Song Story: Brother! Sister!
Psalm 113
[1] Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!
[2] Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
[3] From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the LORD is to be praised!
[4] The LORD is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
[5] Who is like the LORD our God,
who is seated on high,
[6] who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
[7] He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
[8] to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
[9] He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD! (ESV)
We wrote Brother! Sister! in about a day. It comes from Psalm 113 above. Psalms 113-118 are a part of the Hallel and are traditionally read/sung during the celebration of Passover. Psalm 113 is like a call to worship of sorts. It’s not addressed to God as much as it is an instruction addressed to the hearers. Three times in the first verse are the people instructed to praise YHWH. In verse 3, the hearers are instructed on when God is to be praised: “from the rising of the sun to its setting”. Verse 4 tells of the universal incomparable nature of God on earth and in the heavens. Verses 5-6 is a rhetorical challenge and question: “Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?” Answer: There is no one! Only God!
“Direct your gaze toward your brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage them—because He is worthy—to praise the LORD.”
Then we encounter something surprising for one so high and mighty: “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap…He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.” In this Passover song, we are introduced to a high and holy king who gets low. And it’s his love and compassion that drives His desire to help the poor in spirit.
It’s humbling knowing that Jesus sang this song. He would have sung it every year since He was a child. He would have sung it both as an act of acknowledgment and love toward the character and nature of God and as a self-acknowledgment as the second Person of the Trinity. Like every Jewish man, woman, and child, they would have sung this song as a song of remembrance during the Passover. Remembering that God provided for, purchased, and redeemed His people from slavery and bondage.
Jesus would sing this psalm during Passover right as he was about to be betrayed, and killed. He would sing in essence: “Praise the LORD for He is worthy. He has provided, He has redeemed. Praise the LORD.” Jesus is calling us to worship because of who He is and what He has done. We are to remember and “Praise the LORD!”
The next time you sing this song, or you sing a song about God that addresses one another, can I challenge you to keep your eyes open? Direct your gaze toward your brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage them—because He is worthy—to praise the LORD.
Chorus
O my brother, praise the Lord!
O my sister, praise the Lord!
People of God, praise the Lord!
For He is worthy, praise the Lord!
Verse 1
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
The name of the Lord shall be praised.
For the Lord is high above all the nations.
High above the heavens His glory reigns!
Verse 2
He sees all the hurt and heavy-laden.
He lifts the poor and needy from the dust.
The lonely have a place at His table,
Those who in His name place their trust.
Bridge
Who is like the Lord our God?
There is no one!
Who else is seated on high?
Only You, Lord!