Hallelujah! The Hymn of Easter--Psalm 113

 

"Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! 

Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!  

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!

The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens!

Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? 

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 

to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. 

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. 

Praise the LORD!"

 Psalm 113  

This first "verse" of the Hallel, is calling a community to gather.  And not just for a public meeting, but to praise God together!!  It was the first song sang before the Passover meal, calling everyone to the table and praising the One who provided. At a traditional Passover celebration, a chair would be set for Elijah, who was believed to be the forerunner of the Messiah!

 Those who serve God will know that the name of God is worthy to be bowed down to and adored.   From morning to evening, now and forever, the praises of the LORD should be first in our minds, first in our hearts, and first out of our mouths.  God sits high above all He has created, yet He cares to look down to us.   He makes sure everyone is equal under His Name; the "have nots" become the "haves" by His hand!  The author ends the way he started--with praise.

  

Luke 22:7-38

Jesus, raised in a devout Jewish family, would have recited and sang these verses for every Jewish holiday as an act of praise and thanksgiving. In fact, the last supper in the upper room was likely a Passover Seder.  This wasn't just any meal--it would have had all of the elements that would remind the participants of the Hebrews' deliverance from slavery in Egypt.  As their Teacher, it may have been Jesus specifically, calling His closest community--His disciples-- to the table,  singing out the call to worship--to worship Him!!  

 Imagine Jesus, the long-promised Messiah, reciting these verses of praise.  Imagine Him, looking around the table, seeing them--poor, needy, barren, slaves to sin.  Imagine Him singing, knowing betrayal and death are around the corner.  Imagine the disciples, singing along, not truly understanding that these verses were coming to life right in front of them. The sun has just set; and by the time it rises again, praise and thanksgiving will seem like the furthest thing away.  But for now...They are sitting with the Prince of Peace, and He is sitting with them.  Jesus, eternal God in the flesh, has stepped down from heaven, raised the poor, lifted the needy, healed the barren. John the Baptist--the voice of one calling in the wilderness, who many thought was Elijah--tells us that Jesus has leveled the playing field by becoming one of us. "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Luke 3:5-6  We have been invited to the table, to worship.   Hallelujah!  Praise God!