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1.
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From the heavens suggests the praise of God by angels
(cp. Psa. 150:1c; Rev. 7:11,12). The rest of vv. 1,2 — heights
(Psa. 103:20-22), angels, and hosts (Psa. 103:21; 1 Kings
22:19) — clearly continue the same idea.
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2.
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But hosts (tzvaoth, or
sabaoth: James 5:4) has more than one meaning (Deut. 4:19; Gen.
2:1; Isa. 40:26); thus this word becomes a suitable bridge to vv. 3,4: sun
and moon... stars of light... ye heavens of heavens.
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3.
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Stars of light seems to imply the existence of
“stars of darkness”. These “black holes” have become a
commonplace phenomenon in modern astronomy: the counterpart is the Bible
teaching about angels of “evil” (but not “wicked”
angels!) as well as angels of good (see Psa. 78:49, notes).
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4.
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The terminology here is not easy. Perhaps:
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Heavens = the expanse between the earth and the
clouds.
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Ye waters that be above the heavens = the
moisture-laden clouds (cp. Gen. 1:7; 7:11; Psa. 29:10).
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The heavens of heavens = the interminable space beyond
the clouds, or perhaps the most inaccessible part thereof — where
God’s throne is (cp. the Hebrew superlative “the holy of
holies”).
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5.
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He commanded. Whom did He command? ‘The angels
busy in creation’ seems to be the only possible answer. (But the angels
must themselves have been created! So surely they were the first of God’s
creation — so that they, the Elohim, might participate in,
and rejoice in, the remainder of His creative work: Gen. 1:26,27.)
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And they were created (Psa. 33:6). Thus they
“praise” the name of the Lord — by their very existence (cp.
Psa. 19).
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6.
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He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath
made a decree which shall not pass. This verse implies that the stars and
other heavenly bodies also praise Him by their unchanging
“obedience” to divine law. Jer. 31:35,36 and 33:20,21 clearly teach
that God’s purpose with Israel is as fully controlled as are the stars in
their courses. Hence, perhaps, v. 14 also.
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7.
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Praise the Lord from the earth. From the heavens
(v. 1) to the earth (here) the praise echoes (cp. v. 13). “Thy will
be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).
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Dragons (tanninim: Psa. 74:13; Job 7:1;
Ezek. 29:3) are the great sea-monsters such as porpoises and dolphins and whales
(Gen. 1:21; see Psa. 104:26, note), which — as is now known —
communicate in a very wonderful fashion, and in this unique way they
“praise” the Lord! But man prefers to kill them off.
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8.
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An “ABBA” formation:
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A. Fire = lightning (Psa. 18:12; 105:32).
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B. Hail.
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B. Snow (Psa. 147:16).
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A. Vapours = storm clouds.
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But vapours (s.w. Gen. 19:28; Psa. 119:83) may well be
“smoke”, like that of an oil region set afire by the wrath of God.
Even the destruction of Sodom exalts the glory and character of the
Almighty.
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9.
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Fruitful trees, and all cedars = all trees, both
cultivated and uncultivated.
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10.
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Beasts, and all cattle. Likewise, all animals, both
wild and domesticated. Even the ox and the ass acknowledge their Master (Isa.
1:3)! And the flying fowl, by their orderly migration (Jer. 8:7), and by
their lovely and varied music, testify to the wisdom of the One who created
them.
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11.
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People (Hebrew l’umim) is used
quite often with reference to the Arabs (in this case, Arab kings and
princes). 2 Samuel 8 bears witness to the trouble these gave David early
in his reign. The situation repeated itself in Hezekiah’s reign, when
Sennacherib and his Arab allies invaded (cp. Psa. 149:7). Both crises ended with
an acknowledgment of the might of the God of Israel.
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12.
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Old men, and children. The parallelism with young
men, and maidens would seem to require “old men and old women”.
Then why not? Is this because this verse refers to the praise of God by a temple
choir? (cp. Alamoth, maidens, in Psalms Studies, Psa. 45,
Par. 2).
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Alternatively, read (a) z’qenim
(“old men”) and (b) naarim
(“children”) as nouns of common gender, thus including (a)
old men and women, along with (b) boys and girls.
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For children praising God, see also Psa. 8:1,2.
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13.
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His glory is above the earth and heaven. This order of
words comes only in Gen. 2:4, perhaps suggesting that this psalm be read as a
psalm of the “New Creation”. It is useful to go back and review vv.
1-12, assigning the various Days of Creation: See, for examples,
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(a) how the angels sang and rejoiced when the “New
Creation” began with the birth of God’s Son (Luke 2:10-14; cp.
Job 38:7), and
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(b) the “stormy wind” of Holy Spirit power on
the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2), when the church was
“born”.
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14.
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He also exalteth the horn of his people. God did this
in spectacular fashion in Hezekiah’s reign. Note the synonyms: saints,
Israel, a people near unto him. The word for “near” almost
echoes the word cherub. And the phrase echoes Deut. 4:7 and Lev.
10:3; and is in turn alluded to in Eph. 2:13,17 — Gentiles who have now
become “Israel”. And Luke 1:69 quotes this verse about salvation in
Christ, as saintly Zacharias eagerly anticipates the birth of his son, and the
imminent coming of the One after him, who would be even greater.
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Horn — a symbol of power in general (Deut. 33:17;
1 Sam. 2:1; Psa. 75:10; 89:17,24; 92:10; 132:17) — may also indicate more
specifically the ox-figures of the Temple Cherubim, explicit symbols of the
power of God.
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The ultimate praise of God’s Creation will be that of
the “New Creation” — when they are truly near unto
him:
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“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev.
21:3).
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