I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God. (Psalm 146:2-5 NLT)

The Psalter closes with a series of praises for the God of Israel. It is fitting that in Psalm 146 the psalmist reminds the people of God not to put their confidence in powerful people. The predominant reason for this is that people, no matter who  they are, will die, and their plans will die with them. On the other hand, God is eternal. He will reign forever:

The LORD will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 146:10 NLT)

The Psalmist describes the LORD as powerful (He created all things), faithful (He keeps every promise forever), providing justice, sustenance, deliverance, healing, protection, and care for those in need. But the LORD frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Therefore, the psalmist argues, why would you put your confidence in the feeble plans of wicked men, who will not only die in due course but whose plans the LORD is intent upon frustrating? Psalm 146 answers the question, Whom should you trust?: Trust in the LORD. 

Dear friends, what are you living for? What kind of ambitions drive you? Is your confidence in your insurance policies, private education for the kids, electronic gadgets, a promising career, fitness and diet, tithes and regular church attendance, etc.? 

The psalmist exhorts us all to put our confidence solely in the LORD. His words are an expansion of Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount: "Seek first God's kingdom and righteousness..." God desires trust over personal initiative. God desires obedience over sacrifice. God desires relationship over ritual.

"His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love."

God's interest is not in worldly power that everyone regards highly but in people of humble hearts who truly know how feeble they are and therefore put their hope solely in God's mercy. I realize that painful awareness of our frailty which automatically leads us to our humbleness before the Lord continues from the beginning of the Book to the end. I pray that we all have keen eyes to see it so that we humble ourselves and put hope only in our Father today and forever.

Who should praise the Lord? Is it I, the lowliest of lowliest sinner? Yes. See, creation is already praising the Lord. If we do not cry out to God, the rocks will. That is the function of creation. To glorify the Creator. That is why we are here, for God. The mountains, the heavens, the water, it is all crying out to God. I am no better than anything else he has created so I should not consider myself above praising Him. I would not want the rocks taking my job, so I pray that I will praise him with my mouth, my body, and my daily life.

Here is the breakdown of the created--The heavens, the Angels, the Heavenly Hosts, the sun and moon, the stars, the heavens, the waters, the Earth, sea creatures and the depths of the sea, the fire, hail, snow, clouds, stormy wind, mountains, hills, the fruitful trees, the cedars, beasts, cattle, creepy things, birds, the kings of the Earth and all peoples, princes, kings, judges, young and old, let them praise the name of the Lord.

I noticed something in this passage, and that is that the writer of the psalms started in what we consider to be the realm of God. Heaven, the Angels, the Hosts of angels. Then he went down into the earthly realms--Sun and moon, stars, the skies, the waters. Down to the Earth-- fire, hail, snow, clouds, the winds, mountains, hills, trees, animals, the slithering stuff, and man is last.

So this praise starts in the heavens and descends down to earth and man is the last mentioned. Why is this? I think it is because the angels and heavenly objects are closest to God, and they have a front row seat to creation. Even the animals are mentioned before man is. Why is that? Man has understanding, and can see creation just as well as anyone, but we cannot truly see what is in front of our eyes,

The animals instinctively know who created them. The rocks instinctively know who their Creator is. That is why they cry out. Something to think about.