Psalm 146 — Son of Man

1 Praise ye the LORD.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the LORD:
I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God:
6 Which made heaven and earth, the sea,
And all that in them is;
Which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgement for the oppressed;
Which giveth food to the hungry:
The LORD looseth the prisoners;
8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raiseth up them that are bowed down;
The LORD loveth the righteous;
9 The LORD preserveth the strangers;
He upholdeth the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign for ever,
Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.
Praise ye the LORD.

In this psalm we compare the temporal help of the prince, or any other son of man that walks this earth, with the eternal and spiritual help of the lord. Those of the earth who promise help on the earth can only reach so far. Their reach has a limit and when they breathe their last their promises go up in smoke.

How great, then, to trust in the Lord. How interesting that "son of man", the phrase used to describe princes on earth, is the very idea used by Jesus for himself. The psalm could well be read as a prophecy of the works of Jesus: raising, lifting, healing, feeding & comforting.

Jesus still works today and we can use this psalm to praise him.