Commentary on Psalm 146

Just in case you missed it: This psalm is about the Lord! “Lord” appears 11 times in 10 verses and is referenced six additional times with pronouns (who, he). “God” is used four times. Add those together, and we hear the Lord our God referenced a whopping 21 times in 10 verses! Whatever you do, preacher, stick to this extraordinarily clear subject at hand.

One of the quicker ways the subject might be shifted to someone other than the Lord is by turning the list of the Lord’s steadfast activity into a to-do list for human beings. While to-do lists have their place, that is simply not what this psalm is doing. This psalm is not a call to action; it is an assurance and celebration of the Lord’s trustworthiness in acting on our behalf. It is pure thanksgiving for what God has done and is doing, for God’s faithfulness throughout eternity. 

The only thing that is said about human beings in this psalm is not positive: Human beings are not ultimately trustworthy. We can’t seem to help but place our trust in the hands of “princes” (verse 3), the next politician, activist, faith leader, or other person who makes promises that align with our hopes and dreams. Moreover, these leaders may have noble intentions. Let us not forget, however, that they are mortal sinners like us. Their motives are impure, their power is limited, and their “plans perish” as soon as “their breath departs” (verses 3–4). There is no salvation in any human being.

As Christians, we can name Christ as the only one whose breath departed but whose plans did not perish when he died. In John’s account, Jesus’ last words from the cross were, “It is finished” (John 19:30). With these words, we hear that Jesus’ final breath brought the completion of the incarnation of the eternal Word and, with that completion, the reconciliation of all things to Godself. This reconciling activity was not a past-tense reality that perished with him. It is a present-tense reality in every present moment, even now. God’s action here in Christ is the fullest and clearest expression of God’s trustworthiness; it is the essence of the gospel. 

In our preaching, this is the one to whom we point and not any human being, certainly not ourselves. We are members of the body of Christ; however, this is a metaphor—it is not intended to be taken literally. Otherwise, our ultimate trust is in ourselves, and however well we sinners embody the one “who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), the headlines suggest the result.

Practical considerations

Honor the genre and tone when this psalm is read or sung aloud in the context of worship. This is a psalm of praise, beginning and ending with “Praise the Lord!” or “Hallelujah!” “Hallelu” or “praise” is defined variously as to celebrate, glory, exclaim, make a show, or boast! The psalmist isn’t just listing information about the Lord or offering some good advice about how we ought to relate to the Lord. The psalmist is celebrating the Lord! 

If you serve in a context where the reading of Scripture tends to be done in a more subdued manner, this is a potential Sunday to stretch that habit a little bit for the sake of giving faithful voice to these words (Would “Joy to the World” be faithfully sung with no emotion?). Whether by inviting your most expressive worship leader to read it, incorporating children, or finding a musical setting to sing it, ensure that the Lord is praised not just in words but in voice and spirit.

The sermon might include open questions for the congregation to ponder in their hearts, inviting them to reflect on reasons to praise the Lord “as long as [they] live” and “all [their] life long” (verse 2). What has the Lord done in their lives that cannot help but result in praise (as evidenced by their showing up to worship this day)? How has the Lord “kept faith forever,” giving them their daily bread and the Eucharist, setting them free from what holds them captive, and raising them to new life (verses 6–8)? 

Depending on the season, your people’s hearts might be overflowing with reasons to praise God, or they might struggle to come up with anything at all. Either way is fine, because they are present to hear a preacher proclaim the gospel! Preachers get to declare God’s feeding, freeing, and life-giving activity to and for the congregation, in faith that the same Lord that the psalmist is praising is present in the preacher’s preaching, assuring the congregation that these things are promised to them too. 

This God is “the God of Abraham,” the God of people who lived thousands of years ago on the other side of the world. And this same God is the God “for all generations” (verse 10). This God is “[your people’s] God” (verse 5). The psalm even begins using the first person, singing, “I will sing praises to my God all my life long” (verse 2). The Lord who is close enough to be called “my God,” close enough to hear the praises that the psalmist sings throughout his entire life (verse 2), is that close to you and your people. You get to give your people this good news.

Perhaps, after reflecting on the Lord’s activity in their own lives, and hearing from the preacher that the Lord who “keeps faith forever” is still giving and will continue to give good gifts in Christ through the Spirit, the congregation could be invited to praise the Lord by reading the psalm together, whether in unison, alternating verses with the preacher, or some other way. This allows the psalm to be not merely the psalmist’s psalm but your people’s psalm, so that the “I” and “me” in the psalm refer to all of the I’s and me’s who are speaking the words.