Psalms 147:18

He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. HE SENDETH OUT HIS WORD, AND MELTETH THEM: HE CAUSETH HIS WIND TO BLOW (AND) THE WATERS FLOW - a warm wind, which causes a thaw. So God mercifully caused the spring of mercy to Israel now to succeed to the icy winter of past trouble. Compare notes, Psalms 107:1, respecting the same happy change described under figures....

12-20 The church, like Jerusalem of old, built up and preserved by the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, is exhorted to praise him for all the benefits and blessings vouchsafed to her; and these are represented by his favours in the course of nature. The thawing word may represent the gospel of Christ, and the thawing wind the Spirit of Christ; for the Spirit is compared to the wind, John 3:8. Converting grace softens the heart that was hard frozen, and melts it into tears of repentance, and makes good reflections to flow, which before were chilled and stopped up. The change which the thaw makes is very evident, yet how it is done no one can say. Such is the change wrought in the conversion of a soul, when God's word and Spirit are sent to melt it and restore it to itself...

Verse Psalms 147:18. _HE SENDETH OUT HIS WORD_] He gives a command: the _south_ _wind_ blows; the _thaw_ takes place; and the _ice_ and _snow_ being liquefied, the _waters flow_, where before they were bound up by the ice....

HE SENDETH OUT HIS WORD - He commands: or, he speaks. AND MELTETH THEM - Melts the snow and the ice. Compare the notes at Job 37:10 : “By the breath of God frost is given,” etc. The idea is, that they are entirely under his control. They obey him when he speaks. HE CAUSETH HIS WIND TO BLOW - The warm south wind: “his” wind, because he directs it, and causes it to perform his will. AND THE WATERS FLOW - The snow and the ice melt....

EXPOSITION This psalm is generally assigned to the time of the dedication of the city wall (Nehemiah 12:27-16), when the gate-towers had been set up, and the gates and bars put in their places (see Psalms 147:13; and comp. Nehemiah 7:1). It is, more manifestly than any of the others, a Return joy-song (Psalms 147:2, Psalms 147:12). Its delicate appreciation of the grandeur and beauty of nature, and of God's closeness to nature (Psalms 147

HE SENDETH OUT HIS WORD, AND MELTETH THEM,.... The snow, the hoar frost, and ice: this he does by a word of his, who can freeze the earth and waters, and thaw them at his pleasure; by ordering the sun to break forth with great heat, or rain to fall in great plenty; of both which Kimchi interprets his word; as well as by causing a warm wind to blow, as follows, HE CAUSETH HIS WIND TO BLOW, [AND] THE WATERS TO FLOW: the south wind particularly; then the waters, which were still and motionless, flow as before, or more abundantly. Thus the hearts of men in a state of nature are like frozen earth or waters; they are cold, and without the heat of love, and affection to God and Christ, and spiritual things; they are as hard as a stone, and without any motion or desire after things divine and heavenly: but when the Lord sends his word, attended with a divine power and efficacy, it breaks and me...

Psalms 147:1. _Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely._ «It is good,» that is to say, it is a thing that ought to be done, it is a right thing «to sing praises unto our God.» «It is good,» that is to say, it is profitable, it is beneficial to our own hearts. Prayer is refreshing, but praise is even more so, for there may be, and there often is, in prayer, the element of selfishness; but praise rises to a yet higher level. Prayer and praise together make up spiritual respiration; we breathe in the air of heaven when we pray, and we breathe it out again when we praise. «It is good to sing praises unto our God.» What a mercy it is that it is pleasant, too! There are many things that are good that are not pleasant, and many more things that are pleasant that are not good; but here is a holy duty which is also a heavenl

PSALM 144-150 THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS The five Psalms with which this marvellous book closeth are all Psalms of praise. The word “praise” is found in the Hebrew thirty-seven times. Each one of these Psalms begins and ends with a hallelujah; there are ten hallelujahs. First is a hallelujah which celebrates Himself, He who is the God of Jacob. Precious vision of Him who delights to call Himself “the God of Jacob,” the God who loves the sinner and has redeemed His people. Who is He? The Creator of all, by whom and for whom all things were made (Psalms 146:6). The Lord of judgment and redemption; the Lord who looseth the prisoners, openeth the eyes of the blind, raiseth them that are bowed down--and He will reign for ever. Hallelujah. Psalms 147:1 is the hallelujah for what He has done for Hi

CXLVII. The LXX, perhaps rightly, divides the Ps. into two, Psalms 147:1 and Psalms 147:12. PSALMS 147:1. An invitation to praise Yahweh for His almighty power and His kindness to Israel. Observe how the two thoughts are intertwined. After Psalms 147:8 c the LXX has, and herbage for the service of men. In Psalms 147:10 the legs of a man is curious. Swift running is a characteristic of the Homeric heroes, but the emendation, armour of a man, is tempting....

WORD. Hebrew. _dabar =_ the subject-matter of the articulate utterance (Psalms 147:16). See App-73. WIND. Hebrew. _ruach,_ App-9....