The Final Hallelujah (Psalms 148–150)

What if history ends in a song you already know by heart? We follow the rising tide of Psalms 148–150 and discover why hallelujah is more than a lyric—it’s the direction of the world. From Handel’s trembling at the piano to John’s vision in Revelation, we trace a golden thread: creation called to praise, a King crowned in glory, and a people anchored by grace in the face of coming judgment.

We start with the word itself—hallelujah—rooted in the Hebrew for praise and the name of God, then step into Psalm 148’s vast sanctuary. Angels, stars, oceans, storms, mountains, and trees join the chorus, while kings and children stand side by side under a name exalted above earth and heaven. That vision opens into prophecy: the horn of salvation points to Christ’s rule, echoed in Revelation 19 where he is called King of kings and Lord of lords. If that’s where the story goes, then praise becomes both our present posture and our future home.

Psalm 149 raises a hard but vital theme: Israel’s theocratic duty to carry out written judgments versus the church’s calling under grace. We unpack how the gospel holds warning and welcome together—repent, believe, and find forgiveness that lifts condemnation now. Finally, Psalm 150 throws open the doors: trumpets, harps, tambourines, strings, pipes, and cymbals urge us to make joyful noise with our whole lives. Praise is not escapism; it is alignment with the truest reality—God’s worth and Christ’s coming reign.

If this journey stirred your heart, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a rating to help others find these conversations. What’s your hallelujah today?

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Chapters

• 1:36 Handel’s Hallelujah And Its Roots
• 3:13 Creation Called To Praise
• 4:16 Prophecy Of The Coming King
• 5:49 Israel’s Role And Holy Justice
• 7:36 Grace, Warning, And The Gospel
• 9:15 Psalm 150’s Orchestra Of Praise
• 10:37 Revelation’s Final Hallelujah

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:16

During our wisdom journey through the book of Deuteronomy, I mentioned the composition by George Handel that we usually refer to as Handel's Messiah. The music precedes this very program that you're watching or listening to. Now, perhaps the best known portion of Messiah is what we call that hallelujah chorus. Handel simply named it hallelujah. And that's because the word hallelujah would be sung 167 times during the hallelujah chorus. Well, hallelujah is a Hebrew word that comes from halel, which means praise, and Yah, which refers to Yahweh. So hallelujah means praise Yahweh or praise the Lord. Now as this inspired hymnal, this great book of Psalms comes to a close, the theme of praise just sort of reaches this uh this grand finale, and I gotta tell you, I hear the hallelujah chorus being sung over and over again. In fact, in these three psalms, these three final psalms in this book, the word praise is repeated some thirty times. We are being invited to sing hallelujah, praise the Lord over and over again. And by the way, praise to God is not just to come from our lips, but praising God is now to come from all of creation. In fact, Psalm 148 opens with singing here, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights, praise him, all his angels, praise him all his hosts. Just imagine all the angels are tuning up for this grand finale. Well, with the angels we have the sun, moon, and all the stars are singing here in verse three, the highest heavens, and the waters above the heavens are singing here in verse four, the sea creatures hidden in deep ocean waters, verse seven, all the forces of nature, verse eight, the mountains and livestock and the fruit trees, verse nine. They're all somehow granted the privilege of joining in in their own unique way, singing to their creator. So all of creation is singing the hallelujah chorus. Well, now the composer moves from poetry to prophecy here in verse 11. Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth, young men and maidens together, old men and children, let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted. His majesty is above earth and heaven. Wow, this is a this is a reference to that coming kingdom again where Christ reigns upon upon the earth. And John is going to write of his vision of the Lord Jesus over in Revelation 19. The Lord is descending from heaven to reign from Jerusalem as promised. John writes that on the Lord's garments are embroidered the words King of kings and Lord of Lords. Again, that reminds me of the hallelujah chorus handel is writing, he shall reign forever and ever, King of kings and Lord of Lords. Well now here in verse 14 we read that the Lord has raised up a horn for his people. Now throughout Scripture, a horn is a symbol of power or of a king or a kingdom. Again, this is looking forward, this is looking ahead to that time when the horn of salvation, that is King Jesus, reigns in power in his kingdom upon the earth. Well now, uh Psalm 149 is the nation Israel's response to their Messiah and this coming kingdom. Well they start singing as well here in verse one. Praise the Lord, sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praise in the assembly of the godly. Let Israel be glad in his maker. Let the children of Zion, that is Jerusalem, rejoice in their king. Well, with that the psalmist includes something that might confuse you as a Christian, living in the New Testament dispensation of grace. We read here in verse six Let the high praises of God be in their throats, and two edged swords in their hands to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples. Well, if you've been sailing with me now through this wisdom journey for a while, you know Israel's role, living back in the theocracy as God's representatives, was to execute judgment on those who defied God. And we're told here in verse 9 very clearly that Israel was to execute on them the judgment written. Israel is to carry out the verdict of God's justice or judgment. Where today, in the dispensation of grace, the role of the church is not Israel's role. We're not Israel. The church isn't carrying out God's judgment on sinners. In fact, the Apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans that sinners are presently storing up divine wrath for themselves for the judgment to come, where God will ultimately and finally deliver it. Well, that doesn't mean God doesn't care about sin any longer. Oh no, we're living in a day of what we could call great patience, great grace, but also a day of warning. Did you know that your gospel message and mine includes a warning of God's coming judgment? The Apostle Paul addressed the leaders in the city of Athens and he said this the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Why? Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world. That's Acts chapter 17. So judgment day is coming. That's the warning. But the gospel also gives a way out, and that is if we repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, place our faith in God's Son, we'll be forgiven, we'll be cleansed from the guilt of every sin, we'll be given the gift of salvation. If you haven't done that, you need to receive them today. Don't wait. If you have done that, well, you've been forgiven. All your crimes, all your sins have been paid for, and you are even right now freed from the condemnation and judgment of God. Well, with that warning and that wonderful promise, we come now to the final psalm in the fifth and final book of Psalms, and this one is numbered Psalm one hundred and fifty. Thirteen times we're told in this brief psalm to praise the Lord, and that is to just start that hallelujah chorus up all over again, if you please. All these wonderful instruments are now to accompany us as we sing this final hallelujah. We have the trumpet, we have the harp here in verse three, we have the tambourine, we've got the stringed instruments, we've got the pipes here in verse four, we've got finally the cymbals here in verse five. The psalmist is effectively telling us here not to keep quiet. Let the world, as it were, hear this joyful noise of our praise to God. Then finally, here you have the choir, you have the host of all the redeemed who are leading us in this final statement, this final hallelujah here in verse six. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Beloved, I don't know what's happening in your life today. I don't know what's happening in your world today where you live, but I do know that this is where the story of human history is heading. This is where we're going. Jesus Christ will ultimately descend in Jerusalem and establish his kingdom on earth. And what are we singing when we arrive with him? Well, if you go all the way to the end of the story, the account, so to speak, in Revelation 19, as we're told, the Apostle John is writing, and there in verse 1 he says this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out, Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. And in verse six they're singing, Hallelujah, for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. You know, I'm reminded that after three straight weeks of composing his great oratoria, George Handel was he's finally interrupted by a friend who got into his apartment. He found George sitting there at his piano, sheets of music were lying about everywhere, and he had just completed the hallelujah chorus. Tears were streaming down his face, and he looked up at his friend and he said, It's as if I did see all heaven before me and the great God himself seated on his throne. What that tells me is that your story isn't finished today. In fact, the story of human history hasn't quite finished the composition of our sovereign Lord. How does it all wrap up? All of creation will be joining with us the redeemed in singing this, and he shall reign forever and ever, forever and ever. Hallelujah. And with that we conclude our wisdom journey through this inspired hymnal of praise, the book of Psalms. Until next time, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

unknown: 12:19

Amen.