Week 20 Psalm 148
Psalm 148 begins and ends with the phrase: praise the Lord.
In between it mostly talks about who and what praises the Lord. But it also spells out why a person would praise him – it says because: a) his name is very great and b) his glory towers over the earth and heaven.
When I praise some guy I’m recognizing that he has talent or skill or ability. But when I praise the Lord I’m sensing what’s more like peerless & unrivalled giganticism.
Praising a person and praising the Lord are so different that using the same word is a bit problematic. If I could I’d use different words. For example I might Recognize or Acknowledge or Compliment a person. But I’d use a heavier word – like Extol or Laud – if I was talking about the Lord.
With Praise #1 I’m admitting that I’m impressed. Praise #2 is more of a thunderstricken ego-shriveling wakening-awareness of overwhelming brilliancy.
Praise #1 applies to lots of things. For instance if one boy’s frog jumps farther than his buddy’s frog I could say “what a great frog!” That’s Praise #1. Praise #2 is more exclusive. It’s a mind-boggling superiority.
I know that a word can have different meanings. And I think a lot of bibles use the word praise to cover different meanings. But if I had a chance to make editorial changes that would be one I’d make.
Note: quotes from Psalm 148: 1 14 13 (NLT)