David
Psalm 145
David’s Psalm of praise.
Scripture (KJV)
1I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
21My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Summary
Psalm 145 is the only psalm titled a "Psalm of praise" (Hebrew tehillah) in its superscription and is the grand doxology that opens the final crescendo of the Psalter. It is an acrostic, with each verse (in the Hebrew arrangement) beginning with a successive letter of the alphabet, signaling that praise is to be total, from A to Z. David vows to extol God as king and bless His name forever, every day. The greatness of the Lord is unsearchable, and the duty of praise is to be passed from one generation to the next. The psalm unfolds God’s character: gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, great in mercy, good to all, righteous in all His ways, and near to all who call on Him in truth. He upholds the falling, raises the bowed down, feeds every living thing, satisfies desire, fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, and preserves those who love Him.
The major themes are praise, God’s greatness, His kingdom, His goodness, His provision, and His nearness. The closing verse summons "all flesh" to bless His holy name forever. Practically, the psalm teaches that daily praise is a lifelong calling, that God’s character is the ground of His care for every creature, and that worship is to be handed across generations. The great lesson is that the Lord’s kingdom is everlasting and His tender mercies are over all His works.
Key Themes
A Prayer from Psalm 145
I will extol You, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You. Great are You, Lord, and greatly to be praised; Your greatness is unsearchable. Let one generation praise Your works to another, and let me declare Your mighty acts. You are gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy. You are good to all, and Your tender mercies are over all Your works. You uphold all who fall and raise all who are bowed down. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. You are near to all who call on You in truth, and You fulfill the desire of those who fear You. Preserve me, for I love You. Let my mouth speak Your praise, and let all flesh bless Your holy name forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection Questions
- 1How can I make "every day" praise a rhythm of my life?
- 2Which of God’s attributes in this psalm most moves me to worship?
- 3How am I passing the praise of God’s works to the next generation?
- 4What does it mean that God is "nigh unto all them that call upon him in truth"?
Related Psalms
Psalm 103
“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”
Psalm 103 is a soaring hymn of thanksgiving for God’s mercies.
Read morePsalm 111
“Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
Psalm 111 is an acrostic hymn of praise that extols the works of the Lord as great, honorable, glorious, and eternal.
Read morePsalm 112
“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.”
Psalm 112 is an acrostic wisdom psalm that mirrors Psalm 111 in form and theme, tracing the blessings of the person who fears the Lord and delights greatly in His commandments.
Read morePsalm 136
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Psalm 136 is the great liturgical psalm of thanksgiving, built on a single refrain repeated twenty-six times: "for his mercy endureth for ever.
Read morePsalm 145
“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.”
Psalm 145 is an acrostic of praise, the only psalm titled "David’s Psalm of praise," and the gateway to the final doxology of the Psalter (Psalms 145-150).
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