Today, we’re in Psalm 113, a song that is often paired with psalm 114 because together the two psalms are referred to as the “The Egyptian Hallel.” They are traditionally sung at the beginning of Passover, with Psalms 115 through 118 sung at the close of the Passover meal.

As “Hallel” means “praise,” the title used for these two psalms references the praise offered to God by the Jewish people for their release from captivity in Egypt.

Let’s read together:

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

    praise the name of the Lord!

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore!

3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,

    the name of the Lord is to be praised!

4 The Lord is high above all nations,

    and his glory above the heavens!

5 Who is like the Lord our God,

    who is seated on high,

6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?

7 He raises the poor from the dust

    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

8 to make them sit with princes,

    with the princes of his people.

9 He gives the barren woman a home,

    making her the joyous mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

I hope you noticed that Psalm 113 is bookended with stand-alone statements: Praise the Lord!

In fact, if you’re looking at God’s written Word, you’ll notice these statements are set apart a bit within the nine verses. In essence, the song begins and ends with a cheer to Yahweh, acknowledging the greatness of His name, the location of His throne, and the unsurpassed kindness of His love.

Between the two Praise Bookends, the psalmist addresses the entire nation of Israel, and calls them to praise the name of the Lord, referring to His character and the revelation of Who He is and what He does.

It’s important to note that when the psalmist is calling the Jewish nation to praise and glorify the Lord, he was calling them to make God look good to those who ignore Him, oppose Him, or do not know Him.

How many of our friends would qualify as those who ignore God? How many of our co-workers would qualify for those who ignore God? And how many of those with whom we interact on social media would qualify as those who do not know him?

In our day-to-day interactions, are we even aware of how we make God look or seem to those with whom we interact? In our most difficult and stressful moments, do we make God look good?

I pray, fellow under-shepherd, that today you will ask the Father where in your life you need to glorify Him more effectively. I pray, too, that you will listen to His answer, make a commitment to Him to remember Who He is and Whose you are, and then represent Him well in all that you do.

May you glorify the Father well this week, and may you lean hard into your calling to shepherd those in your sphere of influence.