Who Is Like The LORD?
Psalms 113
August 1, 2021
Tonight we return to our study of the Psalms.
And we do so at the beginning of a very special segment of Psalms.
Psalms 113–118 represent a group of Psalms known as “The Hallel”
It means “praise” (as in hallelujah)
They were a group of Psalms sung by Israel during the Passover.
Shortly after Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper in the upper room on the night before He was crucified, we read:
Mark 14:26 “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
It is highly likely that this was the song they sang,
Followed by the remainder of the Psalms in this group.
They were songs that rejoiced in the God
Who would deliver His helpless people from the iron furnace.
BUT AS WE STUDY THEM,
It is impossible for us not to look at the more perfect Passover
And see the deliverance which transpired at the cross.
They are Psalms that force us to get our thinking right about such events.
I don’t know of any contemporary trend that bothers me more
Than the current trend in Christianity which is
TO SEEM TO MAKE THE FOCUS OF REDEMPTION ALL ABOUT US.
It hit me hardest in the face several years ago when a group from Lubbock wanted to host a youth revival here in Spur.
• I remember when we had the meeting and the theme was announced.
• Basically the theme all revolved around a new contemporary Christian song that was gaining extreme popularity.
• The song was recorded by a band named “Mikeschair”
• And the song was called “Someone Worth Dying For”
The Chorus says:
“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I want to believe,
I want to believe that
I’m not just some wandering soul
That you don’t see and you don’t know
Yeah, I want to believe,
Jesus help me believe
That I am someone worth dying for”
Now, I certainly understand the gist of the song.
• They wanted to portray to the downcast that God loves even them.
• They wanted to show the truth we love which is that God saves sinners.
But the song goes about it all wrong.
And the theology is terrible.
But they aren’t alone.
MercyMe has an album called “Welcome To The New” (and I listen to it)
The title song which is meant to celebrate the new life you have in Christ
Even descends to this distorted point.
They sing:
“Look at you Shiny and new
Look at you You got the proof of purchase
You were purchased ‘Cause you’re worth it
Look at you Finding your groove
Don’t you dare think That you’re not worth it.
‘Cause you’re worth it Yeah you’re worth it”
And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg here, but we’ve got more important things to do than quote bad contemporary Christian lyrics.
What I want you to understand is that
Even though these statements sound good,
They are terribly wrong and even idolatrous.
The whole point of the gospel message is strikingly opposite.
Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
The whole point is that we were NOT worth dying for.
The whole point is that we didn’t deserve it.
But the glory of the gospel is that God saves the unworthy.
The glory of the gospel is that Christ died for sinners.
It may seem like splitting hairs
But the difference is monumentally important.
We should never sing a song,
Especially one that claims to be Christian,
And come away thinking how worthy I am.
That is blasphemous!
The true songs come away reminding us that
While I am just as wicked as one can imagine,
Christ is so glorious that He would save even me.
Listen to Paul:
1 Timothy 1:12-15 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
You see the difference don’t you.
When we ponder the glories of salvation
We should never walk away with our heads held high
That we were worth so much.
When we ponder salvation
We should walk away asking “Who is like the LORD our God?”
Well that is what Psalms 113 will do for us tonight.
• It will set our barometer back straight.
• It puts the majesty and the glory and the worth and the praise back where it belongs…on God.
Well, let’s look at this great Psalm of praise tonight.
We easily divide it into 2 points.
#1 A CALL TO PRAISE
Psalms 113:1-4
He opens the Psalm with the statement, “Praise the LORD!”
• Give God the glory!
• Give God the accolade!
• Put the focus on Him, not on you!
Since we spend so much of our time focusing on ourselves in this life,
Let us take an hour tonight stop the nonsense.
Let us take an hour and break from our egocentric inward focus
And look to the God who is to be praised.
And what we love here is that David is very thorough
In describing to us the scope of the praise that is to occur.
He answers for us 5 questions in these first 4 verses about praising God.
WHO SHOULD PRAISE GOD?
(1b) “Praise, O servants of the LORD”
There are certainly times when
THE WHOLE WORLD is called to fall on their face in praise of God.
• We certainly look to the end when “every knee will bow and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”
• We even read of the trees and the rocks crying out in praise to God.
The book of Psalms actually ends in:
Psalms 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!”
There is certainly a time for that.
But the command here is more specific.
Here the command is directed at the “servants of the LORD”
• This is for those who belong to the LORD.
• This is for those who have surrendered to Him.
• This is for those who claim allegiance to Him.
It is their duty.
While we were driving on vacation we listened to a couple of books on tape.
One was called “The Advocate” which sort of blends fiction and non-fiction.
The fictional character was Theophilus and the non-fiction was the historical events of Rome in the time of Christ and the early church.
But the book walked through the reign of Nero over Rome.
Nero was an incredibly egotistical man who actually loved to participate in the theatre and in concerts.
And Nero actually hired men whose sole job was to explode in grandiose applause and praise at the conclusion of every one of his songs or performances.
Those men had no choice.
It was their job.
It was their duty.
Now certainly Christ is worthy of praise, whereas Nero was not,
BUT THE POINT IS THE SAME.
We are those who are commanded and expected to be a voice of praise.
We expect the world to be self-centered,
How shameful it is when servants of Christ fall into that sin.
We are called to Praise the Lord.
WHAT SHOULD WE PRAISE?
(1c) “Praise the name of the LORD.”
Certainly you understand now that when we speak of “the name of the LORD” we are talking about the culmination of all His attributes.
We see this most easily in those covenantal names of God.
They are not just His titles, they are who He is.
Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord Provides”
Jehovah Rohi – “The Lord is my shepherd”
Jehovah Mekadesh – “The Lord who sanctifies you”
Jehovah Tsidkenu – “The Lord is our righteousness”
Jehovah Shalom – “The Lord is our peace”
Jehovah Shamah – “The Lord is there”
Jehovah Rophe – “The Lord heals”
Jehovah Nissi – “The Lord is our banner”
When you praise His name it’s a praise of who He is.
And the reminder here is that when we praise God
We praise Him IN HIS ENTIRETY.
We praise Him for all that He is.
Loving, Gracious, and Merciful but also Holy and just and powerful
We praise Him for all that He does.
Salvation, redemption, deliverance but also judgment and discipline and wrath
Very simply we are called as the servants of God
To praise and exalt God for all that He is and all that He does.
• We cannot be selective.
• We cannot be lopsided.
• We praise “the name of the LORD”
WHEN SHOULD WE PRAISE?
(2) “Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forever.”
The answer is:
Start now and never stop.
Revelation 4:8 “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”
• We don’t just praise God at church, we praise Him all week.
• We don’t just praise God when things are good, we praise Him when things are hard.
• We don’t just praise Him when it is convenient but at all times His praise is a priority.
We should learn from the model prayer of the Lord
Which reminded us that every prayer begins with
“Hallowed be Your name”
WHERE SHOULD WE PRAISE HIM?
(3) “From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised.”
There again is our favorite analogy of the east and the west.
The east and the west have no end. (unlike north and south)
So the simple answer is EVERYWHERE.
Can it really be true that there are places where it is inappropriate to praise the LORD?
• Are there locations or places where our Christianity and service to Christ don’t belong?
IT HAS BEEN A SUBTLE LIE
That Christians are swallowing hook-line-and sinker.
It started with things like “Separation of Church and State”
(which incidentally is stupid since all authority originates from God,
And all the state’s laws are based upon God’s moral judgments)
But the thinking creeps into things like.
• The school is no place to worship God or share the gospel.
• The workplace is no place to worship God or share the gospel.
Let me ask you: WHY?
Because some carnal pagan doesn’t want you to?
Ask yourself some simple questions:
• Does God deserve praise?
• Does God demand praise?
• Does man have the right to negate any of those first two answers?
And by the way, I’m not putting the burden on the administration or your boss to make it legal or not.
I’m asking the servants of God whether there is anything that can cause them to stop praising the Lord?
We are called to praise God everywhere regardless.
WHY SHOULD WE PRAISE?
(4) “The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.”
The simple answer is the transcendence of God.
We praise Him because He deserves praise.
Jeremiah 10:7 “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”
“it is Your due!” Jeremiah said.
He is “high above all nations”
Which begs the question,
Which governor or king has the right to forbid your worship?
• We praise kids when they behave properly.
• We praise athletes when they excel at their sport.
• We praise someone who does a good job at their occupation.
• We praise leaders who lead well.
• We praise servants who serve well.
• We praise cooks who cook well.
We praise all the time, as we should.
BUT IN THAT
We should never omit the One who deserves praise more than any other.
• There is One who is higher than all.
• There is One who is more exalted and more lofty and more perfect and more deserving than any of them.
If no one received praise for anything, God still should.
He deserves it.
And so that is David’s call to praise.
• But we admit, it is sort of a generic one.
• And that is actually fine.
• If Psalms 113 ended right there we would have no argument.
But David does us a great service in that
He carries the “why” out a little further.
Psalms 113:5-9 has a specific reason as to why we should praise God,
And that is what we want to see next.
#2 A CALL TO PONDER
Psalms 113:5-9
That is really the point of the Psalm.
Ponder this:
“Who is like the LORD our God?”
It’s actually the Hebrew word MICHAEL which means “Who is like God?”
We also see MICAH which means “Who is like the LORD?”
Here they are intertwined.
And it is a question meant to cause us to stop and ponder.
What do you mean David?
David is asking, have you ever heard of anyone or any god who ever did anything like what our God did?
(5-6) “Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?”
Listen to what David is focusing on.
Here we have our God “who is enthroned on high”
We just saw that in verse 4.
“The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.”
We have this God who is higher and more glorious
Than anything or anyone in all the earth and in all the heavens.
And yet He “humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth”
I want you to consider this a minute.
Here David says that God “humbles Himself”
That is to say that God makes Himself low.
We might say that God does what is beneath Him.
God does what He ought not have to do.
Like what?
Well first He “humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven”
This is something that you likely haven’t contemplated before.
• Even heaven is created by God.
• And even that is not worthy of Him.
Heaven may be the most glorious location you can imagine
What with its streets of gold and crystal sea and absence of any sin at all,
And yet even heaven does not deserve the glory of God.
In order for God to even behold the things in heaven
He must do what is beneath Him.
And of course you know that this is just a setup for what is coming next.
“and in the earth”
If it is a humiliating thing for God to darken the doors of heaven
Then we can’t even comprehend how humiliating it is
For Him to approach earth.
He ought not have to behold anything here.
He ought not have to look at anything here.
It reminds of the tower of Babel incident.
Genesis 11:4-5 “They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.”
Notice that “LORD came down” part.
THAT WAS AN INSULT TO HIM
To even have to behold the workings of men on this place.
It was humiliating to Him
To have to interject Himself into the lowly affairs of humans.
David certainly understood this.
We remember:
Psalms 8:3-4 “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?”
David just couldn’t fathom why the God of the universe
Would humble Himself to such an extent
As to care for something as insignificant as humans.
Of course you are already seeing the gospel here.
Paul spells it out for us.
Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Christ didn’t just behold the sons of men.
He took on flesh and dwelled with them.
There were some who saw the absurdity of this.
Remember this guy?
Matthew 8:5-8 “And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
The centurion knew that Jesus had lowered Himself enough just by being here,
But He certainly had no business in his house.
Remember Peter as Jesus washed their feet.
“You shall never wash my feet…”
• It’s wrong Lord!
• It’s beneath you!
Well listen any and all interaction that God has with humanity
IS ALL BENEATH HIM.
Just to dwell with you in heaven He has to humble Himself.
• How much more to behold you on earth?
• And how much more to dwell with you on earth?
So do you see David’s point?
“Who is like the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth?”
Who does that?
What kind of a God is He?
And David isn’t finished.
(7-8) “He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make the sit with princes, With the princes of His people.”
So now it’s not just that God associates with people on earth,
But He even associates with THE LOWEST PEOPLE on earth.
This was perhaps the most mind-blowing reality of all regarding Christ.
When God did take on human flesh and come to dwell among men
He basically bypassed all the important people
And went straight to the lowly.
He selected fishermen, a tax collector, a traitor.
He associated with harlots and drunkards and the demon-possessed.
If you travel to another city and someone tells you, “Don’t go down to that part of town, that’s the hood, that’s the dangerous part.”
We typically would avoid such areas, but that’s exactly where Jesus went.
He went to the least and promised to make them the greatest.
Remember the beatitudes?
Luke 6:20-22 “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.”
Jesus took the lowly, the base, the weak, the unimpressive
And by His grace He caused them to become heirs of God.
Think of all those promises in Ephesians about being “in Him”
• Not only do we have redemption and forgiveness
• But Paul also says we have an inheritance
• And that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
• In fact Paul says that in Christ we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
He takes the lowest and makes them the highest.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”
AND THAT’S STILL NOT ALL.
David continues still more.
(9) “He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!”
There was scorn and dishonor
Associated with a woman not being able to bear children.
But think through your Old Testament history to the promises of God.
Think of those patriarchs.
• Sarah – barren (Isaac)
• Rebekah – barren (Jacob)
• Rachel – barren (Joseph)
• Hannah – barren (Samuel)
• Elizabeth – barren (John the Baptist)
God did this all the time.
And ultimately we are taught that it was always A SPIRITUAL PICTURE.
Paul filled in the blanks in his letter to the Galatians.
Galatians 4:26-28 “But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, “REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.” And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.”
THE POINT WAS THAT
As children of God we are not children of the flesh (works)
But rather we are children of the promise (grace).
John taught us this:
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
And so what you have taking place routinely with God is that
God is selecting the least worthy and the most unlikely
And making them His children.
He elevates them to the status of prince
And bestows on them the joy and honor of a mother.
And the reality is really mind blowing when you think about it.
• It was humiliating to God to even concern Himself with the affairs of heaven much less the affairs of earth.
• It is unfathomable that God Himself would descend to earth to dwell there.
• And even more unthinkable that when He came He would associate with the lowly.
• And then that He would elevate the lowly to His status.
And look, the BIBLE IS FILLED WITH STORIES
That point to this mind-blowing reality.
Ever read Ezekiel 16?
• It’s about a discarded baby that no one wanted that it thrown into the field to die.
• And God comes along and not only rescues that discarded child, but raises and ultimately marries and beautifies her.
It is just another picture of God lowering Himself
To a standard that would have been humiliating to Him
In order to save those who did not deserve it.
Go read Luke 15 again.
• Watch the father humiliate himself by running to that prodigal son and then clothing him and throwing a banquet for him.
• What father would subject himself to the shame of the entire community to love a son who did not deserve it?
Go read 2 Samuel 9.
• It’s about the last remaining person in the line of Saul.
• His name is Mephibosheth and he’s the crippled son of Jonathon.
• By all accounts, cultural procedure says that he’d be killed so as not to be a threat to the house of David.
• But David brings this cripple in and honors him and lets him dine at his table daily.
It is just picture after picture after picture of this same reality
That our God saves those who don’t deserve to be saved.
HE EVEN HUMILIATES HIMSELF TO DO SO.
Certainly there is no greater picture of this than the cross
Where Christ humiliated Himself in order that He might save us.
And somehow we want to assume
That salvation was all about how worthy we are?
NO!
God did not save you because you deserved it.
God did not save you because you were worth it.
In fact, and even though this may be painful, I think it’s vitally important that you have your doctrine on man accurate.
(It is my estimation that most people’s doctrine is filled with error
Because they have an incorrect doctrine of man.)
Are you aware of what the Bible says about man?
You should first remember his origin.
Genesis 2:7 “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
And yet God loves us anyway.
Psalms 103:14 “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
You should remember man’s ambition.
Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
And of course in response God flooded the earth,
But even after the flood it’s not like men were better.
Genesis 8:21 “The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”
And yet God still chose to have compassion on us.
Man is deceptive.
Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”
But still God is merciful.
Man is dead in sin and craves iniquity
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
And yet God is gracious.
Ephesians 2:4-9 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Man is disloyal and phony and hypocritical.
We could read again that long passage of Paul
Where he reminds us that “there is none good, not even one”.
AND GOD KNOWS ALL THIS.
John 2:24-25 “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
But He saves us anyway.
It is not because we are worthy, it is because He is gracious.
And we come back to that statement which David would have us ponder:
“Who is like the LORD?”
If you take the time to examine salvation
And you come away with the thought that you must have been so worthy
For God to have paid such a high price for you
Then you are narcissistic to an unbelievable level.
• We were not saved because we were worthy.
• We were not saved because we deserved it.
• We were not saved because of our value.
God ascribed value to us when He saved us.
God ascribed worth to us when He saved us.
It is not worth because of who we are,
It is worth because of whose we are.
Salvation is all about this God
Who humbled Himself to come down and save
Filthy, trouble-making, deceptive, disloyal humans.
All the glory goes to Him!
And with that we could RETURN TO THE TOP of the Psalm and read:
“Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.”
Don’t praise yourself, praise the LORD!
• And praise His name.
• Praise Him at all times.
• Praise Him in all places.
And just when you think that praising God
Is someone how too humiliating or too embarrassing or too dangerous
Then stop and think of the humiliation
That God put Himself through to save you.
He is an extraordinary God and He deserves extraordinary praise!
