Psalm 135:1 NKJV
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord!
Exploring the Trinity
My Notes
“Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord!” — Psalm 135:1 (NKJV)
We’ve just finished the “Songs of Ascents”—the travel playlist for the climb to Jerusalem. Now, we’ve arrived at the “Great Hallel” territory. If the previous Psalms were about the journey, Psalm 135 is about the destination. It starts with an absolute explosion of “Praise!”
Notice the structure: the Psalmist says “Praise” three times in a single verse. Now, God doesn’t have an ego problem, and He isn’t hard of hearing. The repetition isn’t for His benefit; it’s for ours. We are notoriously slow to move from complaining to celebrating. We need that triple-shot of spiritual espresso to wake up our souls.
Praise the Name The Psalmist specifically tells us to praise the name of the Lord. In the Bible, a name isn’t just a label; it’s a revelation of character. When we praise “Jehovah,” we are adoring the One who is self-existent, unchanging, and utterly reliable. This is praise. It’s more than just a vibe or a catchy chorus; it’s studying His “resume” and His “character references” until our hearts are stirred to wonder.
The Definition of Worship Sometimes we think worship is just singing. But let’s break it down:
- To worship is to quicken the conscience by His holiness.
- To feed the mind with His truth.
- To purge the imagination by His beauty.
- To open the heart to His love.
- To devote the will to His purpose.
It’s a full-body, full-spirit experience. It takes us from being “servants of sin” (as we once were) to being “servants of the Lord.”
The Three-in-One Mystery. Many scholars see a “mystery” in this three-fold call. It’s a perfect invitation to praise the Trinity:
- Praise the Father for choosing us and planning our grace.
- Praise the Son for redeeming us and becoming our grace.
- Praise the Holy Spirit for regenerating us and sustaining our grace.
Whether you are looking at your past, your present, or your future, there is a “Hallelujah” waiting for each one. Let’s not just thank Him for what He does for us; let’s praise Him for who He is in Himself.
Key Takeaways
- Praise is a Discipline: We often have to “labor to excite” the spirit of praise in ourselves and others. It doesn’t always come naturally, but it always pays off.
- Focus on Character: Praise the Name—meaning His attributes like immutability and self-existence. The more you know Him, the more you’ll want to praise Him.
- Holistic Worship: Worship isn’t just an emotion; it involves your conscience, mind, imagination, heart, and will.
- The Trinity’s Tribute: Our lives should be a constant “three-fold hallelujah” to the Father, Son, and Spirit.
Cross References (NKJV)
Psalm 113:1
“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord!”
Romans 6:17
“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.”
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
A Closing Prayer
Abba, I hear the call today: Praise, Praise, Praise! Forgive me for being so slow to celebrate Your goodness. I want to praise Your Name—Your unchanging, holy, and beautiful character. Today, I feed my mind on Your truth and open my heart to Your love. Thank You, Father, for choosing me. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. Thank You, Spirit, for changing me. Let my life be a living hallelujah. I thank You for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Something to think about.
- The Names of God: If you had to pick one “name” or attribute of God to praise right now (e.g., Healer, Provider, Faithful, Holy), which would it be and why?
- Imagination Purge: How has focusing on the “beauty of God” recently helped clean out the negative or fearful images in your imagination?
- From Slave to Servant: Reflect on Romans 6:17. How does the reality that you are no longer a “slave to sin” change the way you approach God in worship today?
Proverb for Today
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. Proverbs 26:20 NKJV
Daily Scripture
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38 NKJV
Bill
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Summary of Commentaries:
Psalm 135:1 is a logical, passionate call for “servants of the Lord” to offer praise. The commentaries below emphasize that worship engages the whole person—quickening the conscience, feeding the mind, and devoting the will. The triple repetition suggests a three-fold hallelujah to the Trinity for election, redemption, and sanctification. We are urged to extol God’s immutable character, moving beyond emotion to celebrate His self-existence and grace as both faithful servants and adopted sons.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Praise ye the LORD,” or, Hallelujah. Let those who are themselves full of holy praise labor to excite the like spirit in others. It is not enough for us to praise God ourselves; we are quite unequal to such a work; let us call in all our friends and neighbors, and if they have been slack in such service, let us stir them up to it with loving exhortations.
“Praise ye the name of the LORD.” Let his character be extolled by you, and let all that he has revealed concerning himself be the subject of your song; for this is truly his name. Specially let his holy and incommunicable name of “Jehovah” be the object of your adoration. By that name, he sets forth his self-existence and his immutability; let these arouse your praises of his Godhead. Think of him with love, admire him with heartiness, and then extol him with ardor. Do not only magnify the Lord because he is God, but study his character and his doings, and thus render intelligent, appreciative praise.
“Praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.” If others are silent, you must not be; you must be the first to celebrate his praises. You are “servants,” and this is part of your service; his “name” is named upon you, therefore celebrate his name with praises; you know what a blessed Master he is, therefore speak well of him. Those who shun his service are sure to neglect his praise; but as grace has made you his own personal servants, let your hearts make you his court-musicians. Here we see the servant of the Lord arousing his fellow servants by three times calling upon them to praise. Are we, then, so slow in such a sweet employ? Or is it that when we do our utmost, it is all too little for such a Lord? Both are true. We do not praise enough; we cannot praise too much. We ought to be always at it; answering to the command here given—Praise, Praise, Praise. Let the Three-in-one have the praises of our spirit, soul, and body. For the past, the present, and the future, let us render three-fold hallelujahs.
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Enduring Word
Praise the LORD: Psalm 135 begins and ends with this phrase. It is a call for stirring, passionate praise to God, but not one that runs only on the fuel of emotion. This psalm gives many reasonable, logical reasons why we should praise the LORD. (Guzik)
i. Meyer described the characteristics of praise: “In this, we adore God for all that He is in Himself. Forgetting our own petty interests and concerns, our me and my and mine, we take our stand with angels and archangels and all the host of heaven in crying, Thou art worthy, O holy, holy, holy Lord! Heaven and earth are full of Thy great glory. Glory be unto Thee, O God Most High!”
ii. “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.” (Former Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple, cited in Boice)
Praise the name of the LORD: To praise the name of the LORD is to honor Him in all His character and attributes. The name was understood to represent the nature of the person. (Guzik)
Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD: As in the previous psalm (Psalm 134:1), this refers to the priests and Levites who would stand in the house of the LORD for priestly and temple duties. (Guzik)
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Albert Barnes
Praise ye the Lord – Hebrew, Hallelu-jah. Literally, “Praise Jah,” an abridged name for Yahweh. See the notes at Psalms 68:4.
Praise ye the name of the Lord – The same as praising God himself.
Praise him, O ye servants of the Lord – You who are especially designated or appointed to this service, Psalms 134:1.
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John Gill
Praise ye the Lord,…. Or hallelujah, which may be considered as the title of the psalm; as in the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions:
praise ye the name of the Lord; that is, the Lord himself, and the perfections of his nature; his greatness, goodness, grace, and mercy; his holiness, justice, power, truth, and faithfulness; and also his word, by which he makes known himself, and is a distinguishing blessing to his people, and to be praised for it; see Psalm 48:1;
praise [him], O ye servants of the Lord; priests and Levites, and ministers of the word, and all the people of God; who once were the servants of sin, Satan, and the world, but now by the grace of God become his servants; see Romans 6:17. Some observe that the word praise is here used three times, which is thought not to be without a mystery; and may have regard to the three divine Persons in the Godhead, who are each to be praised; the Father for electing grace, the Son for redeeming grace, and the Spirit for regenerating and sanctifying grace.
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Matthew Henry
Here is the duty we are called to: to praise the Lord, to praise his name; praise him, and again praise him. We must not only thank him for what he has done for us, but praise him for what he is in himself and has done for others; take all occasions to speak well of God and to give his truths and ways a good word.
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Miscellaneous Comments
The reader will be struck by the many allusions as well as direct citations to other passages of Scripture. The end result of the psalmist’s artistry is that the inspired creation stands on its own, even though it is dependent on other Scriptures for its poetic, liturgical, and idiomatic expressions.”
— Willem VanGemeren
“Praise ye the LORD.” Hallelujah is the Hebrew word. It signifies “Praise ye the LORD.” By this, the faithful do provoke one another to give thanks unto God, and they cheer up their hearts and tune their spirits to perform this duty in the best manner, by making this preface as it were thereunto. True joy of the Holy Ghost will not endure to be kept and cooped up in any one man’s breast and bosom, but it striveth to get companions both for the pouring out and imparting of itself unto them, that they may be filled and refreshed out of this spring of joy; as also that itself may be the more increased and inflamed by the united rejoicing of many good hearts together, that are all baptized in one spirit, and are made able to inflame and to edify one another.
—Thomas Brightman (1557-1607), in “The Revelation of St. John Illustrated.”
“Praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.” For ye will do nothing out of place by praising your Lord as servants. And if ye were to be forever only servants, ye ought to praise the Lord; how much more ought those servants to praise the Lord who have obtained the privilege of sons?
—Augustine.
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