He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes—with the princes of His people.
The Lord is God and worthy of great praise. Psalm 113 begins with “Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forevermore!”
Why is the Lord worthy of this kind of praise? Psalm 113 goes on to tell us that although “The LORD is high above all nations” and “His glory above the heavens,” He “humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth.” Unlike Aristotle’s Unmoved Mover, who is only willing to contemplate himself, the biblical God is worthy of great praise, because He is willing to condescend to our level and concern Himself with the things that concern us.
What specific concerns of ours does the Lord concern Himself with? Our sovereign God is concerned with everything about us, even the number of the hairs on our heads. This verse from Psalm 113 singles out one particular concern: our status in life. He is concerned with our dignity and esteem.
He does not just let those He loves sit in the dust. He raises them up. They may be stuck in a low position in life. They may be poor, they may have low rank, and they may have little honor, but He can and He does change all that. He raises them up, treating them with respect and care, identifying them as heirs of the King.
And He does not just let those He loves wallow in the ash heap. He lifts them up and comforts them. They may be stuck in the humblest possible circumstances of life; He lifts them out and sets their feet on a firm foundation.
Indeed, the Lord raises us up and lifts us up in order to seat us with the leaders of His people. No longer are we objects of scorn, no longer are we avoided. Instead, we feel at ease amidst the chosen people of the Lord. The Lord is worthy of great praise, because He turns nobodies into somebodies for His glory.
By John Huisman, Friend of Bible League International
