A Psalm of David Comments by Dennis Edwards
33 1-3Rejoice
in the Lord, O ye righteous: for
praise is comely (or appropriate) for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing
unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing
unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
David often starts his songs with praise or admonitions for us to
praise God. We enter into God’s presence with thanksgiving and with praise. We
make a joyful noise with our song and prayers. We lift up our hands to Him
without anger or doubting.
Psalm 33:4 For the
word of the Lord is
right; and all His works are done in truth.
Psalm 119:160 says, “Your word is true
from the beginning,” in other words, right from the book of Genesis, God’s
word is true and can be trusted. It’s not just a fable or a mythology. It’s a
true account. When I started college as a young confused eighteen-year-old
American during the Vietnam War years, I made finding the truth the goal of my
college education. After four years of secular studies where I fell into
Atheism, then moved to agnosticism, and then the polytheism of “everything was God,”
I came to the conclusion that love was the most important virtue. I concluded
that love was the highest truth. I sought to find and follow truth in every
aspect of my life. I sought to love my neighbour as myself.
The desire to love others led me to stop and pick up two young
hitch-hikers, one November afternoon in 1971. They confronted me with the words
of Jesus who was the greatest example of someone following truth and love. God
had sent forth His Spirit into my heart in search of truth and love. That
afternoon, I bowed my head in prayer and received Jesus into my heart. I had
found the source of love and truth in Jesus, the Messiah. My search for love
and truth ended up in a person, the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes
to the Father, but by Me,” John 14:6. In Proverbs we read, “By
mercy and truth iniquity is purged,” Proverbs 16:6a. In English, mercy
means undeserved pardon, an act of forgiving love. In Hebrew, it means kindness
or loving-kindness. Jesus was and is the mercy and truth of God that has purged
us of our sins. If we accept His sacrificial offering, His death on the cross,
we can receive the gift of eternal life. Psalms 85:10 reads, “Mercy and
truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Jesus
Christ is God’s mercy and truth for mankind. He is righteousness and peace.
Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make
you free,” John 8:32. We see that inscription on the entrance of many
universities. However, Jesus had preamble that statement with, “If you continue
in My word,” John 8:31. It is God’s word that is true. In many cultures
today we have cast the word of God to the ground. We ignore the question of
truth all together and say everything is relative. You have your “truth,” and I
have mine. In a similar manner, Pilate responded to Jesus with, “What is truth?”
John 18:38a. Jesus had just told Pilate that, “Everyone that is of the
truth hears My voice,” John 18:37c.
Mercy or loving-kindness and truth are the pillars of our
Christian life. Christians are supposed to walk in love and seek for truth. “Love
rejoices in the truth,” 1 Corinthians 13:6b. We are told to, “Speak the
truth in love,” Ephesians 4:15. Love and truth balance one another.
Pilate didn’t think the question of truth was important, like today’s world.
Power, material blessing, the things of this world were seemingly the higher
priorities. Pilate missed the boat and goes down in history as the typical
politician willing to please important political or financial powers rather
than seek and do the truth. Those that
truly seek for truth will hear the voice of Jesus!
Psalm 33:5-9 He loves
righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of
the Lord were the heavens
made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the
waters of the sea together as a heap: He lays up the depth in storehouses. Let
all the earth fear the Lord: let
all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was
done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
In the above verses we see what separates the people of God from
those of the world. The people of God start with “God” as their first
assumption. It is not, “I think, therefore, I am,” but rather, “I think,
therefore, God is.” God is the Creator who spoke the world into existence. We
look at creation and stand in awe of the Creator. Augustine said, “Seek not to
understand, that you might believe, but rather, seek to believe that you might
understand.”
The “fear of the Lord,” or our belief in God gives the right
foundation to our thinking. Abraham Lincoln said, “I can understand how a man
could look down from heaven on earth and be an atheist; but I cannot understand
how a man can look up into a starry sky at night and say, there is no God.” God
must be the starting point of all our thinking. When we acknowledge Him in our
lives and thoughts, we are starting on the right foundation. “The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and understanding,”
Proverbs 1:7.
Psalm 33 10-12 The Lord brings the counsel
of the heathen to nought: He makes the devices of the people of none effect. The
counsel of the Lord stands
for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord; and
the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
The Jewish people were first chosen to be the messengers of God.
They rejected their calling and rejected God Himself in the nature of Christ
and chose a robber and murderer to be given unto them. They had no king but
Ceasar. They denied their heavenly calling and chose an earthly one. They ended
up serving the god of this world, rather than the true God, the maker of heaven
and of earth. We who have accepted Jesus have inherited the calling of God. We
are His workmanship, His ambassadors, his emissaries of truth and love.
Psalm 33:13-15 The Lord looks from heaven;
He beholds all the sons of men. From the place of His
habitation, He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashions their
hearts alike; He considers all their works.
God has put in each heart a need to be reunited with Him. We are
in a search, a quest to find our true purpose in life. We naturally call out,
“Oh, God, help me.” He promises that if we seek for Him in truth, we will find
Him. He is not far from any of us, “for in Him we live, and move and have our
being,” Acts 17:28.
Psalm 33:16-17 There is
no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much
strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by
his great strength.
It is God alone that gives us the victory over evil. It is God
alone that makes us triumph over our enemies, over our vices, over ourselves.
God is the one who saves. All other help is in vain.
Psalm 33:18-19 Behold,
the eye of the Lord is
upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their
soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
We hope in His mercy for we know in our own selves, we are not
worthy. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sheep
who have gone astray and are totally dependent on His mercy, love, and truth
for our salvation and survival. We look to Him. Our eyes are upon Him.
Psalm 33:20-22 Our soul
waits for the Lord: He is
our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted
in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be
upon us, according as we hope in You.
God is our help and shield. Nothing in our hands we bring. Simply
to His cross we cling. In ourselves, we have nothing, but we rejoice in Him. He
is our saving shield and strength. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, according as we
hope in You.
Prayer: Lord, in ourselves, in our own strength,
we can’t make it. We fall short. We have not the strength we need. Therefore,
we look to You, today, Lord. May Your grace fall upon us. May we find mercy in
Your sight. Give us the strength we need for each difficulty we face. May You
give us the wisdom in our decision making. Help Your love and truth to overflow
from our hearts and lips upon those we meet. May we fulfil Your calling in our
lives, today. In Your precious name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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