Psalms 146-150

What’s Happening? 

Psalms 146-150, sometimes called the final hallel (“praise”), celebrate what the entire Psalter has been anticipating: the coming of Israel’s King, who will rule the universe with true justice. Each psalm begins and ends with “hallelujah” (“praise Yahweh”), joining five songs into a parade of praise. This parade is the grand finale of Psalms Book Five, which gives voice to Israel’s songs from exile, anthems for a people leaving captivity in Babylon and marching under the banner of the promised King.

The final hallel anticipates and celebrates Israel’s royal hope: a King whose righteous rule brings peace, justice, and rescue to the nations. Over the course of these songs, the scope widens, expanding from the voice of a solo singer to the cosmic chorus of all creation. 

Psalm 146 begins with a single worshiper, who warns against trusting in earthly kings (Psalm 146:3). Human rulers promise life but cannot keep breath in their own lungs (Psalm 146:4). But the coming King is different. His royal decree, his word, created heaven and earth (Psalm 146:5-6). He is the only King able to restore life to the world he made. Therefore, his kingship will rescue the oppressed, feed the hungry, set prisoners free, open blind eyes, uphold righteousness, protect the foreigner, care for orphans and widows, and thwart wickedness (Psalm 146:7-9). Unlike the fleeting breaths of earthly kings, his reign of peace will last forever (Psalm 146:10). 

In Psalm 147, the whole choir of Jerusalem joins the single worshiper as they celebrate rescue from exile. The King has delivered his people from captivity and brought them into his Kingdom of peace (Psalm 147:2). This King has the power to work his will in any nation (Psalm 147:4-6). He rules over the natural world, commanding his heavenly forces of hail and wind and water to bring oppressive nations to ruin (Psalm 147:13-18). No other nation has his good and righteous laws, and therefore, other nations struggle under the wickedness of human rulers (Psalm 147:19-20). But God’s King will give God’s word to God’s people to bring God’s peace to God’s creation.

In Psalm 148, all creation responds in a cosmic chorus. The invisible realm of spiritual beings in the highest heaven worships God (Psalm 148:1-2). The sun, moon, and stars bow before him (Psalm 148:3). On earth, the highest mountains and tallest trees join the song (Psalm 148:9-10). Every person, from the most powerful ruler to the smallest child, is called to praise (Psalm 148:11-12). Even the chaotic seas, symbols of the spiritual evil that lies beneath the earth, must yield to this King, because his royal decree created everything (Psalm 148:5-7). Yet this King, the ruler of all creation, makes his home among his people in Israel, who are close to his heart (Psalm 148:14).

In Psalm 149, the parade goes out into the world. God’s rescued people join creation as the King’s messengers through whom he announces his rule. With his royal decree in their mouths, they proclaim that the Maker of heaven and earth has come to reign (Psalm 149:1-3). As promised, he will care for the oppressed and ruin the oppressor (Psalm 149:4). Israel will take the news of this King’s coming to the nations, claiming the whole world as his rightful territory. Their praise is pictured as a sword—their words will be the means through which God declares total victory over all other kings (Psalm 149:6). Through their royal proclamation, God’s Kingdom of justice and peace will spread (Psalm 149:7-9).

Psalm 150 is the grand finale, where the whole earth welcomes God as the true King. From the highest heavens to his temple on earth, all of creation is summoned to praise him with trumpet, harp, tambourine, and every instrument of royal procession (Psalm 150:3-5). These musical parades, which usually announce the coming of an earthly king, will now become the song of all the cosmos as they welcome their eternal King, God, who rules every aspect of creation (Psalm 150:6).

Where is the Gospel?

The final hallel is a royal proclamation: God has come as King. In the Roman world of Jesus’ day, such proclamations were called “gospels,” the good news that a new emperor had come to power or that his reign had spread to new regions. When Jesus arrives, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17), he is proclaiming his Gospel. He is Israel’s Messiah—the promised, anointed King—and the ruler every psalm anticipates. 

Jesus brought the righteous rule that Israel and the world so desperately needed (Luke 4:18-19). He fed the hungry, freed the captive, opened blind eyes, lifted the bowed down, welcomed foreigners, upheld widows and orphans, and overthrew wickedness. King Jesus brought this justice to the sick, outcast, demonized, and dead (Matthew 8-9). He even brought his rule to the kingdom of the grave, conquering it with his undying life and royal decree (1 Peter 3:18-20). In his resurrection, Jesus defeated the chaos that lies beneath the earth. He then ascended to sit at the right hand of God above every power in heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Ephesians 1:19-23). This is the coronation the hallel anticipates: a world-encompassing reign that cannot be revoked. 

King Jesus is gathering people into his Kingdom to become messengers of his rule. He has entrusted the royal proclamation of his coming to his people (Acts 1:8). The citizens of the Kingdom carry the news of the Gospel to all nations. Jesus has placed the two-edged sword of his word in our mouths (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Our warfare is not against flesh and blood with weapons of war—instead, with our words and worship, we announce the Kingdom to a broken world (Ephesians 6:11-13).

The Holy Spirit now fills King Jesus’ people so that everything that has breath may learn the hallelujah. The church’s global song carries the final hallel, echoing to all creation as we welcome the King until the whole cosmos joins the parade. Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth will sing of the glory of God (Revelation 5:13). And because our King is also our Creator, his Kingdom will not fail; justice and peace will outlast every earthly ruler. The final hallelujah will rise when Jesus returns and the world finally rests in his peace.

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the God who rules his creation as King. And may you see Jesus as the King who has come to bring justice to the oppressed and peace to all creation.