147:1 Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God! Yes, praise is pleasant and appropriate!
Psalms 146-150 are praise songs. The author(s) are unknown. These songs were sung at the Jewish festivals.
It is good to praise God. Why? Does God need praise? No, because God is humble. God the Father could light up the sky and show His glory to all of history. Instead, He decided to appear on earth in the weakness of a baby. This baby could have spoken the universe out of existence. However, He grew up just like a human and allowed the world to mock Him, spit upon Him, strip Him naked, and crucify Him. This is divine humility.
Believers are the ones who need to praise God. Praising God teaches the believer to be humble, like his Father in heaven.
147:2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem, and gathers the exiles of Israel.
Jehovah rebuilds Jerusalem, but He allows the satanic world system to continually tear it down. Jerusalem has been a very bloody city. It has been torn down and rebuilt over 37 different times. However, it will be built one more time. During the Millennial Kingdom, God will rebuild Jerusalem. He will return the Jews from all over the world back into their own land. They will experience the eternal peace (or shalom) that they were promised.
147:3 He heals the brokenhearted, and bandages their wounds.
In the past, God smashed Israel, but He also bandaged their wounds. During the Great Tribulation, He will repeat this smashing and healing process once again. Israel is so stubborn, that it is the only way that God can get their attention. Believers are just as stubborn and must go through the same process.
147:4 He counts the number of the stars; he names all of them.
How many stars are there in the universe? Astronomers estimate the number to be at least ten trillion. Only an omnipotent God could call them all by name. He could have named then all in one instant.
147:5 Our Lord is great and has awesome power; there is no limit to his wisdom.
God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.
147:6 The Lord lifts up the oppressed, but knocks the wicked to the ground.
Those who violate the Abrahamic Covenant will receive a kind-for-kind judgment. If they attempt to grind Israel into the ground, then it is they who will be ground to dust. All of the nations who have attacked Israel are now extinct or third-world nations.
147:7 Offer to the Lord a song of thanks! Sing praises to our God to the accompaniment of a harp!
Notice that God is praised by song and harp. It is legalistic for church denominations to ban musical instruments in worship. They are adding their own man-made rules to the Bible.
147:8 He covers the sky with clouds, provides the earth with rain, and causes grass to grow on the hillsides.
God controls the weather. He sends:
hail (Ex 9:18-26),
thunder, (Rev 16:21) (Ps 78:47) (Ps 105:32) (Hag 2:17) (Josh 10:11),
snow/frost: (Job 37:6) (Ps 78:47),
rain, (Gen 2:5) (Job 37:6 (Deut 28:12) (1 Sam 12:17-18) (1 Kings 17:14) (Isa 30:23),
lightning: (Rev 16:18),
earthquakes (Ps 78:48) (Job 37:11) (Jer 10:13) (Jer 51:16),
wind: (Ps 135:7) (Mk 4:39-41) (Jer 51:16) (Jonah 1:4) (Jonah 4:8) (Gen 8:1) (Ex 10:13,19), and floods: (Ps 29:10) (Gen 6:17‑7:24).
According to Job 1:6-2:8, Satan also controls the weather in a limited capacity. However, he must receive permission from God. According to the Book of Revelation, the "beast" will be able to make fire come down from Heaven. Many or all of the weather catastrophes are called “Acts of God” by the insurance agents of the satanic world system, but they may actually be “acts of Satan.” The wind storm which came upon Jesus and His disciples in the Sea of Galilee may have been a satanic attack to get rid of Jesus and His disciples all at once. However, Jesus calmed the storm, proving to His disciples that He was God Himself.
147:9 He gives food to the animals, and to the young ravens when they chirp.
God feeds and takes care of the animal world.
147:10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse, nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs.
The mighty horse and warrior scares the man of the ancient world, but they do not impress God.
147:11 The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, and in those who wait for his loyal love.
The “faithful followers” of Jehovah are those who study and apply Bible doctrine at the deepest level. Immature believers are not “loyal” followers of God. They are so carnal, that they actually conform and satiate themselves into the satanic world system. Even though they are saved for eternity, they will spend their life on earth serving the satanic world system. They will accomplish more human good works than they will divine good works. Human good works are dirty menstrual rags to God, because they build up the satanic world system.
Jehovah takes delight in those who study and apply Bible doctrine at the deepest level. The most important thing that a believer can do in his early life is to complete the divine mission which God has given him before the foundations of the world were created. Everything else will be burned up in eternity.
147:12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
Israel was commanded to praise Jehovah.
147:13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong. He blesses your children within you.
Jehovah was the one who made the nation of Israel the strongest nation of the world. No pagan nation could invade Israel, unless God allowed them to do so. Even then, they were never permitted to exterminate the entire Jewish race. God always kept around a believing remnant. Jehovah also blessed the Jewish children. They were given divine information from heaven about the one true God. No other ancient nations received this direct information from heaven.
147:14 He brings peace to your territory. He abundantly provides for you the best grain.
Jehovah is the One who decides if a nation has peace or war. He also provides food for the nations. Many Christ-rejecters foolishly mock the One who feeds them and brings them peace. They bite the hand of the One who is feeding them.
147:15 He sends his command through the earth; swiftly his order reaches its destination.
The Hebrew word for “command” is אּמְרַת (amrat), meaning word or message. The Word of God is sent through all of the earth.
Te Hebrew word for “order” is דָּבָר (debar), meaning the life-giving spoken word of God. The דָּבָר (debar) could be the efficacious call of God which swiftly reaches its destination.
147:16 He sends the snow that is white like wool; he spreads the frost that is white like ashes.
Since Israel currently possesses a warm climate, this could be a reference to the mini-ice age which followed the global flood.
147:17 He throws his hailstones like crumbs. Who can withstand the cold wind he sends?
The mini-ice age could have still been effecting the weather of Israel at the time of this writing.
147:18 He then orders it all to melt; he breathes on it, and the water flows.
God controls the weather.
147:19 He proclaims his word to Jacob, his statutes and regulations to Israel.
Israel was given the written Word of God.
147:20 He has not done so with any other nation; they are not aware of his regulations.
Israel was the only nation in the world who was chosen to receive the written Word of God.