Recycling is a very common word in our vocabulary in these days. Instead of disposing of some items into landfill, they are used again. Such as this photo of a statue of a “White Rhino” created by Jordan Sprigg from recyclable material, now displayed on the South Perth foreshore. What a great idea!
Concerning Psalm 135, Wilcock quotes another author (Allen), who says that here “older materials are unashamedly recycled”. Wilcock continues, “Yet what emerges… is a fresh, finely structured, vigorous psalm of praise… a mosaic [that] comes to life… a kind of creed, a statement of faith, [and yet] it is something more than that, for it is also full of colour and drama, of praise and the pageant of history… it looks back to God the Creator (vv. 5-7), forward to God the Judge (vv. 13-14), and at the heart of its faith, to God the Redeemer (vv. 8-12). [And] It surrounds these proclamations with praise (vv. 1-4, 19-21).” (# 5)
The reason Wilcock mentions this is because “every verse of this psalm either echoes, quotes or is quoted by some other part of Scripture” as Kidner puts it, and then adds, “Alongside these familiar and great passages it builds up its own coherent structure of praise, beginning and ending with a worship-call to Israel…” (# 29)
The psalmist was very diligent in his collection of vital truths from the OT Scriptures, and then worked hard to put together this great Hymn of Praise to Yahweh in a poetic form that could be used by the people when they came together to worship their Sovereign Lord. It was not written just as a nice collection of historical facts, but as a means of remembering, acknowledging, and celebrating the goodness and greatness of God as revealed by His wonderful acts both in creation and in redemption.
Boyle suggests the following, showing the psalmist’s poetic skills in action: “The structure of this psalm is somewhat chiastic [i.e., having or denoting a structure in which words are repeated in reverse order] as follows:
A Commands to praise (vv. 1-4)
B Yahweh’s superiority to all gods (vv. 5-7)
C Yahweh’s past salvation for his people (vv. 8-12)
C’ Yahweh’s future salvation for his people (vv. 13-14)
B’ Uselessness of the nation’s idols (vv. 15-18)
A’ Commands to praise (vv. 19-21)” (# 4)
Very clever! It reminds me of what was written by Paul to the church in Colosse (in present day Türkiye). He wrote:
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)
So, what are you doing presently that the Lord requires you to work at it with all your heart? May God enable you to serve him diligently, whatever it is he has called you to, remembering, It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
And along the way:
Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
Worship and Wisdom - Psalms and Proverbs 