Do you hear some of the repetitions? We saw references to the people standing in the Lord’s house in the previous psalm and again in this one. The word “pleasant” was used in Psalm 133, and we see it here as well.

Now read the closing passage, in verses 19-21.

“Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O house of Aaron: Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord. Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.”

Psalm 135 opens with praise and ends with blessing. Notice the spiritual connection between praising God and blessing God and a life filled with both.

The reason so many people are miserable is that they never learned to praise God. They do not reflect the joy and goodness of the Lord because they have not learned the beautiful discipline and privilege of praise.

This is something God is trying to teach all of us in the book of Psalms. Every one of us has to work at it every day. Psalm 135 details for us how to praise the Lord and have this blessing in our lives.

Why Praise God?

In verses 4-5, we are told why we praise Him. “For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.” Simply put, we praise Him because of who He is.

Verses 6-7: “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.”

We praise Him not only because of who He is but also because of what He does in the world around us. The natural world should be a reminder to us every day. When you see or feel the sun, the rain, or the wind, you should think of God.

I was out recently during a very early morning for some alone time with God, and I heard the birds. What a chorus they were singing — some of the most beautiful songs I had ever heard. It dawned on me that they were all praising the Creator. Their song lifts up glory to the One who made them and sustains them.

Don’t you think we should join in that chorus? We should praise the Lord.

Verses 8-12: “Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast. Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants. Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings; Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan: And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.”

Here, the psalmist was saying, “I will praise Him because of what he did for me.” This passage, of course, is a description of how the Lord delivered the nation of Israel out of Egypt and beyond. But think of all the things He has done in your life.

So many answers to prayer. So many blessings in your home. Just the fact that you are alive today. These are all reasons to pause and give God glory.

Verse 13: “Thy name, O Lord, endureth forever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.” Another reason to praise Him is because He continues.

Verse 14: “For the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.” We can praise Him because of what He is going to do, not just what He has done or even is doing today.

What is God going to do? He is going to judge righteously. He is going to deliver His people. He will take care of His own and deal with His enemies. God is going to do right.

Verses 15-18: “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.”

This is pretty strong. Essentially, the psalmist was saying that idols are dumb, and anyone who believes in them is also dumb. There is a great contrast between our God and anything else that is worshipped, loved, and served in this world.

Anything aside from the God of the Bible is an idol and a false god that cannot be trusted. Only the Lord is worthy of our praise and blessing. When you learn to praise God like this, you learn the secret of great blessing.

Now, we are back at the end of the psalm. Notice in verse 19 how the “house of Israel” is instructed to bless the Lord. That is the entire nation. The “house of Aaron” is mentioned next, followed by the “house of Levi.”

Finally, in verse 21, we see the phrase “out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem.” That is everyone else. All of us are to praise the Lord.

Psalms 135 and 136 are set in the time of II Chronicles 7 when Solomon finally finished the temple, and the Ark of the Covenant was brought inside for the first time. Oh, what a celebration. I wish we could have been there, don’t you?

We read previously about how happy David was when he brought the Ark back to Jerusalem. That same joy spilled over into Solomon’s day when it was placed in the temple. It is summed up in II Chronicles 7:10:

“And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the Lord had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.”

They recognized that God had been so good to them, so they just praised and blessed the Lord.

If you want to be glad today and have a merry heart, if you want the blessing and joy of the Lord in your life, then praise Him. He is worthy of your praise and honored by it. When you begin to praise Him, you will find that every blessing begins to flow in and through your life.

Read Psalm 135 today, and as you do it, stop and praise our great God.