Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
The LORD  supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.”-{Psalm 147:5-6}

The Psalmist begins this Psalm with “Praise the LORD!” The word “praise is the Hebrew word, “Halal” which means “to be boastful, to praise.” He is the object of praise, boasting, bragging, because He is worthy. And to do so is “good, pleasant, fitting.” Songs of praise” accompanied with instruments is what the word “praise,” means.- {Zamar}.

The Psalm is broken up into three phases and each one beginning with “Praise…” and further reasons why to  “Praise the LORD. ” It is used in verses 1, 7, 12. Indeed in Psalm 150:6, we are told, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.” All creation the Psalmist believes should join in to Praise Him who is worthy of praise! The Psalmist gave reasons to praise Him in verse 1-4 for His character, works, and we again join in more reasons for boasting in praising the LORD, as see see more of His attributes and works made known so we can RIGHTLY THINK so as to PRAISE THE LORD Rightly based on TRUTH!  He starts off with “Great is our God.”

The word “Lord,” {Adonai} is different than the word used for “LORD” in verse 1 The Jews would not mention the “LORD,” Yahwah” and according to Jewish law Jews are forbidden from saying  “Yahwah” and instead substituting it with the word “Lord,” “Adonai,”  which speaks of “Owner, Master,” a relationship. “A Divine name, translated “Lord,” and signifying, from its derivation, “sovereignty.”- {International Standard Bible Encyclopedia}.

Note, we are told something of Him, that …

1.-  The “Lord,” is “GREAT,”

The “Lord is GREAT!”  He is “the Great God”-{Neh 8:6}; “You are Great and Do Wondrous things, You alone are God.”-{Psalm 86:10}; “For I know that the Lord is great And that our Lord is above all gods.”-{Psalm 135:5}; “For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”-{Psalm 96:4}. He is “Great,” does “wondrous things,” He alone is God, and HE is greatly to be praised!  He is “Great in Mercy,”- {1 Kings 3;6 }; ” He is “Great in Goodness,”- { Nehemiah 9:25} He is “Great in Compassion, – {Isaiah 54:7}; He is “Great in His works,”…”Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure His greatness. “-{Psalm 145:3 nlt}. “He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.“-{Job 5:9}. Great are the works of the LordThey are studied by all who delight in them.“- {Psalm 111:2}. “GREAT is the Lord!” Praise Him!

We see from the following verses some more manifestations of His “greatness.”

2.- The “Lord ” is GREAT in “Abundant in Strength,”

“The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.“-{Nahum 1:3}. “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. “-{Isaiah 40:26}. His Great power, might to create, to sustain, to number and name stars, to heal the broken- hearted, to save souls. His Power is Great. Great to create, Great in judgement, as in the days of Noah and Pharaoh’s army, and none had the power to stop Him. Great in deliverance. Great in Mercy, compassion, Great to Heal the broken-hearted!

What is impossible with people due to our helplessness, for we are all dependent creatures. Dependent on Him for our existence, next breath, dependent upon Him for everything. We are  Dependent upon Him to save us! While we are powerless, He is powerful, all powerful in the seen and unseen realms! His power is limitless in overcoming all people, circumstances, difficulties. There is no problem, person, difficultly that should He please He can manifest His power and overcome! “The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth,  in the seas and all their depths.”-{Psalm 135:6}. Power belongs to the Lord! Great in delivering the people and restoring them to their land. Great in rescuing the exiles and bringing them back. Who can stop what He determines? No One!  For He is “Great… Abundant in Strength!” …”Praise Him!”  

3. – The “Lord… GREAT in “understanding is Infinite.” 

His ” Understanding is Infinite,” literally means “without number!” It is impossible to number His great understanding!

He is at once Omnipotent- All Powerful and Omniscient- All Knowing- Praise Him! “His understanding is infinite!”

There is no point where we can say,”That’s it, we  have come to the end of His understanding!” His understanding is “infinite!” Isaiah wrote, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding.”-{Isaiah 40:28}. It is incalculable! “We see Him in Creation, “… who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.”-{Psalm 136:5}. “There is no fathoming his wisdom, or measuring his knowledge. He is infinite in existence, in power, and in knowledge, as these three phrases plainly teach us.” (Spurgeon). “God is above and beyond human intelligence. There is no scale that can measure infinity.”-{Reformation study Bible.} His understanding is infinite, nothing He does not know, past, present, future. All is known to Him. How great is the Lord! Praise Him, sing songs of praise to the LORD for His understanding is infinite! It reaches not only to the heavens but to the earth and all beneath the earth. From the stars, galaxies to each and every person who has ever lived, is living, or will live. To each of His creation, from the stars that hang in His heavens, to all the animals, to the fish in ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and to the deepest ocean, to the insects in obscure places, the cattle on a thousand hills. To all humans He understands all thoughts, words, motives, possibilities of each person as well. Just because people’s understanding is limited, not so the “Lord!” -He understands all and is without limitation. Praise Him!

“GREAT” is the” Lord.” “GREAT” is His Power. “GREAT” is His Understanding! He is infinite in existence, power and understanding!  “Praise the LordHow good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!”-{Psalm 147:1}

4.- The “LORD…Is GREAT who “supports the afflicted.” –

The word “LORD,” as used here is the  the “Self-Existent One,”- {Exodus 3:14}.

He is Great in Compassion! He not only made, numbered and names the stars and upholds them all by His power but He cares for the broken- hearted and compassionately heals the broken-hearted binds up their wounds, none are so lowly that He is not aware of and cares for!

“Supports,”

“Afflicted,”

“the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,”-{Psalm 146:8}; “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; on them He has set the world.“-{1 Samuel 2:8};

the meek” Those who have learnt humility in the school of suffering.”-{Cambridge Bible}

5.- The “Lord…Is…GREAT who “brings down the wicked to the ground.” –

“Wicked,” {Rasha} “criminal,” used of someone who is “guilty of crime deserving punishment.”-{Strong’s-Brown-Driver-Briggs} . The word is also used of “wicked towards God or His People.” -{Read Psalm 17:13; Isaiah 26:20; Psalm 9:17; Psalm 10:2}. Those who exalt themselves He brings down! “God is opposed to the proud!”-{1 Peter 5:5}.

Think of Pharaoh who said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey Him?” -{Exodus 5:1-2}. God brought him down!

Think of Nebuchadnezzar, the proud man who boasted in all he had built…and God brought him down, where for a specific time he was eating grass like…“King Nebuchadnezzar, you will be forced to go away from people. You will live among the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle, and you will become wet with dew. Seven seasons will pass, and then you will learn this lesson. You will learn God Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whoever He wants.”– { Read Daniel 4:25-35}.

Think of Herod’s end,On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.”-{Acts 12:21-24}. God brought him down! 

“He reverses the evil order of things. The meek are down, and He lifts them up; the wicked are exalted, and He hurls them down to the dust.” (Spurgeon)

We see there is no one who is not under His control and succumbs to Him in the end, in His appointed time! God is opposed, resists the proud! It is an abomination to Him! “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, He will not be unpunished.”-{Proverbs 16:5}.

We read in Peter, that “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”-{2 Peter 3:9}. He desires, all to come to repentance, but some do not, and none can say they never had multiple of opportunities. Creation testifies to Him-{Psalm 19:1}. Conscience testifies to Him-{Rom 2:15}. The Cross testifies to Him-{John 3:16}. The LORD Jesus testifies to Him-{Heb 1:2} but they refuse to repent so as to give Him glory-{Rev 16:9} … and to those who disobey and reject the Gospel -{ 2 Thess 1:8-9}.

The “Lord’s” GREATNESS is seen in His control over the Heavens and all upon earth. His Mighty Power to Create, His Mighty tenderness to heal the broken-hearted. He who Holds the world in His hands, Heals the broken hearted. We praise Him because He is GREAT and GREATLY to be praised!