God's Dwelling on High

Lesson Text: Psalm 113:1-9

Related Scriptures: Psalms 57:1-1 1; 1 03: 19-22; 108: I-13; 1 Samuel 1:26—2:10; Luke 1:46-55

TIME: unknown PLACE: unknown

GOLDEN TEXT: The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens" (Psalm 1 13:4).

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Introduction

Psalm 113 begins a collection of psalms nicknamed the Egyptian Hallel, running from Psalm 113 through 1 18. (Hallel is the Hebrew verb for "praise.”) At some point, probably before the life of Christ, Jewish people began to sing these during their three annual worship festivals. Psalm 113 would have helped these worshippers think about the great reversals of the past and look forward to the great reversals promised in the future.

Psalm 113 provides a great example of a psalm of praise. Praise psalms often follow the same pattern. They begin and end with a call to praise, and the middle contains the reasons for praise. Psalm 113 sticks to this pattern, opening with an extended call to praise (vss. 1-3), proceeding with two reasons for praise (vss. 4-9a), and ending with a short call to praise (vs. 9b). Rather than talking to God about His greatness, the psalm speaks about God in descriptive praise.

 

 

Who Is like the Lord Our God? (KJV)

Psa 113:1  Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 

Psa 113:2  Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 

Psa 113:3  From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised. 

Psa 113:4  The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 

Psa 113:5  Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 

Psa 113:6  Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! 

Psa 113:7  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; 

Psa 113:8  That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. 

Psa 113:9  He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD. 

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Who Is like the Lord Our God? (BBE)

Psa 113:1  Let the Lord be praised. O you servants of the Lord, give praise to the name of the Lord. 

Psa 113:2  Let blessing be on the name of the Lord, from this time and forever. 

Psa 113:3  From the coming up of the sun to its going down, the Lord's name is to be praised. 

Psa 113:4  The Lord is high over all nations, and his glory is higher than the heavens. 

Psa 113:5  Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, 

Psa 113:6  Looking down on the heavens, and on the earth? 

Psa 113:7  He takes the poor man out of the dust, lifting him up from his low position; 

Psa 113:8  To give him a place among the rulers, even with the rulers of his people. 

Psa 113:9  He gives the unfertile woman a family, making her a happy mother of children. Give praise to the Lord. 

 

 

LESSON OUTLINE

1. Opening Call To Praise— Ps. 113:1-3

2. Reasons For Praise— Ps. 113:4-9a

3. Concluding Call To Praise— Ps. 1 13:9b

 

Exposition: Verse by Verse

OPENING CALL TO PRAISE

PS. 1 13:1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.

 

When people think about God's commands, they usually think about the Ten Commandments. One of the most famous commands in the Bible, however, is usually not thought of as a command: hallelujah. Hallelujah is a command to a group of people to praise the Lord, and it is how Psalm 113 begins its poem of praise: "Praise ye the Lord" (Ps. 113:1). Verse 1 specifies the command with an addressee and an object of praise. The addressees in verse are those who serve the Lord. {By tying praise and service together, Psalm 113 conveys that one cannot adequately serve the Lord without praising Him, and one cannot adequately praise the Lord without serving Him.) Q1

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It may have surprised singers of Psalm 113 to be called God's servants because of the famous figures who received that title. Abraham was called God's servant (105:6). Moses and Joshua were God's servants (Ex. 14:31; Josh. 24:29). David was called God's servant (2 Sam. 7:5). Psalm 113 implies that this honored title belongs also to the humble, lowly person who trusts and praises the Lord. In this text, God's servants were those who trust Him enough to gather and sing His praise in the congregation. The ancient world stripped honor from the poor and barren (cf. vss. 7-9), but this psalm gives them the honored title of God's servant along with the greats of the Old Testament.

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The object of praise, mentioned three times in verses 1-3, is the Lord's name. {The biblical concept of name includes a person's reputation (cf. S Sol. 1:3) and his or her character (cf. 1 Sam 25:25)} Q2 . Exodus 34:5-7 explains the Lord's name by expounding on His attributes. TO praise the name of the Lord, then, means to verbalize the wonderful things He has revealed about His character. When His servants praise His name (character), it spreads His name (reputation).

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This helps clarify a puzzling biblical truth. How, as Psalm 1 13:2 says, can humans bless the Lord with their praise? The Lord is the source of every blessing (cf. Jas. 1:1 7) and needs nothing (cf. Acts 1 7:25) from humans. Hebrews 7:7 teaches that the greater individual blesses the lesser individual.

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How then can God's gathered servants, praising His name, bless Him? Stunningly, He allows His reputation among the people of the world to increase as His people praise Him. The Lord deserves unending praise forever, as Psalm 113:2-3 emphasizes. His imperfect people will never be able to supply such a constant flow of praise, but He allows His reputation to be linked to them all the same. Praise blesses the Lord.

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Why does the Lord's name deserve constant praise and blessing? The rest of the psalm presents two basic reasons, but verses 2-3 remind readers that the reasons the psalmist could list are endless.

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REASONS FOR PRAISE

4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

9a He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.

 

Praise the Lord because He is exalted (PS. 113:4-6).

The first reason for which the psalmist praised the Lord is His exalted status. (TO communicate the Lord's exalted status, the psalmist portrayed Him as being above two entities: the nations and the heavens. If, as many propose, this psalm originated after the Babylonian Exile, the Lord's exaltation above the nations is a bold and powerful assertion. Q3

The Northern Kingdom of Israel could not withstand the brutal Assyrian army (cf. 2 Kgs. 1 7:6), and very few nations could (cf. Isa. 37: 11-13). The Southern Kingdom of Judah could not withstand the Babylonian army (cf. 2 Kgs. 25:8-10), and very few nations could (cf. Hab. 2:8). God's people returned home only when King Cyrus of Persia allowed it (Ezra 1: 1-4) and could not do as they pleased once home in Jerusalem (cf. 4:23-24). From a human standpoint, God's people were at the mercy of the nations.

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The psalmist reminded the people that the Lord is above all nations (Ps. 113:4). {Even the exile itself, which looked like evidence of the supremacy of the nations, only happened because of the Lord's plan for His people (cf. 2 Kgs.

In Psalm 113:4, 6, the Lord is more exalted than the heavens. Ancient Near Eastern people, including Israel during rebellious stretches, often worshipped heavenly bodies (cf. 2 Kgs. 17:16). The psalmists knew how Foolish it was to worship heavenly bodies, because even the starry hosts praise God by declaring His glory to all who see them (Ps. 19:1-6). The prophets knew that the Lord names and accounts for all the stars (Isa. 40:26). He can make them do whatever He wants (cf. Ex. 10:21 To be above the nations is to be the king of the world and globally impressive. To be above the heavens is to be king of the universe and cosmically impressive.

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Praise the Lord because He exalts the lowly (Ps. 113:7-9a).

Human kings, even in Israel, used their exalted status to gain at the expense of their subjects (cf. 1 Sam. 8:10-18). {The surprise twist in Psalm 113 is that the Lord uses His exalted status to exalt the humble. That makes the Lord even more glorious and impressive, further demonstrating how high He is above the ways of the world.) Q5

 The Lord lifts the poor and barren from the dunghill—that is, the ash heap or refuse pile (vs. 7). The psalmist metaphorically described the plight of' the poor without God's compassionate intervention with a Hebrew word that connotes "dung" or "garbage." Why do I the poor and barren start in the places of refuse in Psalm 113? First, many in the ancient world including Israelites—assumed that suffering was a result of God's at personal sin (cf. John 9:1-3): Peers assumed the poor and barren were forsaken by God. Second, the poor were vulnerable mistreatment in the ancient world—including in Israel (cf. Amos 5:12). poor lacked earthly security.

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Third, children established one’s legacy and, humanly speaking, the greatness of one's name (cf. Isa. 56-. Q5). {In Luke 1:25, Elisabeth the result of her barrenness as "reproach," which comes from a word that also means "disgrace" "shame." Here is a delightful irony in Psalm 173: the Lord possesses the name above all names, and He uses this status to help those with no name among humans.} Q6

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The psalmist then moved to personalize this truth. Psalm 113:7-8 uses the exact Hebrew wording of 1 Samuel 2:8a, the beautiful song of Hannah. What better example was there in the Old Testament of praising God for replacing a barren woman's shame with joy (Ps. 1 13:9)? Hannah's shame and pain in being childless were ever present, coming from within her own home (cf. 1 Sam. 1:6). Her husband was not much help either (cf. vs. 8). Her only recourse was to cry out to God at the tabernacle and make vows to Him.

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{God graciously reversed Hannah's shame by giving her a son, and she both fulfilled her vows and prayed an enduring prayer of thanksgiving (2:1-10). She saw God act for her good and silence her arrogant opponent (vs. 3). Like Psalm 1 13, she asserted that God is unparalleled.} Q7 He allowed her to "keep house" (PS. 113:9) that is, to have children. She believed that the reversal of her fortune was the beginning of God reversing the fortunes of Israel; boldly proclaiming that the Lord would raise up His anointed (1 Sam. 2: 10).

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Sure enough, Hannah's son Samuel was one of Israel's greatest spiritual leaders since Moses (cf. Ps. 99:6). Samuel led Israel out of the rebellious days of the judges into the reign of David. He even anointed the lowly shepherd boy who would prefigure the ultimate Anointed One (cf. Matt. 1:1).

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It is one thing to say God exalts the lowly (PS. 1 13:7-9), but it is another thing to cite a specific instance of when it occurs. Quoting Hannah's song adds concreteness to the reasons for praise in Psalm 113. This also adds solidarity with previous generations of God's people. What God did before can be done again for those who humbly seek Him as Hannah did.

{It is also possible that the psalm is personifying the collective people of God as a poor and barren woman waiting on God to make them fruitful again, just as Isaiah did elsewhere with the metaphor of barrenness (Isa.54:1.)}Q8 The literal and the figurative poor and barren, like Hannah, should pour out their hearts to the Lord while they await the reversal that His grace can bring to their spiritual fruitfulness and sometimes even their earthly situation.

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Both in Hannah's song and Psalm 113, the lowly end up in a place of nobility. People with noble status do not always deserve it, but the Lord often and eventually settles the score by demoting the undeserving and promoting the humble.

Psalm 113 and Hannah's song share another word pair that ties together their collective truth. Psalm 113 declares that the Lord is high and so is His glory (vs. 4). The same two words occur in Hannah's song, where "high" raiseth") describes elevating the poor from their place of shame, and "glory" describes the place where the Lord seats the formerly shamed person (1 Sam. 2:8). Who is like the Lord, who uses His status to benefit those with no status? King David, at his best, would do this for a crippled enemy (cf. 2 Sam. 9) and in so doing foreshadow the Son of David, who tenderly elevates the lowly (cf. Matt. 1 1:28-30).

Along with Hannah, Elisabeth also shared in the shame and challenges of barrenness. After the Lord reversed her shame by opening her womb (Luke 1 :25), her relative Mary came to visit her. Mary's famous song, the Magnificat, was sung in the presence of a formerly barren woman and bares striking similarities to both Hannah's Song and Psalm 1 13. Mary, Hannah, and the psalmist all praise the Lord in contexts of barrenness for the way He cares for His humble servants (Luke 1 :48) to exalt the humble and lowly believer (vs. 52).

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While Psalm 113 does not directly predict the work of Christ, it testifies to the coming Christ by teaming up with Hannah and Mary to attest to the redemptive reversals in salvation history that will culminate in the life of Lord Jesus.

Considering that the first reason for praise noted the Lord's status above the nations (vs. 4) and that the second reason concerns the poor and barren (vss. 7-9), what about the poor and barren among the non-Israelite nations? The Lord's exaltation above the nations sometimes necessitates judgment, as it did also for Israel (cf. Amos 2:1-5). {Ultimately, the Old Testament storyline demonstrates God's resolve to bless the nations through Abraham's family and nation (Gen. 12:1-3)}Q9

The Lord Jesus fulfills this in the salvation He secures (Gal. 3:8). But until Christ's arrival, the Lord demonstrated the same tender care He showed Hannah in His provision for the poor and barren woman to whom Elisha ministered (2 Kgs. 4:1-37). As God's exaltation knows no bounds, neither does His Compassion.

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CONCLUDING CALL TO PRAISE

9b Praise ye the Lord.

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The psalm ends the way it began, namely, commanding the listeners to praise the Lord. {When a Bible passage begins and ends the same way, Bible scholars call this bracketing or an inclusion. The opening and closing function as slices of bread on a sandwich. They look the same and tie the sandwich together into a cohesive entrée with a united taste.) Q10 The command to praise the Lord does the same thing in Psalm 113—tie the psalm together with a cohesive goal. The goal is twofold.

First, it reminds the reader that the purpose of God's interaction with sinners is His glory. He created people for His glory (Isa. 43:7). Although they did not give Him glory (Rom. 3:23), the saving work of Christ brings God the glory He has always deserved (cf. Eph. 1:13-14).

Second, praising God increases a person's humility. To praise God is to acknowledge that His greatness exceeds one's own. The proud praise themselves (cf. Dan. 4:30), but the humble praise their Creator and always invite His help (Isa. 66:2). The humble are the ones God helps in Psalm 1 13, and the commands encourage such humility.

The arc of Psalm 113 moves from the congregation's song to the heavens, from the heavens to the trash heap, and from the trash heap to joyous congregational praise once again. It is not a rags-to-riches story in the self-made American sense, because the reversal is given and not earned (vs. 9). The great King confers honor from His enthroned place of honor by grace.

 

QUESTIONS

1. According to Psalm 113:1, what is the relationship between praising God and serving Him?

2. What does the biblical concept of one's name include?

3. Above what two entities does the psalmist present God? What implications does the suggested exilic dating of the psalm have on this claim?

4. Despite appearances, why did the Babylonian Exile occur?

5. Unlike human kings, how does God use His exalted status? What does this further demonstrate?

6. How did Elisabeth describe her barrenness in Luke 1:25? How does Psalm 113 offer some irony to this situation?

7. How did God graciously reverse Hannah's shame?

8. Beyond Hannah's concrete example, who else could the psalmist be personifying in his discussion of the barren woman?

9. What implications does Psalm 113 have for non-Israelite nations? How does the larger Old Testament storyline demonstrate this?

10. What is it called when a passage begins and ends the same way? What effect does this literary device have? —Andrew Rudolf

 

 

 

Preparing to Teach the Lesson

With God's throne room so high above us, how can we know what it is like? On our own strength, we could not. Meanwhile, our reason or imagination of it might take us so far as to lead us astray. But God is gracious to reveal Himself to us in Scripture.

In the previous lesson, we saw how God's holiness and glory filled Isaiah with a sense of his own unworthiness. Even a glimpse of the throne room uncovered his sin and guilt. In Psalm 1 13, God shows more of what His dwelling on high is like and why He is worthy of praise: He alone is above all things, yet He stoops down to care for us.

TODAY'S AIM Facts: to know the praiseworthiness of God as written in Psalm 1 13. Principle: to understand how God sees the lowly from His exalted position on high. Application: to praise God for His work of salvation, which raises us from spiritual death and gives us fullness of life.

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INTRODUCING THE LESSON

We love a good rags-to-riches story. Consider Cinderella: a poor scullery maid mistreated by her stepfamily marries a prince and becomes a princess. Her situation goes from one of the worst to one of the best in the blink of an eye—with the help of a fairy god-mother. Many a girl has dreamed of the same thing happening for her.

The problem with a story like Cinderella is that there's a scarcity of princes—and fairy godmothers, for that matter. The true stories of moving from the lowest positions to the highest ones are rare. Though they inspire us, we will likely not experience the same sudden plot twist. The good news is that we have a God who is able to raise us from the dust. From His exalted position on high, He sees the lowly. He is the one who provides a sudden reversal of fate—not necessarily from earthly rags to riches, but from spiritual barrenness to fullness of life.

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DEVELOPING THE LESSON

1.The praiseworthiness of the Lord (Ps. 113:1-3).

Many psalms begin with an exhortation to praise the Lord.' Psalm 113 is no exception It begins and ends with the same All: "Praise ye the Lord" (vss. 1, 9).

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In this case, the first three verses of the psalm answer the who, the when, and the where regarding the praise of the Lord. All of God's servants— which should be everyone—ought to praise Him, both now and forevermore, across the entire earth.

God's praiseworthiness never ends, and it never diminishes. The glory of false gods is temporary. We do not build altars to the Greek gods anymore; because they were false, the misplaced praises of the people faded. Likewise, those gods were worshipped in a very particular location; their fame did not spread across the entire globe. Our God is different from all false gods. Because He is the Living God, the only true God, His praise endures, and He is praised across the entire earth.

2. The exaltation of the Lord (PS. 113:4-6).

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Psalm 113, like many other psalms, supports its call to praise God by demonstrating the glory and holiness of God. Verses 4-5 tell us of God's dwelling on high. This does not mean He literally dwells in the sky (like the Greeks believed Zeus did), but that His throne is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens. Creation merely reflects His glory, since His glory surpasses all His created work. This is an aspect of His holiness—nothing can compare with His glory.

Verses 4-6 also portray God as being on a throne. He is a King surveying His work, humbling Himself to examine both heaven and earth. This language does not mean God is nearsighted or has to lean forward to see what is going on; instead, it highlights His holiness. God is so glorious that interacting with anyone else is an act of mercy. He does not need anyone other than Himself, yet He reveals Himself to us and grants us a relationship with Him.

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3. The work of the Lord (PS. 113:7-9).

Psalm 1 13 concludes by focusing on the work of God, using two images to show what happens in a relationship with Him. God lifts the poor from the dust, from the dunghill—the lowest of places—and sets them with princes. He also gives the barren woman—the epitome of emptiness in biblical imagery—children. His work involves doing the opposite of what the world thinks should happen. He gives grace to the least deserving and grants them fullness of life.

We find this same imagery in two key places in Scripture. The first is Hannah's song in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. She had been barren, but God granted her a child, Samuel, who would become a priest. As she praised God, she spoke of God's great reversal of fortune. It is not the strong of the world who ultimately succeed, but those who take refuge in the Lord.

The second place we find this imagery is in Luke 1:46-55. This is Mary's Magnificat, the greatest plot twist in all history. She, a poor and humble virgin, was going to give birth to Jesus, who is fully God and fully man. Jesus brought us salvation, the pinnacle of God's praiseworthy work. He chose what is low in the world to display His glory (1 Cor. 1:28). We were His enemies and dead in our sins, yet He redeemed us and made us heirs with Christ. Surely this ought to cause us to leap for joy and sing His praises along with the psalmist!

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ILLUSTRATING THE LESSON

In His work of salvation, God lifts us from the dust and makes us coheirs with Christ.

GOD RESCUES US BEFORE SALVATION AFTER SALVATION

 

CONCLUDING THE LESSON

God is worthy of praise. He is exalted on high yet stoops down to save us. No one can compare with His glory, yet He takes the time to care to redeem us. Consider reading through the account of Jesus' birth in Luke 1:1—2:20 along with His death and resurrection in Luke Spend some time thanking Jesus for becoming lowly during the incarnation and dying on a cross like a criminal so that He could raise us up with Him to new life.

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ANTICIPATING THE NEXT LESSON

Our next lesson begins unit 3 on God's holy expectation for us. We will begin the unit by looking at Solomon' prayer of dedication in the temple. 118

 

PRACTICAL POINTS

1. As Christ's followers, we should praise the Lord (PSS. 1 1 ; 34:1).

2. Our circumstances should not dictate when we worship God; we should always praise Him (1 13:2-3).

3. As Christians, we cannot allow the sway of politics to stand in the way of our faith, for God is over the nations (Ps. 1 1 3:4; cf. Dan. 3:13-29).

4. God is sovereign over the cosmos He created (Ps. 113:5-6).

5. God cares for the poor and forgotten in society (Ps. 1 13:7-8; cf. Matt. 25:31-46).

6. God sees those who long for a family and children, and He is faithful to care for them (PS. 1 13:9; cf. Jas. 1:27). _Andrew Rudolf

 

RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION

1. Which comes easier to you, praising or serving the Lord? Why (Ps. 113:1)?

2. What is one habit you can build that would move you closer to praising the Lord in the morning? What would move you closer to worship in the evening (vs. 3)?

3. Which is easier for you to remember, God's transcendence or God's immanence? How can you reflect on God's distance and nearness to you in your daily routine (vss. 4-5. 7-9)?

4. Can you think of a low time in your life when you sensed the attention and care of God? How did that encourage you amid the challenging situations? —Matthew   Swale

 

ILLUSTRATED HIGH POINTS

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same (PS. 113:3)

Although an observer can witness the rise and setting of the sun at any point on the planet, the summer and winter solstices offer unique astronomic phenomena to anyone brave enough to stand at the planet's poles.

During the June solstice, an observer at the north pole will experience continuous daylight. Yet even in the extreme places, the psalmist's words prove true. God is always worthy of worship. Whether we experience twenty-four hours of daylight or darkness, God is deserving of our praise!

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Above all nations (vs. 4)

As of 2024, the United Nations recognizes the existence of 1 95 countries in the world. The smallest in population is Vatican City, with a mere 764 citizens. The largest population is in China, with 1 citizen.

Regardless of the nation or its population, God remains above each one. He is the King of the cosmos, and He exercises authority over every political entity (cf. Rom. 13:1-7). His transcendence does not render Him disinterested or unbothered by the affairs of the world's countries. Rather, He sits enthroned above them all.

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Above the heavens (vs. 4)

Astronomers estimate that the size of the observable universe is ninety-four billion light-years wide. Yet our God is greater than even that. In His transcendence, He is beyond the universe and infinitely greater than it. But that does not stop Him from loving and interacting with His people. Our transcendent God is also immanent, closer to us than the Surrounding air.

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