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All creatures of our God and king… (Pg.#1)

(We continue on in the theme of God’s Love for His creation, including fallen mankind.)

Reading from Psalm 148:1-6… (CEV) Shout praises to the LORD! Shout the LORD’s praises in the highest heavens.  (2)  All of you angels, and all who serve him above, come and offer praise.  (3)  Sun and moon, and all of you bright stars, come and offer praise.  (4)  Highest heavens, and the water above the highest heavens, come and offer praise.  (5)  Let all things praise the name of the LORD, because they were created at his command.  (6)  He made them to last forever, and nothing can change what he has done.

— Q1. Who do we find commanded to bring praise to God in these first 6 verses?

O – The angels who serve Him.     O – All the ‘Fallen angels’.     O – All the planets and stars.

O – The sky, (our atmosphere).     O – The realm of the clouds.

• An interesting note: Our modern understanding, from the further examination of our atmosphere, revealed that it is made up of 5 levels; Troposphere: 0 to 12 km (0 to 7 miles); Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km (7 to 31 miles); Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km (50 to 440 miles) Mesosphere: 50 to 80 km (31 to 50 miles); Exosphere: 700 to 10,000 km (440 to 6,200 miles)

• Here the psalmist sees different “heavens” even in his early understanding.

— Q2. From historical records concerning myths and legends, what did various people of the psalmist’s day think existed in the “Heavens”?

O – God and His angels.     O – All sorts of gods and goddesses.

O – Great unearthly beasts and monsters.     O – Satellites and spaceships.     O – Aliens.

(Other comments) ___________________________________________________________________

From Psalm 148:7-8… All creatures on earth, you obey his commands, so come praise the LORD!  (8)  Sea monsters and the deep sea, fire and hail, snow and frost, and every stormy wind, come praise the LORD!

— Q3. Who is commanded to bring praise to God in this verse?

O – The idols and statues.     O – All the powerful creatures of the earth.

O – All spirits and demons.     O – All earth’s cataclysmic and meteorological phenomena.

— Q4. How do you see these creatures/phenomena bringing praise to God?

O – The ‘Great whales’ and such bring praise by impressing mankind with their size and power.

O – They show that God is also a scary, destructive, powerful being.

O – They cause us to humbly recognize that, unlike God, we cannot control them.

(Your comment) _____________________________________________________________________

From Psalm 148:9… All mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars…

— Q5. Do these ever cause you to stand in awe of their magnificence and to marvel at how they came to be?

O – No, they just block my way or cause me allergies.     O – Yes, sometimes I stand in awe.

(Your comments) ____________________________________________________________________

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(Continued on next page)

All creatures of our God and king… (Pg.#2)

From Psalm 148:10… every wild and tame animal, all reptiles and birds, come praise the LORD!

— Q6. Have any of these sounds caught you up in a special moment of appreciation and awe?

O – A songbird’s song.     O – A Robin celebrating the birth of their babies.

O – A baby bird demanding food.     O – A wolf’s call late in the night.     O – The drone of bees at work.

O – Live or recorded sounds of whales communicating.     O – A cricket’s chirp.

(Your additions:) ____________________________________________________________________

From Psalm 148:11-12… Every king and every ruler, all nations on earth,  (12)  every man and every woman, young people and old, come praise the LORD!

Now it’s getting personal!

— Q7/A. What does this verse require of all of us, our nations, and our leaders?

O – Nothing, for we must separate God from the nation’s business.     O – God requires our worship.

— Q7/B. What if we refuse to “bend the knee” to God?

O – Nothing, for there is no God.     O – We will lose God’s blessings.     O – We will answer to God.

(Your comments) ____________________________________________________________________

From Psalm 148:13… All creation, come praise the name of the LORD. Praise his name alone. The glory of God is greater than heaven and earth.

— Q8. Check off the factors you find in this verse.

O – All created things should bring praise to God.     O – Creation should bring praise to God alone.

O – God’s glory is even greater than all His creation.     O – In altering genetics we share in God’s glory.

(Your comments) ____________________________________________________________________

From Psalm 148:14… Like a bull with mighty horns, the LORD protects his faithful nation Israel, because they belong to him. Shout praises to the LORD!

— Q9. Check off the factors you find in this verse.

O – God has a special promise given to the nation of Israel.     O – The people of Israel belong to God.

O – God will always save a remnant of faithful Jewish believers.

O – We should praise God for His faithful watch and care of Israel, even when they stray from Him.

(Your comments) ____________________________________________________________________

— Q10. Does God also protect those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, “Like a bull with mighty horns”?

O – Yes, for through faith in Jesus, we also become one of God’s people.

O – No, that promise only belongs to the people of Israel.

In closing, I’ll let the Apostle Peter answer that one: 1^st Peter 2:9-10… But you are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say,  (10)  “Once you were nobody. Now you are God’s people. At one time no one had pity on you. Now God has treated you with kindness.

— We are left to answer one more question: Are we living a life of Praise to God? …(KK)