This psalm was summarily attacked by my colored pencils…well…until the almost end. And if you read it you’ll understand what I mean. But I’ll save that for the next post. For now…
“praise from the upright is beautiful” (Ps 33:1) – The praise from the righteous touches the heart of God. It is beautiful. And it is here that David says to praise him with musical instruments, with shouts and new songs.
“Sing a new song to Him” (Ps 33:3) – For many churches new songs become an issue. But new doesn’t mean leaving the old. Both new and holding on to the classics is good for all.
“joyful shout” (Ps 33:3) – When was the last time you shouted joyfully to the Lord? Try it! There is a righteous, joyful shouting in worship.
“For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is trustworthy. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the LORD’s unfailing love” (Ps 33:4-5). I read this in context of today. A today where even God’s people have departed from his Word and make and defend unbelievable things on social media. In a world where Biblical truth is becoming more obsure, it’s good to remember the the word of the LORD is right and trustworthy. He also loves righteousnes and justice. Not the towing of party lines. But righteousness and justice. And that the earth is full of the LORD’s unfailing love? This is a good reminder. We see so much evil abounding. But his unfailing love is everywhere if we open our eyes to it.
“For he spoke, and it came into being–He commanded, and it came into existence” (Ps 33:9) – This jumped out to me today as I’ve been studying Mormonism lately. The LDS church erroneously teaches that father god and mother god had sex and that’s how things came to be. But it doesn’t answer how the first “god” came to be or the earth. Here it makes it plain.
“A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be delivered by great strength. The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power” (Ps 33:16-17). This is such a true word. Nations are not protected and saved by its military might. Every nation thinks so. But if one depends on military might alone, there will be dire consequences. History has shown us that repeatedly.
“We wait for Yahweh; He is our help and shield. For our hearts rejoice in Him because we trust in His holy name. May Your faithful love rest on us, Yahweh, for we put our hope in You” (Ps 33:20-22). Once again I’m struck by how much David encourages “waiting” and patience on the Lord’s working. He doesn’t always act quickly, but he always acts on time.
And then, there’s that one verse. I’ll save it for the next post.
