How does Psalm 135:5 influence the understanding of monotheism? Text of Psalm 135 : 5 “For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods.” Immediate Literary Setting Psalm 135 is a temple‐worship hymn that rehearses Yahweh’s redemptive acts from the Exodus to the conquest. Verse 5 stands at the heart of the psalm’s call to praise, providing the theological foundation for every preceding and subsequent line: Yahweh alone is incomparably “great” (gāḏôl) and “above” (ʿal) every so-called deity. Ancient Near-Eastern Polemic In Egypt and Canaan, divine hierarchies were assumed; texts such as the “Great Hymn to Aten” or the Ugaritic “Baal Cycle” celebrate a pantheon. Psalm 135 : 5 deliberately counters that worldview. The phraseology resembles Exodus 15 : 11 (“Who is like You among the gods?”), revealing a consistent Mosaic polemic: Yahweh’s acts in history invalidate the claims of every national deity. Archaeological strata at Ramses and Jericho that document Israel’s emergence (e.g., the Merneptah Stele, Late Bronze pottery disruption) show Israel identifying one covenant God in a sea of polytheism, exactly the milieu the psalm confronts. Canonical Cohesion—Monotheism from Genesis to Revelation Verse 5 echoes Genesis 1, where a single Creator effortlessly subdues chaos, and it anticipates Deuteronomy 6 : 4 (“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One”) and Isaiah 45 : 5–6 (“I am the LORD, and there is no other”). The New Testament carries the line forward: John 1 : 1–3 identifies the Word (Jesus) as Creator, while 1 Corinthians 8 : 4–6 collapses all pretended deities into nullity before “one God, the Father … and one Lord, Jesus Christ.” The single storyline of Scripture therefore unfolds strict monotheism, never sliding into henotheism or dualism. Second-Temple and Rabbinic Reception The Targum renders “our Lord is higher and greater than all gods,” while the Mishnah (Avodah Zarah 4:7) cites the psalm against idolatry. Monotheism was therefore normative in Judaism centuries before Christ, contradicting claims that Christianity invented exclusive deity. Christological Fulfillment Jesus appropriates exclusive Yahweh language for Himself (e.g., Mark 2 : 5–12; John 8 : 58). The resurrection, attested by multiple independent strands (1 Corinthians 15 : 3–8, empty tomb tradition in Mark 16, enemy attestation in Matthew 28 : 11–15), vindicates His claims and anchors Christian monotheism in the tri-personal being of God. Psalm 135 : 5 thus finds ultimate expression in the exalted Christ “far above all rule and authority” (Ephesians 1 : 21). Philosophical and Scientific Corroboration Cosmological fine-tuning (e.g., gravitational constant 10⁻³⁹ precise) and information content in DNA (specified complexity surpassing 10⁴⁰⁰ bits) make sense only under a single rational Designer, not competing local deities. A universe with one set of laws implies one Lawgiver. Psalm 135 : 5 anticipates this unified ontology. Liturgical and Pastoral Application The psalm calls believers to confidence: with no cosmic rivals, prayer, worship, and mission are undivided. Evangelistically, verse 5 becomes the starting point: “There is one God who has acted in history; meet Him in the risen Christ.” Conclusion Psalm 135 : 5 is a concise, Spirit-inspired declaration that shatters polytheism, establishes ontological monotheism, unifies the biblical canon, and provides the theological bedrock for Christian faith and practice. |
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