Psalm 147:1 NKJV
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
Why Our Hearts Were Made to Sing
MY NOTES
“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.”— Psalm 147:1 (NKJV)
Have you ever noticed how naturally we express praise when something delights us? We don’t need to be coaxed to cheer for an incredible sports play, rave about an unforgettable meal, or share a breathtaking view with a friend. We praise what we value because joy naturally overflows into adoration.
When you open the final chapters of the Psalms, you step into what feels like a cascading waterfall of worship. Psalm 147 opens with a direct, unreserved call: “Praise the Lord!” It’s an invitation to shift our gaze off life’s noise and anchor our thoughts in the One who holds all things together.
It is easy to view praise as just an optional warm-up before a sermon or something we do only when circumstances feel right. But the Psalmist gives us three compelling reasons why praise should become our natural element: it is good, pleasant, and beautiful.
1. Praise Is Good
The verse begins by declaring that “it is good to sing praises to our God.” It is good in itself because it aligns with our highest purpose: giving honor to the Creator who formed us and the Savior who redeemed us. But it is also practically good for us. Praise shifts our focus away from the heaviness of our circumstances and fixes our eyes on the character of God. It acts as a spiritual reset, reminding us that while our challenges are real, God is infinitely greater. When we pay Him the tribute of our worship, we find our own souls strengthened, anchored, and renewed.
2. Praise Is Pleasant
The psalmist goes on to say that praise “is pleasant.” True praise is never intended to be a dry, mechanical duty. As Charles Spurgeon noted, singing God’s praises is work that brings its own wages—it brings a taste of heaven down to earth. While long, desperate prayers often spring from our immediate needs, praise springs from deep, self-forgetful love. It is deeply refreshing to the spirit because it liberates us from self-centeredness. When grace is active in our hearts, making melody to the Lord becomes our purest pleasure.
When grace is active in our hearts, lifting our voices to God is sweet and refreshing to the soul. It satisfies a refined mind far more than any temporary earthly indulgence ever could. God actually takes pleasure in our heartfelt gratitude, valuing the sacrifice of praise far beyond empty, routine rituals.
3. Praise Is Beautiful
The Hebrew word for “beautiful” (or comely) refers to what is proper, fitting, and attractive. Just as proper attire fits a special occasion, praise fits a believer. It brings honor to God while reflecting His grace back into the world. A heart tuned to praise is visually and spiritually harmonious—a sweet testimony to everyone around us of the goodness of our King.
When we give honor to God, it reflects His beauty back into our lives. There is nothing quite as stunning as seeing a believer—or a whole gathering of believers—forget about themselves to exalt the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Where duty, delight, and beauty unite, our hearts should never be slow to respond.
Whether we are singing at the top of our lungs in a congregation or quietly offering thanksgiving in the quiet of our cars, let’s make worship the defining melody of our days.
Prayer
Abba, You are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. Thank You for the gift of worship and for making it both a duty and a delight to come into Your presence. Forgive me for the times I have allowed the cares of this world to silence my joy or turn my devotion into a routine. Tune my heart to appreciate Your goodness, so that praise becomes the natural response of my lips every single day. Let my life be a beautiful reflection of Your grace and love. I ask You for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Praise Is Our Highest Purpose: Expressing gratitude and adoration is the best use of our voice and mind, fulfilling the very reason God created us.
- Worship Brings Personal Joy: True praise is not a burdensome obligation; it is a pleasant, refreshing time that brings the atmosphere of heaven into our daily lives.
- Gratitude Outweighs Self-Interest: Moving from constant petitioning to sincere praise guards our hearts against selfishness and grounds us in God’s goodness.
- Praise is essential — It is the atmosphere of heaven and the calling of God’s people.
- Praise is personal — You were created to glorify God with your voice, your life, and your joy.
Cross References – NKJV
Psalm 135:3
“Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.”
Psalm 33:1
“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.”
Psalm 92:1–2
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,”
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
Hebrews 13:15
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
Things to Think About
- Recognizing God’s Goodness: What are three specific blessings or character traits of God you can praise Him for right now, without asking for anything in return?
- Cultivating Delight in Worship: How can you shift your morning or daily routine to make praising God a pleasant priority rather than an afterthought?
Proverb for Today
Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” Proverbs 4:7-9 NKJV
Daily Scripture
For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!” Zechariah 2:8-13 NKJV
Closing
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
Grace be with you. Amen.
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Summary of Commentaries:
Praising God isn’t just a duty—it’s a joyful, beautiful privilege! The commentators below remind us that worshiping the Lord is good for our souls, deeply pleasing to God, and fitting for everyone who has experienced His grace. When we sing His praises out loud, we step into the very joy of heaven. It shifts our focus off ourselves and aligns our hearts with His goodness, turning daily gratitude into a life full of genuine delight.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Praise ye the Lord,” or Hallelujah: The flow of the broad river of the Book of Psalms ends in a cataract of praise. The present Psalm begins and ends with Hallelujah. Jehovah and happy praise should ever be associated in the mind of a believer. Jove was dreaded, but Jehovah is beloved. To one and all of the true seed of Israel the Psalmist acts as choir master, and cries, “Praise ye the Lord.” Such an exhortation may fitly be addressed to all those who owe anything to the favor of God; and which of us does not? Pay him we cannot, but praise him we will, not only now, but forever.
“For it is good to sing praises unto our God.” It is good because it is right; good because it is acceptable with God, beneficial to ourselves, and stimulating to our fellows. The goodness of an exercise is good argument with good men for its continual practice. Singing the divine praises is the best possible use of speech: it speaks of God, for God, and to God, and it does this in a joyful and reverent manner. Singing in the heart is good, but singing with heart and voice is better, for it allows others to join with us. Jehovah is our God, our covenant God, therefore let him have the homage of our praise; and he is so gracious and happy a God that our praise may best be expressed in joyful song.
“For it is pleasant; and praise is comely.” It is pleasant and proper, sweet and suitable to laud the Lord Most High. It is refreshing to the taste of the truly refined mind, and it is agreeable to the eye of the pure in heart: it is delightful both to hear and to see a whole assembly praising the Lord. These are arguments for song service which men who love true piety, real pleasure, and strict propriety will not despise. Please to praise, for praise is pleasant: praise the Lord in the beauty of holiness, for praise is comely. Where duty and delight, benefit and beauty unite, we ought not to be backward. Let each reader feel that he and his family ought to constitute a choir for the daily celebration of the praises of the Lord.
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Enduring Word
Praise the LORD: These words are both a declaration and an encouragement of praise to Yahweh. We are encouraged to praise Yahweh with the psalmist. (Guzik)
i. “There is no heaven, either in this world, or the world to come, for people who do not praise God. If you do not enter into the spirit and worship of heaven, how should the spirit and joy of heaven enter into you?” (Pulsford, cited in Spurgeon)
It is good to sing praises to our God: It was right for the psalmist to tell himself and others to praise the LORD, and he assumed that God’s people would do it with singing. The goodness of praise comes from the truth that it is, in itself, pleasant and beautiful. (Guzik)
i. Psalm 33:1 says praise from the upright is beautiful. True praise is beautiful to God, to His people as a community, and to the individual worshipper.
ii. Praise is pleasant and beautiful for humanity. “It is decent, befitting, and proper that every intelligent creature should acknowledge the Supreme Being: and as he does nothing but good to the children of men, so they should speak good of his name.” (Clarke)
iii. Since praise is beautiful, “…an unthankful man is an ugly, ill-favored spectacle.” (Trapp)
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Albert Barnes
And praise is comely — Becoming; proper. See the notes at Psalms 33:1 : “praise is comely for the upright.” The Hebrew word is the same. If these psalms were composed for the rededication of the temple, it would not be unnatural that much of the language employed should be borrowed from earlier psalms with which the people were familiar.
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John Gill
This psalm is thought to be written by David, and according to Theodoret predicts the return of the Jews from Babylon, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem by Zerubbabel, which seems to be grounded on Psalm 147:2; though the words there agree well enough with the times of David; hence the title in the Septuagint, Ethiopic, Arabic, and Syriac versions, and Apollinarius, is as the preceding; the Syriac adds, “concerning Zerubbabel and Joshua the priest, and Ezra, who were solicitous and diligent in building Jerusalem.” Aben Ezra and other Jewish writers think it foretells the future rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the restoration of the Jews from their present captivity, and refer it to the times of the Messiah; and so far it may be right, that it respects Christ and the praise of him, on account of his nature and works; and may take in the conversion of the Jews.
Praise ye the Lord,…. When he shall reign, as Kimchi connects this psalm with the preceding; the arguments used to engage men to this work are taken partly from the nature of it, as in the next clauses; and partly from what the Lord is and does, as in the following verses;
for [it is] good to sing praises unto our God; it being agreeably to his revealed will, what he enjoins, approves of, and accepts, and is profitable to his people, as well as makes his glory; see Psalm 92:1. Some render it, “because [he is] good,” as in Psalm 106:1; but the accents, and what follows, will not admit of this sense;
for it [is] pleasant; to our God; with which the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions, join this clause; the sacrifice of praise is more pleasing to the Lord than any ceremonial sacrifice, especially when offered from a grateful heart in the name of Christ, and with a view to his glory; and it is pleasant to saints themselves, when grace is in exercise, and they make melody in their hearts to the Lord;
[and] praise is comely: is due to the Lord, and becomes his people to give it to him; it is but their reasonable service, and a beautiful and lovely sight it is to see the chosen, redeemed, and called of the Lamb, harping with their harps, and singing the song of redeeming love.
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Matthew Henry
This is another psalm of praise. Some think it was penned after the return of the Jews from their captivity; but it is so much of a piece with Ps. 145 that I rather think it was penned by David, and what is said (v. 2, 13) may well enough be applied to the first building and fortifying of Jerusalem in his time, and the gathering in of those that had been out-casts in Saul’s time. The Septuagint divides it into two; and we may divide it into the first and second part, but both of the same import.
I. We are called upon to praise God (v. 1, 7, 12).
II. We are furnished with matter for praise, for God is to be glorified,
1. As the God of nature, and so he is very great (v. 4, 5, 8, 9, 15-18).
2. As the God of grace, comforting his people (v. 3, 6, 10, 11).
3. As the God of Israel, Jerusalem, and Zion, settling their civil state (v. 2, 13, 14), and especially settling religion among them (v. 19, 20).
It is easy, in singing this psalm, to apply it to ourselves, both as to personal and national mercies, were it but as easy to do so with suitable affections.
The duty of praise is recommended to us. It is not without reason that we are thus called to it again and again: Praise you the Lord (v. 1), and again (v. 7), Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving, sing praise upon the harp to our God (let all our praises be directed to him and centre in him), for it is good to do so; it is our duty, and therefore good in itself; it is our interest, and therefore good for us. It is acceptable to our Creator and it answers the end of our creation. The law for it is holy, just, and good; the practice of it will turn to a good account. It is good, for
1. It is pleasant. Holy joy or delight are required as the principle of it, and that is pleasant to us as men; giving glory to God is the design and business of it, and that is pleasant to us as saints that are devoted to his honor. Praising God is work that is its own wages; it is heaven upon earth; it is what we should be in as in our element.
2. It is comely; it is that which becomes us as reasonable creatures, much more as people in covenant with God. In giving honor to God we really do ourselves a great deal of honor.
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Calvin’s Commentary
Praise ye God, etc. Though the benefits he speaks of are such as God extends to all men indiscriminately, it is plain that he addresses more especially God’s people, who alone behold his works in an enlightened manner, whereas stupidity and blindness of mind deprive others of their understanding. Nor is his subject confined to the common benefits of God, but the main thing which he celebrates is his mercy, as shown to his chosen people. That the Church may address itself to the praises of God with more alacrity, he states that this kind of exercise is good, delightful, and pleasant, by which he indirectly censures a sin which is all but universal of becoming wearied at the very mention of God, and counting it our highest pleasure to forget both God and ourselves, that we may give way to unrestrained indulgence. To teach men to take a delight in this religious exercise, the Psalmist reminds them that praise is comely, or desirable. For the term נאוה, navah, may be rendered either way.
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Miscellaneous Comments
There is no heaven, either in this world, or the world to come, for people who do not praise God. If you do not enter into the spirit and worship of heaven, how should the spirit and joy of heaven enter into you? Selfishness makes long prayers, but love makes short prayers, that it may continue longer in praise.
—John Pulsford, 1857.
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