I’m sitting on our balcony looking out at the ocean, listening to the waves. On one side the ocean’s vastness stretches on and on in a glassy, deep blue accented by white foam from the waves. On the other side, a myriad of colors from clear to aqua to pale green kiss the white sandy beach. It is shallow and clear enough to see coral on the ocean floor. As we felt last night, the sea can be tumultuous, but today it is a soothing thing of beauty, created and gathered by God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 33:7).
This past week, Psalm 33:1 was part of my reading. It captured my attention, so I read the entire Psalm. As usual, putting verse 1 in its full context only enriched the verse and left me with more to be in awe of.
Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you. [1]
Before we dive in, I would encourage you to also read Psalm 32. Psalm 33 is an extension of 32. There is similar language, and 32:11 flows into 33:1. For your structure lesson today, Psalm 33 is an alphabetizing Psalm (22 lines each representing a letter of the Hebrew alphabet). It is divided into two strophes (sections): Verses 1-11 focus on God’s sovereignty, and verses 12-22 convey “joyful human dependence” (Mark Futato) although we discover God’s trustworthy character throughout the Psalm.
The verse that got me started on Psalm 33 was verse 1, “Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.” If we are in Christ, then praise befits us. Praising God is what we should be doing.
There are many ways people define themselves. We often define ourselves by our vocation, relationships, or past. But for those in Christ, we are defined by God first and foremost (see my Free Resources page for “Identity in Christ” download). Part of our identity in Christ is being created to praise God. Early church leaders saw this as key to our identity in Christ. The first question and answer they posed in the Westminster Shorter Catechism is: “Q: What is the chief end of man? A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever” (emphasis added).
Why does praise befit us? Praise befits us because of God’s unrivaled character. If you read verse 3a, “Sing to Him a new song,” you might not think much of it other than singing is one way we praise God. I glossed over it. Then I read the following from Mark Futato’s Commentary on Psalms.
“new song. The words shir khadash [7892/2319, 8877/2543] occurs also in 40:3 [4]; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1. In 96:1, 98:1, and 144:9 the “new song” is explicitly connected with the Lord’s kingship, and 149:1–2 further connects the “new song” with the Lord as Creator-King. The “new song” is in particular a victory song of the Divine Warrior in creation (33:6–9) and redemption (33:10–19) (Longman and Reid 1995:45 and 191).[2]
We praise God because He is Creator-King and a “Divine Warrior in creation and redemption.” You can skip ahead to the Reflection 1 and write down all the “God is…” truths for more of His characteristics and actions that we praise Him for. His word is upright. His works are done in faithfulness. He sustains all things. He is awesome. He is sovereign over nations and people. His counsel and plans endure forever; no one can thwart Him. He is omnipotent. He is omnipresent and omniscient. He is steadfast love. He is our deliverer. He is our help and shield. He is trustworthy. He is our hope. These are just some of God’s characteristics found in this Psalm. Praise befits those who belong to God.
A couple notes: First, did you observe the connection between God’s word and deed in verse 6? By God’s word and breath everything was made. In my devotion “Equipped,” we studied how “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s word and deed are connected. As we think about praising God for who He is, doesn’t this connection between His word and deed blow you away? Think about creation. God’s words created everything. EVERYTHING! God spoke and all that we see (and even more that we don’t see) was immediately created. His Word brings powerful, lasting transformation in our lives. We often dismiss words, but God’s words are powerful.
Second, man is not trustworthy (vs 10, 16-17), but God is (21). It is God’s faithfulness that is our source of hope (vs 20, 22) and joy (21). We place our trust in so many other people and things that will always disappoint us. Everything in creation has been touched by sin. Nothing and no one can save us or provide what we ultimately need except God. He is the only One who is always faithful. He keeps His Word every time. He has perfect knowledge and wisdom to know what is best for us. He has all-power to accomplish His good purposes in our lives. He alone can deliver what He says without fail (vs 11).
So, what is our response to our faithful, sovereign God? We wait for God our help and shield (vs 20), we trust His holy name (vs 21), we rely on His steadfast love (vs 22), and we praise Him with glad, joyful hearts.
Reflection
1. Write down the “God is…” truths. Which ones especially motivate you to praise? Why?
2. What were your thoughts when you read “praise befits the upright”? Do you think of praising God as a fundamental component of who you are in Christ? Why or why not? What is one thing you can do to praise God more? Praise does not have to be only in song.
3. Who or what do you tend to place your trust in? What “God is…” truths from Psalm 33 encourage you to trust God instead of trusting others or things?
4. I don’t know what music you typically listen to during any given day but take time today to praise God in song. Think of hymns or praise songs that praise God for who He is. Below are a few hymns to get you started:
· How Great Thou Art
· Holy, Holy, Holy
· How Firm a Foundation
· Amazing Grace
· All Creatures of Our God and King
· All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
· This Is My Father’s World
· O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 33:1–22. [2] Mark D. Futato, “The Book of Psalms,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009), 130.
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