THE PSALM IN PRAISE OF PRAISE

Psalm 147

INTRODUCTION

There is no question but that the Bible teaches us that we are to praise our God. The last five Psalms are dedicated to praising Him. But what is praise? There are many words in the Bible that relate to praise. One has the idea of: to shine, to flash forth light.

I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.         II Samuel 22:4

Several other words relate to singing unto the Lord. Another means to commend the Lord.

At this Christmas season, what better thing should we do than to praise Him Who came for us?

In Psalm 147 we have three stanzas. Each begins with a call to praise followed by the causes for praise.

THEME: WE ARE TO PRAISE GOD BECAUSE OF:

I. HIS GRACE TO JERUSALEM           147:1-7

     A. Praise Ye The Lord    vs. 1

          1. Hallelujah (Hebrew)

          2. Theme of last five Psalms

               a. 146:1, 10

               b. 147:1, 20

               c. 148:1, 14

               d. 149:1, 9

               e. 150: 1, 6

          3. This praise is pleasant and comely

               a. Pleasant – pleasing

               b. Comely

                    1) To be at home

                    2) By implication, lonely

     B. The Work Of The Lord           vs. 2, 3

          1. He builds up Jerusalem

          2. He gathers together the outcasts of Israel

NOTE: Babylonian Captivity and Return

          3. He healeth the broken in heart      Psalm 51:8

          4. He bindeth up their wounds

NOTE: Broken heart by sin; wounded by sinners

          5. His concern over stars magnifies His concern over His people

               a. He tells the number

                    1) What is minute to us (individual stars), God is particular about

                    2) Astronomers have calculated the number of the stars in the universe at 10 to the 25th power

NOTE: About the same as the number of grains of sand

               b. He calleth them all by their names

                    1) If we could name three per second, it would take ten billion years to call them all by their names

                    2) God’s knowledge and control of nature is presented as a source of consolation to His people

          6. He is great   vs. 5

               a. Of great power

               b. Infinite understanding

          7. God reverses the evil order of things      vs. 6

NOTE: From stars (vs. 4) to sighs (vs. 6)

              a. He lifts up the meek

              b. He casts down the wicked

     C. The Response To God’s Work       vs. 7

          1. Sing with thanksgiving

          2. Sing with coordination (harp)

T.S. WE ARE TO PRAISE GOD BECAUSE OF:

          I. HIS GRACE TO JERUSALEM

II. HIS GREATNESS IN CREATION    147:8-11

     A. He Controls The Weather     vs. 8

          1. The clouds

          2. The rain

          3. The grass

     B. He Feeds The Wild Animals vs. 9

          1. The beast

          2. The raven

               a. Ravens are noted as being disagreeable creatures

               b. A bird in a cage under human care is of more danger of lacking food and water than the birds of heaven

     C. He Rejects Strength Of Armies       vs. 10

          1. Horse – cavalry

          2. Legs – infantry

     D. The Pleasures Of The Lord   vs. 11

NOTE: We and God are known by what pleases us

          1. In them that fear Him

          2. In them that hope in His mercy

NOTE: The marks of the New Birth are fear and hope

          1. We fear for we are sinners

          2. We hope for He is good

          3. We fear Him for He is great

          4. We hope in Him for He is good

T.S. WE ARE TO PRAISE GOD BECAUSE OF:

          I. HIS GRACE TO JERUSALEM

         II. HIS GREATNESS IN CREATION

III. HIS GREAT PRESERVATION        147:12-20

     A. In Strength Outward – Bars Of Gates

     B. In Strength Inward – Thy Children

     C. In Peace

          1. In borders

NOTE: When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

          2. In food (finest of wheat)

     D. In Weather       16-18

          1. Snow

          2. Frost

          3. Hail

          4. Spring wind

          5. Brooks and streams

     E. In Spiritual Life

          1. His will works spiritual changes corresponding to natural phenomena

          2. All for the benefit of His people

NOTE: From cold sin to warm life

We should praise God because He has power to fulfill His promises to His people

CONCLUSION

WE ARE TO PRAISE GOD BECAUSE OF:

I. HIS GRACE TO JERUSALEM

II. HIS GREATNESS IN CREATION

III. HIS GREAT PRESERVATION

THE FOOL IN PROVERBS

INTRODUCTION

In our society wise men are easily confused with wise guys. We give high marks to knowledge, but low marks to wisdom.

If knowledge could save us, we would have more than we would need. Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every five years. Today it is even faster than that. Our generation possesses more data about the universe and human personality than all previous generations put together.

This is called the Information Age.

Yet by everyone’s standards, even with all of our knowledge, society is peopled with a bumper crop of failures. We probably don’t have more fools than other nations, but as Jane Addams once said, “In America fools are better organized.”

We are educated in how to earn a living but we do not know how to live.

Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems. We need wisdom, the ability to handle life with skill.

So we have a choice with no middle ground: Either we are wise or we are fools.

I. THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF A FOOL

One who trusts in his own heart       28:26 cf. 3:5

II. THE FOOL’S BELIEFS

     A. He / She Believes His Way Is Right           12:15

          1. Some have to humble of a view of self

NOTE: If you think you can, you can;

If you think you can’t, you can’t

Henry Ford

           2. The fool has an arrogant, inflated self image

           3. His / her mind is made up; choosing what is wrong despite all kinds of efforts to help him / her choose right

     B. He / She Refuses To Depart From Evil      13:18-19 cf. Psalm 14:1

III. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A FOOL

A. He / She Despises Wisdom And Instruction   1:7

NOTE: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction

          1. Verse 7 is the motto of Proverbs

          2. “Fear,” not negatively, but positively – reverence

          3. To acknowledge God’s place in every part of our life is the first step toward successful living

     B. He / She Lacks Self – Control           12:16

NOTE: A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame

 

          1. This wrath relates to being thin – skinned

          2. The smallest criticism or slightest annoyance sends him / her into a rage

          3. His / her reaction is far worse than the original provocation

     C. He / She Proclaims Foolishness       12:23

NOTE:  The heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness

          1. Conversation dominated by those who have the least to say

          2. Proclaims that which is not of God

     D. He / She Mocks Sin   14:9

NOTE: Fools make a mock at sin

          1. He / She carelessly engages in sin

          2. Righteous people find acceptance with God by responsible living

     E. He / She Despises His Parents        15:20; 17:25

NOTE: A wise son maketh a glad father but a foolish man despiseth his mother

NOTE: A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him

 

          F. He / She Lacks Concentration      17:24

NOTE: Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth

          1. The foolish person’s sight is directionless

          2. He / she dreams a lot instead of making realistic plans

          3. “He / she bits off more than he / she could chew”

          4. “His / her eyes were bigger than his / her stomach”

     G. He / She Does Not Appreciate Understanding     18:2

NOTE: A fool hath no delight in understanding

          1. Finding his / her true self

          2. More concerned in showing how clever he / she is

     H. His / Her Mouth Gets Him / Her Into Trouble          18:6-7

NOTE: A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes           vs. 6

NOTE: A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul        vs. 7

           1. Strokes – beating

                a. Parent

                b. Employer

                c. Enemy

           2. His / her words are so stupid, so careless and so provocative that others become angry enough to come after him / her with fists

           3. Self – destructive nature

IV. A WISE MAN’S / WOMAN’S RELATION TO A FOOL

     A. Not To Be His / Her Companion      13:20

NOTE: A companion of fools shall be destroyed

          1. “Birds of a feather flock together”

          2. We become like those we spend time with

               a. People

               b. Books

               c. T.V.

               d. Magazines

         3. Are our friends the kind of people we want to become?

     B. The Wise Person Will Be Despised By A Fool

          1. We should save our breath

          2. We are not to waste our advice on a fool

     C. We Lose Talking To A Fool  26:4-5

NOTE: Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit

NOTE: One of the most interesting paradoxes in Proverbs – Don’t answer vs. answer

          1. If we don’t answer we won’t run the risk of being a fool, but if we do answer we will prevent the fool from thinking he is smart

          2. No matter what we do, we won’t win in our dealing with a fool

          3. Jewish proverbs:

               a. A fool can ask more questions in ten minutes than ten wise men can answer in a year

               b. The biggest foolishness of the fool is this: He thinks he is smart

               c. When a wise man talks to a fool, two fools are conversing

     D. The Fool’s End:

          1. Shame

          2. The fool shall serve the wise         11:29

NOTE: The fool shall be servant to the wise of heart

               a. If we stir up a little draft in our house the end will be a disastrous storm

               b. Sow trouble – reap storms in our life