Someone has compared the Psalmist, in these last few Psalms, to voyagers to the Far East; as they approach the shores of Ceylon, they catch the spicy aromas which are wafted along upon the breezes from that isle – and the nearer they ap-proach, the more fragrant they become. Similarly, as the child of God draws near-er to the realms of the heavenly land, he or she begins to catch some glimpses of the glory and some scent of the sweet perfumes of that happy place where Jesus is. This Psalm is a striking illustration of such a feeling! It consists of only six short verses, and yet the word praise is repeated no less than 13 times! And yet we are not left in doubt nor suspense; we are not forced to ask, “For what shall I praise thee, my God and my King?” “Praise him,” says the Psalmist, “for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” It is true that His saints praise Him here in His sanctuary on earth; but O how feeble are the loudest melodies of earth’s sweetest and holiest songs, when compared with the strains of that choir of heaven! As the saints in glory see Him Whom their souls love face to face, they praise Him with all pure and holy praise.
This is a noble conclusion to this beloved Book of Psalms: “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!” There were times on earth when David heard many other sounds; sometimes even his own heart gave utterance to very different strains, when he was mourning over his own sin. But praise is now his only theme, and praise is the only sound that meets his ear; sorrow and sighing have fled away, as he recounts the mighty acts of the Lord and praises Him according to His excellent greatness. We do not know for certain what all the instruments of heaven will be, although we read of “golden harps, and the voice of harpers harping with their harps”; but no matter what, one thing will assuredly not be missing amidst the heavenly bands – and that is a loving, thankful heart to give the keynote to every hymn of praise! David has now changed his place, but not his theme; his earthly diadem and throne are passed away, and the harp that his fingers once struck on earth is gone; but his theme for song is still the same! Just as all the parts and portions of time – hours, days, years, and seasons are absorbed and lost in the vastness of eternity; so also, all the forms and frames of adoration, prayer, and supplication here on earth shall all be swallowed up in the one great, glorious, and never-ending theme of praise!
And now, dear brother or sister, the Lord has mercifully brought us on our way through our humble notes on this most precious Book of Psalms! But we cannot we dare not close these pages until we have first bowed the knee before the great Author of all good, thanking Him for all the grace and mercy which has permitted these labors to be at least somewhat useful to our souls. And while we set up our Ebenezers afresh at this renewed instance of Divine favor, I also fall down with the lowest humility of soul and body, intreating par-don and forgiveness for the many errors with which these pages abound. O Lord! Forgive all that is wrong herein! Let no error found here prove to be injurious to Your Church and people. Rather, dear Lord, let the Holy Spirit’s teaching be a blessing to each and every reader’s soul. To Your name alone be all the praise!
Hallelujah! Lord, we pray for forgiveness for the times when we have been slow to praise Your name. We beseech You to give each one of us a singing heart, which will give glory to You alone! Give us grace to forever praise You, along with everything that has breath – until that time when the breath in our nostrils shall cease, and when the last Hallelujah on our trembling lips will join the first loud Hallelujah in the eternal world above! Amen.
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