Messiah,the Condescension of God Transcendent

a brief study of Psalm 113, adapted from PCC Prayer Meeting Exhortationon 4 Nov 2010


Psalm 113 begins a section ofthe Psalter known as the “Egyptian Hallel” to the Jews. This section comprisesPsalms 113-118. The Jewish scholar Alfred Edersheim suggests that it is called‘Egyptian’ because it particularly celebrates “the goodness of God towards Israel, but especially their deliverance from Egypt.”[1] Edersheim points out that the first verse of Psalm 113 hints atthis theme as it reminds the LORD’s people to praise Him seeing they are nolonger Pharaoh’s slaves, but the LORD’s servants.

Now,the Egyptian Hallel as a group was regularly used by the Jews during theirPassover Observance. They were sung when the Passover lamb was sacrificed; andthey were sung when the each family or pascal company ate the Passover mealtogether. So few commentators would disagree that the hymns which our Lord sangwith His disciples at the Passover He observed with them (Mt 26:30; 14:26)would be from the Egypt Hallel.

Psalm113, in other words, would be one of the Psalms, which our Lord used on theoccasion when He instituted the Lord’s Supper. It is therefore an appropriatePsalm for our meditation whenever we prepare to go to the Lord’s Table.

We may entitle it: “Messiah,the Condescension of God Transcendent.” The word ‘Messiah’ is not mentioned inthis Psalm, but if you meditate carefully on the contents of this Psalm, youwill realise that it paints for us a picture of the condescension of Godtowards His people, which is really the basis of the Messiah and His work.Which, is also why this Psalm is a paschal psalm by which God’s people areencouraged to turn their eyes to the Lamb of God slain from the foundation ofthe world.

This Psalm has two parts. Thefirst part, verse 1-3 is a Call to Praise. The second part, verse 4-9 containsthe Cause to Praise.


1. TheCall to Praise

1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the nameof the LORD.

Like the previous 2 Psalms,Psalm 113 begins with the word ‘halleluyah’, ‘Praise ye the LORD.’ In fact, italso ends with the word ‘halleluyah.’ So this clearly is a Psalm of praise. Wemust praise the Lord in all circumstances. We must praise Him especially whenwe think of His work of redemption in Christ.

So notice how, the call topraise is repeated twice in verse 1. There is a threefold praise: hallelujah, hallelu, hallelu.

Who are to praise Him? The servants of the LORD must praise Himgratefully as Israel of Old were slaves ofPharaoh and called to praise their Redeemer; so we were slaves of Satan, andtherefore we must praise the LORD for our redemption so rich and free. We mustcall out to one another to join us to praise the LORD.

When must we praise Him?Where will He be praised? We must praise Him now and forever more. We mustpraise Him everywhere, wherever we are in the world:

2 Blessed be thename of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 3 From therising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to bepraised.

The phrase “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same” refers to the place and not to thetime. Of course God’s name is to be praised from sunrise to sunset. But ourtext is emphasising on how He is to be praised from East to West on the earth.That is to say, the Lord is to be praised by every nation and people in theworld wherever we may be.

But why? Why are we to praise the LORD?


2. The Cause to Praise

Why must we praise the LORD?Well, we must praise the LORD for who He is and what He has done and is doing.And our reason for praise must be right reasons, otherwise our praise becomesan insult. A very sincere professing believer may praise God for loving thewhole world and therefore refusing to punish anyone for sin. But such a praiseis an insult. It would be like going up to a man, saying to him: “you look verypretty.”

So let’s make sure we praiseGod for the right reasons. Our text gives us excellent reasons for praise.

In the first place, we must praise the LORDbecause He is transcendent, and yet immanent. He is holy and utterly outsidecreation. And yet, He condescends to take interest in creation.

4 The LORD ishigh above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. 5 Who islike unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 6 Who humblethHimself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

Thereis, of course, no other gods who is transcendent, but the LORD, the Creator.

Whatdoes it mean to be transcendent? To be transcendent is to be above and apartfrom creation. If someone goes to space and come back and tell you: “I havebeen to the heavens, and I did not see God, so there is no God!”[1]How would you answer? Well, our text gives us the answer: You have not gonehigh enough! God’s glory is above the heavens. The heaven and the heaven ofheavens cannot contain Him because He is not part of creation (cf. 1Kgs 8:27 etc).

But marvel of marvels, this same transcendent God hasnot only created the World, but has a special concern for all things in theworld.

God created the heaven and earth, really for the sakeof His elect. In His eternal counsel, His plan is that a body of redeemedsinners should enjoy eternal communion with Him through His Son. But for thispurpose, heaven and earth must be created. And not only created but watchedover and superintended with special interest. God who dwelleth on high, ishumbling Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth!

Indeed,He is not only standing by as an observer, but has as it were, entered intoCreation to accomplish His ultimate purpose. How did He do so, but by theEmmanuel, who is God with us?

Christ the Eternal Son of God took on humanflesh in order that God might have compassion upon us, and that we may know Hislove and compassion.

Through Christ, God blesses His people. Inparticular, He lifts up the poor out of the depth of misery.

This is the second reason why we should praiseHim:

7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out ofthe dunghill; 8 That He may set him with princes, even with theprinces of His people.

God is always concerned for the poor andmiserable. He takes care of them. He feeds the birds of the air and clothes thegrass of the field. But God is especially concerned for the poverty and miseryof His people.

We were poor, wretched,miserable sinners. But God sent His Son that through Him the gospel might bepreached to the poor (Mt 11:5). “For” as Paul puts it, “ye know the grace ofour Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He becamepoor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2Cor 8:9).

Indeed, we are not onlymade rich but He “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenlyplaces in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6); and have made “us kings and priests unto Godand His Father” (Rv 1:6; cf. Rev 5:10).

For Christ’s sake our poverty has been turnedto riches; and our lowliness has been turned to exaltation.

And not only so, but thirdly, the Lord has healed us of ourbarrenness and make us fruitful unto Him both individually and corporately.This thought is expressed in our final verse:

9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother ofchildren. Praise ye the LORD.

Immediately, when we read this, we are remindedof Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Manoah’s wife, Hannah and Elizabeth. The Lord opened their wombs andgave them a child each. But let us remember that, these instances are actuallyillustrative of what the LORD does for His people as a whole. They are not tobe taken as normative so that we begin to think of those who have no childrenas being not blessed of the Lord. No, no; the promise is that the LORD willheal our barrenness or fruitlessness through Christ.

Lookat Isaiah 54:1—

Sing, O barren,thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou thatdidst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate thanthe children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

Is it not likely that Isaiah had Psalm 113 in mindwhen he wrote these words? And what is the context of these words? What is theprevious chapter about? Yes! It is about the substitutionary atonement ofChrist on behalf of His people. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter (v. 7).“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way”(v. 6a). “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for ouriniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes weare healed” (v. 5). “The LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (v. 6b).


Conclusion

Canyou see, beloved brethren and children, how this Psalm is about God’scondensation and redemption in Christ? Can you see how God cares for us so muchthat to lift us up of poverty and misery and barrenness, He condescended notonly to look down from heaven but to send His Son?

Christ died for us that the promise of this Psalmmight be fulfilled. Christ died for us that we do not need to remain in miseryand barrenness.

Aswe prepare to go to the Table of the Lord, let us once again stir our hearts topraise the LORD for what He has done for us. And let us think of how greatlyChrist our Lord suffered for us in order that we might truly enjoy the lifethat is free and abundant today and forever more. Amen. Ω


[1] Often erroneouslyattributed to Yuri Gagarin. But there is no evidence that he said those words.He was a Russian Orthodox Christian. It was probably spoken by ananti-religious Soviet politician, Nikita Khrushchev.

[1] The Temple: Its Ministry and Services,chap 11