Psalms 138
McGeePsalms 138THEME: A song of wholehearted praiseWe come from Psalms 137, where we saw the harps hanging on the willow trees, to the psalm before us where the harps are again in the hands of the godly and are being used for the praise and worship of Jehovah. In the previous psalm the children of Israel were in captivity, down by the irrigation canals in Babylon. There they put their harps on the willow trees and wept when they remembered Zion. But in Psalms 138 we have a wonderful prophetic hymn of praise which looks into the future when the believing remnant will take up their harps again and sing praise unto God. This is a psalm of David. Because there is a reference to the temple (which was not in existence in David’s day), David’s authorship has been questioned. Well, the word temple could be translated “tabernacle” just as easily; and I believe it is speaking of the tabernacle and the days of David. After all, in the inspired text it is inscribed as a psalm of David.
Psalms 138:1
Let me give you Dr. Gaebelein’s translation: “I will give thanks unto Thee with my whole heart, before the gods will I sing praises unto Thee.” Notice “I will praise thee with my whole heart.” One of the things that impressed me on a visit to Jerusalem was seeing the Jews at the Wailing Wall (Israel has access to the wall again). I saw many of them standing there, some of them with a little book in their hands going through a ritual, some of them actually butting their heads against the wall, and some of them actually wailing, which touches the heart. But a great deal that I saw was just like ritualistic “churchianity"nothing but lip service. However, in that future time when the Jews have been through the period of Jacob’s trouble, the Great Tribulation, and have been delivered out of it, there will no longer be lip service. It will be real heart worship"I will praise thee with my whole heart.” My friend, you and I need to examine our own hearts to see how we are worshiping God. Do we worship Him with our whole heart?
One of the things which impressed me about Horatius Bonar was what he said when he went to God to repent of the coldness, the indifference, and the sin in his life. He said, “Then I went back to God and repented of my repentance.” His first confession was merely lip service, and he repented of that. I think some of us ought to go to God in prayer on Monday morning and ask Him to forgive us for going to church on Sunday. We should pray, “Lord, forgive me for going to church yesterday. I sang the hymns, but my heart wasn’t in it. I prayed, but it was a mere formality.
I listened to the Word of God, but it had no effect on me. I criticized the preacher and others who were there, but I did not criticize myself. God, forgive me for going to church like that.” This would be a good thing for many of us to pray. “Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.” Luther and Calvin explain that the “gods” were angels of GodI don’t think they were that. Others think that he was talking about the idol gods of the nations, and certainly he could be referring to them. However, anything in your life that is in place of God or is between you and God, is your god. We saw this word gods back in Psa_82:6, and there it referred to the judges, those who are in the place of God, that is, His representatives on earth. I have always been mindful of the fact that as a teacher, preacher, and minister of the Word of God, I have a responsibility to God. Someday I will have to answer to Him, because it is my job to make the gospel clear.
If those who know the Lord don’t make the gospel clear, who will? When I look back upon my ministry, I see much failure, and I have many regrets; but someday I will be able to look into the face of God and say, “Lord, I preached Your Word the best I could.” That is a great comfort, because I have been His representative here on this earth. So, you see, when David said, “Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee,” he could have meant several things, and we cannot be sure exactly what he had in mind.
Psalms 138:2
A better translation of the last part of this verse would be, “Thou hast magnified thy saying according to all thy name.” In other words, God’s Word is as good as He is. There is an old saying that a man is as good as his word. Well, God is as good as His Word. His character is behind what He has said. “Thou hast magnified thy saying in accordance with all thy name,” or, “Thou hast fulfilled it in such a manner as to bring out all that Thy name implies.” This is a very wonderful statement.
Psalms 138:6
Dr. Gaebelein translates it, “For Jehovah is high, and regardeth the humble, but the proud He knoweth afar off.” He is high and He is over all; yet He will condescend to the lowly. There is so much said in the Word of God about God’s regarding the humble. Proud modern man doesn’t seem to be an expert at displaying humility. In Jas_4:6 we read, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” We are told, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1Pe_5:6).
There is a great deal said about humility in Scripture. It is something God takes note of and recognizes. David took a humble place. We read his words in Psa_131:1, “LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” In Isa_57:15 we are told, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” In 1Pe_5:5 we read, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” 1Pe_3:4 tells us, “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” All of these verses reveal how God regards humility.
Psalms 138:8
This is the Old Testament way of saying, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Php_1:6).