He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
Matthew 6:26 NLT
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
Jesus is doing what His Father sent Him to do. And He is doing the same things the Father does. When Jesus tells us what the Father does, He is also explaining the works that are attributable to Himself. These are the kingdom of God works. And we shouldn’t think that we can understand it all. It is by definition Godly stuff, infinite acts of unfathomable complexity and far outside our comprehension.
The rebuilding of Jerusalem and the return of the exiles points figuratively to two enemies in Jesus’ life.
The return follows the resurrection of Jesus when Israelites from all the nations are in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit makes them into a blessed, godly group of Jesus followers who look like what the Psalm describes.
Acts 2
Jerusalem is focused on the temple; Jesus, when speaking about His death and resurrection, says He'll rebuild the temple in three days.
And in verses 13-15 we see further parallels with what Jesus did.
He fed people
He blessed children
He brought peace
He commands His followers.
And all these actions He delegates to His disciples to be ambassadors doing these things in His name and in the authority of His kingdom.
Jesus himself began His earthly ministry by reading from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth.
And there He claimed to fulfil the passage in Isaiah. The Isaiah passage talks of being released from captivity and being healed and off sending out His good news.
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Luke 4:18 NKJV
All things that Jesus did.
But Psalm 147 is also drawing images from Job and gives understanding meaning and context to Revelation.
Psalm 147:5 does warn of us of this humbling fact:
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
God lives in and creates environments far outside the boundaries of human limits. And as we've seen, Jesus is the person of God who does the works of God as demonstration of God's authority and power.
Paul tells us that the works of Jesus are more than we could ask or imagine.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
And all this results in praise. Praise for God. When we look forward or maybe just up we see a heavenly gathering where every tongue joins in singing praise to Jesus the lamb who sits on the throne. This same Jesus is the one who brings an end to exile, and when we obey His Kingly commands He multiplies His kingdom.
Handwritten Psalm 147
Praise the Lord!
How good to sing praises to our God!
How delightful and how fitting!
2 The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem
and bringing the exiles back to Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the stars
and calls them all by name.
5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
6 The Lord supports the humble,
but he brings the wicked down into the dust.
7 Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
sing praises to our God with a harp.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
provides rain for the earth,
and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.
9 He gives food to the wild animals
and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
10 He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse
or in human might.
11 No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love.
12 Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates
and blessed your children within your walls.
14 He sends peace across your nation
and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
15 He sends his orders to the world—
how swiftly his word flies!
16 He sends the snow like white wool;
he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
17 He hurls the hail like stones.[a]
Who can stand against his freezing cold?
18 Then, at his command, it all melts.
He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.
19 He has revealed his words to Jacob,
his decrees and regulations to Israel.
20 He has not done this for any other nation;
they do not know his regulations.
Praise the Lord!
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