Commentary - Psalm 113:4-6

Bird's-eye view

This central section of Psalm 113 presents a staggering contrast, one that is essential to the Christian faith. The psalmist first establishes the absolute and transcendent majesty of Yahweh. He is not just a local deity or a tribal god; His authority and glory blast past all human and even created boundaries. He is high above the nations, and His glory outshines the heavens themselves. This is the God who is utterly separate, holy, and unapproachable in His own being.

But then, having established this infinite vertical distance, the psalmist immediately pivots to the most profound truth of all. This infinitely high God is not a distant, deistic clock-winder. He is the God who stoops. The same God whose glory fills the highest heavens condescends to look upon the things of heaven and earth. This is not a casual glance but a deliberate act of humbling Himself. This section sets the stage for the gospel itself, for the ultimate condescension was when the Son of God, who sits on high, brought Himself low to be born in a manger, live among us, and die upon a cross. The whole movement of redemption is captured here in miniature: from the highest glory to the lowest condescension for the sake of His people.

Outline

Verse by Verse Commentary

4 Yahweh is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.

The psalmist begins by setting our gaze upward, and then further upward still. First, "Yahweh is high above all nations." This is a direct assault on every form of idolatry and tribalism. The nations rage, they imagine vain things, they set up their little kings and their fleeting empires. But Yahweh is not on their level. He is not one god among many, competing for market share. He presides over all of them. The United Nations, the G7, the rising and falling of superpowers, all of it is a soap opera performed on an ant hill from His perspective. His throne is established far above their petty squabbles and ambitions. This is a fundamental truth for political theology. Until we get this right, we will always be tempted to put our ultimate trust in princes, polls, or political movements.

But he doesn't stop there. "His glory is above the heavens." Just when you think you have grasped the scale of His majesty, the psalmist pushes the ceiling out of the universe. The heavens, with their sun, moon, and galaxies, declare His glory, but they cannot contain it. His essential glory, the blazing reality of who He is in Himself, is far beyond the capacity of the created order to display. The heavens are merely the floor of His throne room. This is the God we are dealing with. He is not manageable. He is not tame. He is transcendent in the truest sense of the word.

5 Who is like Yahweh our God, The One who sits on high,

This is a rhetorical question, and the answer is a resounding "No one." "Who is like Yahweh our God?" This is the challenge thrown down to every idol, every philosophy, every humanistic pretension. Who can measure up? The question itself is a form of worship, an acknowledgment of His absolute uniqueness. He is in a category all by Himself. This is not just a statement of fact; it is a personal confession: He is "our God." The transcendent God, high above the heavens, is not an abstract principle but a covenant-making, promise-keeping God who belongs to His people.

And where is He? He is "The One who sits on high." The imagery is one of enthronement, of settled and absolute sovereignty. He is not pacing the heavens nervously. He is not wringing His hands over the state of the world. He sits. His rule is established, His purposes are fixed, and His authority is unquestionable. He governs all things from a position of supreme, unassailable power. This is the foundation of our confidence. Our God is not scrambling; He is reigning.

6 The One who brings Himself low to see The things in heaven and on the earth?

And here is the pivot, the glorious paradox that lies at the heart of our faith. Having established that God is infinitely high, the psalmist now tells us that He "brings Himself low to see." The Hebrew word for "brings Himself low" can also be translated as "humbles Himself." This is not something that happens to God; it is something He does. It is an act of His sovereign will. His greatness is so great that even to look upon the highest things He has made, the heavens themselves, requires an act of condescension.

Think about that. For God to observe the affairs of the archangels is an act of humility on His part. He has to stoop to see the seraphim. If that is the case for the things "in heaven," how much more for the things "on the earth?" For the infinite God to take notice of our world, with its dust and decay, its sin and sorrow, is an act of staggering condescension. He humbles Himself to behold our frame, to know that we are but dust. This is not the detached observation of a scientist looking through a microscope. This is the attentive, personal gaze of a loving sovereign.

This verse is a gospel arrow pointing straight to Bethlehem. The ultimate expression of God bringing Himself low was the incarnation. The One who sits on high did not just stoop to see; He stooped to become. He became a man. He took on flesh and dwelt among us. The glory that is above the heavens was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. This is the central mystery of our faith. The God who is infinitely high is also the God who is intimately near, because He chose to humble Himself for us and for our salvation.

Application

First, we must cultivate a right view of God's transcendence. Our worship is often too small because our view of God is too small. He is high above the nations and His glory is above the heavens. This should produce in us a profound sense of awe and reverence. It should also liberate us from fear of man. The powers and principalities of this world are as nothing before Him. Our political anxieties shrink to their proper size when we remember who is truly on the throne.

Second, we must marvel at His condescension. The same God who is infinitely transcendent is the God who humbles Himself to see us. This is not a contradiction; it is the very nature of His greatness. True greatness is not aloof and detached; it is the strength to stoop. This truth should destroy our pride. If God humbles Himself, who are we to be proud? It should also be the source of our greatest comfort. The high and holy God sees you. He knows your circumstances. He cares about the details of your life.

Finally, we must see both of these truths culminating in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, we see the glory that is above the heavens and the humility that stoops to the dust of the earth. He is the enthroned King and the suffering servant. To worship God rightly is to worship the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. It is to confess that the One who sits on high is the same One who brought Himself low to save us. This is the God we praise, from the rising of the sun to its setting.