Psalm 135: Praise the Lord Who Chose and Acts

Psalm 135 is a summons to praise shaped by memory. Its worshipers do not praise the Lord because devotion is vaguely uplifting; they praise because He has chosen Jacob, acted against Egypt’s oppression, given Israel a land, and shown Himself greater than every rival claim to power. The psalm repeatedly moves from God’s identity to concrete deeds.

The supplied note on yada, “to know or acknowledge,” belongs to verse 5: “I know that the Lord is great.” This knowledge is covenantal conviction, not bare information. Israel knows the Lord’s greatness by His acts in the world and therefore refuses to give ultimate trust to the gods made by human hands.

The opening and closing locate the song among worshipers in the Lord’s house and in Zion. Its language draws on earlier Scripture, especially the exodus tradition and Israel’s warnings against idols. The psalm does not state a date; it functions as a liturgy of remembrance for a people who need their worship continually re-anchored in the Lord’s past and present faithfulness.

The lists of Egypt’s firstborn, nations defeated, and allotted land are not detached national boasting. They recall the Lord’s covenant action on behalf of a vulnerable people. The idol section then presses a searching contrast: human artisans can form an object with mouth, eyes, ears, and nostrils, but that object cannot speak, see, hear, or breathe.

Verses 1–4 command praise from servants in the Lord’s house and give the reason: the Lord has chosen Jacob and Israel as His treasured possession. Election here creates grateful worship, not superiority. The people exist by God’s gracious choice, so their song is praise rather than self-congratulation.

Verses 5–12 confess the Lord’s incomparable sovereignty. He acts in the heavens, earth, seas, clouds, lightning, wind, Egypt, and the land of Canaan. Creation and redemption are held together: the One who commands the elements also judges oppressors and gives an inheritance to His people.

Verses 13–18 contrast the Lord’s enduring name and compassion with the impotence of idols. Idols have human-made features but no life, and those who trust them become like them—unable to perceive the living God rightly. Verses 19–21 answer with a widening call for Israel, priestly households, Levites, and all who fear the Lord to bless Him from Zion.

Psalm 135’s central claim is that the Lord acts where idols cannot. Jesus displays that living divine authority in His works of mercy, His command over creation, and His victory over death. The psalm is not a direct prediction of one episode, but its exodus-shaped praise reaches its saving climax when Christ delivers people from the dominion of sin and death.

The warning about idols also reaches the heart of Jesus’ mission. He does not merely replace visible objects with better religious language; He turns people from dead things to the living God. Through His cross and resurrection, He creates a people from every nation who can know the Father, receive mercy, and offer the praise Psalm 135 requires.

Notice how Psalm 135 trains praise by rehearsing what God has done. When your worship feels thin, do not begin by trying to create a feeling. Remember specific mercies: God’s making, preserving, redeeming, judging evil, and giving grace in Christ. Praise grows where memory becomes confession.

The idol warning is personal because modern idols also promise sight, security, and control while leaving their worshipers spiritually diminished. Ask what receives your practical fear and hope. Bring that allegiance to Jesus, who alone speaks, sees, hears, and gives life, and let His mercy reorder your trust.