Psalms 146-150 in particular develop aspects of what it means to praise God. Psalm 146 begins with the personal element (“I will praise the LORD all my life,” v. 2); then it invites all God's people to join in (vv. 3, 5, 8). Psalm 148 explains where God must be praised: from the heavens above to the earth below (vv. 1, 7). Psalm 149 tells how to praise God; it is with a new song" (v. 1). Psalm 150 tells everyone to praise God: “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD” (v. 6). Psalm 147, the psalm we are going to be looking at now, tells us what we can praise God for. 

In yesterday’s study we looked at the first warning seen in verses 3 and 4, which is the warning not to value others more than we value God. In today's study, we take a look at a second warning in this passage. 

Roy Clements, the pastor of Eden Baptist Church, Cambridge, England, has a sermon on these last psalms in which he observes that there are three words that are understood in every language on earth: Amen, Hallelujah, and Coca Cola. Amen we know, and Coca Cola we know. But these psalms all begin and end with hallelujah. What does hallelujah mean? 

There is a wonderful universality in these last verses, through verse 20. It is seen in the word “all” which is repeated eleven times: “all his promises,” “all he has made," "all those who fall,” “all who are bowed down,” “all look to you,” “all his ways," "all he has made," "all who call on him” (twice), "all who love him” and “all the wicked.” This means that because God is good to all, all ought to praise him. 

It was probably his reference to God's “goodness” in verse 7 that led the psalmist to deal with God's grace, compassion, patience and rich love (v. 8) in stanza three (vv. 8-13a), the theme introduced by verse 8.