Psalm 113:1-9
Who Is Like the LORD?
1Hallelujah! Give praise, O servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.
2Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forevermore.
3From where the sun rises to where it sets, the name of the LORD is praised.
4The LORD is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens.
5Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?
6He humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth.
7He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump
8to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people.
9He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!
Berean Standard Bible
The servants of the LORD are called to praise His name from now and forever, from sunrise to sunset. The LORD is exalted above all nations, and His glory is above the heavens. Yet His greatness does not make Him distant.
He stoops down to look on the heavens and earth, raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them with princes. The God who is higher than all is attentive to people pushed low.
He gives the barren woman a home and makes her a joyful mother. The psalm names social and personal restoration together, showing that God's praise includes the lifting of people who have been overlooked or shamed.
Questions
1 When should the LORD's servants praise?
AnswerThey should praise from now and forever, from sunrise to sunset.
2 How high is God's glory?
AnswerHis glory is above the heavens and His name is exalted above all nations.
3 Whom does God lift?
AnswerHe lifts the poor from dust and the needy from the ash heap, giving them honor.
4 What does He give the barren woman?
AnswerHe gives her a home and makes her a joyful mother.
What This Means for Us
God's greatness is measured partly by how He treats people at the bottom. Praise should make us attentive to people who are poor, childless, lonely, or publicly shamed.
Do not use the family image to pressure people carrying infertility or loss. The psalm celebrates God's power to restore; it does not give us permission to promise a particular outcome.
Prayer
Exalted LORD, lift the poor, needy, lonely, and shamed. Make our praise attentive to them, and comfort people whose longing for a family or home has not yet been answered. Amen.