Commentary - Psalm 113:1-3

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 113 is the first of the Hallel psalms (113-118), which were sung as a collection at the great Jewish feasts, most notably the Passover. When we are told that Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn before going out to the Mount of Olives, it was almost certainly these psalms. This psalm, then, is the opening blast of a great chorus of praise. It is a summons to worship that is as broad and all encompassing as the creation itself. The structure is simple and powerful. The psalmist defines for us who must praise (the slaves of Yahweh), what must be praised (the name of Yahweh), and the duration and location of this praise (forever, and everywhere the sun shines). This is not a suggestion, but a declaration of the way the world is. The fundamental reality of the cosmos is that Yahweh is God, and He is worthy of all praise.

The psalm establishes a basic pattern for all true worship. It begins with a command, moves to a description of the worshiper's identity, and then expands to fill all time and space. This is a call to a totalizing worship, a worship that defines every aspect of our existence. It is not a compartmentalized activity for Sunday mornings, but the very atmosphere that the people of God are to breathe.

Outline

Context In Psalms

As the first of the Egyptian Hallel psalms, Psalm 113 sets the tone for the entire collection. These psalms were deeply embedded in the liturgical life of Israel, especially during Passover, the feast of redemption. As they sang these words, they were remembering their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. This context is crucial. The call to praise is not issued into a vacuum; it is a response to God's mighty acts of salvation. The "slaves of Yahweh" are those who have been set free from another, far more brutal master. Therefore, their service to God is not drudgery but liberated joy. This psalm, and the ones that follow, are the songs of the redeemed.

Key Issues

Commentary

1 Praise Yah! Praise, O slaves of Yahweh, Praise the name of Yahweh.

The psalm opens with a fusillade of praise. The first phrase, "Praise Yah," is the Hebrew Hallelujah. It is a command, an exhortation, an explosion of worship. It is the fundamental particle of godly speech. Before we do anything else, we are to praise God. This is not a warm up exercise; it is the main event.

Then the psalmist specifies who is to do this praising: the "slaves of Yahweh." In our democratic and egalitarian age, this language can be jarring. But in the Bible, to be a slave of God is the highest possible honor. Moses, David, and Paul all identified themselves this way. It means you belong to Him. Your identity is not your own; it is found in your Master. And because our Master is the good, gracious, and glorious King of the universe, this slavery is true freedom. The alternative is not autonomy; it is slavery to sin, to self, to Satan. So this is a call for the redeemed, those bought by God, to do what they were created and redeemed to do. It is a call to act in accordance with our truest identity.

And what is the object of our praise? "The name of Yahweh." We are not praising a vague, generic deity. We are praising the God who has revealed Himself, the God who has a name. The name of God in Scripture represents His character, His reputation, and His saving acts. To praise His name is to recount His goodness, to declare His holiness, to celebrate His covenant faithfulness, to exult in His salvation through Christ.

2 May the name of Yahweh be blessed From now until forever.

The psalmist now shifts from a command directed at men to a prayer directed toward God's reputation. This is a jussive, an expressed desire that God's name would be blessed. It is one thing for us to praise Him; it is another to long for His name to be held in high honor by all. This is the heart of the petition, "Hallowed be Thy name." It is a desire for God's glory to be recognized and cherished.

And the timeframe for this blessing is ultimate: "From now until forever." The praise is to begin immediately and is to have no end. It is not a temporary enthusiasm. This establishes the eternal nature of worship. What we do now in our corporate gatherings is a preparation and foretaste of what we will be doing for all eternity. This is a statement of immense eschatological confidence. The name of Yahweh will be blessed forever.

3 From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of Yahweh is to be praised.

Having established the eternal scope of praise, the psalmist now establishes its global scope. "From the rising of the sun to its setting" is a poetic way of saying "everywhere." As the sun makes its daily circuit around the earth, it ought to be chasing a continuous wave of praise. As the saints in Moscow are finishing their evening prayers, the saints in London are in the middle of their workday, and the saints in California are just waking up to praise God. There should be no moment when the name of Yahweh is not being praised somewhere on this planet.

This is a profoundly missionary statement. It looks forward to the fulfillment of the Great Commission, when disciples will be made of all nations. The praise of God is not to be restricted to Jerusalem, or to any one people. It is destined to fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. The verse ends with a simple, declarative statement of fact: "The name of Yahweh is to be praised." This is not an opinion. It is a statement of what is right, fitting, and necessary. The universe is structured in such a way that the only proper response to the Creator is worship. All other responses are a form of cosmic rebellion and insanity.

Application

First, we must understand that praise is a command, not an option. It is the chief end of man. Your life's purpose is to be a worshiper of God. This means our worship must be robust, thoughtful, and all encompassing. It is not about generating a certain kind of feeling, but about declaring certain truths about who God is and what He has done.

Second, we must embrace our identity as "slaves of Yahweh." This frees us from the tyranny of self-worship. True liberty is found not in being our own master, but in joyfully serving the one true Master, Jesus Christ, who bought us with His own blood. This identity should shape everything we do, turning mundane tasks into acts of service and worship.

Finally, this psalm should fuel our passion for the gospel's advance. We are called to long for and work for the day when God's name is blessed from east to west, when every tribe and tongue and nation joins this great Hallelujah chorus. Our worship here and now is a strategic act in that spiritual war, pushing back the darkness and claiming ground for the kingdom of our Lord. Every song we sing, every prayer we offer, is a declaration that the name of Yahweh, and no other, is to be praised.