Psalms 105:1 - Meaning and Application

Our hearts are here warmly stirred, and we are called to stir ourselves up to praise God. We should notice the duties this verse draws us to, and all of them aim at giving God the glory due his name.

First, we are to give thanks to him, because he has always been our generous giver. He asks for only one thing in return, our thanks for his gifts, which are poor payment for rich blessings. We are also to call on his name, because we depend on him for more mercy. Asking for more from God is itself a way of honoring what he has already given. As the psalmist says, because God has heard him, he will keep calling on him.

We are also to make known his deeds, so others may join us in praising him. We should speak of all his wonderful works as people talk about things that fill their hearts and shape their thoughts. God’s works should often come up in our daily talk with family and friends. We should speak of them at home and on the road (Deuteronomy 6:7), not just to pass time, but to awaken worship and strengthen faith and hope in God. Sacred things may be part of ordinary conversation, as long as we speak of them with proper reverence.

We are to sing psalms to God’s honor, as people who rejoice in him. This also helps others, and it can pass that joy on to later generations. In older times, before writing was common, important things were often preserved in songs. We are also to glory in his holy name. Those who want to boast should not boast about their own success, but about knowing God and belonging to him (Jeremiah 9:23-24). To praise his holy name is the same thing in the end, because when we honor him, we give him glory.

We are to seek him, make him our happiness, and then pursue that happiness in the ways he has appointed. We are to seek the Lord and his strength, that is, the ark that showed his strength, and seek him in the sanctuary, where he appointed his people to meet with him. We are also to seek his strength, meaning his grace, the power of his Spirit working in us for good, since we cannot do that by ourselves. God gives this strength in answer to prayer. We should seek the Lord and be strengthened. Those who want strength in their inner lives must draw it from God through faith and prayer. Then we are to seek his face, because by his strength we hope to gain his favor, as Jacob did (Hosea 12:3). We are to seek his face always, seeking his favor throughout this life and on into the next. There, we will keep seeking him and yet always be satisfied in him.

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice (Psalm 105:3). They have chosen well, are well settled, and are usefully occupied. They can be sure their efforts will not be wasted, because God not only will be found, he will reward those who earnestly seek him. If those who seek the Lord have cause to rejoice, then those who have found him have even more reason.

We are also given reasons that should stir us to these duties. Think about both what God has said and what he has done to bind us to him forever. We have every reason to give thanks and call on his name when we remember his wonders, the things that should leave a deep and lasting mark on us. These include the wonders of his providence, the marvelous works he has done for us and for those who came before us, works that will be remembered forever by the thoughtful and the thankful. They also include the wonders of his law, which he has given us and entrusted to us, his judgments spoken from his mouth as well as his judgments carried out by his hand (Psalm 105:5).

We should also consider our relation to him. We are the offspring of Abraham, his servant, and we belong to his house (Psalm 105:6). That gives us the privilege of servants, protection and provision, but it also lays on us the duty of servants, to attend our Master, care about his honor, obey his commands, and work for his interests. We are the children of Jacob, his chosen one, and so we are loved for the sake of our fathers. We should walk in the steps of those whose honor we inherit. If we are children of godly parents, we must not become worse than they were. We are God’s church on earth, and if we do not praise him, who should?

We should also consider our own place in him. He is the Lord our God (Psalm 105:7). We depend on him, we belong to him, and we look to him for all we need. Should not a people seek their God (Isaiah 8:19) and praise their God (Daniel 5:4)? He is the Lord, our God, the self-existent and all-sufficient One, with irresistible power and unquestioned authority. His judgments are in all the earth, meaning he rules the whole world wisely and gives laws to all nations, even to those who do not know him. The earth is full of the evidence of his power.