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Commentary on Psalms 147 verses 12–20
Jerusalem, and Zion, the holy city, the holy hill, are here called upon to praise God, Psa 147:12. For where should praise be offered up to God but where his altar is? Where may we expect that glory should be given to him but in the beauty of holiness? Let the inhabitants of Jerusalem praise the Lord in their own houses; let the priests and Levites, who attend in Zion, the city of their solemnities, in a special manner praise the Lord. They have more cause to do it than others, and they lie under greater obligations to do it than others; for it is their business, it is their profession. "Praise thy God, O Zion! he is thine, and therefore thou art bound to praise him; his being thine includes all happiness, so that thou canst never want matter for praise." Jerusalem and Zion must praise God,
I. For the prosperity and flourishing state of their civil interests, Psa 147:13, Psa 147:14. 1. For their common safety. They had gates, and kept their gates barred in times of danger; but that would not have been an effectual security to them if God had not strengthened the bars of their gates and fortified their fortifications. The most probable means we can devise for our own preservation will not answer the end, unless God give his blessing with them; we must therefore in the careful and diligent use of those means, depend upon him for that blessing, and attribute the undisturbed repose of our land more to the wall of fire than to the wall of water round about us, Zac 2:5. 2. For the increase of their people. This strengthens the bars of the gates as much as any thing: He hath blessed thy children within thee, with that first and great blessing, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the land. It is a comfort to parents to see their children blessed of the Lord (Isa 61:9), and a comfort to the generation that is going off to see the rising generation numerous and hopeful, for which blessing God must be blessed. 3. For the public tranquillity, that they were delivered from the terrors and desolations of war: He makes peace in thy borders, by putting an end to the wars that were, and preventing the wars that were threatened and feared. He makes peace within thy borders, that is, in all parts of the country, by composing differences among neighbours, that there may be no intestine broils and animosities, and upon thy borders, that they may not be attacked by invasions from abroad. If there be trouble any where, it is in the borders, the marches of a country; the frontier-towns lie most exposed, so that, if there be peace in the borders, there is a universal peace, a mercy we can never be sufficiently thankful for. 4. For great plenty, the common effect of peace: He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat - wheat, the most valuable grain, the fat, the finest of that, and a fulness thereof. What would they more? Canaan abounded with the best wheat (Deu 32:14) and exported it to the countries abroad, as appears, Eze 27:17. The land of Israel was not enriched with precious stones nor spices, but with the finest of the wheat, with bread, which strengthens man's heart. This made it the glory of all lands, and for this God was praised in Zion.
II. For the wonderful instances of his power in the weather, particularly the winter-weather. He that protects Zion and Jerusalem is that God of power from whom all the powers of nature are derived and on whom they depend, and who produces all the changes of the seasons, which, if they were not common, would astonish us.
1.In general, whatever alterations there are in this lower world (and it is that world that is subject to continual changes) they are produced by the will, and power, and providence of God (Psa 147:15): He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth, as one that has an incontestable authority to give orders, and innumerable attendants ready to carry his orders and put them in execution. As the world was at first made, so it is still upheld and governed, by a word of almighty power. God speaks and it is done, for all are his servants. That word takes effect, not only surely, but speedily. His word runneth very swiftly, for nothing can oppose or retard it. As the lightning, which passes through the air in an instant, such is the word of God's providence, and such the word of his grace, when it is sent forth with commission, Luk 17:24. Angels, who carry his word and fulfil it, fly swiftly, Dan 9:21.
2.In particular, frosts and thaws are both of them wonderful changes, and in both we must acknowledge the word of his power.
(1.)Frosts are from God. With him are the treasures of the snow and the hail (Job 38:22, Job 38:23), and out of these treasures he draws as he pleases. [1.] He giveth snow like wool. It is compared to wool for its whiteness (Isa 1:18), and its softness; it falls silently, and makes no more noise than the fall of a lock of wool; it covers the earth, and keeps it warm like a fleece of wool, and so promotes its fruitfulness. See how God can work by contraries, and bring meat out of the eater, can warm the earth with cold snow. [2.] He scatters the hoar-frost, which is dew congealed, as the snow and hail are rain congealed. This looks like ashes scattered upon the grass, and is sometimes prejudicial to the products of the earth and blasts them as if it were hot ashes, Psa 78:47. [3.] He casts forth his ice like morsels, which may be understood either of large hail-stones, which are as ice in the air, or of the ice which covers the face of the waters, and when it is broken, though naturally it was as drops of drink, it is as morsels of meat, or crusts of bread. [4.] When we see the frost, and snow, and ice, we feel it in the air: Who can stand before his cold? The beasts cannot; they retire into dens (Job 37:8); they are easily conquered then, Sa2 23:20. Men cannot, but are forced to protect themselves by fires, or furs, or both, and all little enough where and when the cold is in extremity. We see not the causes when we feel the effects; and therefore we must call it his cold; it is of his sending, and therefore we must bear it patiently, and be thankful for warm houses, and clothes, and beds, to relieve us against the rigour of the season, and must give him the glory of his wisdom and sovereignty, his power and faithfulness, which shall not cease any more than summer, Gen 8:22. And let us also infer from it, If we cannot stand before the cold of his frosts, how can we stand before the heat of his wrath?
(2.)Thaws are from God. When he pleases (Psa 147:18) he sends out his word and melts them; the frost, the snow, the ice, are all dissolved quickly, in order to which he causes the wind, the south wind, to blow, and the waters, which were frozen, flow again as they did before. We are soon sensible of the change, but we see not the causes of it, but must resolve it into the will of the First Cause. And in it we must take notice not only of the power of God, that he can so suddenly, so insensibly, make such a great and universal alteration in the temper of the air and the face of the earth (what cannot he do that does this every winter, perhaps often every winter?) but also of the goodness of God. Hard weather does not always continue; it would be sad if it should. He does not contend for ever, but renews the face of the earth. As he remembered Noah, and released him (Gen 8:1), so he remembers the earth, and his covenant with the earth, Sol 2:11, Sol 2:12. This thawing word may represent the gospel of Christ, and this thawing wind the Spirit of Christ (for the Spirit is compared to the wind, Joh 3:8); both are sent for the melting of frozen souls. Converting grace, like the thaw, softens the heart that was hard, moistens it, and melts it into tears of repentance; it warms good affections, and makes them to flow, which, before, were chilled and stopped up. The change which the thaw makes is universal and yet gradual; it is very evident, and yet how it is done is unaccountable: such is the change wrought in the conversion of a soul, when God's word and Spirit are sent to melt it and restore it to itself.
III. For his distinguishing favour to Israel, in giving them his word and ordinances, a much more valuable blessing than their peace and plenty (Psa 147:14), as much as the soul is more excellent than the body. Jacob and Israel had God's statutes and judgments among them. They were under his peculiar government; the municipal laws of their nation were of his framing and enacting, and their constitution was a theocracy. They had the benefit of divine revelation; the great things of God's law were written to them. They had a priesthood of divine institution for all things pertaining to God, and prophets for all extraordinary occasions. No people besides went upon sure grounds in their religion. Now this was, 1. A preventing mercy. They did not find out God's statutes and judgments of themselves, but God showed his word unto Jacob, and by that word he made known to them his statutes and judgments. It is a great mercy to any people to have the word of God among them; for faith comes by hearing and reading that word, that faith without which it is impossible to please God. 2. A distinguishing mercy, and upon that account the more obliging: "He hath not dealt so with every nation, not with any nation; and, as for his judgments, they have not known them, nor are likely to know them till the Messiah shall come and take down the partition-wall between Jew and Gentile, that the gospel may be preached to every creature." Other nations had plenty of outward good things; some nations were very rich, others had pompous powerful princes and polite literature, but none were blessed with God's statutes and judgments as Israel were. Let Israel therefore praise the Lord in the observance of these statutes. Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world! Even so, Father, because it seemed good in thy eyes.
“He that sends his word on earth, until his word runs swiftly.” He that sends is evidently distinct from him that is sent. You have then, here, both the Sender, the almighty God, and also the Word that was sent, who having many names is called by the holy oracles now Wisdom, now Word, now God, and also Lord. And as you know how in a very short time the word of his teaching has filled the whole world, I am sure you will wonder at the fulfillment of the prophecy, “Till his word runs swiftly.”
What ye cried out a while ago at the very mention of peace, you cried from longing: your cry was from thirst, not from fullness; for there will be perfect righteousness where will be perfect peace. Now we hunger and thirst after righteousness. "They shall be filled." [Matthew 5:6] How shall they be filled? When we have arrived at peace. Therefore when he had said, "Who has set peace for your borders," because there is fullness and no want, he added at once, "and fills you with the fat of wheat" [Psalm 147:14]....
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SUMMARY
Psalms 147:14 beautifully encapsulates God's comprehensive and benevolent care for His people, portraying Him as the sovereign provider of both national security and abundant physical sustenance. This verse stands as a profound testament to divine faithfulness, assuring the community of God's active involvement in establishing holistic peace within their geographical boundaries and generously supplying their needs with the choicest provisions, thereby signifying a state of flourishing, prosperity, and divine favor.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalm 147 is a vibrant hymn of praise, likely composed during the post-exilic period, celebrating God's majestic power and unwavering goodness, particularly in His work of rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring His exiled people. The psalm is skillfully structured to highlight God's dual nature: His cosmic sovereignty and control over the vast universe, as seen in His command over natural phenomena like snow, frost, and hail (Psalms 147:16-18), and His intimate, particular, and tender care for His covenant people, Israel, especially within the restored city of Jerusalem. Verses immediately preceding Psalms 147:14 speak of God's compassionate healing of the brokenhearted (Psalms 147:3) and His omniscient understanding of the innumerable stars and His boundless greatness (Psalms 147:4-5), setting a grand stage for the specific blessings He bestows upon His chosen nation. The psalm culminates in a powerful declaration that God's word, statutes, and judgments are uniquely given to Israel, distinguishing them from all other nations (Psalms 147:19-20), thereby making the blessings of peace and abundant provision articulated in Psalms 147:14 a direct and tangible outcome of this exclusive covenant relationship.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical backdrop for Psalm 147 is widely understood to be the joyous yet challenging period of the Jewish exiles' return from Babylon and the subsequent monumental task of rebuilding Jerusalem and its protective walls, as vividly recounted in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. This era was characterized by a delicate balance of immense spiritual and national restoration alongside significant external threats from surrounding peoples and persistent internal struggles. The "borders" mentioned in Psalms 147:14 would have referred to the newly re-established and often vulnerable geographical boundaries of Judah. In such a precarious environment, peace and abundant harvest were not abstract theological concepts but vital, existential necessities for the very survival, stability, and flourishing of the community. In an agrarian society, the phrase "finest of the wheat" represented the pinnacle of agricultural blessing, directly correlating with prosperity, health, and a stable economy. The cultural understanding of "peace" (Hebrew: shalom) extended far beyond the mere absence of conflict to encompass a holistic state of well-being, prosperity, completeness, and harmony, making God's provision of shalom a profoundly comprehensive and deeply desired blessing.
Key Themes: Psalms 147:14 contributes significantly to several overarching themes woven throughout the psalm and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it powerfully underscores Divine Protection and Security. The declaration "He maketh peace in thy borders" signifies God's active, intentional, and direct intervention in safeguarding the nation from external threats and ensuring internal stability. This is not merely a passive absence of war but an active state of flourishing and well-being, echoing God's foundational covenant promises of security for His people when they walk in obedience (Leviticus 26:6). Secondly, the verse highlights Abundant Provision. "And filleth thee with the finest of the wheat" vividly illustrates God's generous and qualitative supply of physical necessities. The "finest of the wheat" implies not just basic sustenance but provision of superior quality and in great abundance, indicating a time of prosperity and profound blessing. This theme resonates deeply with God's consistent faithfulness to provide for His children, as seen throughout Scripture, from the miraculous manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:35) to the New Testament assurance that He will supply all needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Lastly, the verse emphasizes God's Personal and Covenantal Care for His People. The direct and intimate address "thy borders" and "thee" underscores God's particular, unwavering attention to His covenant people, assuring them of His benevolent sovereignty over their lives and their land. This echoes the broader biblical narrative of God's steadfast covenant loyalty and His profound desire for His people to thrive under His watchful and caring eye, a central and recurring theme throughout the entire book of Psalms.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 147:14 employs several potent literary devices that enhance its message of divine care. Parallelism is prominently featured, with the two clauses—"He maketh peace in thy borders" and "and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat"—presenting complementary aspects of God's comprehensive care: security and provision. These two facets are presented in parallel to form a holistic picture of blessing. Metonymy is present in "borders" standing for the entire nation and its security, and "finest of the wheat" representing all forms of abundant provision and prosperity. The phrase "finest of the wheat" also functions as powerful Symbolism, where a specific, high-quality agricultural product symbolizes general abundance, richness, and divine favor. Furthermore, the entire verse is an example of Anthropomorphism, attributing human-like actions (making peace, filling) to God, making His care tangible, relatable, and intimately personal to the human experience.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 147:14 profoundly illustrates God's unwavering covenant faithfulness and His comprehensive, active care for His people. It reveals a God who is not distant or detached but intimately involved in the temporal, physical, and holistic well-being of His chosen ones. The peace (shalom) He establishes is not merely political stability but a profound, holistic state encompassing all aspects of national and individual flourishing—social, economic, and spiritual. Similarly, His provision extends far beyond basic needs to lavish abundance, signifying His desire for His people to thrive under His benevolent rule. This verse underscores the deep theological truth that God's majestic power over creation is intrinsically linked to His intimate, particular care for His covenant community, demonstrating that His sovereignty is always exercised for the ultimate good of those He loves and has chosen.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
For believers today, Psalms 147:14 serves as a timeless anchor of hope and a profound reminder of God's enduring faithfulness and comprehensive care. While its immediate context was ancient Israel, the principles of God's active involvement in our security and sustenance remain eternally true and applicable. We are invited to trust in a God who actively works to bring peace—a holistic shalom—into our lives, extending beyond mere physical safety to spiritual and emotional well-being, even amidst personal struggles or global turmoil. Just as He abundantly provided for Israel with the "finest of the wheat," He promises to meet our needs, encouraging us to look to Him as our ultimate and sufficient Provider for all necessities, both material and spiritual. This verse calls us to cultivate a heart of profound gratitude, recognizing His active and benevolent role in securing our lives and sustaining us daily, and to respond with worship and praise for His constant, unfailing care.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "peace in thy borders" only refer to the absence of war?
Answer: No, the Hebrew word for "peace" is shalom (H7965), which is far richer and more expansive than just the absence of conflict. It encompasses wholeness, completeness, well-being, prosperity, health, and security. When God makes shalom in the borders, it implies establishing comprehensive flourishing and safety for the nation, both internally and externally. This includes economic stability, social harmony, and spiritual health, not merely military peace. It speaks to a state of complete well-being within the national boundaries, as seen in other promises of blessing for obedience in Leviticus 26:6.
What does "finest of the wheat" symbolize for us today?
Answer: In an ancient agrarian society, "finest of the wheat" (H2459, cheleb of H2406, chiṭṭâh) represented the best quality and most abundant harvest, signifying prosperity and divine favor. For us today, it symbolizes God's generous, qualitative, and abundant provision for our lives. It means He doesn't just provide the bare minimum for survival, but He desires to bless us with abundance and the very best of what we need for holistic flourishing—whether it's spiritual nourishment, emotional healing, wisdom for decisions, or material resources. It reminds us that God's provision is not meager but overflowing, encouraging us to trust Him as our ultimate Provider for all things, as powerfully promised in Philippians 4:19.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Psalms 147:14 speaks directly to God's providential care for the nation of Israel, its ultimate fulfillment and deepest spiritual meaning are profoundly realized in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the embodiment of true peace, not merely the cessation of conflict, but the holistic shalom that perfectly reconciles humanity to God and to one another. Christ is our ultimate "peace in our borders," having broken down the dividing wall of hostility between God and humanity, and between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14). Through His atoning sacrifice, He establishes a spiritual kingdom where true security, wholeness, and eternal well-being are found exclusively in Him. Furthermore, Jesus declares Himself to be the "bread of life" (John 6:35), the ultimate "finest of the wheat" that satisfies the deepest spiritual hunger of the human soul. He provides spiritual nourishment that leads to eternal life, far surpassing any physical provision. Through His finished work on the cross and His resurrection, He ensures not only our spiritual sustenance but also promises to meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19), making Him the complete and perfect fulfillment of God's promise of peace and abundant provision for all who believe. In Christ, the borders of our spiritual lives are eternally secured, and our souls are filled with the finest, most satisfying, and everlasting spiritual sustenance.