I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.
Parallel Translations
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I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.
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I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
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A Psalm of David. I will give Thee thanks with my whole heart, in the presence of the mighty will I sing praises unto Thee.
Cross-references (15)
Passages linked to Psalms 138:1 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 111:1 Praise Yah! I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation.
- Psalms 95:3 For Yahweh is a great God, a great King above all gods.
- 1 Corinthians 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
- Psalms 82:6 I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.
- Psalms 86:12-13 I will praise you, Lord my God, with my whole heart. I will glorify your name forever more. For your loving kindness is great toward me. You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.
- Psalms 96:4 For Yahweh is great, and greatly to be praised! He is to be feared above all gods.
- Psalms 119:46 I will also speak of your statutes before kings, and will not be disappointed.
- John 10:34-36 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’
- Psalms 9:1 I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart. I will tell of all your marvelous works.
- Psalms 82:1 God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.
- Psalms 103:1-2 Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits,
- Exodus 22:28 “You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
- Acts 23:5 Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
- Ephesians 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
- Hebrews 1:14 Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 1. I will praise thee with my whole heart…
1. I will praise thee with my whole heart As David had been honored to receive distinguishing marks of the divine favor, he declares his resolution to show more than ordinary gratitude. This is exercise which degenerates and is degraded in the case of hypocrites to a mere sound of empty words, but he states that he would return thanks to God not with the lips only, but with sincerity of heart, for by the whole heart, as we have elsewhere seen, is meant a heart which is sincere and not double. The noun אלהים, Elohim, sometimes means angels, and sometimes kings, and either meaning will suit with the passage before us. The praise David speaks of is that which is of a public kind. The solemn assembly is, so to speak, a heavenly theater, graced by the presence of attending angels; and one reason why the cherubim overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant was to let God’s people know that the angels are present when they come to worship in the sanctuary. We might very properly apply what is said here to kings, on account of their eminence in rank, as in Psalm 107:32, “Praise ye the Lord in the assembly of the elders” — that is, as we should say, in an assembly of an honored and illustrious kind. But I prefer the former sense, and this because believers in drawing near to God are withdrawn from the world, and rise to heaven in the enjoyment of fellowship with angels, so that we find Paul enforcing his address to the Corinthians upon the necessity of decency and order, by requiring them to show some respect at least in their public religious assemblies to the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:10.) The same thing was represented by God long before, under the figure of the cherubim, thus giving his people a visible pledge of his presence.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Even in the presence of Angels and of them…
Even in the presence of Angels and of them that have authority among men.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 138:1 « [A Psalm] of David. » I…
Psa 138:1 « [A Psalm] of David. » I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
Ver. 1. I will praise thee with my whole heart] Which no hypocrite can do; though he may pray in distress from the bottom of his heart. A grateful man is a gracious man, viz. if he come with a true heart, as the apostle hath it, Heb 10:22 (Aben Ezra).
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Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee] That is, before angels, who are present in holy assemblies, 1Co 11:10 (as was represented by those cherubims pictured in the temple), as also before princes and potentates, see Psa 138:4. (Kimchi).
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain 1. Before the angels, who were represented by the…
Either,
1. Before the angels, who were represented by the cherubims upon the ark, who are called gods, Psa 8:5; 97:7, compared with Heb 1:6; 2:7, who also are present in the congregations of God’s people, 1Co 11:10. Or rather,
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2. Before kings and princes, by comparing this with Psa 138:4, All kings (provoked by my example) shall praise thee; and with Psa 119:46, I will speak of thy testimonies before kings. And these are most commonly called gods in Scripture, as Exo 21:6; 22:9,28, compared with Deu 19:17. Besides, David mentions this as something singular and extraordinary, and designed by him; whereas the doing of this before the angels is common to all, and is unavoidably necessary.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain I. How he would praise God, compare Psa 111:1.…
I. How he would praise God, compare Psa 111:1. 1. He will praise him with sincerity and zeal - "With my heart, with my whole heart, with that which is within me and with all that is within me, with uprightness of intention and fervency of affection, inward impressions agreeing with outward expressions." 2. With freedom and boldness: Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee, before the princes, and judges, and great men, either those of other nations that visited him or those of his own nation that attended on him, even in their presence. He will not only praise God with his heart, which we may do by pious ejaculations in any company, but will sing praise if there be occasion. Note, Praising God is work which the greatest of men need not be ashamed of; it is the work of angels, the work of heaven. Before the angels (so some understand it), that is, in religious assemblies, where there is a special presence of angels, Co1 11:10. 3. In the way that God had appointed: I will worship towards thy holy temple. The priests alone went into the temple; the people, at the nearest, did but worship towards it, and that they might do at a distance. Christ is our temple, and towards him we must look with an eye of faith, as Mediator between us and God, in all our praises of him. Heaven is God's holy temple, and thitherward we must lift up our eyes in all our addresses to God. Our Father in heaven.
II. What he would praise God for. 1. For the fountain of his comforts - for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth, for thy goodness and for thy promise, mercy hidden in thee and mercy revealed by thee, that God is a gracious God in himself and has engaged to be so to all those that trust in him. For thou hast magnified thy word (thy promise, which is truth) above all thy name. God has made himself known to us in many ways in creation and providence, but most clearly by his word. The judgments of his mouth are magnified even above those of his hand, and greater things are done by them. The wonders of grace exceed the wonders of nature; and what is discovered of God by revelation is much greater than what is discovered by reason. In what God had done for David his faithfulness to his work appeared more illustriously, and redounded more to his glory, than any other of his attributes. Some good interpreters understand it of Christ, the essential Word, and of his gospel, which are magnified above all the discoveries God had before made of himself to the fathers. He that magnified the law, and made that honourable, magnifies the gospel much more. 2. For the streams flowing from that fountain, in which he himself had tasted that the Lord is gracious, Psa 138:3. He had been in affliction, and he remembers, with thankfulness, (1.) The sweet communion he then had with God. He cried, he prayed, and prayed earnestly, and God answered him, gave him to understand that his prayer was accepted and should have a gracious return in due time. The intercourse between God and his saints is carried on by his promises and their prayers. (2.) The sweet communications he then had from God: Thou strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. This was the answer to his prayer, for God gives more than good words, Psa 20:6. Observe, [1.] It was a speedy answer: In the day when I cried. Note, Those that trade with heaven by prayer grow rich by quick returns. While we are yet speaking God hears, Isa 65:24. [2.] It was a spiritual answer. God gave him strength in his soul, and that is a real and valuable answer to the prayer of faith in the day of affliction. If God give us strength in our souls to bear the burdens, resist the temptations, and do the duties of an afflicted state, if he strengthen us to keep hold of himself by faith, to maintain the peace of our own minds and to wait with patience for the issue, we must own that he has answered us, and we are bound to be thankful.
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III. What influence he hoped that his praising God would have upon others, Psa 138:4, Psa 138:5. David was himself a king, and therefore he hoped that kings would be wrought upon by his experiences, and his example, to embrace religion; and, if kings became religious, their kingdoms would be every way better. Now, 1. This may have reference to the kings that were neighbours to David, as Hiram and others. "They shall all praise thee." When they visited David, and, after his death, when they sought the presence of Solomon (as all the kings of the earth are expressly said to have done, Ch2 9:23), they readily joined in the worship of the God of Israel. 2. It may look further, to the calling of the Gentiles and the discipling of all nations by the gospel of Christ, of whom it is said that all kings shall fall down before him, Psa 72:11. Now it is here foretold, (1.) That the kings of the earth shall hear the words of God. All that came near David should hear them from him, Psa 119:46. In the latter days the preachers of the gospel should be sent into all the world. (2.) That then they shall praise God, as all those have reason to do that hear his word, and receive it in the light and love of it, Act 13:48. (3.) That they shall sing in the ways of the Lord, in the ways of his providence and grace towards them; they shall rejoice in God, and give glory to him, however he is pleased to deal with them in the ways of their duty and obedience to him. Note, Those that walk in the ways of the Lord have reason to sing in those ways, to go on in them with a great deal of cheerfulness, for they are ways of pleasantness, and it becomes us to be pleasant in them; and, if we are so, great is the glory of the Lord. It is very much for the honour of God that kings should walk in his ways, and that all those who walk in them should sing in them, and so proclaim to all the world that he is a good Master and his work its own wages.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain I will praise thee with my whole heart,.... Cordially…
I will praise thee with my whole heart,.... Cordially and sincerely, in the uprightness and integrity of his heart; which denotes not the perfection of his service, but the sincerity of it; his heart was in it, and his whole heart; all the powers and faculties of his soul were engaged in it, being deeply sensible of the great favours and high honours bestowed upon him; and though the object of praise, to whom he was obliged for them, is not so fully expressed; yet is easily understood to be Jehovah, the Being of beings, the Father of mercies, even Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, and especially the Messiah; see Psa 111:1;
before the gods will I sing praise unto thee; before the princes, as Jarchi; before the kings, as the Syriac version; with which agrees Psa 119:46; and who would join therein, Psa 138:4; or before the judges, as the Targum, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech; or civil magistrates, who are sometimes called gods, Psa 82:1; and they are the powers ordained of God, and represent him on earth; or the sanhedrim, as the Midrash; or before the gods of the Gentiles, those fictitious deities, above whom Jehovah is; and over whom the psalmist triumphs, having conquered the nations where they were worshipped; and therefore in their presence, and notwithstanding them, or in opposition to them, praised the Lord; see Psa 18:49; or rather before the ark, the symbol of the presence of the true God; or, as Gussetius (l) interprets it, "before thee, O God, will I sing praise"; or I will sing praise to thee, the Son the Messiah, one divine Person before another; the Son before God the Father, and it may be added before God the Holy Spirit, the two other divine Persons; the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions, render it, "before the angels", who are sometimes called gods, Psa 8:5; and who attend the assemblies of the saints and churches of Christ, Co1 11:10.
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(l) Comment. Ebr. p. 50.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain David praises God for his goodness, and foretells that…
David praises God for his goodness, and foretells that other kings will praise him, ver. 1-5. He rejoices in hope of still greater blessings, ver. 6-8. A psalm of David.
The gods - Before kings and princes.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain The psalmist praises the Lord for his mercies to…
PSALM CXXXVIII
The psalmist praises the Lord for his mercies to himself, 1-3.
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He foretells that the kings of the earth shall worship him,
4, 5.
God's condescension to the humble, 6.
The psalmist's confidence, 7, 8.
NOTES ON PSALM CXXXVIII
The Hebrew and all the Versions attribute this Psalm to David, and it is supposed to have been made by him when, delivered from all his enemies, he was firmly seated on the throne of Israel. As the Septuagint and Arabic prefix also the names of Haggai and Zechariah, it is probable that it was used by the Jews as a form of thanksgiving for their deliverance from all their enemies, and their ultimate settlement in their own land, after Ahasuerus, supposed by Calmet to be Darius Hystaspes, had married Esther, before which time they were not peaceably settled in their own country.
Verse 1. I will praise thee with my whole heart] I have received the highest favours from thee, and my whole soul should acknowledge my obligation to thy mercy. The Versions and several MSS. add יהוה Yehovah, "I will praise thee, O LORD," c.
Before the gods will I sing] נגד אלהים neged Elohim, "in the presence of Elohim" most probably meaning before the ark, where were the sacred symbols of the Supreme Being. The Chaldee has, before the judges. The Vulgate, before the angels. So the Septuagint, AEthiopic, Arabic, and Anglo-Saxon. The Syriac, Before kings will I sing unto thee. This place has been alleged by the Roman Catholics as a proof that the holy angels, who are present in the assemblies of God's people, take their prayers and praises, and present them before God. There is nothing like this in the text; for supposing, which is not granted, that the word elohim here signifies angels, the praises are not presented to them, nor are they requested to present them before God; it is simply said, Before elohim will I sing praise unto THEE. Nor could there be need of any intermediate agents, when it was well known that God himself was present in the sanctuary, sitting between the cherubim. Therefore this opinion is wholly without support from this place.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 138:1-2. I will praise thee with my whole…
Psa 138:1-2. I will praise thee with my whole heart — With uprightness of intention, and fervency of affection. Before the gods will I sing praises, &c. — Before kings and princes, or, before judges and great men, either those of other nations who visited him, or those of his own nation that attended on him. He will not only praise God in his heart, which he might do, by pious ejaculations, in any company, but will sing praise with his voice, if there should be occasion. I will worship toward thy holy temple — Where the ark was. He saith, toward it, because he was not permitted to enter into it. For thy loving-kindness and for thy truth — For thy goodness and for thy promises; 1st, For promising me singular blessings out of thy mere grace and favour; and, 2d, For performing thy promises most faithfully. For thou hast magnified thy word, &c. — Thou hast glorified thy faithfulness, in fulfilling thy promises unto me, more than any other of thy glorious perfections by which thou art known. Not that one of God’s attributes is really, and in itself, more great or glorious than another; or can be made so, but because one may be more celebrated and admired by men than another; as here, God’s gracious promise of the kingdom made to David, and the wonderful accomplishment thereof, in spite of all those difficulties which stood in the way, and which seemed to men to be insuperable, was, at this time, more observed and admired than any other of his attributes or actions.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain I will praise thee with my whole heart -…
I will praise thee with my whole heart - Reserving nothing m my heart to give to idols or to other gods. All that constitutes praise to God as God, he would address to him alone. He would use no language, and cherish no feeling, which implied a belief that there was any other God; he would indulge in no attachment which would be inconsistent with supreme attachment to God, or which would tend to draw away his affections from him. See the notes at Psa 9:1.
Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee - The idols; all idols; in preference to them all. This does not mean that he would do this in the presence of other gods; but that Yahweh should be acknowledged to be God in preference to any or all of them.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain Psalms 138
Psalms 138
A Psalm of David
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I will praise thee with my whole heart:
Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee,
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple,
And praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth:
For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me
And strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
When they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord:
For great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly;
But the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:
Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies,
And thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me:
Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever:
Forsake not the works of thine own hands.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Contents and Composition.—This Psalm consists of three strophes, moved by three closely connected thoughts: First, a vow is made by the Psalmist that he will praise God thankfully in His Church, for a great deed done for him in answer to prayer, by which a distinct promise previously given had been still more glorified (Psa_138:1-3). Next he predicts that all the kings of the earth, upon hearing of this, would thank the living God of Revelation for it, and would extol the ways of this exalted God and His glory, as made known in the manner in which He regards both the abased and the proud (Psa_138:4-6). Finally: he utters his assurance of the Divine help in time of need and against the anger of His foes, as the completion of the gracious work begun for him by God (Psa_138:7-8)
This creates the impression that both the person and the experiences of the Psalmist were deserving of public attention, and had enlisted it. It is further to be inferred that these conditions stand in connection with Divine promise and its fulfilment, exceeding all expectation, by Divine action, and consequently in connection with the history of redemption. It appears, still further, that these relations had a significance extending beyond the person of the Psalmist to the history of his kingdom, and beyond particular interests to those of the world. And it is manifest, lastly, that all that had already taken place was, on God’s part, but the beginning of a plan and course of working carried forwards with the certainty of fulfilment by the performance of deeds of mercy. Consequently the Psalm bears a prophetico-messianic character. How much its several features are appropriate to David, his experiences, and his position in the history of religion, does not, after our previous attempts to unfold them, require any special proof here. We therefore refer this Psalm not to Johannes Hyrcanus, (Hitzig), but to David, who is named in the superscription, and with whose Psalms many expressions are found to have points of coincidence. We are also of the opinion that it was not written by an unknown person who had David’s Psalms in mind, and uttered it as if from David’s personality, being a picture taken from 2 Samuel 7 (Delitzsch); but that it had David himself for its author, and that it was composed when he, after a victorious warfare, and elevated with the sense of his great destiny, did yet with humility give God the glory, and formed the purpose of building for Him a Temple instead of the Tabernacle upon Zion (Hengstenberg). It is uncertain whether the addition to the superscription in the Sept. and Vulg.: of Haggai and Zechariah, would refer the present recension of the Text to the prophets named (Köhler, Haggai, p. 33). These and the similar additions in other Psalms show, at all events, that in the opinion of the Seventy, the Psalm collection was not completed later than the time of Nehemiah (Delitzsch).
[Hengstenberg: “The Psalm belongs to that chain of Davidic Psalms which was called forth by the promise in 2 Samuel 7, and which rest upon it: Psalms 18, 21, 61, 101-103, 110. Comp. Psalms 72, 89, 132. That the promise here celebrated is no other than that, is as clear as day. Here as well as there the subject handled has respect to a blessing of surpassing greatness. Further, here as well as there, we have to do, not with a particular blessing, but with a chain of blessings reaching even to eternity, Psa_138:8. Finally, the promise has here the same subject as there. If the Psalm refers to the promise in 2 Samuel 7, there can be no doubt of the correctness of the superscription which assigns it to David. For he on whom the promise has been conferred, himself stands forth as the speaker. There is a proof also that the author was David, in the union, so characteristic of him, of bold courage (see especially Psa_138:3) and deep humility (see Psa_138:6). And in proof of the same comes, finally, the near relationship in which it stands to the other Psalms of David.”—J. F. M.]
Psa_138:1. In presence of Elohim.—[E. V.: before the gods]. These words are certainly intended to set forth the publicity and solemnity of the praise rendered to Jehovah, and probably also the exultation proceeding from the joy of victory. For in the first place the expression is not: before the face of, but נֶגֶד, which, with the idea of presence, combines that of the person opposite. In the second place Elohim does not refer to the angels (Sept., Luth., Calv., J. H. Michaelis, Rosenmüller) which is a very rare sense (see on Psa_29:1). Nor does it designate God throned upon the ark as parallel to the sacred places of worship mentioned immediately thereafter (Drusius, De Wette, Ewald, Olshausen); but either the rulers as earth-gods [powerful ones of earth], Psa_82:1, comp. Psa_45:7; Psa_89:28; Psa_119:46; 2Sa_7:9 (Rabbins, Flaminius, Geier, Bucer, Clericus, Delitzsch), or the gods of the nations (Aquila, Symmachus, Jerome, Köster, Hengst., Hupf., Hitzig), which are then regarded as being able to do nothing like those things which God does for His own, and as only evincing their impotence to the shame of their worshippers. [The last named view is supported by Perowne and Alexander, and most Engl. expositors, and has, it may be presumed, the common consent of uncritical readers. Wordsworth and Noyes are undecided as to the application.—J. F. M.]
Psa_138:2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.—This mode of expression, which does not occur elsewhere, has in some cases called forth very forced explanations. It gave such offence to Clericus that this learned critic preferred, in place of שְׁמֶךָ, to read שָׁמֶיךָ, as in Psa_8:4 : thy heavens (comp. Psa_108:5; Psa_113:4; Psa_119:89). But the sentence is not so distorted (Hupfeld) that a transposition of עַל־כָּל must be resorted to (Kimchi), giving the sense: Thy name above all Thy word, i.e., Thou hast glorified it above all promises. It is certainly inadmissible to translate: Thou hast glorified thy name above all through Thy word (Luth., Calvin), or: according to Thy word (Venema) or: and Thy word (Flaminius, Döderlein), even if the pointing עַל כֹּל be chosen. But if we do not disallow so sweepingly as Hupfeld has done the historical allusions, it becomes no arbitrary limitation, but an interpretation consistent with those events, to understand this passage not to relate to the totality of all the possible names of God, or to His revelation of His nature, but to everything by which He had hitherto made for Himself a name and established a memorial, and that not to the word of God generally, but to a special promise. There remain then only two points undecided: first, whether this promise is to be regarded as the one celebrated in 2 Samuel 7, or as another also historically and religiously significant; secondly, whether the exalting, glorifying, and magnifying relates to this promise as such (Hengstenberg, Delitzsch) or to its fulfilment (Geier, J. H. Michaelis, Köster, Olshausen, Ewald, Hitzig). Since the giving of such a promise is also a great deed on the part of God, no decision can be arrived at from the word itself, which, besides, occurs in different applications in the prophecy in 2 Samuel 7. Nor is there more light thrown on the question by the following sentences viewed separately. But if we view the whole Psalm as a unit, and in the light of 2 Samuel 7, then the reference to the promise sought for is readily perceived. This promise of the eternal dominion of David’s family is then in Psa_138:3 declared by him to be the Divine answer to his prayer (Hengstenberg) Psa_21:3; Psa_21:5; Psa_61:6; and has filled his soul with lofty courage and strength in reliance upon God’s word (Psa_18:30), of whose efficiency he had already during his life experienced so very many proofs. [Translate Psa_138:3 b: Thou hast made me courageous in my soul with strength.—J. F. M.]
Psa_138:4-6. The words of the mouth of Jehovah (Psa_138:4) are thus not God’s word in general (Hupfeld) nor, specially, the Gospel after the intervening fulfilment (many of the older expositors) but this promise itself, both before and after its fulfilment, which is here viewed as one that is in course of actual realization through God’s guiding and disposing power. For the ways of God (Psa_138:5) are not the commands according to which, or the ways in which, the converted kings of the Gentile world walk, (Hengstenberg after the older expositors), but the dealings of God which will form the subject of even their praise (Chald., Syr., and most). [Translate Psa_138:5 : They shall sing of the ways, etc. Psa_138:6. Perowne:He knoweth afar off. This is the only proper rendering of the clause; but the expression is somewhat remarkable. (1). It has been explained by reference to Psa_139:2, which would mean, God knows (observes) the proud, distant as they may think themselves to be from His control. (2). But it seems rather to mean, God knows (regards) them only at a distance, does not admit them into His fellowship; He does not ‘see’ them as He seeth the humble. (3). Or it would be possible to explain: He knows them so as to keep them at a distance.”—J. F. M.]
Psa_138:8. The works of God’s hands, from which God will not cease, and in whose performance He will not remit His working, are the historical acts and provisions of His gracious working and disposing. To those belong also even the elevation of David to the kingdom from a low position, his deliverance from the persecutions of Saul and the like proud enemies, and the gift of a blessed posterity. The word אַל in the last line, expressing denial, indicates the inward emotion, the subjective interest felt by the speaker.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
With us men everything is piece-work, but God lets nothing be half done. He fulfils His purposes completely.—Alas how hard it is to find pleasure in God’s ways, in those which His law enjoins upon us, and in those in which His hand leads us!—The conversion of the world as the gracious work of God and the believing hope of His servants.
Luther: Christ’s ruling is to sit on high and to help the abased.
Starke: The less we pray, the more unskilful we become in prayer, the more are our hearts filled with vain, worldly thoughts, and the less inclination do we discover in ourselves to pray and praise.—Up, dear soul, what though thou hast once complained like Israel? Psa_137:1, sing now once more a song of joy to the Lord; thou hast been pressed also like a grape, give forth thy sweet juice.—He who undismayed confesses Jesus before the mighty of the earth, and has thus fixed his hope in God, has then sung a hymn of praise before the gods.—Goodness and faithfulness are the foundations of our faith; goodness has won salvation and blessedness for us poor sinners, and faithfulness preserves us in the enjoyment of them.—None know how much the prayer for spiritual strength can give, but those who have experienced it.—Lowliness and humility are the court-dress of God; He who wears them will please Him well.—The more highly man exalts himself the further he departs from God. How many of the proud have found that out to their cost!—God changes not in goodness and faithfulness, how great soever distress and afflictions may be.—The life of believers is like an unsafe road, which is infested everywhere with robbers and murderers.—But let not your courage fail, God needs only to stretch out His hand and they are beaten back, while we are saved.—He who knows no sorrow will not receive God’s strength. It is not until we suffer that we know how God revives and saves.—As a good artificer does not leave his work until he has finished and completed it, so will God carry on His work begun in thee, until the day of Jesus Christ. Entrust that to Him.
Frisch: God gives Himself fully to us men; it is therefore just that we, in return, should yield up our whole heart to His service and glory. God bestows upon us not only domestic but public good; then again, it is right and just that we should praise Him not only in the silence of our hearts, but in public, and before all the world.—Guenther: From faith, love; in love the true thanksgiving.—He who does not experience in himself what a daily answer to prayer brings with it, does not believe it; and he who will not make trial of it with Christ, does not experience it.—Taube: The Lord will complete for me! That is the most beautiful and profound expression of faith, the joyous exhibition of the title-deed of the great inheritance.
[Matt. Henry: Christ is our Temple, and towards Him we must look with an eye of faith, as the Mediator between God and man, in all our praises of Him.—The Psalmist had been in affliction and remembers with thankfulness: (1) the sweet communion he then had with God; (2) sweet communication he then had from God.—If God give us strength in our souls to bear the burdens, resist the temptations, and do the duties of an afflicted state; if He strengthen us to keep hold of Himself by faith, to maintain the peace of our own minds, and to wait patiently for the issue, we must own that He hath answered us, and are bound to be thankful.—Those that walk in the ways of God, have reason to sing in those ways.—Scott: In performing His promises God more magnifies His perfections than in all His other works; of which He has given us an illustrious specimen and earnest in sending the promised Saviour.—Barnes: Prayer is one of the means—and an essential means—by which the saints are to be kept unto salvation. The doctrine of the “perseverance of the saints” is not inconsistent with prayer, but rather prompts to it.—J. F. M.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 1. Before the gods—Certainly not the heathen idols, which…
1. Before the gods—Certainly not the heathen idols, which are contemptuously called nothings. See on Psa_96:5. “Before the gods,” means in their presence. Clearly this is an instance where אלהים, eloheem, denotes princes, kings, dignitaries, and should read: “Before the princes or kings,” etc. See on Psa_82:1; Psa_82:6. Compare Joh_10:34-35
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 1. I will give thanks unto thee with my…
1. I will give thanks unto thee with my whole heart] Cp. Psa_9:1. There is no need for the Psalmist to mention the name of Him Whom he addresses. The Ancient Versions, however, insert O Lord, after thee, and the P.B.V. follows them.
before the gods] The Psalmist stands face to face with the might of the heathen world, apparently under the patronage and protection of powerful gods, but the sight does not shake his fidelity to Jehovah. It is not to be supposed that he would have admitted that these gods had a real existence; he speaks of them only as they existed in the minds of their worshippers; practically it is before those worshippers that he proclaims his faith. Cp. Psa_95:3; Psa_96:4-5. The LXX, probably fearing to seem to attribute a real existence to heathen gods, renders Elôhîm by angels (cp. Psa_97:7); but beautiful and solemn as is the thought that the angels are spectators of man’s worship, Elôhîm can hardly bear that meaning here. The Targ. renders it judges, the Syr. kings, giving a good sense (cp. Psa_119:46); but though the title Elôhîm is applied to judges in Psa_82:1; Psa_82:6, where they are spoken of as representatives of God, there would be no special fitness in the use of the word here.
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will I sing praise] will I make melody: sing psalms of praise, as in Psa_101:1, and elsewhere. Some texts of the LXX, and the Vulg., add because thou hast heard the words of my mouth after the first line, others at the end of the verse. It is a gloss suggested by Psa_138:4.
2 a. A reminiscence of Psa_5:7.
and give thanks unto thy name … for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name] By the accomplishment of His promises Jehovah has surpassed all previous revelations of Himself. The expression, however, is a strange one; possibly thy word is a gloss, and we should read thou hast magnified thy name above all things[85]. The P.B.V., thou hast magnified thy name and thy word above all things (derived from Münster, ‘Magnificasti supra omnia nomen tuum et eloquium tuum’) involves a harsh asyndeton.
[85] The reading of the Massora, כֹּל־ not כָּל־, is a reminiscence of this construction of the sentence. The Maqqçph should be omitted.
1–3. Thanksgiving for Jehovah’s manifestation of His lovingkindness and truth in the fulfilment of His promises.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (1) Before the gods.—Undoubtedly, as in Psa_82:1 : “before…
(1) Before the gods.—Undoubtedly, as in Psa_82:1 : “before the great” or “mighty.” (Comp. Psa_119:46, “before kings.”)
Sing praise.—Rather, play.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain A CLUSTER of Davidical psalms (Psalm 138-145) here follows.…
A CLUSTER of Davidical psalms (Psalm 138-145) here follows. It is not easy to trace any single line of thought connecting them all, or to explain how they come to be so entirely separated from the great bulk of the Davidical psalms. The first two are, in the main, psalms of praise; the next four, psalms of supplication (Psalm 140-143); in Psalm 146, praise and supplication are blended; while in Psalm 145 praise again forms the main, if not the sole, topic of the composition. It is a fanciful exegesis, which sees in all the eight psalms reflections upon the promise made to David in 2Sa 7.
I will praise thee with my whole heart. (comp. Psa_9:1 Psa_111:1) Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. Some suppose the expression, "before the gods," to mean "before the great ones of the earth," and quote Psa_119:46 as parallel. Others think that the imaginary vain gods of the heathen are intended.
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Vers. 1-8. The goodness of God.
There are very few psalms where so much is crowded into a very small compass as in this. The writer in a very few strokes brings out those features in the character of God which make him to be the One who is worthy of our deepest reverence, of our fullest confidence, of our most grateful praise. We have
I HIS LOVING-KINDNESS. (Ver. 2)
II HIS FAITHFULNESS. (Ver. 2) The psalmist gives thanks for "thy truth," and goes on to say that God has done that for him which more than fulfils his word of promise. (see Jos_23:14) It is not only in the ordering of our outward life, but in his dealing with us in the gospel of his Son, that "God is faithful". (1Co_1:9) It is "he that is true" who speaks to us from heaven, (see Rev_3:7) and summons us to his service and to his friendship. It is the unvarying testimony of Christian men, as their course closes, that their Divine Lord has been faithful to them, working in them and doing for them all that he had promised to them.
III THE CONDITIONS OF HIS FELLOWSHIP. (Ver. 6) There is nothing more explicitly revealed, both in Old Testament and New, than this doctrine of humility. Throughout Scripture, pride is presented to us as the insuperable obstacle blocking the way to the favor of God: humbleness of heart is held before us as the very gateway of his kingdom. We can see the reason why it should be so.
1. It is the truth. When we take a high view of ourselves, we see ourselves in a false light; when a lowly view, we see ourselves as we are.
2. It is the one way to the admission of Divine wisdom. The haughty heart will not listen when God speaks; the humble heart is open and receptive.
3. It is the necessary condition of receiving Jesus Christ as our Divine Savior. He came "not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." It was the complacent Pharisee who stood aloof from him, and who rejected his doctrine; it was the consciously unworthy who "drew nigh unto him for to hear him", (Luk_15:1) and who "went into the kingdom" before the self-righteous and the respectable. Hence we find our Lord beginning his public teaching with the Beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"; (Mat_5:3) hence we have his word, "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted". (Mat_23:12; and see Mat_18:3)
4. To be lowly minded is to be like our Lord himself. (Mat_11:29 Php_2:7-9)
IV HIS SUSTAINING AND REVIVING GRACE. (Vers. 3-7) In the day of our trouble we "cry unto the Lord." It is an instinct of our religious nature. (see Ps 107) It is the natural refuge of the devout. (Psa_46:1) It is in accordance with the Divine desire. (Psa_50:15) His promise (and his performance) is to sustain our spirit, to "strengthen us with strength in our soul." We think that we cannot possibly endure the weight of the afflictions that press upon us; but he makes us to know "the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe;" he "revives us," he renews our hope, our confidence, our courage; he "girds us with all-sufficient grace" for the task we have to undertake, for the suffering we are called to bear. The "morning of joy" which is promised us may be a long way off; many dark hours may have to pass before that will dawn; but during the night of sorrow he will "give us songs," he will sustain our spirit, he will make us to glory in infirmity," because "Christ"s own power rests upon us." There is a more signal proof of his Divine power and goodness than that which, perhaps, in human weakness, we prefer, viz.
V HIS DELIVERING GRACE. (Ver. 7, latter part.) For God does sometimes, and indeed often, interpose on behalf of his children. His "right hand," the right hand of his power and of his righteousness, is laid, not then and there on our souls to revive, but on the enemy to subdue him, or on the tangled events to undo them, on the reduced circumstances to raise and restore them. One touch of that wise, strong hand the touch of a link in the chain far out of sight and the trouble is over. It is right for us to ask this of God, whatever be the trial through which we are passing; but we must ask reverently, and in the spirit of obedience, quite ready to find that he will not take away the cross, but give us strength to bear it.
VI THE CONTINUOUSNESS AND COMPLETENESS OF HIS WORK WITHIN US. (Ver. 8)
1. We are God"s workmanship. (Eph_2:10 1Co_3:9 2Co_5:5) It is he that hath made us what we are "in Christ Jesus." It is his Spirit that has "renewed us in the spirit of our mind." Our repentance, our faith, our peace and rest of heart, our hope of heaven, our interest in the work of God, our readiness or eagerness to serve in the vineyard of Christ, all this is, we gratefully own, the work of God within us.
2. We may count on its continuance. God will not forsake the work of his own hands. If he "pronounces good" the objects in nature, which are the product of his skill and power, how much more will he be pleased with the cleansed heart, with the renewed will, with the obedient spirit of his own child! He will not leave that to be lost on the waste; he will not abandon that to the mercy of wind and wave. We may and must ask his continued care of us, his guardianship and guidance and replenishment; but, thus asking for it, we may count confidently upon it.
3. We may look with a firm hope to the completion of his work in us; he will "perfect that which concerneth us." His interest in us, his kindness toward us, will not lessen as we live our life in him and before him. As we grow into his image, and as we do his work more faithfully and effectively, his love will not lessen nor his grace slacken. This will "endure forever." It will follow us all the way, until we are "perfected in Christ;" until we are "meet for the Master"s use" in a higher and larger sphere. For that post in his heavenly kingdom which he will have ready for us we may feel sure that he is fitting us, not only by abounding privilege and wise discipline, but by gracious influences from his Holy Spirit. The goodness of God has large issues.
4. Its effect on the enlightened mind is whole-hearted praise (vers. 1, 2). A deep sense of all that God is to us, and of all that we are to him, fills our heart and constrains us to fervent and to public devotion. Whatever is meant particularly by the words, "before the gods," we may be sure that the psalmist intended to speak of public worship. He would not be satisfied with a thankful and loving spirit, good and right as that was; he would proclaim to all his sense of the loving-kindness and the faithfulness of Jehovah. Full and fearless expression is one part of sacred duty.
5. Its effect on those who stand without is correspondingly great. "The Lord hath done great things for them," said the Babylonian witnesses. (Psa_126:2) If we will so submit ourselves to Divine influences that our lives bear the mark and impress of God"s hand, there will be excited in the minds of those outside the Church of Christ a wondering admiration of the power of the gospel, and they, too, will join in praising God!
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY Vers. 1-8. Exultation in God.
What a contrast between this psalm and the previous one! There the sad-hearted writer asks, "How can we sing?" Here the psalmist can and will do nothing but sing. The effect of this spirit is seen throughout the psalm.
I IT WILL OPENLY CONFESS GOD. (Vers. 1, 2) "Before the gods," meaning, we think, those high princes and potentates god-like in their majesty, power, and in the abject homage and deference that men paid to them under whose authority and oppression they had so long lived. The den of lions, the burning fiery furnace, had hitherto been the penalty which had to be paid, did any man dare to praise Jehovah in the presence of these mighty kings. But it had been done all the same; and here the psalmist declares he will do it again. And, indeed, the spirit of praise is irrepressible. It must tell out its gladness in God.
II AND WILL DECLARE THE REASON WHY.
1. Because of the Lords loving-kindness." (Ver. 2) We do not know what special instance of this called forth the praise here expressed; but he whose eyes are opened of the Lord to mark his loving-kindness will never lack loving-kindness to mark.
2. His "truth." The Lord"s fidelity to his Word. What he promised he performed. How unbelieving we too often are! Yet those who have trusted the Lord have never had cause to regret their doing so.
3. And this in so emphatic and extraordinary a manner. "Thou hast magnified thy Word," etc. The Lord"s name and renown for fidelity were great already, and had led to high expectation; but what the Lord had done had surpassed all expectation it had been "above all thy Name.
4. And this had been a matter of the psalmist"s own personal experience. (Ver. 3) Whether or no the particular burden, for relief from which he had cried unto the Lord, had been taken away, we do not know; but if, as is so often the case, it had not, there had been given strength to bear it strengthenedst me," etc. One way or the other, the cry of the believer is heard, and either the trouble itself is removed, or grace sufficient, not only to bear it, but to enable us to glory in it, is given instead; and this, surely, is the better of the two. And all this the psalmist had himself experienced. (2Co_12:9)
III WILL CONFIDENTLY EXPECT GREAT BLESSING AS THE RESULT OF HIS TESTIMONY. (Vers. 4, 5) Kings, not merely common people, but kings a very unlikely class shall be moved by it. They shall come away from the paths of sin into the ways of the Lord; they shall be really converted. And, what is more, they shall "sing in" those ways; they shall rejoice and be glad. And such confident expectation will ever result from this spirit.
IV WILL DISCLAIM ALL WORTH AND GOODNESS OF ITS OWN, (Ver. 6) He confesses that he is one of the lowly ones, and that it is all of the Lord"s condescension that he has been noticed at all.
V WILL GO FORWARD WITHOUT FEAR. (Ver. 7)
1. Of trouble; even though he walk in the midst of it; for God will revive him.
2. Of his enemies; for God will save him.
3. Of personal failure; for (ver. 8) "the Lord will perfect," etc. He might, and probably would, fail; but God will not allow of that.
VI BUT WILL NOT, THEREFORE, PRESUME. Instead of this, the psalm ends with the humble prayer, "Forsake not the works," etc. Such are some of the blessed fruits of the spirit of exultation in God. Let us cherish it more by confession, by trust, by personal experience. S.C.
Vers. 1-3. Valiant for the Lord.
The Septuagint ascribes this psalm to Haggai or Zechariah. It can hardly be by David. But it was by some greatly tried but triumphant saint.
I SEE HOW HE STANDS UP FOR GOD. Note his boldness. Not only would he praise God with his whole heart, but he would do this in the very face, in the teeth as it were, of the heathen gods; so would he defy and scorn them whilst honoring the Lord in whom he trusted. So would he strengthen his faith and love, as by such valiant confession they ever are strengthened. Compare Daniel worshipping towards the temple.
II AND VINDICATES GOD"S INSULTED ATTRIBUTES HIS LOVING-KINDNESS AND HIS TRUTH. These were insulted when Israel was in exile; the heathen would laugh at the idea of these Jews being the objects of God"s loving-kindness, as they affirmed they were; and where was the truth of God, seeing that they were so very far from realizing the promises of God? But this saint of God declares that he will praise the Lord for these very things; be declares that God had helped and strengthened him, and shown to him his loving-kindness, etc. And this beyond all that even the great Name of God had led him to expect. For next he
III ASSERTS THE HONOR OF HIS WORD. Many aver that God is glorious in nature, in the visible works of his hands; but that his Word often seems to have failed. But the psalmist says, No; so far from failing or falling short, God has "magnified his Word above," etc. True, there is glory in nature (Psalm 19). But there is more in God"s Word. For it speaks with clearer voice, with no need of interpreter, as nature needs; its revelation is far more complete and effectual.
IV AND GRATEFULLY DECLARES WHEREFORE HE DOES ALL THIS. For he has put his faith in God to practical test. He cried unto the Lord, and then and there, that very day, "the Lord answered him, and strengthened," etc. This was matter of actual experience. He knew this, did not dream it, or tell of it as a mere theory. Oh the power of personal testimony! We cannot be valiant for the Lord unless we have it. But why should we not? We may. S.C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK Ver. 1. Unity, entireness, and sincerity in worship.
"With my whole heart." The tenor and tone of the psalm suggest the authorship of Zerubbabel or of Nehemiah. Some important success had evidently been just gained; but there was still grave cause for anxiety. Some work of pressing need was seriously impeded. We can easily fit this into the times and experiences of Nehemiah. There was, consequently, the temptation to mingle fears with trust, and offer to God thanksgivings and praises that were imperfect, incomplete, the expression of the "divided heart." And oftentimes in life the godly man is placed in such a position as is represented in this psalm. He has received some sign of the Divine favor which calls for praise and encourages trust; and yet he cannot shut his eyes to the fact that this intervention of God has only lifted the fringe of his difficulties. They hang heavy about him still; and he can hardly keep hack the repining that God does not deal with the big things that trouble him. So his praise is in danger of being half-hearted. The psalmist indicates what the good man should do at such times. He should fully learn what God would teach by the single blessing, and, letting trust blend with thanksgiving, praise God with his whole heart.
I PRAISE WITH THE WHOLE HEART IS PRAISE WITHOUT RESERVE. How reserve may spoil prayer we are often pointing out. It is illustrated in St. Augustine"s prayer, "Lord, convert me, but not yet!" It is not so often seen that reserve may spoil praise. We may praise for something; but feel we cannot praise for everything. We may praise formally, and reserve heart-feeling. We may praise as duty, and yet keep doubts and questionings as to God"s perfect wisdom and goodness in our hearts. Our praises are usually left to take their chance. We do not assure ourselves that we have praise-feelings, and worthy ones, before we offer praise or unite in offering it. And yet praise needs culture quite as truly as prayer.
II PRAISE WITH THE WHOLE HEART IS PRAISE WITHOUT GUILE. Conscious guile absolutely spoils praise; makes it unworthy and even offensive to God. The consciously insincere man is rejected. "Thy heart is not right with God;" and there can he no acceptance of thy worship. But what the godly man has to fear is "unconscious, unrecognized" insincerity; a guile that he does not suspect, and so lets go, lets it do its evil work in spoiling his praise. R.T.
The term "gods" as a synonym for "great ones.
The allusion may be to the rulers of Israel. (Psa_119:46) The "Speaker"s Commentary," however, thinks the meaning can only be this, "Before, or in presence of, the gods of the heathen, i.e. in scorn of, in sight of, the idols, who can do nothing, I will praise Jehovah, who does miracles for me and his people." Jennings and Lowe prefer the rendering, "before the national Elohim," or great men; meaning that, even before persons high in office, in whose presence he would be naturally abashed, he will declare the praise of his Deliverer, Jehovah. It is not easy to fit these words into the experience of an Israelite among his own people. Such a man was not in the least likely to speak of the elders, princes, and statesmen of his own nation as gods. That term does not suit the Hebrew mind or association. But if we could fix the psalm as Nehemiah"s, and connect it with his success in securing the permission of the king to go to Jerusalem and this he regarded as a remarkable answer to his prayer then the term "gods" may well enough be applied to the princes, councilors, courtiers, and great men of Babylon, to whom Nehemiah"s commission would be known, and before whom he would testify that God had heard his prayer, and made the way plain for him. Nehemiah would call the princes of Judah his brethren; he might well call the princes of Babylon, with a tinge of satire, "gods.
I WHEREVER A MAN IS, THERE HE IS TO WITNESS FOR GOD BY PRAISING HIM. It is an absolute and ever-working law that there can no more be religious life without outward expression than there can be life in the seed without a blade thrusting through the soil. And the natural, necessary, and ever-influential expression of the religious life is prate the praise of God. That
(1) tells the sincerity of the religious life; and
(2) tells the character of the religious life; and
(3) tells the worthiness and winsomeness of him who is both the Love and the Life of the godly man.
So praise is testimony, and the most persuasive of testimonies.
II WHEREVER A MAN IS, THERE CAN BE NO CONDITIONS ALLOWED TO RESTRAIN PRAISE. He may be among great men and fear. But then he must praise, only he must be wise in his praise. He may be among scoffers. Still he must praise, only he must he judicious in his praise. There is in relation to praise a being "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain A Psalm of David. This Psalm is wisely placed.…
A Psalm of David. This Psalm is wisely placed. Whoever edited and arranged these sacred poems, he had an eye to apposition and contrast; for if in Ps 137:1-9 we see the need of silence before revilers, here we see the excellence of a brave confession. There is a time to be silent, lest we cast pearls before swine; and there is a time to speak openly, lest we be found guilty of cowardly not confessing. The Psalm is evidently of a Davidic character, exhibiting all the fidelity, courage, and decision of that King of Israel and Prince of Psalmists. Of course the critics have tried to rend the authorship from David on account of the mention of the temple, though it so happens that in one of the Psalms which is allowed to be David's the same word occurs. Many modern critics are to the word of God what blowflies are to the food of men: they cannot do any good, and unless relentlessly driven away they do great harm.
In full confidence David is prepared to own his God before the gods of the heathen, or before angels or rulers (Ps 138:1-3); he declares that he will instruct and convert kings and nations, till on very highway men shall sing the praises of the Lord (Ps 138:4-5). Having thus spoken, he utters his personal confidence in Jehovah, who will help his lowly servant, and preserve him from all the malice of wrathful foes.
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Ver. 1. I will praise thee with my whole heart. His mind is so taken up with God that he does not mention his name: to him there is no other God, and Jehovah is so perfectly realized and so intimately known, that the Psalmist, in addressing him, no more thinks of mentioning his name than we should do if we were speaking to a father or a friend. He sees God with his mind's eye, and simply addresses him with the pronoun "thee." He is resolved to praise the Lord, and to do it with the whole force of his life, even with his whole heart. He would not submit to act as one under restraint, because of the opinions of others; but in the presence of the opponents of the living God he would be as hearty in worship as if all were friends and would cheerfully unite with him. If others do not praise the Lord, there is all the more reason why we should do so, and should do so with enthusiastic eagerness. We need a broken heart to mourn our own sins, but a whole heart to praise the Lord's perfections. If ever our heart is whole and wholly occupied with one thing, it should be when we are praising the Lord.
Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. Why should these idols rob Jehovah of his praises? The Psalmist will not for a moment suspend his songs because there are images before him, and their foolish worshippers might not approve of his music. I believe David referred to the false gods of the neighbouring nations, and the deities of the surviving Canaanites. He was not pleased that such gods were set up; but he intended to express at once his contempt of them, and his own absorption in the worship of the living Jehovah by continuing most earnestly to sing wherever he might be. It would be paying these dead idols too much respect to cease singing because they were perched aloft. In these days when new religions are daily excogitated, and new gods are set up, it is well to know how to act. Bitterness is forbidden, and controversy is apt to advertise the heresy; the very best method is to go on personally worshipping the Lord with unvarying zeal, singing with heart and voice his royal praises. Do they deny the Divinity of our Lord? Let us the more fervently adore him. Do they despise the atonement? Let us the more constantly proclaim it. Had half the time spent in councils and controversies been given to praising the Lord, the church would have been far sounder and stronger than she is at this day. The Hallelujah Legion will win the day. Praising and singing are our armour against the idolatries of heresy, our comfort under the depression caused by insolent attacks upon the truth, and our weapons for defending the gospel. Faith when displayed in cheerful courage, has about it a sacred contagion: others learn to believe in the Most High when they see his servant
"Calm `mid the bewildering cry,
Confident of victory."
Ps 138:1-145:21. These eight Psalms are composed in the first person, and they follow very happily after the fifteen "Songs of Up goings", and the three Psalms of praise uttered by the chorus of those who have gone up to Sion. Those Psalms were the united utterances of national devotion. These eight Psalms are the devout Israelite's Manual of private prayer and praise. Christopher Wordsworth.
Whole Psalm. This is the first of a series of eight Psalms (Ps 138:1-145:21), probably the last composed by David, a kind of commentary on the great Messianic promise in 2Sa 7:1-29. They are found in this part of the psalter, in consequence of having been made the basis, or rather the body, of a system or series (Ps 135:1-146:10) by a later writer. Joseph Addison Alexander.
Whole Psalm. If this Psalm refers to the promise in 2Sa 7:1-29, there can be no doubt of the correctness of the superscription, which ascribes it to David. For he, on whom the promise has been conferred, himself stands forth as the speaker. Proof also of David's authorship is found in the union, so characteristic of him, of bold courage, see especially Ps 138:3, and deep humility, see Ps 138:6. And in proof of the same comes, finally, the near relationship in which it stands with the other Psalms of David, especially those which likewise refer to the promise of the everlasting kingdom; and with David's thanksgiving in 2Sa 7:1-29, the conclusion of which remarkably agrees with the conclusion of our Psalm: "And now, Lord God, the word which thou hast spoken upon thy servant and upon his house, that fulfil even to eternity, and do as thou hast spoken." E.W. Hengstenberg.
Ver. 1. I will praise thee with my whole heart. It is a part of our thankfulness to engage our heart to praise God in time to come, since we find that all the thanks we can give for the present are short of our duty or desire to praise him: "I will praise thee", saith David. Sometimes the believer will find his heart set at liberty in God's worship, which at another time he will find to be in bands, and then he should take the opportunity of an enlarged heart to run in the way of God's service, as David doth here: "I will praise thee with my whole heart." David Dickson.
Ver. 1. I will praise thee. Up, dear soul! What though thou hast once complained like Israel of thy captivity in Babylon, Ps 137:1, yet now sing once more a song of joy to the Lord. Thou hast been pressed like a cluster of grapes, now give forth thy ripe juice. Christoph Starke.
Ver. 1. I will praise thee. Alas, for that capital crime of the Lord's peoplebarrenness in praises! Oh, how fully I am persuaded that a line of praises is worth a leaf of prayer, and an hour of praises is worth a day of fasting and mourning! John Livingstone, 1603-1672.
Ver. 1. With my whole heart. This expression, as in Ps 9:1, points to the surpassing greatness of the benefit received, which filled the whole heart with thankfulness, and did not proceed, as it were, from some particular corner of it. It corresponds also to the greatness of the benefaction, in the expression, before the gods, demanding of these, whether they would verify their godhead by pointing to any such boon conferred by them on their servants. The benefit which could afford such a demonstration, and give occasion and ground for raillery, must have been a surpassingly great one. E.W. Hengstenberg.
Ver. 1. Before the gods. There is much diversity in the meaning assigned to "gods" in this verse. It may mean literally in an idolatrous country, in the very temples of false gods, as so many Christian martyrs bore testimony to the faith. The LXX., Vulgate, Ethiopic, and Arabic translate angels. The Chaldee has judges, the Syriac kings, and the earlier Greek fathers explain it as a reference to the choirs of Priests and Levites in the Temple. Zigabenus, in Neale and Littledale.
Ver. 1. Before the gods. Some (LXX., Luther, Calvin, etc.) interpret these words of the angels, and compare Ps 29:1; but it is doubtful if the Hebrew word Elohim, used nakedly and without any explanation, can have this meaning: it is also, as it would seem, in this connection, pointless: others (Rabbins, Flamin., Delitzsch, etc.) interpret "the great ones of the earth", and compare Ps 138:4 below, and Ps 82:1 119:46, etc.; but this interpretation, too, seems to give no special force to the passage. Probably (Aq., Symm., Jer., etc.) the meaning is, "Before, or in the presence of, the gods of the heathen, i.e., in scorn of, in sight of, the idols, who can do nothing, I will praise Jehovah, who does miracles for me and his people." For a similar expression, see Ps 23:5, see also Ps 95:8, 96:5, for places in which the Hebrew word "gods" is used probably for idols. Speaker's Commentary.
Ver. 1. Before the gods, etc. The Vulgate hath, in conspectu angelorum, "before the angels"; their presence should awe men and women, and keep them from all dishonesty, evil words, acts, gestures, secret grudging, all discontents and distempers. For as they are rejoiced to discern a good frame of spirit in you, to see you keep that order God hath set in the church and state, to walk as Christians to the honour of God; so they are grieved to see the contrary, and you must answer for your sins against these great officers in the great family of heaven and earth. William Greenhill.
Ver. 1-3. David vexed with rival gods, as we are with rival gospels. How will he act?
1. Sing with whole hearted praise.
a) It would generously show his contempt of the false.
b) It would evince his strong faith in the true.
c) It would declare his joyful zeal for God.
d) It would shield him from evil from those about him.
2. Worship by the despised rule.
a) Quietly ignoring all will worship.
b) Looking to the person of Christ, which was typified by the temple.
c) Trusting in sacrifice.
d) Realizing God himself, for it is to God he speaks.
3. Praise the questioned attributes.
a) Lovingkindness in its universality, in its speciality. Grace in everything.
b) Truth. Historic accuracy. Certainty of promises. Correctness of prophecies. Assured of the love of God and the truth of his word, let us cling the closer to these.
4. Reverence the honoured word. It is beyond all revelation by creation and providence, for it is
a) More clear.
b) More sure.
c) More sovereign.
d) More complete, unique.
e) More lasting.
f) More glorifying to God.
5. Prove it by experience.
a) By offering prayer.
b) By narrating the answer.
c) By exhibiting the strength in soul which was given in answer to prayer.
Psalms 138:2*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain I will praise Thee with my whole heart.
Psa_138:1-8
I will praise Thee with my whole heart.
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Moral features of a good mans life
I. The grand resolve of a good man--to serve God (verses 1, 2).
1. Entirely. I will praise Thee with my whole heart. Unless the Almighty is thus served He is never served at all.
2. Courageously. Before the gods, etc. No shame, no timidity, but exulting courage.
3. Intelligently. He is infinitely good and true.
II. The noble testimony of a good man (verse 3). What good man who has ever prayed could not furnish similar testimony?
III. The sanguine hope of a good man (verses 4, 5).
1. This hope implies a very desirable object. To have all the kings of the earth praising God, what patriotic, philanthropic, and religious ends could be more desirable?
2. This hope implies a reasonable expectation. Would it not be natural to expect that when kings heard of God, the words of His mouth, they would worship and serve Him? We have here--
IV. The theological belief of a good man (verse 6).
1. No creature is too humble for the Divine regard. He is not so taken up with the vast as to ignore the minute, so sublimely exalted as not to condescend to the meanest.
2. No creature is too vile to escape His notice. The proud He knoweth afar off.
V. The sublime confidence of a good man (verse 7).
1. The universal law of human life. What is that? Progress, walking. Implying--
(1) A constant change of position.
(2) A constant approximation to destiny, every step leading nearer to the end. Life is a constant walk. No pause. A rapid walk. Swifter than a post. An irretraceable walk.
2. The saddening probabilities of human life. In the midst of trouble. The path is not through flowery meads and under azure skies, but rugged, tempestuous, perilous.
3. The grand support of human life. Thou wilt revive me. The support is all-sufficient, the only effective and ever available. (Homilist.)
Open praise and public confession
David was vexed with rival gods, as we are with rival gospels. Nothing is more trying to the soul of a true man than to be surrounded with vile counterfeits, and to hear these cried up, and the truth treated with contempt. How will David act under the trial? For so should we act. He will--
I. Sing with whole-hearted praise (verse 1).
1. His song would openly show his contempt of the false gods: he would sing whether they were there or no. They were such nothings that he would not change his note for them.
2. It would evince his strong faith in the true God. In the teeth of the adversary he glorified Jehovah. His enthusiastic whole-hearted song was better than denunciation or argument.
3. It would declare his joyful zeal for God: he sang to show the strong emotion of his soul. Others might be pleased in Baal, he greatly rejoiced in Jehovah.
4. It would shield him from evil from those about him; for holy song keeps off the enemy. Praise is a potent disinfectant. If called to behold evil let us purify the air with the incense of praise.
II. Worship by the despised rule. I will worship toward Thy holy temple.
1. Quietly ignoring all will-worship, he would follow the rule of the Lord, and the custom of the saints.
2. Looking to the Person of Christ, which was typified by the temple. There is no sinning like that which is directed towards the Lord Jesus, as now living to present it to the Father.
3. Trusting in the one finished Sacrifice, looking to the one great Expiation, we shall praise aright.
4. Realizing God Himself.
III. Praise the questioned attributes.
1. Loving-kindness in its universality. Lovingkindness in its speciality. Grace in everything. Grace to me. Grace so much despised of Pharisees and Sadducees, but so precious to true penitents. Concerning the grace of God, let us cling close to the doctrine and spirit of the Gospel all the more because the spirit of the age is opposed to them.
2. Truth. Historic accuracy of Scripture. Absolute certainty of the Gospel. Assured truthfulness of the promises. Complete accuracy of prophecy.
IV. Reverence the honoured word. Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name. God has magnified His sure word of testimony beyond all such revelations as we receive through creation and providence, though these declare Gods Name. The Gospel word is--
1. More clear. Words are better understood than natures hieroglyphs.
2. More sure. The Spirit Himself sealing it.
3. More sovereign. Effectually blessing believers.
4. More complete. The whole of God is seen in Christ.
5. More lasting. Creation must pass away, the Word endures for ever.
6. More glorifying to God. Specially in the great Atonement.
V. Prove it by personal experience. In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, etc. He had used his knowledge of God derived from the Word.
1. By offering prayer. I cried. What do men know of the truth and grace of God and the virtue of His Word if they have never prayed?
2. By narrating the answer. Thou answeredst me, etc. We are Gods witnesses, and should with readiness, care, frequency, and courage testify what we have seen and known.
3. By exhibiting the strength of soul which was gained by prayer. This is good witness-bearing. Show by patience, courage, joy, and holiness what the Lord has done for your soul. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Whole-hearted praise before the world
He who praises God with his whole heart is like a man on fire, he is terrible to the adversaries of the Most High. When the great Spanish Armada was ready to swoop down upon the English coast, our brave Admiral Drake took some of his small ships, and placed them where the wind would carry them right among the Spanish fleet. He filled the vessels with combustible material, and set them alight. Then the wind just took the fire ships and drifted them up against the Spanish galleons that floated high out of the water, and exposed a vast surface to the air, and one and another of the big unwieldy monsters were soon in a blaze, and a great victory was won without a blow being struck. So, I like to get a red-hot Christian, full of music and praise unto Jehovah, and just let him go, by the influence of the Holy Spirit, right into the middle of the adversaries of truth. They cannot make him out, they do not know how to handle a man of fire. It was a wise plan, this of David, of getting in among the heathen gods and singing to the praise of Jehovah. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Courage in praising God
Singing unto Jehovah before the gods was good for Davids own soul. It is perilous to attempt a secret fidelity to God, it is so apt to degenerate into cowardice. A converted soldier tried at first to pray in bed, or in some secret corner, but he found it would not do; he must kneel down in the barrack-room before the others, and run the gauntlet of the mens remarks; for until he had done so he had not taken his stand and he felt no peace of mind. It is needful for our spiritual health that we come out distinctly upon the Lords side.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain Psalms 138
Psalms 138
This is the first of a group of eight psalms attributed to David in the superscriptions. It precedes the closing hallelujah psalms, and thus stands where a "find" of Davidic psalms at a late date would naturally be put. In some cases, there is no improbability in the assigned authorship; and this psalm is certainly singularly unlike those which precede it, and has many affinities with the earlier psalms ascribed to David.
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In reading it, one feels the return to familiar thoughts and tones. The fragrance it exhales wakes memories of former songs. But the resemblance may be due to the imitative habit so marked in the last book of the Psalter. If it is a late psalm, the speaker is probably the personified Israel, and the deliverance which seems to the singer to have transcended all previous manifestations of the Divine name is the Restoration, which has inspired so many of the preceding psalms. The supporters of the Davidic authorship, on the other hand, point to the promise to David by Nathan of the perpetuity of the kinghood in his line, as the occasion of the psalmists triumph.
The structure of the psalm is simple. It falls into three parts, of which the two former consist of three verses each, and the last of two. In the first, the singer vows praise and recounts Gods wondrous dealings with him (Psa_138:1-3); in the second, he looks out over all the earth in the confidence that these blessings, when known, will bring the world to worship (Psa_138:4-6); and in the third, he pleads for the completion to himself of mercies begun (Psa_138:7-8).
The first part is the outpouring of a thankful heart for recent great blessing, which has been the fulfilment of a Divine promise. So absorbed in his blessedness is the singer that he neither names Jehovah as the object of his thanks, nor specifies what has set his heart vibrating. The great Giver and the great gift are magnified by being unspoken. To whom but Jehovah could the current of the psalmists praise set? He feels that Jehovahs mercy to him requires him to become the herald of His name; and therefore he vows, in lofty consciousness of his mission, that he will ring out Gods praises in presence of false gods, whose worshippers have no such experience to loose their tongues. Dead gods have dumb devotees; the servants of the living Jehovah receive His acts of power, that they may proclaim His name.
The special occasion for this singers praise has been some act, in which Jehovahs faithfulness was very conspicuously shown. "Thou hast magnified Thy promise above all Thy name." If the history of David underlies the psalm, it is most natural to interpret the "promise" as that of the establishment of the monarchy. But the fulfilment, not the giving, of a promise is its magnifying, and hence one would incline to take the reference to be to the great manifestation of Gods troth in restoring Israel to its land. In any case the expression is peculiar, and has induced many attempts at emendation. Baethgen would strike out "Thy name" as a dittograph from the previous clause, and thus gets the reading "done great things beyond Thy word"-i.e., transcended the promise in fulfilment-which yields a good sense. Others make a slight alteration in the word "Thy name," and read it "Thy heavens," supposing that the psalmist is making the usual comparison between the manifestation of Divine power in Nature and in Revelation, or in the specific promise in question. But the text as it stands, though peculiar, is intelligible, and yields a meaning very appropriate to the singers astonished thankfulness. A heart amazed by the greatness of recent blessings is ever apt to think that they, glittering in fresh beauty, are greater, as they are nearer and newer, than the mercies which it has only heard of as of old. Today brings growing revelations of Jehovah to the waiting heart. The psalmist is singing, not dissertating. It is quite true that if his words are measured by the metaphysical theologians foot rule, they are inaccurate, for "the name of God cannot be surpassed by any single act of His, since every single act is but a manifestation of that name"; but thankfulness does not speak by rule, and the psalmist means to say that, so great has been the mercy given to him and so signal its confirmation of the Divine promise, that to him, at all events, that whole name blazes with new lustre, and breathes a deeper music. So should each mans experience be the best teacher of what God is to all men.
In Psa_138:3 b the psalmist uses a remarkable expression, in saying that Jehovah had made him bold, or, as the word is literally, proud. The following words are a circumstantial or subsidiary clause, and indicate how the consciousness of inbreathed strength welling up in his soul gave him lofty confidence to confront foes.
The second part (Psa_138:4-6) resembles many earlier psalms in connecting the singers deliverance with a world wide manifestation of Gods name. Such a consciousness of a vocation to be the worlds evangelist is appropriate either to David or the collective Israel. Especially is it natural, and, as a fact, occurs in post-exilic psalms. Here "the words of Thy mouth" are equivalent to the promise already spoken of, the fulfilment of which has shown that Jehovah the High has regard to the lowly-i.e., to the psalmist; and "knows the lofty"-i.e., his oppressors-"afar off." He reads their characters thoroughly, without, as it were, needing to approach for minute study. The implication is that He will thwart their plans and judge the plotters. This great lesson of Jehovahs providence, care for the lowly, faithfulness to His word, has exemplification in the psalmists history; and when it is known, the lofty ones of the earth shall learn the principles of Jehovahs ways, and become lowly recipients of His favours and adoring singers of His great glory.
The glowing vision is not yet fulfilled; but the singer was cherishing no illusions when he sang. It is true that the story of Gods great manifestation of Himself in Christ, in which He has magnified His Word above all His name, is one day to win the world. It is true that the revelation of a God who regards the lowly is the conquering Gospel which shall bow all hearts.
In the third part (Psa_138:7-8), the psalmist comes back to his own needs, and takes to his heart the calming assurance born of his experience, that he bears a charmed life. He but speaks the confidence which should strengthen every heart that rests on God. Such a one may be girdled about by troubles, but he will have an inner circle traced round him, within which no evil can venture. He may walk in the valley of the shadow of death unfearing, for God will hold his soul in life. Foes may pour out floods of enmity and wrath, but one strong hand will be stretched out against (or over) the wild deluge, and will draw the trustful soul out of its rush on to the safe shore. So was the psalmist assured; so may and should those be who have yet greater wonders for which to thank Jehovah.
That last prayer of the psalm blends very beautifully confidence and petition. Its central clause is the basis of both the confidence in its first, and the petition in its last, clause. Because Jehovahs lovingkindness endures forever, every man on whom His shaping Spirit has begun to work, or His grace in any form to bestow its gifts, may be sure that no exhaustion or change of these is possible. God is not as the foolish tower builder, who began and was not able to finish. He never stops till He has completed His work; and nothing short of the entire conformity of a soul to His likeness and the filling of it with Himself can be the termination of His loving purpose, or of His achieving grace. Therefore the psalmist "found it in his heart to pray" that God would not abandon the works of His own hands. The prayer appeals to His faithfulness and to His honour: It sets forth the obligations under which God comes by what He has done. It is a prayer which goes straight to His heart; and they who offer it receive the old answer, "I will not leave thee till I have done unto thee that which I have spoken to thee of."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain “This,” says Barnes, “is the first of a series…
INTRODUCTION
“This,” says Barnes, “is the first of a series of eight Psalms (Psalms 38-145) placed together in this part of the book, and ascribed to David. They appear to be of the nature of a supplement to the Book of Psalms, composed of Psalms unknown to the original collector and arranger of the Book, and subsequently discovered and ascertained to be the works of David. It is not to be regarded as strange that there should be Psalms of this nature composed by David at different periods of his life, which might have been preserved in different branches of his family, and which might not have been generally known to exist. It is rare that the works of an author, especially a poet, are collected and published, and that things of this kind—fugitive and occasional pieces—are not subsequently found; nor is it very unusual that such pieces may, after all, be amongst the most tender, touching, and beautiful of his compositions. Burn’s ‘Highland Mary,’ so much admired, and his, ‘When wild War’s deadly blast was blown,’—a poem which no one can read without tears,—with not a few others of his, are of this description. They are said, in his Biography, to have been ‘extracted from the correspondence of Burns.’
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“The occasion on which this Psalm was composed cannot now be determined.”
A DEVOUT RESOLUTION, GRATEFUL RECOLLECTION, AND AN ENCOURAGING ANTICIPATION
(Psa_138:1-5)
We have here—
I. A devout resolution (Psa_138:1-2). The poet resolves to celebrate the praise of God, and to do so—
1. In the most excellent manner.
(1.) Heartily. “I will praise Thee with my whole heart.” It is remarkable that he does not say whom he will praise until he comes to the fourth verse. This is significant. “It is as though in the Psalmist’s heart there could be but one object of praise, whether named or unnamed.” Whole—heartedness and fervour in worship are acceptable unto God.
(2.) Confidently. “Before the gods will I sing praise unto Thee.” “ ‘The gods,’ ” says Perowne, “are the false gods, the objects of heathen worship, in the very presence of whom, and to the confusion of their worshippers, the Psalmist will utter his praise of the true God.” When our faith in God is strong we shall be neither afraid nor ashamed to praise Him before any person.
(3.) Becomingly. “I will worship toward Thy holy temple.” The Psalmist was not allowed to enter the interior of the tabernacle, which he here designates, “Thy holy temple.” The tabernacle was regarded as the special residence of the Most High. Because He specially manifested Himself there, the pious Israelites turned their faces towards it when they worshipped. Thus Daniel in his exile prayed with “his windows open in his chamber toward Jerusalem.” There are certain forms and arrangements for worship which are reverent and seemly, and these every devout worshipper will endeavour to conform to. “Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God,” &c. We must worship reverently through the mediation of Jesus Christ.
2. For the most excellent reasons. “I will praise Thy Name for Thy loving-kindness and for Thy truth; for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy Name.” The poet resolves to praise the Lord because of the kindness and faithfulness which He had manifested according to His Word. The final clause in the second verse has occasioned considerable difficulty to some expositors. The interpretation of Barnes, Hengstenberg, Henry, Perowne, and others seems to us undoubtedly correct,—that the revelation of Himself which God has given to man in His Word surpasses in clearness and preciousness all the other manifestations which He has made of Himself: Thus Perowne: “Thy word, or ‘promise.’ (Comp. Psa_56:10; Psa_60:6; Psa_62:11.) No particular promise is meant. The same word occurs frequently in Psalms 119. Above all Thy Name. The expression seems to mean that to the soul waiting upon God, and trusting in His word, the promise becomes so precious, so strong a ground of hope, that it surpasses all other manifestations of God’s goodness and truth; or in the promise may here also be included the fulfilment of the promise.” In His Word God has given many exceeding great and precious promises, and they are all worthy of acceptation; for God in His fulfilment is better even than in His promises. Here then is an excellent reason for praising God, because He has manifested so much of Himself, and especially of His loving-kindness and faithfulness to us in His Word. Our revelation is much fuller and richer than was that of David. “We see Jesus,”
“And, in His face a glory stands,
The noblest labour of Thy hands;
The radiant lustre of His eyes
Outshines the wonders of the skies.”
—Watts.
Therefore, our praise should be more hearty and confident than was that of David.
II. A grateful recollection. “In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Perowne: “Thou madest me courageous with strength in my soul.” In time of need the Psalmist had sought the Lord in prayer, and the Lord had heard and graciously answered him. God had answered him—
1. Speedily. “In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me.” “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (Comp. Dan_9:20-24.)
2. Spiritually. “Thou madest me courageous with strength in my soul.” We pray in time of difficulty, and He gives us wisdom and courage to meet and surmount the difficulty; in time of affliction, and He gives us patience and strength to bear the suffering. “My grace,” saith He, “is sufficient for thee.” Recollections such as this one of David’s stimulate the heart to grateful and joyous praise.
III. An encouraging anticipation. The Psalmist confidently anticipates a time when all the kings of the earth shall recognise Jehovah as God, and render to Him devout homage and cheerful obedience.
1. All kings shall be made acquainted with the highest revelation of God and with His glory. They shall “hear the words of His mouth,” and see that “great is the glory of the Lord.” The Gospel shall be preached in all the world, and the glory of the Divine grace shall be exhibited to all peoples. God in Christ shall be made known to all men.
2. When all kings are acquainted with “the words” and “the glory of the Lord” they will heartily praise and cheerfully serve Him. “Shall praise Thee, O Lord,” &c. “Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord.” “The ways of the Lord” are those of obedience and worship; the ways of reverence towards God and righteousness towards men. They shall tread them with cheerfulness. Obligation will be regarded as a privilege. Duty will be transformed into delight. Statutes will be translated into songs, and set to joyous music. A true acquaintance with the highest revelation of God is calculated to lead to such a result. The revelation of God in Christ is fitted to inspire our trust, to captivate our affections, and to secure our enthusiastic obedience. Let the world heartily accept Christ—the Christ not of the creeds and the churches, but of the Evangelists—as the supreme Revelation of God, and it will speedily bow to His authority, resound with His praise, and delight in His service.
GOD’S WORD EXALTED
(Psa_138:2)
“Thou has magnified Thy word above all Thy Name.”
I. As the medium of His self-manifestation.
II. As the exposition of His government.
III. As the record of His will.
IV. As the instrument of His power.
V. As the revelation of His love.
—W. W. Wythe.
AN EARNEST PRAYER, AND AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER
(Psa_138:3)
Consider—
I. The earnestness of his prayer. “I cried unto Thee.” Beautiful description of prayer—crying unto God. “Prayer,” says Mrs. More, “is the cry of want, to Him that can relieve it; of guilt, to Him who is able to pardon it; of sorrow, to Him who is able to relieve it.” (So Psa_119:145.)
1. It supposes the pressure of distress, under the frowns of the world; under the temptations of Satan; under the difficulties of the way; under the exigencies of the Christian conflict. The day of trial, a long day—a dark day—a stormy day—a day that brings God and the soul together. The time of affliction is the time of supplication. God afflicts us that He may hear from us.
2. It supposes the ready recourse of the Christian to God in prayer. No sooner does the storm of danger come down than the cry of faith and fervour goes up. It is this spirit of heartfelt continued instancy in prayer that keeps the Christian in the hour of temptation, or in the floods of adversity, and maintains the spiritual life within. But often is the Christian constrained to acknowledge that his heart has little to do with the cry of his lips. Yet in danger still he cries—sometimes with a cry which no words could fully express, that vents itself only in “groanings which cannot be uttered”—a cry that “enters into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”
3. It supposes previous habits of acquaintance with God; for we do not run to a stranger in distress, much less to an enemy, but to a known and tried friend.
4. It supposes the union of prayer and thankfulness. Praise should always follow where prayer is answered. A gracious man is a praising and a grateful man. As answers come down, praises should go up.
II. The effectual relief he gained.
God is a prayer-hearing and a sin-pardoning God.
1. He obtained an immediate answer. “In the day when I cried Thou answeredst,” &c. Moses cried at the Red Sea, and had instant help. No needless delay: no indifference to the state and condition of the Church on the part of God. (Compare Psa_32:3-5.) … While the voice of penitent confession was suppressed, his cries and lamentations were disregarded; but upon the first utterance of prayer from his lips, or rather on the first purpose of contrition formed in his heart, the pardon, the full and free pardon, is granted. “I said, I will confess, … and Thou forgavest.” How prompt was the answer to Jacob’s prayer at Jabbok (Gen_32:24-30); to Gideon’s (Jdg_6:36-40; to Daniel’s (Dan_9:20-23).
2. He was replenished with inward grace. “Thou strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Strength to bear troubles; strength to overcome temptations; strength to war with the powers of evil. Especially was he strengthened in the actings of faith—led to renewed exercises of dependence upon the power and grace of Christ. Weak indeed are our purposes without grace to strengthen them, and worthless our good resolutions without grace to carry them out; but when the grace is enjoyed, difficulties give way, enemies are overcome, and inward peace is attained amidst outward trials. This is God’s way of putting life into the soul, when by an inexpressible sweetness and power He allures the soul to Himself. Every step, indeed, to the very end will be a conflict with besetting sin or with remaining enmity and unbelief. But in answer to prayer there will be a continual drawing of the Spirit of God towards high and holy things. The same Hand that gave a new bias to the soul in a heavenward motion, will confirm and strengthen it to the end.
3. The principle of hope was itself reinvigorated, that he was not only strengthened for the present, but enabled to anticipate the future. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble. Thou wilt revive me.”
III. The force and inspiration of his example upon other minds.
“All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of Thy mouth,” &c. We not only must be religious ourselves, but help others to be so.—Samuel Thodey.
GOD’S TREATMENT OF DIFFERENT CLASSES OF CHARACTER
(Psa_138:6-8.)
I. God’s treatment of the humble. “Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly.”
1. The character. “The lowly.” Not the lowly in outward condition merely, but in inward disposition—the humble. Humility is not a thing of circumstances, but of soul.
2. The treatment. “The Lord hath respect unto the lowly.” He “looks upon” them. He not only sees them, but regards them graciously. He views them with approving interest, and affords them kindly aid.
3. The reason. “Because the Lord is high He hath respect unto the lowly.” The A. V. in giving the impression that the Lord looks upon the humble notwithstanding His greatness does not represent the poet’s meaning. God graciously regards the poor in spirit because He is so great. A more correct rendering is, “For the Lord is lifted up, and looks upon the lowly.”—Hengstenberg. Or: “For lofty is Jehovah, and the humble He sees.”—Barnes. God is a great Being, and therefore He is condescending. Hengstenberg: “The lofty elevation of the Lord forms the ground, on account of which He lifts up the lowly, brings down the proud; not: and yet; but: and therefore.” “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
II. God’s treatment of the proud. “The proud He knoweth afar off.”
1. The character. “The proud.” Not the exalted in station, but the haughty, the arrogant. Pride is unbecoming, foolish, sinful. “Pride,” says Sidney Smith, “is not the heritage of man; humility should dwell with frailty, and atone for ignorance, error, and imperfection.”
2. The treatment. Jehovah knoweth the proud afar off. He regards them only at a distance. Pride is an insuperable barrier between God and man. A haughty man is not regarded by God with favour, nor can he have any communion with Him. “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.”
III. God’s treatment of His afflicted people. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble,” &c. We have here—
1. A depressing possibility in the life of good men. The life of a good man may be—
(1.) Surrounded by trouble—a journey “in the midst of trouble.” Piety does not secure a man from the afflictions of life. The godly man is exposed to infirmities and diseases of the body, to losses and difficulties in temporal affairs, to family and social trials and bereavements, to spiritual conflicts and distresses. Like Job, the godly man is sometimes almost overwhelmed with trouble. The life of a good man may be—
(2.) Imperilled by angry enemies. The Psalmist seems to have been exposed to the wrath of his adversaries when he wrote this Psalm. The godly soul is exposed to the assaults of spiritual foes. The lusts of the flesh, the cares and anxieties, pomps and vanities, shams and dissipations of the world, and the subtlety and power of the devil are arrayed against him. The good man is acquainted with both trouble and peril; he has trials and enemies.
2. An encouraging confidence in the life of good men. David was confident of—
(1.) Revival in trouble. “Thou wilt revive me.” He had an unfailing hope that the Lord would quicken and strengthen him to bear his trials. He sustains and comforts His afflicted people. David was confident of—
(2.) Deliverance from enemies. “Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me.” God exerts His almighty power for the protection and salvation of His people. The good are shielded by Omnipotence.
IV. God’s treatment of His trustful people. “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me,” &c. Notice:—
1. The inspiring assurance. The poet was confident that the Lord would accomplish the work which He had begun concerning him. God does not abandon His work in an incomplete state. We are “confident that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” “Grace will complete what grace begins.”
2. The firm basis of this assurance. The confidence of the Psalmist was grounded on the unchangeableness of God’s everlasting mercy. “Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever.” He who bases his trust of complete and glorious salvation on this foundation will never be put to shame.
3. The humble dependence of this assurance. “Forsake not the works of Thine own hands.” The poet here translates into a prayer what he had just before expressed as a conviction of his soul. Prayer is one of the means whereby the completion of the Divine work in us and for us is secured. The good man is sensible of his own weakness and waywardness, and depends upon God to perfect His own work in his salvation. In the material universe there are no unfinished worlds or systems; no half-made and forsaken works of His hands. And His work in the soul that trusts Him He will continue until it attains full and glorious perfection.
Here, then, is encouragement to His people to trust in Him at all times.
THE MAJESTY AND CONDESCENSION OF GOD
(Psa_138:6)
“Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly.”
I. The majesty of God.
1. Consider His eternity.
2. Consider His immutability.
3. Consider His power.
4. Consider His goodness.
II. The condescension of God.
1. Consider the persons to whom His preference is shown.
2. Consider the special blessings with which He honours them.—Geo. Brooks.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain (with Psa 56:4; Psa 61:2)
Psa 138:8
(with Psa 56:4; Psa 61:2)
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I. The hand of God is in everything. No point is more distinct to a trustful, relying spirit, no truth is more settled, than this. There are no fortuities in this world; there is not an event which has not its meaning, its connections, and its end. The confidence which gives peace, and fixedness, and strength to the mind fastens upon the views which the Bible gives of God, His agency and His purposes, as a God who is concerned with everything, and who acts in everything in reference to an end worthy of Himself.
II. The word of God, in which faith rests, contemplates man in all the various circumstances of his being, in every possible or supposable condition in which he may be placed. The promise of a Saviour, and of all good in Him, covers all our interests; hence the word which is given to us is full of promises, and they are "exceeding great and precious"—great in their range, because there is no circumstance which they do not reach; precious in their character, because there is no exigency in our affairs to which they are not adapted.
III. All these promises are promises in Christ Jesus; and herein we have the evidence of their certainty, the assurance of their fulfilment.
IV. The Christian’s confidence has been actually tested by experiment, and has never yet failed. Confidence in God always ministers peace and joy to the human spirit.
E. Mason, A Pastor’s Legacy, p. 124.
References: Psa 138:8.—J. J. West, Penny Pulpit, No. 1441; A. Maclaren, Old Testament Outlines, p. 152; Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 144; Ibid., Sermons, vol. v., No. 231, and vol. xxv., No. 1506; J. H. Evans, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. iv., p. 145; A. P. Peabody, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xii., p. 158. Psalm 138—Bishop Thorold, Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. xx., p. 23.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
F. W. Grant 1903 · Public Domain The deliverance of the lowly, magnifying the word of…
The deliverance of the lowly, magnifying the word of God.
[A psalm] of David.
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The second psalm of the series is in such decided contrast with the first that it is somewhat hard to realize the connection; although this contrast is in fact part of the connection. The present psalm is praise all through: the harp is not on the willows, but in the hand; and the praise is not that of Israel only, but (in anticipation; at least) from all the earth. God has fulfilled His word in such a manner as to bring out in full reality the meaning of His Name; and in doing this He has acted as the God of judgment, abasing the proud and exalting the lowly, giving to His people that truth in the inward parts without which the deliverance itself could not be truly that.
This shows, I believe, the connection with the previous psalm,where in Babylon is seen the ruin wrought, and in which they have learned to cry after Jehovah: "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses." Such is the lesson of the opening psalm of this fifth book: so simple as hardly to be called such, and yet in effect the moral of all man’s history -self-caused ruin; the cry after the Father’s house only forced out by the famine, and yet the open arms to receive a wanderer home. Thank God, for the soul really awakened to its need, those embracing arms can do a work which nothing else can, and the lost and found becomes by this one brought to life from the dead.
1. The psalmist evidently voices the praise of Israel, now praising with the whole heart. "Before the gods" speaks of those who are called gods as representing God in places of authority, the judges of the earth. They are now called to contemplate and admire the judgments of Jehovah with regard especially to Israel as the great object lesson placed by Him before their eyes. There is once more among His people a temple to His praise. and toward which the eyes of the worshiper are turned, because of the Living Presence connected with it. And His Name has been declared in loving-kindness and in truth; His saying magnified according to all the value of that Name, which the fulfillment of it has now declared.* Nay, in the very day in which His people cried unto Him, He answered, and infused new courage into their drooping souls.
{*This seems to me the meaning of what is here ordinarily rendered "Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy Name"; but if God’s Name is just the revelation of Himself, it is hard to know in what way we are to take this. The only thing that seems possible to imagine in this case, is, as usually done, that His Name stands here for the revelation of Himself up to this time, which His present action has now transcended. And some would bring in the thought of the Personal Word -Christ -as One who, as Christianity has now declared Him, has indeed transcended all previous manifestations. The truth of this no one would think of disputing: the question can only be of the application of this to what is here. Certainly Christianity does not seem at all to be implied; and "Thy saying," as it literally is, would scarcely seem to convey the thought of the Personal Word. It naturally speaks of the fulfillment of some promise or promises that had been made, and to which now perhaps a deeper meaning had been imparted in their fulfillment. But this hardly seems to suit the connection. For the psalmist has just been saying "I will confess Thy Name, for Thy loving kindness and for Thy truth’s sake"; and this is how he illustrates Jehovah’s truth: "for Thou hast magnified Thy saying in accordance with all Thy Name": -Thou hast fulfilled it in such a manner as to bring out all that Thy Name implies. The deliverance of Israel is what the psalm speaks of, and Christ does not seem to be mentioned in it.}
Now all the kings of the earth, when they hear the sayings of Jehovah, shall also confess Him; and, weary at last of their own ways, in which they have so long been walking, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah, that great is His glory. Thus the misrule of the earth shall cease.
2. And now what gives them this apprehension of Jehovah’s ways is intimated. The Supreme -seen to be that yet regardeth the humble; while He knoweth the proud too, but afar off. Israel brought out of her low estate, and delivered from the wrath of her enemies, will declare this; perfectly accomplishing that which concerns her. And for this, in the conviction of His eternal loving-kindness, she prays, that He may not forsake the work of His own hands.
F. W. Grant, The Numerical Bible (4th ed., 1903) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain Although the title ascribes this Ps. to David, it…
Although the title ascribes this Ps. to David, it is generally considered to belong to the post-exilic period, of whose earnest piety it is one of the best examples. According to some scholars the speaker is Israel, but this is doubtful.
1. Before] i.e. in front of, in opposition to the (false) gods.
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2. Thy name] Thy character, as hitherto revealed. The present fulfilment of thy promise surpasses the renown of all thy former doings.
3. Strengthenedst me] RV 'Thou didst encourage me,' lit. 'madest me proud.'
6. Afar off] RV 'from afar.' They are not hidden from God's eye, or beyond the reach of God's justice.
8. 'Jehovah accomplisheth (all things) for me.' The works of thine own hands] i.e. the Jewish nation, if Israel is the speaker.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain Psalm 138
Psalm 138
A Psalm of Deliverance
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This is a Psalm of David giving praise to the Lord for deliverance. The harp is now no more hanging idle on the willows, but is tuned afresh to praise His Name. It is not alone David’s praise who cried and the Lord answered him, it is the praise of Israel for accomplished deliverance from the exile and therefore the kings of the earth are also mentioned. “All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee O LORD, when they hear the words of Thy mouth.”
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain Thanksgiving for God’s Salvation.
Thanksgiving for God’s Salvation.
A psalm of David, in which he describes the greatness of God’s benefits and assures himself and others of His continued presence and faithfulness.
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v. 1. I will praise Thee with my whole heart, without reserve or hypocrisy; before the gods, the princes or mighty ones of the earth, will I sing praise unto Thee. The true God is to be exalted above all creatures, no matter how great their power and authority.
v. 2. I will worship toward Thy holy Temple, for the prayers of the faithful Jews were made with their faces toward Jerusalem and the Temple, and praise Thy name for Thy loving-kindness, the unmerited favor shown to David, and for Thy truth, in keeping His promises; for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name, literally, "for Thou hast made great above all Thy name Thy Word," that is, the promise of God, 2Sa 7:12-16, exceeded all other revelations of Himself in its greatness and in its application to the salvation of men.
v. 3. In the day when I cried, requesting strength and help for bearing his burdens, Thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul, so that his whole soul was charged with a feeling of power enabling him to sustain all his trials with cheerful fortitude.
v. 4. All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, O Lord, being influenced thereto by the experience of David, when they hear the words of Thy mouth, particularly the great Messianic promise to which David chiefly refers, which would surely be fulfilled.
v. 5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord, setting forth the wonderful manner in which the Lord deals with those who put their trust in Him; for great is the glory of the Lord, that which He exhibits in fulfilling His purposes of redemption.
v. 6. Though the Lord be high. exalted above all creatures, yet hath He respect unto the lowly, He observes them with the intention of coming to their aid; but the proud He knoweth afar of, He is fully familiar with their ways and deserts, even though they think that they are not responsible to anyone; He will in due time show them the extent of their liability to Him.
v. 7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, surrounded with trials and tribulations of every description, Thou wilt revive me, loosing the bands which threaten to draw him down to destruction, and filling him with new life and strength. Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, holding it back from accomplishing its purpose, and Thy right hand shall save me, giving him deliverance from all his difficulties.
v. 8. The Lord will perfect, carry to a successful completion, that which concerneth me, all that He had undertaken in delivering David from all the trials besetting him; Thy mercy, O Lord, which was the guaranty upon which David relied, endureth forever; forsake not the works of Thine own hands, letting them lie uncompleted, for they include not only all those pertaining to the person of David and the fact of his elevation to the dignity of king, but especially that by which the glorious promise of the Son of David and His work of redemption would be realized, the glorious fact upon which the faith of all believers is based. With Him on their side they are never forsaken.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Parallelism is common in Hebrew poetry. (See: Poetry and Parallelism)
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A psalm of David
Possible meanings are 1) David wrote the psalm or 2) the psalm is about David or 3) the psalm is in the style of David's psalms.
I will give you thanks with my whole heart
The heart here represents the emotions. Doing something sincerely or completely is spoken of as doing it with all one's heart. AT: "I will sincerely thank you" (See: Metonymy)
before the gods
Possible meanings are 1) "in spite of the false idols that exist" or 2) "before the heavenly assembly," which means "in the knowledge of the angels in heaven."
I will bow down
Bowing down is a symbolic action that represents worship and giving honor. AT: "I will worship you" (See: Symbolic Action)
give thanks to your name
Here the word "name" represents Yahweh himself. AT: "give thanks to you" (See: Metonymy)
for your covenant faithfulness and for your trustworthiness
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated with an adjective. The abstract noun "trustworthiness" can be translated with a verbal phrase. AT: "because you are faithful to your covenant and you are worthy of people trusting you" (See: Abstract Nouns)
your word
"what you have said" or "your commands and promises"
your name
Possible meanings are 1) "yourself" or 2) "your fame." (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
psalm
David
heart
false god
praise
bow
holy
temple
name
covenant faithfulness
trust
word of God
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Pss 138–145 In this final collection of psalms of…
Pss 138–145 In this final collection of psalms of David, praise and wisdom psalms (Pss 138–139, 145) form a frame around five poems of lament (Pss 140–144).
Ps 138 In this wisdom psalm, the Lord is presented as the God of gods. He rescued his people and has a perfect plan for them as individuals. The nations will join Israel in glorifying God.
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138:1-3 The Lord receives praise before the gods of the nations.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.