Psalm 33

1 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.

There are five commands to praise God in various ways. First, “Shout for joy” is the same word from the previous psalm (shout songs of deliverance), something of a loud singing shout. This is fitting for a person who has aligned themselves with God and his ways. Second, “give thanks with the lyre” implies musical instrument playing as a means of worship with the third command “make melody” (lit. “psalm”) to him with the harp of ten strings. These two commands do not mention words specifically, but “give thanks” may imly them (although I suppose you could simply be making beautiful music with gratitude in your heart). The fourth certainly involves words as we are told to “sing to him a new song”, and the fifth, to “play skillfully on the strings” while shouting loudly. Shouting seems to frame these three verses and implies energy and exuberance in worship -- the kind of feeling that you might have at an athletic competition. Depending on one’s religious tradition this text may feel quite normal or quite foreign. Nevertheless it is not unusual in the psalms and thus in Jewish practice. The overall tone of the passage is celebration, and why not, following the good news of Psalm 32 -- that the LORD will forgive our sins and rescue us from the flood, all while shouting songs of deliverance over us. This is our opportunity to shout back! I’ve wondered if the ten string lyre is a reference to the pentatonic scale, and if so, it’s cool to think that we may be making the same type of melodies that David did (although we don’t know that David wrote this psalm, it’s untitled). The making of new songs is something that we cannot help but do as God continually does new things and reveals fresh things to us in his Word. The skillful playing of an instrument requires tremendous discipline and years of study and practice. Some may wonder about such an investment in something that has such little practical value, but the creation of beautiful things (like music) is in itself a reflection of the glory of God in us. So never think of the hard work of practicing or crafting songs as secondary. It is an act of worship. 

4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

The psalmist begins to note all of the reasons that the LORD is worthy of our shouting, singing and music-making. First, his word is upright and his work is done in faithfulness. By word he means primarily his holy scriptures which testify to that which is real, true, good and right. Truth is defined as the way things actually are or “that which corresponds with reality” if you want to be a little more philosophical. God’s words, whether that be describing history, reality, or morality, are upright, consistent, and have complete integrity. His word and his works are linked in the parallel lines of the verse denoting the connection that has been observed from the first pages of scripture. God speaks and things happen. His word alone causes things to be and become. His work is done in faithfulness. That is, it is consistent, trustworthy, dependable -- it can be studied, analyzed, and examined closely because it follows the laws that He established. This is the basis of modern science. The world in all of its spheres operates according to the “laws of nature”. The author of the psalms understood this as well -- the natural world was not capricious, and even human nature was somewhat predictable to those who were careful observers. The good news for the one who trusts in the LORD today is that his word is true and his actions are consistent. Thus our lives and worldview are not based on the whims of culture or how one might feel any given day, but they are rooted in ultimate reality if they are founded on the words and the works of God. Modern man has built its house firmly on the sinking sands of moral relativism. It will not survive the storms of the real world. Reality wins every time. Nature must operate within the laws that nature’s God has prescribed. Resisting nature ultimately ends in brokenness and frustration. Embracing the word and works of God, indeed celebrating them is the path to the blessed life. 

5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Not only are God’s words upright and his deeds dependable, but the LORD loves righteousness and justice. These are also essential components of his character, describing both his nature and his actions. He is righteous and does what is right. He is just and does justice. We take it for granted that God is good and does what is right and that he acts with equity and fairness. This was not true of the gods of the ancient world. They were self-centered and capricious, very human-like. And since they had absolute power, they could advance their own selfish agenda. For the Hebrews to conceive of a God who is thoroughly good and just was revolutionary, and in my opinion, is evidence of inspiration. No other culture came up with the idea of a good and just God. It’s hard to argue that the laws of God expressed in the ten commandments for example are not good and just, that society would operate much better if all people obeyed those commandments. This is why they are enshrined in our public buildings. It’s why the Speaker of the House looks across the floor of the chamber and directly into the eyes of Moses. Not only is God good and just, but his faithful fills the earth. There is evidence of it everywhere. It is seen in the beauty of the earth and the sky, the nurturing of the land with rain, the provision of food for all the animals, and the goodness of life for all humans. This text points to God’s common grace, the good things of life that all people experience regardless of their acknowledgment of God, the source of all good things. Open your eyes today to the steadfast love of God in the world that he has made and in the actions of the people he has made. Humans, even though fallen are still reflections of the image of God and that includes his steadfast love. Praise God for his goodness and justice, his steadfast love is on display everywhere. 

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.

Not only is the word of the LORD true, dependable and moral, it is creative. The LORD spoke and the heavens were made. The universe came into being at his command and all of the stars and galaxies owe their existence to his breath. Our knowledge of the cosmos and its origin is far greater than that of the psalmist but it doesn’t make the original of the universe any less spectacular and mind-blowing. We cannot fathom 13 billion light years of space and the host of worlds that occupy it. Stars number in the trillions at this point in our understanding and no doubt there are exponentially more worlds that orbit them. Add in all of the black holes, nebulae, comets, and asteroids and you’ve got quite a host, each of them breathed out of the Creator’s mouth, known and named by Him. Then there are the waters of the earth, covering over 75% of its surface, hiding everything underneath and containing an otherworldly array of creatures and geologic features. Mountains, canyons, vast plains, coral reefs, kelp forests and the wrecks of ships that have succumbed to the power of the ocean, the forces of gravity and the laws of physics -- they are all there, operating within the law of nature and natures God, again, the mighty words of God commanding them. The pounding ocean surf is a reminder that God has contained the waters. They cannot cover the earth. He gathered them in one place and He has set a boundary that they cannot cross. The depths of the ocean are a storehouse of the planet’s water. 97% of that water is undrinkable until it is purified by the process of evaporation and condensation. The vast oceans moderate the temperature of the earth and make the planet habitable. They also provide us with great beauty and a vision of the infinite nature of God as we look across the waters to what seems like an unending sea. God made the sky and sea through his creative word. And while science can unlock some of the mysteries of both, what we discover is that everything works together according to laws, the laws of physics, mathematics, and biology. The universe and all that is in it were created by words and they function within the constraints of those same words. We would do well to listen to the words of God and walk in them as well. They are constraints that keep us safe and prosperous, even as the raging seas are kept at bay on the shoreline and the swirling planets tethered to their orbits. This verse reminds me of the hymn, “Let All Things Now Living”. 

His laws He enforces, the stars in their courses,

the sun in its orbit obediently shines. 

The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains, 

the deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.

We too should be voicing, our love and devotion

With glad adoration a song let us raise

‘Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving

To God in the highest, hosanna and praise! 

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.

The third element of the created world is the earth (sky, water, earth) which is also summoned to honor the one who made it. Likewise the fourth element (humans) is to stand in awe of him. There are four creation hymns (8,19,29,104) each with a focus on one of these four elements, and four as a number is often associated with the created world. The sky above us, the waters around us, the earth beneath us -- all created and formed by the words of God. And we who stand on the earth, likewise spoken into existence, owe our very being to our Creator and should be expected to be in awe of him. He spoke and it came into existence. He commanded and it became permanent. This text is evidence of the belief in creation, ex nihilo, “out of nothing”. This stood opposed to the prevailing mythology of the day that everything always existed and the gods merely formed it, often through mortal combat. The idea that one of the gods spoke everything into existence was a novel one in the days of the psalmist. It again beggars the question, where did the psalmist get such an idea? Inspiration perhaps? Indeed, this “steady state” view of the eternal existence of the universe was the view outside the church until the early 20th century when the big bang theory (first ridiculed) was proposed. Now we can see the sudden beginning and then expansion of the universe actually corresponds remarkably with the biblical teaching on creation, particularly as it is portrayed by the poets. So let us do the most reasonable thing imaginable - stand in awe of our Creator. Stop denying reality and start worshiping. Stop living according to your own words and imaginations and start aligning your life with His words. Stop pretending that you are god and recognize something more helpful and healthy, that you were made in the image of God, to reflect his nature and glory. Stop trusting in your own words and wisdom and instead lean into his. Fear the LORD and stand in awe of Him. Worship Him with your words yes, but even more, with a life that is shaped by His words. 

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

Having summoned the inhabitants of the world to stand in awe of the LORD, the psalmist acknowledges that man, in his free will, is not going to acknowledge God. Societies and nations will collectively resist his rule as has been evident from the time of the tower of Babel. Wanting to make a name for themselves, believing that working together they can do away with the need for a higher power, nations have actively turned away from God’s laws and designs for the human race to pursue their own utopian visions. However, the LORD is sovereign and brings the wisdom of the nations to nothing and frustrates the plans of the peoples. It’s not as if God is actively doing this to be a spoiler. It’s that the working out of plans that are contrary to nature and to the acknowledgement of the reality of imago dei are going to be counterproductive. A nation that does not value life or care for its members as equals in the sight of God is going to eat its own. A society that values individual autonomy over the family will suffer from loneliness and all the ills that accompany it. A culture that subsumes the individual to the needs of the collective will come to see its citizens as mere cogs in a machine that are expendable, replaceable, and soulless. God is not throwing a wrench in the works of the nations. Rather, the nations are sowing the seeds of their own destruction by the lies that they believe about the nature of human beings and the nature of this world. History is filled with examples of nations and leaders who thought they would take the place of God and bring about heaven on earth. And while the utopia was rarely realized for the nation, at least its leaders could live well for a while. Yet, all of the great nations and empires have turned to dust while God’s reign through his church endures. The state can command the allegiance of its citizens, but that allegiance can only be freely given. Don’t put your trust in the nations or their leaders, no matter how charismatic they may be. Unless the LORD builds the house (the family), its laborers labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city (the community/city), its watchmen stand guard in vain. The LORD is sovereign over the affairs of the nations. A nation that works against the purposes of God will find itself frustrated at every turn. Their grand schemes will come to nothing.

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!

These two verses are meant to contrast with the previous one. While the nation founders which rejects the fundamental realities of the moral universe and nature of human beings, the nation which follows the lead of God is blessed. The reason for this is simply that the counsel (wisdom) of the LORD is eternal and true. Not only that, but his will, his desires, his purposes will be done. This is the prayer the LORD Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Not only is God absolutely real and true, but he is solidly in control of things. This introduces the age old paradox of divine sovereignty and human free will. If the plans of God’s heart stand for all generations, where does our free will enter the picture? What history and the Bible show us is that God’s sovereignty is so great that even his enemies end up serving his plans and purposes -- Satan and Job, Pharaoh and the Exodus, Saul hunting David, the Babylonian exile -- all of these involved the free will of those resisting the sovereignty of God, and yet God’s will still prevailed. So know that this principle is still true today, even when what is happening might seem to imply the absence of God’s sovereignty. The plans of his heart endure for all time, and they will be accomplished. One is blessed when they align themselves with those purposes. Note also the similarities to the first psalm in the use of the following words:  counsel, stand, blessed (Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners). What is true of the individual is true of the nation. While the psalmist is no doubt referencing Israel as the blessed and chosen nation, that opportunity to be chosen and blessed is available to any group of people who want to receive it. Today was the National Day of Prayer. While some politicians and media pundits will mock such events as meaningless pandering to the backward anti-science rural hicks whom they believe populate the midwest and south, at least the highest levels of our government are still acknowledging ultimate realities (whether or not the participants believe those realities). There may be yet some hope

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.

The poet uses four different words for “seeing” in these three verses, emphasizing God’s complete knowledge and understanding of all things human. The One who sits (dwells) enthroned looks out on all the inhabitants (dwellers) of the earth, contrasting the place and rule of God with the place and rule of men. The psalmist uses the root word “sit/dwell” in both lines of verse 14, making this connection between God and humanity. That connection is made even more clear in verse 15 where we’re told that the LORD fashions the hearts of every single person. The phrase in verse 13, the “children of man”, is literally the “sons of Adam” in Hebrew, the same phrase that is used in Psalm 8:4 and reminding of our genesis and connection to the first man, Adam. This was the favorite phrase of Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia, the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve. First, we can be sure that God knows everything that is going on. There are no secrets from him, and embracing this can be transformative. The fool says that there is no god, and if there is one he certainly can’t see what I’m doing or call me to account. The wise person acknowledges God’s omniscience and authority to judge and adjusts their life accordingly, knowing that they will have to give an account. We can also take comfort in the knowledge that our suffering does not go unnoticed either. This is a clear message throughout the psalms as God’s presence is repeatedly referenced. In this case, the beautiful metaphor is that the LORD fashions the hearts of everyone of us. The heart refers to the essence of who we are, and there seems to be some overlap in scripture with the soul. We tend to think of the heart today as the seat of our emotions and passions, but it was probably more than that in Hebrew thinking. What is clear from this metaphor is that God uniquely created every single human being and has intimate knowledge of them from beginning to end. This is expanded even more in Psalm 139:13-18. This means that every human being has inherent dignity and worth, is valued by God and should be by us as well. Every king and peasant, criminal and saint, child molester and mother, pornographer and porn addict, superstar and street-dweller -- their hearts were fashioned by God and God’s heart just be wounded a bit when we abuse one another, when we live outside of his design for us. This also means that God fashioned my heart as well, apparently just the way He wanted it, for his purpose and glory. My prayer is that He might continue to shape my heart into his likeness. 

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.

As the LORD looks down and observes all of human history, one thing is clear, He is sovereign. The king is not saved by his great army nor the warrior delivered by his great strength. Ultimately every leader and empire goes the way of those before them, into the dust and ashes of history. The great military advantage in the days of the psalmist went to those armies with cavalry. They could make rapid forceful attacks that would cause an infantry to retreat before them in fear and chaos. They could make flanking moves to attack infantry from the side and rear, surrounding and slaughtering them at will. Israel dabbled with cavalry at times in their history but they never had the culture or the means to be a significant threat on horseback. More often than not, they were the losers at the hands of mighty empires with cavalry -- Assyria and Babylonia in particular. Thus, these words about the vanity of trusting in the greatest weapon of the day are both encouraging to those that would be attacked by an army on horseback as well as a warning against putting one’s trust in them when you are commanding them. The latter interpretation is more likely in context as the people are encouraged to place their trust in the LORD and not in governments or military strength. There were likely people in the days of psalmist who wanted a stronger king, a bigger government that would mean more security. Others wanted a stronger government because it could afford a larger military -- again for security. The same is true today. Those of a liberal political persuasion are likely to be in favor of larger government expenditures with a wider social safety net so that everyone will be cared for, from the least to the greatest. They believe that good leadership and a strong government can be their savior. Those of a more conservative political persuasion might argue for more of that government spending to go toward the military, building up defensive and offensive capability to avoid attack, trusting in the strength and wits of men to keep the nation secure. The psalmist says that both of these are false hopes. Governments and armies do not provide food and security for everyone. This comes from the LORD as verses 18 and 19 make clear. When a nation abandons faith in God, they must replace Him with another object of faith. That may be in the form of socialism where the government has greater involvement in the economy, education, and social welfare. Others replace him with science, believing that all of the problems of humanity will eventually be solved when we figure everything out. We’re pretty smart and working together, it’s just a matter of time until we bring heaven to earth. Others replace God with power, military power so that if war ever happens it will not happen in the homeland. We’ll make sure that it happens somewhere else where people are not as powerful. Others will replace him with money, trusting in their wealth to be able to buy them whatever they need for the good life, even if there are only a relative few that can access that good life. Yes, we all worship something, but only One is worthy of our worship. Only One can save. 

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.

The gazing eye of the LORD in verses 13-15 fixes its gaze on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love. He does this so that he may deliver them from death and hunger. These verses are in contrast to the previous two where those who don’t worship God put their trust in other things (government and power expressed through force). The person who fears (reverences, worships) the LORD doesn’t put their hope in those things, but rather on the faithful covenant love of the LORD who promises to deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. This is probably not a reference to the afterlife, although that is possible, but it is rare in the psalms. The immediate context suggests God’s rescue from sickness or an early death (obviously God doesn’t rescue anyone from physical death, everyone dies). Hunger was a constant concern throughout much of human history, and of course it is still an issue today. Finding and storing food was likely a daily concern that occupied an inordinate amount of time and energy in those days, but the one who trusted in the LORD was confident that they would have bread for the day. Today we live in such abundance and have never known real hunger, so it’s difficult to identify with the psalmist’s prayer. The dominant idea is that God will protect and provide for those who worship him. That doesn’t mean that young people will never die and that you will never lack anything you might want. It does mean that God will be with you and protect and provide for you in other ways that may be non-material. He made provide through his church, his presence in the Holy Spirit and his promises in his word. The alternative is to trust in someone or something else, and there is none worthy of that trust. None has the power to stop death and provide for your every need. From house arrest Paul writes and tells us that God will provide our every need out of his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19), so be content and trust that if you truly need it, God will provide it. Put your trust in the LORD who never takes his eyes off of you. 

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.

The psalmist concludes the song from the perspective of the worshiping community with seven “us” statements: our soul waits, our help, our shield, our heart is glad, we trust, may your love be upon us, we hope in you. It is a confident and complete declaration of trust and hope based on all that has come before. Reflecting on the actions, the nature and the words of God has brought about a confidence that we have nothing to fear. God’s word is dependable and true. Evidence of his power and wisdom are everywhere in the created world. He endures beyond the rise and fall of nations and his plan will never fail. He’s fashioned our hearts and he never takes his eyes off of us. So express your faith by being patient. From the deepest part of your being, wait on Him. Don’t be anxious and don’t move ahead of Him. The plans of his heart cannot be thwarted.  Know that he is your help and shield (not a war horse or a king), so don’t look to other things to satisfy your needs. Be glad in Him and live a life characterized by joy and confidence. The psalm contains only one ask: Let us experience your faithful love while we put our hope in you. The world can be unpredictable and life can as well. Every time you step out of the house there is a risk, but it must be lived. There is no good alternative. So we live in the confidence that the LORD’s faithful love rests upon us, and regardless of what happens, this will always be true.