Psalm 36 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the Servant of the Lord.

 ¹An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:

There is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flatters himself in his own eyes,

When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.

³The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;

He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

⁴He devises wickedness on his bed;

He sets himself in a way that is not good;

He does not abhor evil.

⁵Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

⁶Your righteousness is like the great mountains;

Your judgments are a great deep;

O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

⁷How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

⁸They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

⁹For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

¹⁰Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹Let not the foot of pride come against me,

And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹²There the workers of iniquity have fallen;

They have been cast down and are not able to rise.

Commentary

Vs. 1 ¹An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:

There is no fear of God before his eyes.

David begins this Psalm in reflection, recalling the ways of the wicked. For in his own meditations, and likely through his own experiences, he has come to understand them thoroughly. And so, he begins by revealing what is at the heart of all of their ways, and that is they do not fear the Lord. For whatever fear they once had of Him, (if they ever had any), that would've retrained them they have now completely cast off. And when one does that one begins a terrible downward journey into the depths of wickedness and depravity. And so, what we have here is an oracle about those who by their own willing choices have thrown away whatever consciences they once held. Their “freedom” then comes with price, and that will be their enslavement to Satan and sin, the chains of which are not easily broken!

Vs. 2 “For he flatters himself in his own eyes,

When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.”

Such then is their own deception and depravity that they actually now flatter themselves when they recall their own wicked endeavors, for this is what now brings them satisfaction, doing evil, doing violence! And in these things, they now boost to their comrades who give their approval for the same.

Vs. 3 “The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;

He has ceased to be wise and to do good.”

Nothing good then comes out of their mouths, just wicked talk, filthy language, evil boasting, all manner of lying and deceit. For in doing and speaking these things, they laugh and boast. Therefore, they have ceased to be wise, ceased to have any wisdom, any understanding. Indeed, doing good to them now is just foreign language which they cannot understand. 

Vs. 4 “He devises wickedness on his bed;

He sets himself in a way that is not good;

He does not abhor evil.”

Not only does the wicked unashamedly speak and boast of all of their evil desires, but he also mediates on them, devising wicked plots on their bed they dream about how to bring them about. Therefore, he sets himself in a way that is not good, for he does not abhor evil, no, he seeks it out!

Vs. 5-9 ⁵Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

⁶Your righteousness is like the great mountains;

Your judgments are a great deep;

O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

⁷How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

⁸They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

⁹For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

One can only stand thinking about the wicked and their ways for so long, and so here we get a reprieve that beautifully recalls the glories and majesty of the Lord. For whereas the wicked breath out vileness and violence to the depths of hell, the Lord’s mercy reaches to endless heights of heaven, His mercy then far and away exceeds and excels them all! And though it is impossible for us to see His mercies end or limits, it can be received and enjoyed by us all who believe in Him! For the Lord’s faithfulness reaches to the clouds, to places where no man has ever been (vs. 5). The Lord’s righteousness then is like the great mountains, utterly unmovable and unshakable, standing steadfast forever. His righteousness then causes mankind to stand in awe of Him! And as for His judgments they are like a great deep that cannot be measured, for it is by these that the Lord preserves both man and beast (vs. 6).

Indeed, the Lord’s lovingkindness is exceedingly precious, for by it He not only sustains everything, but He also brings us to salvation, and so He protects, provides, and preserves us all who believe in Him, therefore the children of men, (that is people from every country, culture, race) who know Him put their trust under the shadow of the Lord’s wings (vs. 7), which is a picture of the eagle protecting and shielding its young. Therefore, we are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of His house, of all of His person, Father Son, Spirit, and all of the eternal treasures He has laid up for us, where He has prepared a place for us. Indeed, He gives us drink from the river of His pleasures (vs. 8), therefore we completely satisfied and can also say, “my cup runs over” with all the goodness and blessings of the Lord! For with the Lord is the fountain of life, everlasting life (John 1:4)! which continually overflows within us who believe in Him (John 7:38). Therefore, in Your light O Lord we see light! (John 8:12; 2 Tim. 1:10).

Vs. 10 “Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.”

Having declared the immeasurable goodness, righteous and mercies of the Lord. David’s prayer now is that He continue His lovingkindness to all of us who know Him, His righteousness to everyone who is upright in heart. And truly the Lord will, He will always be here for everyone who truly knows Him.

Vs. 11 “Let not the foot of pride come against me,

And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.”

In declaring the Lord's goodness towards him, David now asks the Lord that He not let the foot of pride, i.e., the people who walk and live in their pride, who always take an offense at us, not be allowed to come against him, that is to take his life. For they have set themselves against him without a cause. Yet they are continually stocking and harassing him, and there is nothing he can do, or we can do, to appease them. Same with the wicked who were also trying to drive him away from his rightful place amongst God’s people, for these also do not want him to reign over them. For just as they will not submit themselves to the Lord, neither will they submit themselves to His anointed servant.

 Vs. 12 “There the workers of iniquity have fallen;

They have been cast down and are not able to rise.”

Nonetheless through eyes of faith, David now sees their finial end, fallen, cast down and not able to rise, and this by the hand of God!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 35 A Psalm of David.

 ¹Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;

Fight against those who fight against me.

²Take hold of shield and buckler,

And stand up for my help.

³Also draw out the spear,

And stop those who pursue me.

Say to my soul,

“I am your salvation.”

⁴Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor

Who seek after my life;

Let those be turned back and brought to confusion

Who plot my hurt.

⁵Let them be like chaff before the wind,

And let the angel of the Lord chase them.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery,

And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.

⁷For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,

Which they have dug without cause for my life.

⁸Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly,

 And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;

Into that very destruction let him fall.

⁹And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord;

It shall rejoice in His salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, “Lord, who is like You,

Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,

Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”

¹¹Fierce witnesses rise up;

They ask me things that I do not know.

¹²They reward me evil for good,

To the sorrow of my soul.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick,

My clothing was sackcloth;

I humbled myself with fasting;

And my prayer would return to my own heart.

¹⁴I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;

I bowed down heavily,

as one who mourns for his mother.

¹⁵But in my adversity they rejoiced

And gathered together;

Attackers gathered against me,

And I did not know it;

They tore at me and did not cease;

¹⁶With ungodly mockers at feasts

They gnashed at me with their teeth.

¹⁷Lord, how long will You look on?

Rescue me from their destructions,

My precious life from the lions.

¹⁸I will give You thanks in the great assembly;

I will praise You among many people.

¹⁹Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies;

Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.

²⁰For they do not speak peace,

 But they devise deceitful matters

Against the quiet ones in the land.

²¹They also opened their mouth wide against me,

And said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.”

²²This You have seen, O Lord;

Do not keep silence.

O Lord, do not be far from me.

²³Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication,

To my cause, my God and my Lord.

²⁴Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness;

And let them not rejoice over me.

²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!”

Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion

Who rejoice at my hurt;

Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor

Who exalt themselves against me.

²⁷Let them shout for joy and be glad,

Who favor my righteous cause;

And let them say continually,

“Let the Lord be magnified,

Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

²⁸And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness

And of Your praise all the day long.

Preamble: Psalm 35 is a psalm of betrayal, of being wrongly hunted and pursued by those whose only desire is for the one they have target and hate downfall and ruin. Nevertheless, it is in his being betrayed that David does not resort to the same evil tactics that were being used on him, to undermine him, instead he now turns to the Lord to be both his avenger and defender.

Vs. 1-3 ¹Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;

Fight against those who fight against me.

²Take hold of shield and buckler,

And stand up for my help.

³Also draw out the spear,

And stop those who pursue me.

Say to my soul,

“I am your salvation.”

David begins with asking that the Lord be his defense, that He himself take up his cause against his false accusers, that He Himself set Himself against them, that He fight with all of those who fight with him. And in this David imagines the Lord putting on His own warrior's armor and employing His own lethal weapons to stop all those who are pursuing him, that He would stand mightily beside him as His Awesome Defender and say to him, “I am your salvation.” Now what David prayed for is what we all now have in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Defender of our souls. There is then no enemy so fierce so as to be able to overcome Him! (John 10:28-30).

Vs. 4-6 ⁴Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor

Who seek after my life;

Let those be turned back and brought to confusion

Who plot my hurt.

⁵Let them be like chaff before the wind,

And let the angel of the Lord chase them.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery,

And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.

In seeking the Lord's help, David now asks that He bring down all of his pursuers, that He would put them all to an open shame, that He would bring to dishonor everyone who seeks after his life. For they have set themselves against him without a just cause, and they have all aligned themselves with the one who is in open rebellion against the Lord Himself! Therefore, though they multiply themselves and draw strength in their numbers, David prays that they all be as chaff before the wind, blown away and scattered to never be seen again. Yes, let the angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ who led ancient Israel) now chase them, just as they are relentlessly pursing him. Yes, let their way be dark and slippery as the angel of the Lord pursues them, so that they all might fall and never rise again!

Vs. 7-8 ⁷For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,

Which they have dug without cause for my life.

⁸Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly,

And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;

Into that very destruction let him fall.

Just as they plotted David’s ruin without a just cause, so let them now fall into their own pit, and let them all be taken in their own traps, which they have laid for him. Yes, let destruction come unexpectantly upon them, especially upon the “chief architect” of David’s troubles, the one who began all of this, who first set his gaze on him, and then set himself against him, who then went on to recruit and manipulate others so as to set them all against David. So let him be caught by his own arrogance and cunning, into the very net that he has hidden for David, let him fall to his own ruin into that very same destruction!

 Vs. 9-10 ⁹And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord;

It shall rejoice in His salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, “Lord, who is like You,

Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,

Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”

Even though David was daily facing their plots and schemes against him, his own joy and confidence in the Lord remained steadfast. For when one truly knows the Lord, they know that He is the God of Justice, and that His allowing such things to happen to one of His own for a time or season is only so that He may be fully justified when He fully judges, and He repays! For His justice “delayed” is never His justice diverted! For it always comes in perfect timing, and a perfect way, every time, all the time! Therefore, “All my bones shall say, “Lord, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”

In recalling the Good and Just nature of the Lord David then cannot but sing His praises. For God is the Defender of the poor and the helpless, the Lord is our Deliverer, for He delivers the poor man from him who is too strong for him. This promise runs so strongly through the Scriptures that to deny it would be heretical, therefore David takes hold of it here to bring to bear the full weight of them down on his adversaries. They then will have only one recourse, repent or face the full weight of the Lord’s wrath and justice when He arises to fulfill it!

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹Fierce witnesses rise up;

They ask me things that I do not know.

¹²They reward me evil for good,

To the sorrow of my soul.

Not only did David face opposition from outside, but also from within. People he once knew and befriended and helped have now became his chief accuser’s. In his weakness then they didn't support him, instead some became fierce accurses who were now more than willing to testify against him, so as to forward their own ambitions and fortunes. These two passages foretell the Lord’s own “trial” before the Sanhedrin counsel, the inquiry He faced before Pilate and Herod. Indeed, this passage foretells of the suffering saints in every generation who would and will be persecuted for their faith in Him. 

Vs. 13-16 ¹³But as for me, when they were sick,

My clothing was sackcloth;

I humbled myself with fasting;

And my prayer would return to my own heart.

¹⁴I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;

I bowed down heavily,

as one who mourns for his mother.

¹⁵But in my adversity they rejoiced

And gathered together;

Attackers gathered against me,

And I did not know it;

They tore at me and did not cease;

¹⁶With ungodly mockers at feasts

They gnashed at me with their teeth.

Shocked by their stunning display of cruelty towards him, David now recalls how he acted in their defense. When they were sick, he humbled himself in sackcloth with fasting and prayer for them. For he sought their welling. Indeed, not only did he pray for them, but he paced about and mourned for them as one who mourns for the passing of one’s mother (vs. 13-14). And all of this was done by him to move God to have mercy on them. However, in his adversity they rejoiced, and gathered together with those who were plotting a conspiracy against him, indeed attackers (i.e., slanders, evil and violent people were recruited by them to forward their evil plot against him) and this was all occurring behind David’s back, while he was vulnerable and utterly unaware of it all. And so, as the conspiracy grew, they gathered themselves together, a Godless company of evil men who were now mocking and slandering David amongst themselves, openly speaking of his destruction at their Godless drunken feasts, gnashing at him with their teeth, like wolves do before they kill (vs. 16). That then was their countenance and greeting towards him when David now saw them. 

Vs. 17 “Lord, how long will You look on?

Rescue me from their destructions,

My precious life from the lions.”

In light of all of these things David now asks the Lord how long will He look on, how long must he endure these things, and these kinds of evil people? “Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.” Now in regard to this question, consider, Heb. 11:1-40; Rev. 6:11 etc. since all the patriarchs and the prophets and the apostles all suffered greatly in this life for their faith.

Vs. 18 “I will give You thanks in the great assembly;

I will praise You among many people.”

Through this verse we learn that the counterbalance to confusion and despair is praise! Worshiping God when things are going wrong is then is a good measure of the depth of one’s faith. And in this David excels, just as you can now, as you experience His faithfulness through your own tribulations and trials. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:3). 

Vs. 19-21 ¹⁹Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies;

Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.

²⁰For they do not speak peace,

 But they devise deceitful matters

Against the quiet ones in the land.

²¹They also opened their mouth wide against me,

And said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.”

David now returns to his just cause, asking that the Lord not allow these scheming liars who have conjured up all kinds of false ideas about him, who have brought to bear all kinds of baseless accusations against him, to let him fall by their plots and schemes, lest they be even more emboldened and now rejoice openly over him. Lest they open their mouths and say, ah ha our eyes have seen it, we have seen him fall! For truly those who hate us without a cause would love to see our fall. Maybe it was jealously that moved them against David? who knows, but truly they have no just grounds for their continually assailing his person and character. For all they have is their own evil thoughts and imaginations about him, about us, which they continually use to justify their evil deeds towards us, to motivate others to hunt, hound, and harass us. Indeed, their own actions clearly reveal that they do not seek peace with us, even when an olive branch is extended from us, they do not want peace, just our downfall and ruin, and this by their hand! For their exercising power and control over others is what moves motivates them. Therefore, they target the quiet ones in the land, all the ones who simply want to be left alone so we can live quietly and peaceably, these they set themselves against. For we make easy victims for them, by which they can exercise their power and control over others. Indeed, we don't have the support, or backing, or resources as they do, nor are we skillful at making alliances with those who do, as they are, therefore we are easy prey for them, like a cat playing with its prey before it kills it, so they think to do to us. For once they have set their gaze upon us, they do not stop or change until there is and end (consider King Saul).

 Vs. 22-25 ²²This You have seen, O Lord;

Do not keep silence.

O Lord, do not be far from me.

²³Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication,

To my cause, my God and my Lord.

²⁴Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness;

And let them not rejoice over me.

²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!”

Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”

Lord, You have seen all that they have done to me, please do not be silent any longer! Stir Yourself up and arise to my vindication, please defend my person and cause since I belong to You. Vindicate me then according to Your Righteousness, the righteousness that You have given me, that You have imputed to me, through which You justify me continually, because all my faith is in You, in Your Person in Your Righteousness alone! Therefore, Lord never let them rejoice over me, never let them have their evil way with me, never let them let them say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!” Nor let them say, “We have swallowed him up.” For in unjustly assailing my person and reputation they are assailing Yours!

Vs. 26 “Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion

Who rejoice at my hurt;

Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor

Who exalt themselves against me.”

Therefore, bring down all their arrogance and pride through which they do these things, yes let them all be brought to confusion who rejoice at my hurt, for their confidence only comes from and grows when their evil schemes succeed. Therefore, let them all be clothed with shame and dishonor who exalt themselves against me! For they don’t fear You, therefore they do whatever they like to the ones they target and hate.

Vs. 27-28 ²⁷Let them shout for joy and be glad,

Who favor my righteous cause;

And let them say continually,

“Let the Lord be magnified,

Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

²⁸And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness

And of Your praise all the day long.

Instead of granting them their desires, Lord let everyone shout for joy and be glad in heart who favors my righteous cause, because without cause my persecutors have set themselves against me, and they will not relent. Please then let all those who know You say that that You Lord are to be magnified, because You Lord always have pleasure in the prosperity of Your servant, in everyone who serves You. And I will speak of Your righteous and I will praise You all the day long, because You Lord are Good!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson. 

 

Psalm 34 A Psalm of David When He Pretended Madness Before Abimelech, Who Drove Him Away, and He Departed.

 ¹I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

²My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

³Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

⁴I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

⁵They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

⁶This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.

⁸Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

⁹Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

¹⁰The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

¹¹Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

¹²Who is the man who desires life,

And loves many days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit.

¹⁴Depart from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

¹⁶The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

²⁰He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

²¹Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

²²The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Preamble: This psalm was written by David sometime after he had pretended madness before Abimelech (or Achish), a Philistine king whom he fled too in great desperation in trying to escape Saul’s relentlessly pursuing him (see 1 Samuel 21). However, when David arrived in what he hoped would be a refuge for him from Saul, Abimelech’s counselors warned him of David being a potential threat to him, and so when David realized this, he knew that his life was now in grave danger and having no other means while in hostile territory to escape or fight his way out, he pretended to be insane when he was brought before Abimelech. It was upon seeing this that Abimelech disdained David and drove him out rather than having him be a servant warrior in his realm. Now whatever you think of David’s actions in doing so, you must concede that the Lord brought about a great Psalm through this most perilous event. As well, David would never again seek refuge in any other nation, except from within his own. Therefore, David upon reflection of these events, in great thanksgiving to the Lord for delivering Him from his own folly, would go on to write one of the most beloved Psalms.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

²My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

How great is our thanksgiving when we receive the Lord’s salvation, it is as though we could never praise or thank Him enough. For truly God's praise arises from within the depths of our hearts and souls when we realize that we now have what our souls have always longed for, God’s remission of all of our sins, and new and everlasting life, which is something that we never thought we could have, or ever achieve ourselves!

Vs. 3 “Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.”

True thanksgiving and praise always overflows us, it always wants to reach out far beyond us so that others may also experience what we ourselves now have, and thus join with us and believe in and worship the Lord with us forever!

Vs. 4 “I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.”

Along with heartfelt thanksgiving and praise, there is now a confident testimony, a holy boosting in the Lord if you will when He delivers us from all our fears, which is something that goes hand in hand in having new life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is then no doubt as to the Lord’s exceeding great goodness to us when one experiences His salvation, a salvation which makes all things new!

Vs. 5 “They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.”

The redeemed, all the congregation in heaven and on earth who have believe in the Lord, who receive His salvation by God’s grace, have His radiance placed upon them, our faces then reflect our inner reality in worship and praise, for we are not ashamed at the mention of His Name!

Vs. 6 “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.”

The bold testimony of the redeemed sinner is seen here, the poor man, and not just the materially poor man, but here the poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3). Everyone and anyone then who cries out to the Lord in their desperation can have His salvation (Rom. 10:13), and thus can now boldly assert that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has saved them out of all of their troubles!

Vs. 7 “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.”

The angel of the Lord in O.T. times, but now the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in N.T. times encamps around all those who fear Him, and He delivers them. This is God’s Promise given us all in the Scriptures, not only here, but in so many passages. Now the fear of the Lord is choosing to believe, to trust, to do His Word. The man, woman, or child who does this is assured of His deliverance!

Vs. 8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

God’s invitation always follows His exhortation, to not just believe someone’s testimony but to see for yourselves that the Lord is good (Psalm 66:5). For He is more than willing to forgive and save you (Isaiah 55:1-7; Matt. 11:28-30; Rev. 3:20; 21:6; 22:17 etc.), more than willing to make your past as though it had never been (2 Cor. 5:17). Are you willing than to believe and receive Him (John 1:12; 3:16). For God’s blessing truly rests upon everyone who trusts in Him, not themselves and what they have done or can do but trust what God has done for them through the Lord Jesus Christ's Crucifixion death and Resurrection from the dead. Therefore, taste for yourselves and see that the Lord is good, that trusting the Lord (i.e., believing in Him, and what He has done to save you) is the only way to have His freely given and everlasting salvation! 

Vs. 9-10 ⁹Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

¹⁰The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

Twice in this psalm we are exhorted, as God’s saints (God’s redeemed people), to fear Him. To not be unbelieving and rebellious like those who do not believe Him, but rather to fear Him. For there is no lack for those who fear God, who keep His Word in their hearts, minds, and lives. For God keeps and preserves all those who fear Him!

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

¹²Who is the man who desires life,

And loves many days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit.

¹⁴Depart from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

¹⁶The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

In this section we have the essence of fearing the Lord, so much so that the Apostle Peter cited this entire passage in his First Epistle to believers everywhere (see 1 Peter 3:8-12). It begins then with an exhortation to fear the Lord as the key to a long and good life which can be had by anyone who walks in these fundamental steps of peace. First then is to keep one’s tongue from evil, from speaking evil, speaking evil about anyone; speech then that is intended to harm another person directly, or their reputation indirectly, or induce people into doing evil, or violence, or sin, is evil and is not fearing the Lord! Same with blasphemy, vile speech, course jesting, lying, deceitful, misleading and or manipulative and hypocritical speech is utterly unfitting a Godly Christian who wants to live a long and peaceful life. For all such things God hates, and He will condemn all who practice and speak lies (Rev. 21:8). Now along with refraining one’s mouth from speaking evil is repentance from all evil (vs. 14). For in departing from evil and doing good is at the heart of the Gospel and is in the heart of everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, because having been transformed by His Spirit, we now want to do good not evil. Finally, there is the exhortation to peace, to seek peace and pursue it. For nothing defines the Gospel more than this. And God Himself has made the way of reconciliation and peace with us all through the blood of Christ’s Cross (Col. 1:20). That then is the spirit and message that is to define our persons and our ministries, “peace and good will towards all” (Luke 2:14). The finial two verses in this section then stand as a warning to us all not take God’s Word and warning lightly, for, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” (vs. 15-16)

Vs. 17 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.”

The righteous person then will always have a willing ear from God, for He hears their cries, and He delivers them out of all of their troubles, the proud however He knows from afar (Psalm 138:6).

Vs. 18 “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

 One of the great promises of God is that He is near to the broken hearted that He saves such as have a contrite spirit (consider Psalm 113:7; Prov. 3:34; Isaiah 51:17; 57:15; 66:2; Matt. 5:3; Luke 1:46-55 etc.). For His resting place is with and for the hurting. 

Vs. 19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

If living Godly promised one a life of ease and comfort all would seek it, but in this broken and sinful world living Godly means that one will have to endure many afflictions (2 Tim. 3:12; Rev. 12:17). Nonetheless though we will be stricken we will never be forsaken (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5-6).

Vs. 20 “He guards all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.”

God’s guarding of the righteous is self-evident in every generation, nonetheless this verse seems to foretell His guarding His Son Jesus from suffering any broken bones at the hands of the wicked (John 19:33, 36).

Vs. 21 “Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.”

In doing and living wickedly, the wicked person only assures themselves of an evil end. And as for those who hate the righteous, God Himself will condemn them.

Vs. 22 “The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.”

 This promise belongs then to everyone who believes in Him. For the Lord redeems the soul of His servants and none of us who trust in Him shall be condemned (see Rom 8:1).  

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson. 

 

 

Psalm 33 The Sovereignty of the Lord In Creation and History

¹Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!

For praise from the upright is beautiful.

²Praise the Lord with the harp;

Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

³Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

⁴For the word of the Lord is right,

And all His work is done in truth.

⁵He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

⁶By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

⁷He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

He lays up the deep in storehouses.

⁸Let all the earth fear the Lord;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

⁹For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

¹¹The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

¹³The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.

¹⁴From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;

¹⁵He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works.

¹⁶No king is saved by the multitude of an army;

A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a vain hope for safety;

Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His mercy,

¹⁹To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

²¹For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

²²Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You.

Preamble: Unlike Psalm 32, Psalm 33 does not mention persecution, oppression, or harm coming to any of God’s people. In fact, its overriding theme is one of the Lord’s Sovereignty in and over this world, over all its affairs and peoples. From its creation to its predetermined end, the Lord is planning a glorious and peaceful future for His people! Therefore, this Psalm gives us a foretaste of His Reign when He will rule the world in righteousness, and we will all live in peace forever!

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!

For praise from the upright is beautiful.”

 This Psalm begins with a call for us all to rejoice in the Lord, for us all who have been made and declared righteous by the Lord to sing His praises, for as the Word of God says praise from the upright is beautiful, beautiful in the sight of, and beautiful in the hearing of God.

Vs. 2 “Praise the Lord with the harp;

Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.”

 In ancient times the harp was the instrument of choice, it was the most melodic amongst all the stringed instruments, like the piano is today. Making melody to the Lord then should involve not only one’s heart but also the finest musical accompaniment that is available to one, from a acoustic guitar, to a full blown symphony, to whatever technologies can help express ones thanksgiving in reverence and praise.

Vs. 3 “Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.”

 Hymans and traditional worship songs are great, they are to be enjoyed as the congregation sees fit. Nonetheless in every generation there are new lives In Christ, new people who have come to the Lord from all kinds of diverse and different cultures and backgrounds, and these individuals who are gifted in music should and must be allowed to compose and write worship songs themselves. For this is what the Word of God commands here, new songs from newly redeemed lives played skillfully for the edification of all.

 Vs. 4 “For the word of the Lord is right,

And all His work is done in truth.

 The source of our worship is the Word of God. “For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth.” I cannot even begin to describe to you how moved I was when I first started reading the Bible, how enlightened and enriched I felt. Every Word seemed to make so much sense, every truth in it resonated deeply within me, Jesus own words because He spoke to my soul, the wisdom literature because it was what I had seen or had personally experienced in my life, it was truth! Therefore, in composing worship songs one must never neglect God’s Word as the Source of all deep and lasting worship. For as one discovers these “hidden” gems in the Bible for oneself one will no doubt (if so gifted) not only delight in them but will also want to share them with others through their own musical compositions.

Vs. 5 “He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”

 What does the Lord love? Righteousness and justice, for in these the Lord Himself not only does, but is known. That the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord is self-evident, for it is by Him, by His Word, that all things are created, established, and sustained. And during Jesus' earthly Regin the earth will truly be full of the goodness of the Lord, full of His righteousness and justice, because He will Rule the world with a rod of iron, and so even before the wicked hatches his wicked scheme, the Lord will strike Him! During His Regin then there will be neither a delay, nor a lack of justice. 

Vs. 6 “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”

The Word of the Lord brought into being all that is seen and unseen, all the never-ending heavens with all of their innumerable planets, stars, galaxies and universes etc., all of it came into being by the breath of His mouth! For when He spoke, they all came into existence, with all of their assigned purposes and powers.

Vs. 7 “He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

He lays up the deep in storehouses.”

To the end of the unreachable heavens to the depths of the reachable seas, the Lord gathers the waters together, He alone lays up the deep in storehouses. For He alone assigns to each one its boundaries and limits.

Vs. 8-9 ⁸Let all the earth fear the Lord;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

⁹For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

In light of the Lord’s Awesome Power there is but one response that must come from us all and that is to fear the Lord! To stand in reverent awe of Him, for all that He has done, and all that He can do! “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Now this will be the universal response when He Reigns, when the veil is lifted, and cloud is removed, and all nations will see and hear Him clearly. On that Day there will be a quickened response by all to bow in reverent awe and worship Him.

Vs. 10-11 ¹⁰The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

¹¹The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.

Nations are never independent entities, they are never self-sustained, nor do they control their own destinies. For it is the Lord who brings the counsels of the nations to nothing, it is the Lord who makes the plans of the people of no effect! For the Lord raises up one and brings down another according to His own Will, whether individuals or nations (Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6-8; Isaiah 26:4-10; Psalm 75:7; Rev. 1:18 etc.). Therefore, not only is the Lord known (and will be known) by His Power, but also by His Sovereignty, and not only in creation, but over all of the affairs of mankind. For Individuals and nations rise up and fall in every generation, (and then all their plans and counsels perish with them), but the Lord remains forever, His counsels and the desires of His heart to all generations. For His plans are never thwarted, overturned or changed or altered or ruined by either individuals or nations. By anyone or anything that is so foolish as to try to oppose Him. People who then think that this world will end by nuclear annihilation, by the will of some dictator or madman, have neither understanding nor any knowledge of God’s Word. For this world will only come to its predetermined end when the Lord fulfills His Word and He brings about its end, which will not be by the hand of man, but by His own. Therefore, hiding behind that fear, and thus allowing a dictator or madman to annihilate and destroy as he sees fit is totally unsound and unfit and unjust and utterly unbecoming for any world leader or ruler.

Vs. 12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

Though this world's nations will make war with Him and His people they will only do so to their own everlasting ruin and end. For His people, His inheritance, the nation whose God is the Lord, all the people He has chosen down through the ages will always be blessed (and preserved) by Him. God’s blessing then moves well beyond believing Israel to all of the redeemed in Christ who now make up His holy nation (1 Peter 2:9-10). Therefore, even when He has chastised us severely, He will never give us up as history has shown time and again. For His favor rests on all of us whose God is the Lord!

Vs. 13-15 ¹³The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.

¹⁴From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;

¹⁵He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works.

From His heavenly Throne the Lord sees everyone, all the sons of men, He knows more intimately than they even know themselves. And so, though they may deny Him, no one is not seen and known by Him. For He Himself has fashioned our hearts individually, He has made us all as He so desires (Rom. 9:19-26). The “self-made man” then is a lie! That said, we all still have free will, which makes us all being accountable to Him fully just. Therefore, He considers all our works, and He repays each one of us according to our ways, just as the God of Justice always does, some in this life and some in eternity, which is another reason why we should all fear Him!

 Vs. 16-19 ¹⁶No king is saved by the multitude of an army;

A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a vain hope for safety;

Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His mercy,

¹⁹To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

In every generation there are those leaders who trust in their own nation’s military might and strength, as if they can sustain or deliver themselves by these, and though they may make war for a season, like all others that were before them, their end always comes. For when the Lord wills it, their end comes. Same with a mighty man, even though he may have great physical strength, yet he cannot deliver himself or anyone else by it. For there are far too many unforeseeable things in this life that he can have no control over, nor have strength to overcome. And if the Lord wills it his strength can be removed from him. For military might and physical strength are only for a season. Therefore, don’t put your hope in a nations might, nor a man’s strength to save you. Same with having ones hope in a horse, by which one could seemingly flee from conflict or trouble when it arises. For it too has limitations and a life span. Because ultimately, neither can deliver your soul from death, or keep you alive during a famine, (or any other natural disaster), only the Lord can, as He has done for countless others throughout the ages, when kingdoms and nations fell all around them, because they feared Him, because their faith and hope was in Him (Vs. 18-19). For He alone remains, and He alone sustains all who fear Him, all who hope in His mercy! Therefore, make the Lord Jesus Christ your saving refuge and let Him bring you home safely.

Vs. 20-22 ²⁰Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

²¹For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

²²Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You.

This Psalm closes with a declaration for all of God’s people, for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ to wait and keep our faith, hope and trust in the Lord. For it is He who our souls wait upon, for He alone is our help, He alone is our shield, for He is the only One who will keep and preserve us in good times and bad. Therefore, we shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy Name, the Lord Jesus Christ’s Name, the Name above every name (Acts 4:12). “Therefore, “Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.