Psalms 145
Big idea: The last psalm in the book carrying David's name, and it is an acrostic of pure praise. Its centre of gravity is a word that appears in almost every line: all. Yahweh is good to all; his tender mercies are over all his works; he upholds all who fall; the eyes of all wait for you; he is near to all who call on him. And the most quoted image in it is a gesture: you open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145 is the last psalm with a title. The final five have none — only Praise Yah at both ends.
145:1–7 — One generation will commend your works to another
The last acrostic in the Psalter, and the one psalm titled simply 'a praise'. Its first movement is about transmission — one generation COMMENDING the works to another — and it keeps alternating between what 'I' will do and what 'they' will do, so the praise is described as something handed along rather than performed alone.
1 A praise psalm by David. I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever and ever. 3 Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation will commend your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts. 5 I will meditate on the glorious majesty of your honor, on your wondrous works. 6 Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness. 7 They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
145:8–13 — Yahweh is good to all
The centre of the psalm quotes Exodus 34 and then does something the Old Testament rarely does with it: widens it past Israel. 'Yahweh is good TO ALL. His tender mercies are over ALL HIS WORKS' — the covenant formula applied to everything he made. And the kingdom described is not a conquest but a duration.
8 Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness. 9 Yahweh is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works. 10 All your works will give thanks to you, Yahweh. Your saints will extol you. 11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk about your power, 12 to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, the glory of the majesty of his kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahweh is faithful in all his words, and loving in all his deeds.
145:14–21 — You open your hand
The last movement is a list of the people God holds up, and the verbs are all about supporting weight: upholds all who FALL, raises those BOWED DOWN. Then verse 16, which is the psalm's best line — you open your hand, and satisfy the DESIRE of every living thing. Not the need. The desire, of everything alive.
14 Yahweh upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 Yahweh is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works. 18 Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him. He also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20 Yahweh preserves all those who love him, but he will destroy all the wicked. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh. Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).