Psalms 113

Overview.
This psalm is a call to universal and perpetual praise of the LORD, celebrating his supreme majesty and his merciful condescension toward the lowly. It moves from a summons to worship to a reflection on God’s exalted nature and his gracious acts in lifting the poor, the needy, and the barren—a testimony to his sovereign compassion and power to transform human weakness into dignity and joy.

Flow.

• Begins with a triple call to praise directed to the “servants of the LORD,” emphasizing the enduring and universal scope of that worship (vv. 1–3).
• Shifts to a declaration of God’s sovereign supremacy over all creation, exalted above nations and heavens (vv. 4–6).
• Turns to God’s stooping grace: from his heavenly throne, he attends to earthly affairs and acts redemptively (v. 6).
• Concludes with concrete examples of divine intervention—lifting the poor and raising the barren woman to motherhood—culminating in a final doxological summons (vv. 7–9).

Connections.
Following Psalm 112, which extols the blessed person who fears the LORD and whose righteousness endures, Psalm 113 redirects focus fully onto the character of God himself, especially his mercy and majesty. The upright person described in the prior psalm finds their model and source in the God now praised here—generous, attentive to the humble, and mighty to save. This emphasis prepares for Psalm 114, which recounts the Exodus as another manifestation of the same God who acts decisively on behalf of the weak and oppressed, delivering Israel from slavery and shaking the earth in the process. The sequence sustains a vision of God as both transcendent and intimately involved in human need.

What it teaches.
The LORD is the sole object of universal worship because of his incomparable glory and his compassionate rule over all creation (WCF 2.1). Though exalted above all, he does not remain distant but looks upon the lowly and transforms their condition (WCF 3.7; HC LD 10). His elevation of the poor and barren woman exemplifies divine grace that reverses human despair, fulfilling the promise that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (WCF 16.5; HC LD 18). Such acts are not isolated but flow from his eternal character—immutable, sovereign, and kind from “this time forward and forevermore” (WCF 7.1; BC Art. 1). The psalm thus reveals the harmony between God’s transcendence and his personal care for those society discards.

Apply.
Recognize in the lifting of the humble a pattern of God’s kingdom where weakness becomes the setting for divine strength.