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Meditations on the Psalms

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Volume Fifteen: Psalms 141-150

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations marked "NIV" are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION(r). NIV(r). Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Psalm One Hundred and Forty-One
Keep Watch over the Door of my Lips

A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.

2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.

5 Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;

6 their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

7 They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave."

8 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge--do not give me over to death.

9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

The previous psalm is the believer's prayer as he faced the wiles of the enemy, and in this psalm he struggled to lead a pure life without compromising his principles under the pressure of the enemies. He turned down all compromises and did not join the wicked in doing evil, praying that God would preserve him from sinning either in thought, word or deed. He sought to live an honest life regardless of the pressures from within his soul--from an uncontrolled tongue and a heart set to reject advice--or from without--from stronger or hidden evil forces.

The early church used to recite this psalm at the opening of evening worship, because the second verse says, "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice."

The psalm contains the following:

  • First: The psalmist prays for himself (verses 1-5)

  • Second: The psalmist advises his enemies (verses 6,7)

  • Third: The psalmist declares his confidence (verses 8-10)

First: The Psalmist Prays for Himself
(verses 1-5)

  1. Requesting an answer (verses 1,2):

    1. The manner of request: "O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you" (verse 1). Out of fear of going along with the wicked and a desire to have a pure heart, the psalmist cries out for speedy divine help. How lovely it is for a man in temptation to hasten to ask for grace to overcome the temptation facing him, asking for purity when tempted by lust for impurity, and requesting long-suffering when about to lose his temper. A wise person does not wait until he falls into sin to ask for purification: he asks for immunity from sin as soon as he is tempted by it, before he ever falls into it.

    2. Two similes (verse 2):

      1. Prayer is like incense: "May my prayer be set before you like incense" (verse 2a). To be "set" is to be established permanently and regularly, as was said of the worship during the time of King Hezekiah, "There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings. So the service of the temple of the LORD was re-established" (2 Chronicles 29:35). The psalmist asks that his prayer should rise upward, giving off a sweet smell: " 'My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name...' says the LORD Almighty" (Malachi 1:11). It was also said, "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints... Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand" (Revelation 5:8; 8:3,4).

      2. Prayer is like an evening sacrifice: "May the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice" (verse 2b). The Law of Moses commanded the Israelites to offer a morning and an evening sacrifice. Prayer is a sacrifice. The Lord commanded, "Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: 'Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips' " (Hosea 14:2). Praise, too, is a sacrifice, as the Scripture says, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name" (Hebrews 13:15). Doing good is a sacrifice, as it was said, "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Hebrews 13:16). At the end of a day on which the psalmist did good, he lifted up his hands to God in praise and prayer, as he was used to, as if saying, "Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place" (Psalm 28:2). This is what we must do today, because the Scriptures command us to pray, lifting up holy hands for those in responsibility and in high positions in our countries (1 Timothy 2:8).

        Lifting up the hands means directing the heart wholly toward the Lord, for then the hands are busy with worship and nothing else. It can also mean focusing the attention on the Lord's voice and responding to His directions, saying, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:9). It also means looking up, pleadingly and hopefully, to the source of blessing, saying, "I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1,2). Again it signifies the lifting up and dedication of all that is in the pray-er as an offering to the Lord, in accordance with the apostle's command: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Lifting up the hands served historically as a sign of seeking divine help and waiting for the divine answer, as Moses did when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites in the Sinai Desert. Moses lifted up his hand in prayer, asking for protection. When his hand was held up, the Israelites won, and whenever he lowered it, the Amalekites would win. "When Moses' hands grew tired... Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset." And this was how they won (Exodus 17:8-13).

  2. The requests (verses 3-5):

    1. Setting a guard over the mouth: "Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips" (verse 3). The psalmist asks the Lord to keep him from using the unbecoming language that his enemies use, according to the commandment, "keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies" (Psalm 34:13). Therefore he says, "I said, 'I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence' " (Psalm 39:1). The reason: "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin" (Proverbs 13:3), and "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity" (Proverbs 21:23). He says to the Lord, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). So the Lord answers him, "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder... The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid" (Zephaniah 3:9,13). So, let us heed the warning of the apostle James, "We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check... The tongue also is a fire... With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be" (James 3:2,6,9,10). No doubt that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things" (Matthew 12:34,35). This is what the psalmist hastens to ask of the Lord.

    2. Purity of heart: "Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies" (verse 4). After asking the Lord to keep him away from sins of the tongue, the psalmist asks the Lord to purify his heart from sins of thought and action, so that he can say, "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands... Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me" (Psalm 119:10,133). He does not want to do what the wicked do; he does not want to share in their iniquities, delicacies or physical pleasures: "They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence" (Proverbs 4:17). The commandment says, "Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble" (Proverbs 24:1,2).

    3. Bearing reproach: "Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers" (verse 5). The wicked wanted the psalmist to join them in their joys and banquets, and maybe he felt like doing so. His believing friends seem to have heard of it and rebuked him. He was hurt by their rebuke and warning because it felt like they were hitting him on the head, although he knew full well that "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" (Proverbs 27:6). He did not refuse their rebuke and even considered the pain resulting from it a kindness and a pleasure as sweet as the smell of an aromatic oil, for "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel" (Proverbs 27:9). "He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding" (Proverbs 15:31,32). "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue" (Proverbs 28:23).

      Accepting rebuke from his friends, the psalmist continues to pray so that he may not join the wicked in their evil deeds.

Second: The Psalmist Advises his Enemies
(verses 6,7)

  1. Advice to repent: "Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken" (verse 6). Throwing people over a cliff was a way of execution in ancient times (2 Chronicles 25:12). Since the judges were evil they had to meet their death by being thrown over a cliff, so that their limbs might be scattered all over the ground. The psalmist, however, neither grows proud nor gloats over the death of those people. He rather preaches using God's sweet words, warning the listeners of the sinners' destiny, calling them to repentance and proclaiming God's mercy to every repentant sinner who confesses his sins.

  2. Advice to declare their repentance: "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave" (verse 7). Most likely these words are the response of the hearers of God's sweet words, which give hope to the penitent and spare them the destiny of the sinners who perished, only if they received them and believed in them. The bones of the wicked leaders are smashed and scattered at the entrance of the graves for the lack of someone to bury them. The scene of the tragedy looks like a plot of land that has been thoroughly ploughed so that all twigs and rocks lying in the way of the ploughshares are crushed to bits. The penitent weep over the end of the dead wicked, heed the warning and return to God.

Third: The Psalmist Declares his Confidence
(verses 8-10)

  1. Because he looked up to the Lord: "But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge--do not give me over to death" (verse 8). At the time of major catastrophe when the wicked leaders were destroyed, which led to the repentance of those who beheld their tragic destiny, the psalmist looked up to God in prayer and took shelter in Him from the destination of the wicked. He beseeched Him not to leave his soul destitute, not to waste his life as his enemies' lives were wasted. Whoever repents, to him is fulfilled the promise of Christ, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live" (John 5:24,25).

  2. Because he is under the protection of the Lord: "Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers" (verse 9). Had the first wicked person died suddenly, the devil would have sent another to fight the believer, so that he would live in a continual war. The believer did win the battle, yet the evil enemy prepared another battle for him. Therefore the Scripture says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10-13). Standing after everything has been done means that the battle will continue, therefore the apostle admonishes us, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8,9).

  3. Because the wicked will fall: "Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety" (verse 10). The enemy must fall into the pit which he has dug. "The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head... The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands" (Psalm 7:16; 9:16). When the wicked is entangled by the trap he himself has set, he no longer plans to do harm to the believer and thus the believer escapes safely. No doubt that God's punishment of the sinner affirms to the persecuted believer that God is a God of justice, deliverance and salvation.

Questions

  1. Why is prayer like incense?

  2. In verses 3-5 of this psalm the psalmist requested three things. Mention them.

Psalm One Hundred and Forty-Two
Bring my Soul out of Prison

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

1 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

2 I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.

4 Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."

6 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

7 Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

We saw the psalmist in Psalm 140 facing the wiles of the enemies, and in Psalm 141 under the pressure of the enemies he struggled not to surrender his principles and sacrifice them for his own safety. In this psalm, however, he complains of imprisonment, loneliness and helplessness. Most likely David composed this psalm during his stay in the cave of Adullam with his family and four hundred men who became leaders of his kingdom when he gained power (1 Samuel 22). He may also have composed it when he was hiding in the caves of En Gedi (1 Samuel 24). In his confinement and loneliness, David learnt through suffering and pain what he desires to teach us in this psalm, as well as in Psalm 57, which he sang when he escaped from Saul in the cave.

The psalm contains the following:

  • First: The psalmist complains (verses 1-4)

  • Second: The psalmist waits (verses 5-7)

First: The Psalmist Complains
(verses 1-4)

  1. The manner of complaint: "I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble" (verses 1,2). The psalmist complains with loud cries and supplications, pouring himself out before God. He was not content with a quiet prayer because his state of mind was rock-bottom. He was like blind Bartimaeus, who could only be healed of his blindness by the healing power of Christ, and therefore cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many rebuked him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47,48).

  2. The subject-matter of the complaint (verses 3,4):

    1. Weary without cause: "When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me" (verse 3). The psalmist's spirit was so overwhelmed by the intensity of trouble that he nearly fainted. He almost lost his life, just as Jonah did in the belly of the fish (Jonah 2:7). But he knew that the Lord watched him and knew his path.He knew that he was innocent of the charges they made against him. His enemies, too, watched him and knew the ways he walked; they hid snares in them to trap him. What a world of difference between the destructive, plotting knowledge of the enemies and the caring, delivering knowledge of God. "Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart" (Psalm 91:3,4).

    2. Weary without friends: "Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life" (verse 4). The psalmist asked the Lord to look on his right side, where supporters would stand to lend him support, to see that there was none able to help him or none who even knew him. The Lord would see that the psalmist no longer had a refuge. His friends deserted him and no longer called on him. He was like the sick man of Bethesda, who spent 38 years waiting for a relative or a friend to help him by throwing him into the pool whenever the water stirred, but who found no one to care for his soul (John 5). No one appreciated the psalmist or the danger he was in. How lonely he must have felt! Christ provided the cure for this feeling as He said, "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me" (John 16:32). In a similar situation the apostle Paul said, "At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (2 Timothy 4:16-18).

Second: The Psalmist Waits
(verses 5-7)

  1. The Lord is the only refuge: "I cry to you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my refuge' " (verse 5a). He had cried out and pleaded, and he still cried and waited for the Lord, the only refuge left for him. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need... Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." (Hebrews 4:15,16; 7:25).

  2. The Lord is the psalmist's portion: "My portion in the land of the living" (verse 5b). The living are the people who live around him, both the godly and the ungodly. He had no assistance from them; the ungodly opposed him and the godly could not help him. Therefore he expected the Lord to be his portion, as though he were saying, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25,26). "I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD" (Lamentations 3:24-26). And since the psalmist expected the Lord to be his portion, he would live and not die, because he belonged to those who "have passed from death to life" (Romans 6:13) thanks to Christ's sacrificial death for them. They have said about Christ, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will" (Ephesians 1:11).

  3. The Lord is the Hearer: "Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me" (verse 6a). In the intensity of conflict and degradation, the psalmist urged the Lord to answer his prayer and deliver him. He was brought low by the neglect of his family and the persecution of his enemies, so he put his hope in the help of the One who does not degrade anyone. "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation" (Psalm 5:1-3). "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:7,8).

  4. The Lord is the Deliverer: "Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name" (verses 6b,7a). The psalmist was confined to his cave, be it Adullam or En Gedi, for fear of King Saul's violent attacks, for the king pursued him with his soldiers to kill him. He must have been longing to worship the Lord and sing to Him in the tabernacle of meeting. He waited for God to deliver him, so that he could join those who loved the Lord in praise and worship. When his request was granted, he asked, "How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?" Then he answers, "O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD" (Psalm 116:12,16,17).

  5. The believers are the only company: "Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me" (verse 7b). The psalmist saw the Lord's answer coming through by faith, and saw the righteous gathering together for worship, lifting up thankful hands to God who dealt bountifully with them, singing, "I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me ... I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the LORD, praise him! ... For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help" (Psalm 13:6; 22:22-24). "I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.' As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight" (Psalm 16:2,3).

Questions

  1. What comfort can a weary lonesome person find in this psalm?

  2. What should you do to be able to say that the Lord is your portion?

Psalm One Hundred and Forty-Three
Do not Enter into Judgment with Your Servant

A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.

4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.

10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

The Psalter has seven Psalms of Repentance, which are Psalms 6,32,38,51,102,130 and 143. Four of these psalms, namely Psalms 32,51,130 and 143 were called "The Pauline Psalms" by Martin Luther. The reason he gave them that title is that they show how forgiveness of sins belongs to everyone who believes and puts his trust in the redemption that God provided through Christ, a recurrent theme in the writings of the apostle Paul. Saint Augustine requested these psalms to be written down and hung on the wall across from his sick bed in his last days, so that he could read them and be comforted. We saw the enemy harassing the psalmist in Psalm 140, and in Psalm 141 under the pressure of the enemies the psalmist struggled not to surrender his principles and sacrifice them for his own safety. And in Psalm 142 he expressed his loneliness and helplessness. In this psalm he says that all men are sinful "for no one living is righteous before you" (verse 2) and that everyone equally needs God's guidance (verse 8). He knows that God will accept his repentance on the basis of His faithfulness and righteousness, which he experienced in the past (verses 1,5). The psalmist concludes his psalm by requesting blessings from God, which only a penitent sinner has the right to ask for.

The psalm contains the following:

  • First: Prayer of repentance (verses 1,2)

  • Second: Griefs of sin (verses 3-6)

  • Third: Hope of the penitent (verses 7-12)

First: Prayer of Repentance
(verses 1,2)

  1. God's faithfulness and righteousness: "O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief" (verse 1). The psalmist lifts up a prayer of repentance depending on the Lord's faithfulness to his promises, for He had revealed that He was a keeper of mercy for thousands, a forgiver of iniquity, transgression and sin (Exodus 34:7). He also depended on the Lord's justice in inflicting the punishment for his sins on the substitutionary sacrifice so that he may go free, since God does not require the wages of sin twice. God "is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished" (Romans 3:22-25). The psalmist's supplications here are the prayer of the penitent who says, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13). They are the cry of a sinner who says, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Such a cry will be answered, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:42,43). The Lord's acceptance of our prayer of repentance depends on Christ's work of atonement, who "is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them ... let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 7:25; 10:22,23).

  2. The psalmist's inability to justify himself: "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you" (verse 2). If God brings the psalmist into judgment he will perish, so the psalmist, taking refuge with the divine mercy, asked the Lord not to judge him because "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). This is the same thing Job said, "Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be righteous before God? Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand... He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court" (Job 9:2,3,32). The first excuse the psalmist makes for being exempted from judgment was the fact that he was a servant of the Lord: "I am Your servant" (verse 12). As servant, he was purchased by His Master, who now owned him and managed his affairs. His second excuse was that no one can possibly be justified before the Lord: "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? ... with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption" (Psalm 130:3,7). Eliphaz the Temanite said, "What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous? If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water!" (Job 15:14-16).

Second: Griefs of Sin
(verses 3-6)

  1. Sin requires punishment: "The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed" (verses 3,4). The psalmist knew that the trouble he was going through must have been a result of his own disobedience, and recalled exhortation spoken to him as to a son: "And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?" (Hebrews 12:5-7). He sinned and consequently he fell into the hands of an implacable enemy, who weighed him down, afflicted him, persecuted him, crushed him, imprisoned him and took away from him every enjoyment of life, so that he was close to death, and it seemed that both God and man forgot about him. His mind was distressed when he tried to know the reason for all this affliction. He was so confused that he began to wonder, "Has God rejected me as His son?"

  2. Sin ruins the fellowship with God: "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land" (verses 5,6). The godly psalmist who was persecuted for his sin "remembered" his good old days when he was on intimate terms with his Lord, praying, praising and worshiping. He missed this intimate fellowship that he lost as a result of the sin that separated him from his God. He "meditated" on the kindnesses and blessings that the Lord had showered on him, and spoke again and again about the good deeds that God already had already done for him. He also "mused" on the previous works of God's hands, which carried him all the days of old, helped him, granted him victory over his difficulties and challenges. Then he compared these masterworks with the dry land he stood on, devoid of spiritual joy as it were, with no intimacy with God. Evidently, a yearning for the glorious past surged over him, as though he shared Asaph's experience, "I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired: Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? ... I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds" (Psalm 77:5-8,12). The psalmist extended imploring hands toward God, as though they were the hands of a child taking refuge with his mother from hunger and thirst, seeking reassurance and entreating, "Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice... Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me" (Psalm 51:8,12). He seems to have said, like the prodigal son in the far country, as he came back to himself, "'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (Luke 15:17-20). He admitted the dryness of his soul, which was no longer watered by the water of life, so that it crumbled and bore no fruit. He expected God to give him the early and latter rain, satisfying his soul in drought, so that he may become like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail (Isaiah 58:8-11).

Third: Hope of the Penitent
(verses 7-12)

  1. Divine mercy: "Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you" (verses 7,8a). The psalmist had already said, "My spirit grows faint within me" (verse 4), and now he says that it is failing. He asks the Lord to hasten to answer, to make His face shine upon him as a sign of approval, and lift him up from the pit into which his enemies made him fall. "Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Saviour" (Psalm 27:9). He asks the Lord to give him his request at sunrise, early in the morning, so that he may hear the news of God's loving kindness at the beginning of every day and be confident of the divine promises, that his darkness may be dispelled. Truly, "his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

  2. Saving knowledge: "Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (verse 8b). After pleading for loving kindness to get him out of the pit, the psalmist pleads with the Lord to show him His way because he lifted up his soul to the Lord and extended his hands towards Him. In doing so he joins Moses in his prayer, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people" (Exodus 33:13). He begs together with the psalmist, "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths... Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name" (Psalm 25:4; 86:11). The Lord will answer him, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you" (Psalm 32:8), just as "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel" (Psalm 103:7).

  3. Divine deliverance: "Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you" (verse 9). Those who make God their hiding-place are rescued, for He says, "Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by" (Isaiah 26:20). The believer responds, "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD" (Psalm 27:5,6). "Before I was born the LORD called me... in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver" (Isaiah 49:1,2).

  4. Divine guidance: "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground" (verse 10). God is the Lord and God of the psalmist's life because He delivers him from his enemies. Therefore he asks his God, in all humility and sense of need, to teach him His good will so that his heart may not incline to the crooked paths of the wicked, but rather say, "Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors" (Psalm 27:11). This will give the psalmist a new life, and he will shout, "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8). The psalmist entreats the good Spirit to guide him, just as Nehemiah prayed, "Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst" (Nehemiah 9:19,20). "The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth" (Isaiah 26:7). The Holy Spirit guides the believer in a land of uprightness, a smooth land, free from hardships and perils, which makes him say, "My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the LORD" (Psalm 26:12). The Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Ephesians 1:17). He is the Teacher, "because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).

  5. The better life: "For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble" (verse 11). The psalmist asks for the better life for the sake of the Lord's name, not for any good thing within himself. "Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness" (Psalm 115:1). The better life is not only the opposite of death, but also the liberation from anything that would interrupt the blessed life and prevent us from enjoying it. It is the life of peace and joy that can only be experienced within a context of fellowship with God and obedience to His word, because "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3). God had already said to the Israelites, "Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live" (Deuteronomy 4:1). The Scriptures are full of references to the present better life, just as much as references to eternal life in God's presence in heaven. The psalmist says, "My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life... I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life" (Psalm 119:50,93). "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). When man "lives" in Christ, God delivers his soul from all the distress in this world, and he also will not see distress in the world to come.

  6. Divine justice: "In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant" (verse 12). The psalmist concludes his psalm with an entreaty to the divine justice. The enemies of the kingdom of God oppose the kingdom and persecute Christ Himself (Acts 9:4), therefore the cutting out of the psalmist's enemies and the destruction of those who afflict him are a mercy to the psalmist, for He is God's servant. The literal answer to this prayer is in keeping with the Old Testament law "eye for eye, tooth for tooth." Christians under the new covenant lift up this prayer in a spiritual way, saying, "Lord, cut out the enemies of Your kingdom by winning them over to Your kingdom, that they may be Your servants, not enemies of Your people." The Jews at the time of Christ used to say that heaven rejoiced at the destruction of a sinner so that the earth may be rid of his wickedness. Christ, however, said that heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7,10). Thus is the earth rid of his wickedness, not because he perished, but because he repented from his wickedness. In this Christian, spiritual sense we understand this last verse of our psalm, and in the same way we are to apply it in our dealings.

Questions

  1. What is the solution to one's disability to justify himself?

  2. What are two griefs of sin?

Psalm One Hundred and Forty-Four
Blessed Be the Lord my Rock

Of David.

1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?

4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

5 Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.

6 Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and rout them.

7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners

8 whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,

10 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.

11 Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.

12 Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.

13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;

14 our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.

15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.

This psalm is the first of seven praise psalms that conclude the Psalter. In this psalm the psalmist praises the Lord who gives victory to His people. He is astounded that the great Lord is concerned with man, who is a mere breath or a passing shadow. He then proceeds to entreat the Lord to grant him and His people victory over the foreign enemy. Since he is sure of God's victory, he thanks Him with a new song, which he composed and sang on a harp of ten strings. Finally, he describes the prosperity of his people in terms of family, economy, security and spirituality thanks to God's grace. Most of the ideas of this psalm are copied from other psalms, which are Psalms 8,18,39,104 and 133. What characterizes this psalm is the reference to David in its main body (verse 10), not just in its superscription.

The psalm contains the following:

  • First: The psalmist describes his present (verses 1-11)

  • Second: The psalmist describes his future (verses 12-15)

First: The Psalmist Describes his Present
(verses 1-11)

  1. He belongs to a mighty God: "Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me" (verses 1,2). In these two verses we have eight descriptions of God's might that aided the psalmist, who responded with a song of thanksgiving to the Lord:

    1. "My Rock": "Praise be to the LORD my Rock." The psalmist blesses God who has already blessed him, as it was said, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). The psalmist also blesses his Lord because He was his mighty, unchangeable Rock, who can be completely trusted, who is the place of protection and rest: "The shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land" (Isaiah 32:2).

    2. "My Trainer": "Who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle." As a shepherd boy David killed a lion and a bear that took a sheep from his flock, then later killed Goliath who defied the armies of the Lord (1 Samuel 17). Shortly after that he said, "He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze" (Psalm 18:34), for the believer is always engaged in spiritual warfare, both on the inside and the outside. The flesh within him lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. His adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour him. Therefore the believer must receive the Lord's training to lead a life of victory, walking according to the Spirit and resisting the devil that he may flee from him. "Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13). God trains the believer and says to him, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you" (Psalm 32:8).

    3. "My loving kindness": God's loving kindness is intense, constant and unchangeable. Man needs it everywhere and at all times. The believer assigns this divine loving kindness to himself, saying, "My loving kindness." Christ is the loving kindness of God because he carries the sins of all those who receive Him as Lord and Saviour. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

    4. "My fortress": To whom he runs in time of peril and when he finds complete protection he says, "For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings" (Psalm 61:3,4).

    5. "My high tower": A warrior finds protection in his fortified tower; even when under siege he finds in it all the weapons, water and food supply he needs. Towers are usually erected on a high rock to be able to hold out. Although the Lord is a high tower, He does not hold Himself high above the God-fearer, but rather comes down to his level to deliver and protect him.

    6. "My Deliverer": The Lord is the Rock whose work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4), who teaches those who fear Him how to defend themselves, as well as providing them with the refuge and shelter as they run to Him. "He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions" (Daniel 6:27).

    7. "My shield": The One in whom the psalmist takes refuge. A shield is a piece of wood covered with leather. It was used by fighters to ward off arrows. "From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along" (Isaiah 59:19). The fighter relies on the shield for protection against arrows, to keep his body from any harm or wounds. The arrows may even sink into the shield sometimes, so the fighter removes them and shoots them back at the enemy. Thus what was meant for evil turns out to be for good, protection and defence. This subdues the enemy and defeats him.

    8. "My Patron": "Who subdues my people under me." Absalom made several attempts to overthrow his father David, and some of David's own friends took sides with Absalom against David. But the Lord delivered David and subdued his people under him (2 Samuel 15-19). "When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him" (Proverbs 16:7).

  2. He is astonished at God's love: "O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow" (verses 3,4). The psalmist expresses in these two verses his astonishment at the Lord's concern for him, and lists two descriptions of man:

    1. Man is a breath: This was the name given to Abel by Adam, for his name means breath or vapour. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). The wicked hurt him and sickness weakens him. "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath... each man is but a breath" (Psalm 39:5,11).

    2. Man is a shadow: The psalmist wonders at God's concern for man, who is but a shifting shadow, never staying in one place, and when it ends it leaves no trace behind. A shadow seems to be something, but it is actually nothing. Its existence depends on the light falling on an object. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4).

  3. He belongs to a God who grants him victory: "Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful" (verses 5-8). A breath or a shadow cannot defend itself, and there must be someone else to defend and preserve it. Only the Lord fits this description of a defender. When Pharaoh pursued the Israelites, they were hemmed in by the sea ahead of them and the enemy behind them, and there seemed to be no escape looming on the horizon. But Moses said to them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:13,14). And it was so.

    1. The Lord who granted victory: The exodus is an example of this. The Lord frightened the enemy and cut him down to size. He granted victory to His servants by His divine glory, bringing down a pillar of cloud, making use of the wind and commanding the sea to deliver the godly and destroy the violent. By His divine power He flashed lightning and scattered them. "He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils" (Psalm 18:14,15).

    2. The enemy who was defeated: The enemies came along like a sweeping stream, but the Lord said to those who feared Him, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you" (Isaiah 43:2). The enemies are strangers to the faith; Christ said about them, "The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me" (John 16:2,3). The right hand of the enemies is a false right hand. The right hand is lifted up for prayer, but the prayer of the enemies is false. It is also lifted up for confirming an oath, but the oaths and promises of the enemies are deceitful. Christ said to such enemies, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).

  4. He has confidence in divine victory: "I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you, to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword. Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful" (verses 9-11).

    1. A confidence expressed through singing: The psalmist was confident of the Lord's victory, so he prepared the people and composed a tune on a harp of ten strings. He walked in faith, not according to what his eyes could see, for faith sees what cannot be seen. Therefore he saw God's victory coming. "Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms" (James 5:13).

    2. Confidence resulting from past dealings: On recalling the past, the psalmist recognized that God saved David from the deadly sword, that is from the woes of war, as well as other leaders of His people. As a result his soul was reassured because "The eternal God is your refuge" (Deuteronomy 33:27).

    3. Confidence because the enemy is defeated: The psalmist was confident of the enemy's defeat because the enemy was wicked. The prayer he prayed as he lifted up his right hand was a hypocritical, insincere prayer because this same hand wielded the sword to slay the innocent. The right hand he lifted up to confirm an oath was also ready to swear falsely. Therefore he must be punished. "'No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,' declares the LORD" (Isaiah 54:17).

Second: The Psalmist Describes his Future
(verses 12-15)

The Lord had already promised blessing to His people if they listened to the voice of the Lord their God and obeyed it. He said, "You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed" (Deuteronomy 28:3-5). In these four verses we see the fulfilment of four blessings:

  1. Familial future (verse 12):

    1. Sons: "Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants" (verse 12a). As a result of the Lord's blessings and powerful providence for weak man, his sons become like plants grown up at the time of their youth. This was described by the psalmist in the Psalms of Ascents in this way, "Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth... Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table" (Psalm 127:3,4; 128:3). Sons are a real treasure; they are plants whose roots need to be grounded in good soil and suitable environment. They have the promise of a blessed future of growth, bloom and fruitfulness because they are watered by the living water. "Yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant" (Job 14:9).

    2. Daughters: "And our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace" (verse 12b). In this happy condition the daughters, who required little trouble to raise them, are like sculptured pillars that bind the roof of the house together in harmony and unity. The psalmist must have been thinking of the beautiful, strong pillars with their grandeur and stability that adorn palaces when he saw his beautiful daughters in their bright garments and golden ornaments, with their bodies growing strong from abundant food and good health. Perhaps the psalmist also recalled the Scripture, "O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold" (2 Samuel 1:24). It is good if the psalmist was thinking of physical health, but it is better if he was thinking of intelligence. And it is better if he was thinking of spiritual progress. Today's daughters are tomorrow's mothers. "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value" (Proverbs 31:10,11).

  2. Economical future: "Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields" (verse 13). When the Lord grants victory to His people, their threshing floors abound with wheat, barley and all sorts of grain. Sheep give birth in the fields, causing the animal wealth to increase. Here the psalmist makes a song similar to the song of the end of the agricultural year: "You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing" (Psalm 65:11-13).

  3. Secure future: "Our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets" (verse 14). The psalmist describes the glorious future of the people who are protected by the Lord as safe and secure. Their oxen carry big burdens from the fields to the barns without being attacked by raiders. Nobody attacks or breaks into another's house. Nobody lifts an outcry against another. All are content and secure. Each one sits under his vine and fig tree with complete assurance, as was the case under King Solomon (1 Kings 4:25). This fulfils David's promise, "The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11). "He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat" (Psalm 147:14). " 'And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be its glory within' " (Zechariah 2:5). "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

  4. Spiritual future: "Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD" (verse 15). The psalmist sees a wonderful spiritual future awaiting his people under the Lord's sovereignty: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance" (Psalm 33:12).

The Psalter started off with a beatitude (Psalm 1:1), just as Christ started His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3). How happy is the man who lives with the Lord, having given Him control over his life, for then the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount will apply to him. Christ started His ministry in Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, " 'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!' " (Mark 1:15). Let us, therefore, open our hearts to receive the good news of the gospel, and let our hearts be good soil to understand and receive the seed of God's word and produce fruit (Matthew 13:23).

Questions

  1. In verses 1,2 the psalmist describes his Lord with eight titles. Mention seven of them.

  2. How did the psalmist express his confidence in divine victory?

Psalm One Hundred and Forty-Five
I will Praise Your Name Forever

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.

5 They will speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.

11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

This psalm is the second of seven praise psalms that conclude the Psalter. It is the new song spoken of in Psalm 144:9: "I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you." The heart of this psalmist seems to have been filled with the concluding doxology of the Lord's prayer: "Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory." He praises the eternal King, the Creator of all mankind, who is praised and glorified by all, because He loves His creatures and graciously meets all their needs. The Jews used to sing this psalm three times a day: twice during morning worship and a third time during evening worship. The early church, as well, used to recite it in daytime before having lunch. Verses 15 and 16 were an essential part of the prayer of thanksgiving over meals: "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." Saint John Chrysostom used to recite this psalm while partaking of the Lord's communion, considering it to be the believer's spiritual nourishment. In Psalm 142 David poured out his complaint, in Psalm 143 he lifted up a prayer of repentance and in Psalm 144 he asked the Lord to teach him how to fight the enemy and to grant him victory so that he might sing a new song. Now in this psalm comes joy and exaltation of the Lord for how He rendered justice to the psalmist by heeding his complaint, forgiving his sin and granting him victory over the enemy.

Our present psalm is an acrostic, each verse beginning with a consequent letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It does not have a verse beginning with the letter "nun", though. (Both Psalms 25 and 34 are acrostics, yet they do not have the letter "waw".) Some commentators have remarked that acrostic psalms containing verses that have all the letters of the alphabet speak of the righteous who have completed the race and arrived at the triumphant church in heaven. The psalms missing a verse that begins with a letter of the alphabet, however, speak of the righteous on earth, the members of the church, who still strive in the service and for the glorification of God.

The psalm contains the following:

  • First: Praising the great God (verses 1-7)

  • Second: Praising the merciful God (verses 8-10)

  • Third: Praising the sovereign God (verse 11-13)

  • Fourth: Praising the generous God (verses 14-21)

First: Praising the Great God
(verses 1-7)

  1. Great in his kingship: "I will exalt you, my God the King" (verse 1a). The Lord is King over the entire world. He created all things, He looks after all things, He redeemed all men from their sins through Christ's atonement. David called to Him, "Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray" (Psalm 5:2). "Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary" (Psalm 68:24).

  2. Great in His perpetuity: "I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever" (verses 1b,2). He is there every day and until eternity. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end" (Daniel 6:26). Therefore "anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). The psalmist's praise to the Lord will not cease as long as he lives on earth, and he will go on to praise Him in heaven.

  3. Great in righteousness: "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom" (verse 3). The Lord is good and His mercy endures for ever. None deserves praise but Him and the greatness of His righteousness knows no limits; it surpasses description. "Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain" (Psalm 48:1). Eliphaz said about Him, "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted" (Job 5:9). After speaking of God's redemptive work and His faithfulness to His promises despite the faithlessness of His people, Paul said, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33).

  4. Great in working of wonders: "One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness" (verses 4-7). The Lord works wonders for His people every day, and therefore they "shall commend, tell and sing" as a people, just as the psalmist says He "will meditate and proclaim." Successive generations praise the Lord, both individually and as a group, for the miraculous deeds He has worked for their fathers, with confidence that He will work them with their children as well. Whenever the Israelites celebrated the Passover, the children would ask their parents, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" The parents would answer them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians" (Exodus 12:26,27). Moses said in his poem, "Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you" (Deuteronomy 32:7). The believer also says, "Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvellous deeds" (Psalm 71:17). Now Paul says, "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:9,10).

Second: Praising the Merciful God
(verses 8-10)

  1. His mercy is active: "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made" (verses 8,9). God had already declared His being merciful and gracious (Exodus 34:6). All the saints have repeated it in all ages. The psalmist made mention of it in Psalm 86:15 and 103:8; Nehemiah the governor repeated it in his prayer (Nehemiah 9:16,17), as well as the prophet Joel (Joel 2:13) and the prophet Jonah (4:2). God's mercy is not just feelings, but real and tangible acts. God shows mercy to the sinner by saving him, the wounded by comforting him and the perplexed by guiding him. The prophet Nahum said about Him, "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him" (Nahum 1:7). His mercy shows in its perfect majesty in redemption, for the Scriptures say, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--" (Romans 3:23-25). Again the Scriptures say, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins... But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:1,4,5).