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A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE
MAIN POINTS OF PSALM 147.

"O praise the Lord. How good it is to sing psalms to our God! How pleasant to praise Him! The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem; He gathers in the scattered sons of Israel. It is He who heals the broken in spirit and binds up their wounds, He who numbers the stars one by one and names them one and all. Mighty is our Lord and great His power, and His wisdom beyond all telling. The Lord gives new heart to the humble and brings evildoers down to the dust. Sing to the Lord a song of thanksgiving, sing psalms to the harp in honour of our God. He veils the sky in clouds and prepares rain for the earth; He clothes the hills with grass and green plants for the use of man. He gives the cattle their food and the young ravens all that they gather. The Lord sets no store by the strength of a horse and takes no pleasure in a runner's legs;  His pleasure is in those who fear Him, who wait for His true love.

Sing to the Lord, Jerusalem; O Zion, praise your God, for He has put new bars in your gates; He has blessed your children within them. He has brought peace to your realm and given you fine wheat in plenty. He sends His command to the ends of the earth, and His word runs swiftly. He showers down snow, white as wool, and sprinkles hoar-frost thick as ashes; crystals of ice He scatters like bread-crumbs; He sends the cold, and the water stands frozen, He utters His word, and the ice is melted; He blows with His wind and the waters flow. To Jacob He makes His word known, His statutes and decrees to Israel; He  has not done this for any other nation, nor taught them His decrees. O praise the Lord."  (Psalms 147:1  20 NEB).

When Jehovah rebuilds heavenly "Jerusalem", He will gather His "scattered sons" of "Israel" on earth, and exalt them to "O Zion". "Jacob" are spiritual sons of "Israel".

He "heals the broken in spirit" and gives "new heart" to the humble sons of "Jacob".

Although our Lord provides vegetation for both man and beast,

He "takes no pleasure" in the physical strength that food supplies, but in

"those who fear Him, who wait for His true love" to supply their spiritual needs.

Putting "new bars in your gates" signifies restoration and renewed spiritual strength from Jehovah, the kind that brings "peace" to the offspring of His spiritual "realm" and spiritual "food" described as "fine wheat in plenty".

Verses 15 to 20 are particularly important:

The "water" that "stands frozen" is His previously sent Word which is not to be fulfilled or fully understood at the present time, and so does not "flow"

until Jehovah "utters His word" and "the ice is melted".

Furthermore, while Almighty God makes the "waters" of His spiritual Word known to spiritual sons of "Jacob", He does not do this for any other nation.

PSALM 147 teaches that while some of His Holy Word is like "fine wheat" for immediate use, some understandings and their fulfilment "stands frozen" until He "utters His Word" and this "ice is melted".  Only then do spiritual "waters flow" at the proper time to those of spiritual "Jacob", the "Israel" of God. That "He has not done this for any other nation, nor taught them His decrees" is why we should give glory to Almighty God and "praise the Lord".

17/9/86.