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Psalm 146

Praise for God’s Help

1

Praise the L ord!

Praise the L ord, O my soul!

2

I will praise the L ord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

 

3

Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortals, in whom there is no help.

4

When their breath departs, they return to the earth;

on that very day their plans perish.

 

5

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the L ord their God,

6

who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them;

who keeps faith forever;

7

who executes justice for the oppressed;

who gives food to the hungry.

 

The L ord sets the prisoners free;

8

the L ord opens the eyes of the blind.

The L ord lifts up those who are bowed down;

the L ord loves the righteous.

9

The L ord watches over the strangers;

he upholds the orphan and the widow,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

 

10

The L ord will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the L ord!


9. Jehovah guarding, etc. By strangers, orphans, and widows, the Psalmist means all those in general who are destitute of the help of man. While all show favor to those who are known to them and near to them, we know that strangers are, for the most part, exposed to injurious treatment. We find comparatively few who come forward to protect and redress widows and orphans; it seems lost labor, where there is no likelihood of compensation. Under these cases the Psalmist shows that whatever the grievance may be under which we suffer, the reason can only be with ourselves if God, who so kindly invites all who are in distress to come to him, does not stretch forth his arm for our help. On the other hand, he declares that everything will have an adverse and unfortunate issue to those who wickedly despise God. We have said upon the first Psalm, that by the way is meant the course of life in general. God will destroy the way of the wicked, inasmuch as he will curse all their counsels, acts, attempts, and enterprises, so that none of them shall have good success. However excellent they may be in planning, although they may be crafty and sharp-sighted, and abound in strength of resources of every kind, God will overturn all their expectations. While he extends his hand to those who are his people, and brings them through all obstacles, and even impassable ways, he on the contrary destroys the path of the wicked, when apparently most open and plain before them.


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