Psalm 146 — The Yeti Version
Hallelujah #1 — Because other people are just people!
We are in the homestretch now. The final five psalms. They are known as the ‘Hallelujah Psalms’ because each of them start and end with ‘Hallelujah’, which actually is a compound word made up of two Hebrew words: hallel (meaning ‘praise’) and jah (a contraction of the personal name for God, Yahweh…in english we interchange the J and Y for the same Hebrew sound…Jehovah for example). So ‘hallelujah’ literally means ‘Praise Yahweh’, but there are many english variations of this including ‘Praise the Lord’, ‘God be praised’, and ‘Praise God’. For my rewriting I decided to include ‘Hallelujah’ and my familiar language: ‘Celebrate Jesus’. But keep in mind the original meaning. The final five psalms are also known as the hallelujah psalms because they are so celebratory! Remember that the psalms have been arranged into a larger structure and flow. This one has a curious phrase in verse six of the English Standard Version that God “keeps the faith forever”. This one also has beautiful descriptions of the character of God in the old testament which is very consistent with the beautiful character we see in Jesus in the new testament.
Hallelujah! I say to myself, self, celebrate Jesus.
Let’s commit to him forever — one day at a time.
Let’s not find ourselves counting on other people, particularly important looking people, for everything.
Because other people are just people! Fragile mortals.
People who depend on the god of our ancestors, the god of the bible, have it made.
They depend on the being that created everything, who is the most enduring,
who stands up for the oppressed, who feeds the hungry, who sets prisoners free,
who makes the blind see, who encourages the discouraged, who supports the loyal and consistent,
who keeps an eye on the lost, who sustains the orphans and widows, who ensures corrupt people face the consequences of their actions.
How great he is! How great that he is eternal! Let’s celebrate him together! Hallelujah!
