Psalm 113-114
I am amazed at these passages in the Psalms. God is working in a great way for His people and asking them to sing about His work in Psalm 111, 112, and 119. These three Psalms are acrostic Psalms and are meant to be remembered. They focus on Gods works, but the greatest work of God is in the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is what the Hallel, Psalm 113-118 is about.
This is the first of six psalms in the “Hallel” that is sung at the time of the Passover by the Jewish community. Jews observing the Passover sing Psalms 113 and 114 before the meal and Psalms 115–118 following it. This means that Jesus sang this with the disciples at the last supper. “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives,” Matt 26:30. The same psalms were also sung at all three major Israelite festivals of Passover (Pesach), Dedication (Hanukkah) and Booths (Shavuoth). (William Barrick commentary.) My Bible dictionary had this definition of ‘hallel’– praise, the name given to the group of Psalms 113-118, which are preeminently psalms of praise. It is called “The Egyptian Hallel,” commemorates what God did in the Exodus from Egypt and because it was chanted in the temple while the Passover lambs were being slain. It was also chanted in private families at the feast of Passover.
This section of Psalms is primarily about the work of God in bringing the Messiah to be the fulfillment of His greatest work—salvation! Psalm 111, 112, and 119 are acrostic Psalms and are all about the work of God. Ps.111 is about the work of God in history, 112 is about the work of God through Godly people, and 119 is about the work of God through His Word! The Hallel is about the work of God through Jesus. Imagine that Jesus is singing this before He was about to die for our sins. Each Psalm is a step in that direction and gives you something great from the Holy Spirit towards that end!
113: The Transcendent and Immanent work of God. This Psalm points us to the greatness of the work God does from heaven. It was from heaven that God attacked the Egyptians and instituted Passover. The praise for God (commanded five times in nine verses) is to be forever. The work of God has an eternal element to it and there is nothing better in all of the work of God than Passover. Jesus is our Passover!
114: This Psalm mentions the Exodus and covers the history of Israel all the way to God dwelling in Jerusalem. The God of heaven is working on the earth through miracles that impact the Red Sea and Jordan River and water coming out of the rock at Meribah. The presence of God on the earth through the Temple in Jerusalem should lead the earth to tremble.
113:1-5, The Transcendence of God
113:6, Transition
113:7-9, The Immanence of God.
Transcendence: A theological term referring to the relation of God to creation. God is “other,” “different” from His creation. He is independent and different from His creatures (Isaiah 55:8-9). He transcends His creation. He is beyond it and not limited by it or to it.
Immanence: The literal meaning of the immanence of God is “to be within” or “near” in relation to God’s creation. Immanence is closely related to God’s omnipresence, in that God is always present within the universe, though distinct from it. God is ‘within’ the universe in that God is its sustaining cause. (Geisler) God really cares of for the barren women and worked in them such as Sarah, Rebekkah, Rachel, Hannah (I Sam.1:6), and Elizabeth (Luke 1:7).
114:1-2 Gods work in the Exodus
114:3-6 Gods power demonstrated
114:7-8 Bow to God!
Psalm 114 covers the whole 40+ years from the Exodus to God bringing His people to the land of Israel. The whole earth is to tremble before God for what He is doing on the earth. When God speaks of His sanctuary, He could be referring to the tabernacle when it was set up in Shiloh for 300+ years or He could be referring all the way to the time that God set up His Temple. The point of the Psalm however is that God is working and it is towards the salvation of His people!
Meditate with me on these passages and think of them as if you were singing them at Passover with Jesus before His death. Knowing what happened, these passages are amazing, they focus the thoughts of the Holy Spirit towards that fateful day. God is wanting us to dive into the depth of the riches of His salvation!
