Psalms 113
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Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 113:1-9
Who Is like the Lord Our God?
1Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
2Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
3From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
4The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
5Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
6who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
7He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 113:1-9
Psalm 113
1Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
2Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
3From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
6who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
My dearest wife was under a cloud yesterday. She found out (for the 200th time) that she wasn’t pregnant. And at 41 she feels deeply about that. So I hesitate to share part of Psalm 113 with her:
“He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord.”
My hesitation doesn’t derive from doubt about the possibilities. Barren women of faith have several times given miraculous birth in the scriptures. Sarah laughed at the prospect. But that doesn’t mean that she didn’t mourn her barrenness for years previously. So my hesitation rests in my unwillingness to dig in the wound.
But what about our passage? Did you know that the church is also compared to a barren woman? She is called “desolate,” in the sense of “childless.” God promises her a great change in her status. And maybe “He makes the barren woman to keep house,” (Psalm 113) parallels “Rejoice you barren that bears not; break out and exclaim (after having no travail). For the desolate woman has many more children than she that has a husband.” Galatians 4:27.
Heidi may mourn again. God knows us. But church friends, does your congregation mourn its barrenness? If it did, maybe the prospects for spiritual children would be dramatically improved.
Eugene Prewitt
Director, BE WELL Training Center, Sitakunda, Bangladesh (as of this writing)
