Psalm 33 - Blessed Is the Nation Whose God Is the Lord

 

Psalm 33 with Commentaries by Dennis Edwards

In some eight manuscripts Psalm 32 and Psalm 33 are found as one continuous psalm. Some scholars therefore consider it the second part of Psalm 32, or an amplification of the last verse where we find, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice you righteous: and shout for joy all you that are upright in heart.” Some of the earlier psalms seem to be in pairs, where the idea of one psalm is continued in the next, as is found in Psalm 9 and 10. The fact that Psalm 33 has 22 verses, which is equal to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, makes for regarding it as a complete composition. [Burgh, William de; A Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Dublin, 1860, page 312.]

33:1-2 Rejoice in the Lord, O you 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.

A recurrent theme in the Psalms is the importance of thankfulness and praise in our relationship with God. Evangelist Nick Vujicic, who has no arms or legs, says, he has never met a thankful man who was bitter, or a bitter man who was thankful. It’s one or the other. We see Apostle Paul writing, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice,” Philippians 4:4. In Colossians he writes,

Colossians 4:15-17 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,…and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”

In Ephesians he gives a similar message:

Ephesians 5:18-20 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Psalm 33:3 Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

In the book of Revelation, we find the four beasts and the twenty-four elders falling down and singing a new song when the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, opens the little book and looses the seven seals, Revelation 5:5.

Revelation 5:9-10 “And they sung a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for you were slain, and have redeemed us to our God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and has made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth.”

Later, when the 144,000 tribulation saints arrive in the heavenlies, they also sing a new song.

Revelation 14:2-3 “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps; and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beast, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth.

God’s word is right, and God’s word is true. Throughout the Old Testament we find that God is true to His word.

Psalm 119:160 “Your word is true from the beginning: and everyone of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?”

Joshua 23:14b “Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing has failed thereof.”

Isaiah 34:16 “Seek you out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for My mouth it has commanded, and His Spirit it has gathered them.”

In the New Testament, Jesus calls Himself, “The way, the truth, and the life,” John 14:6. He says if we continue in His words, we would know the truth, and the truth would make us free, John 8:31-32. Just before His death, He said He was going to the Father, but He would send the Holy Spirit, which would lead and guide us into all truth, John 16:13.

Apostle Paul admonishes us that the greatest spiritual gift is love, and that love rejoices in the truth, 1 Corinthians 13:6. He tells us we should speak the truth in love, Ephesians 4:15.

Psalm 33:5-9 He (God) 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 Genesis 1, we see that God spoke the world into existence and it was good. In John 1, we find the Word was in the beginning with God and by the Word all things were made, “and without Him was not anything made that was made,” John 1:1-3. That Word was later made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, John 1:14. His name was Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father.

The New Testament epistles give us the same idea.

 Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.”

Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, who at different times and various manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Psalm 33:10-11 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.

Similarly in the Proverbs we read,

Proverbs 19:21 “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.”

Eventually the Lord will rule for a thousand years and then for eternity. What God has said shall be done. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away,” Matthew 24:35.

Isaiah 14:27 “For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He has chosen for his own inheritance.

As Apostle Paul has explained in his epistle to the Galatians, “And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,” Galatians 3:29. He also wrote, “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,” Romans 8:16-17a.

All that believe and obey Jesus Christ are the nation of God, no matter in whatever nation on earth they may exist. We are the children of promise, like Isaac, not the children of the flesh, like Ishmael. As Paul has clarified, “They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed,” Romans 9:8.

God’s spirit is calling all mankind to repent and come into the true Shepherd’s fold. All mankind, each and every person is called in some way. Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen,” Matthew 22:14. So few choose His way, “because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it,” Matthew 7:14.

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 is watching. For that reason, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” Proverbs 1:7.

Psalm 33:16-19 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. 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.

God is our true strength, our refuge, our protector, our saviour. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man,” Psalm 118:8, the middle verse of the Bible. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in anything else to protect and save us. Our obedience to God is our best protection from evil.

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.

Prayer: Lord, You are our shield and our helper in time of need. We look to You to lead and guide us in the way wherein You would have us walk. You are our hope, help us follow You closely. Let Your mercy and truth guide us and keep us in the path You have for us. Protect us from the snares of the evil one. Be with our loved ones. May You draw them close to You day by day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.