Sunday Night Message June 4, 2017 Psalm 138 Series The Psalms Text Psalm 138 Introduction A Psalm of David. This last section of psalms, beginning with Psalm 135 and continuing through Psalm 150, are mostly psalms of praise. The last psalm that we considered (Psalm 137) was an exception to that general rule. Interestingly, Psalm 137 was a psalm of lament written after the Northern Kingdom had been taken into captivity in Babylon. In psalm 137, the captives were looking back and mourning their condition in Babylon while reflecting on what they once had in Judah. Here in Psalm 138, however, the psalmist, David, is praising and worshipping his God for His lovingkindness and compassion toward himself particularly, but also for all men in general. In Psalm 137, the worshippers had hung up their harps and were refusing to sing; but, here the harps are playing and the people are singing. Psalm 137 looks back at the disaster that took place when God s people forsook their God, but Psalm 138 looks to the future when even the kings of the earth will be worshipping and singing praises to the Lord. This is a wonderful passage of Scripture. This psalm also begins a mini-series of eight psalms of David, which will be the last of the 73 psalms specifically attributed to him in the Psalter or Song Book of Israel. The context of this psalm is hard to determine. Some believe that it was written shortly after David had become king over a united Kingdom because at that time Israel had many enemies. But, I would imagine that David had enemies throughout his reign. Even when the foreign enemies were defeated, David had to deal with enemies from within his own family. I David s Determination to Praise the Lord (vs 1-3) Notice I will in vs. 1 2 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee." (Psalm 138:1) "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." (Psalm 138:2) 1
"In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." (Psalm 138:3) Notice also thy holy temple in v. 2 It is interesting that the temple wasn t built yet when David was alive. But it was in the mind of David, as well as in the mind of God. There was confidence implied in David s determination. This isn t just a display of great character and willpower, though I believe David possessed both most of the time. This was an expression of the confidence, the faith, that David had in His God. David knew that He could praise God because He knew that He could trust God, even though there were times when His circumstances seemed to indicate that God didn t care or even that God had completely forsaken him. David trusted God. Notice the phrase before the gods David was not acknowledging that there were any gods equal to God, though David knew that there were spiritual beings (or fallen angels) that were represented by graven images and were worshipped by the heathen nations of the world. David was declaring that he wasn t ashamed of his God and would gladly sing His praise in front of the whole world. Paul said: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16) Jesus warned us about being ashamed of Him: "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26) There was passion expressed in David s determination. Notice with my whole heart in v. 1. David was determined to enthusiastically praise the Lord. The phrase with my whole heart is used eight times in the psalms: Three times it refers to praising. (Psalm 9:1; 111:1; and 138:1) It is used five times in Psalm 119 three of those times has to do with understanding and obeying the Word of God with his whole heart: "With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments." (Psalm 119:10) 2
"Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." (Psalm 119:34) "The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart." (Psalm 119:69) The other two time has to do with prayer: "I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word." (Psalm 119:58) "I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes." (Psalm 119:145) and The only other time, besides the Psalms, that this phrase is used is in Jeremiah 32:41, where it is God that says that He will plant Israel back in their land with His whole heart Our praise for the Lord should certainly be enthusiastic: " Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37) Everything else we do for the Lord should also be enthusiastic and passionate: "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (Colossians 3:23) "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." (Ecclesiastes 9:10) Our churches are dead today. They lack passion. Spirit-filled people are passionate, because the God that is filling them is passionate. They are passionate for God; they are passionate for the Church; they are passionate for lost souls. There was appreciation conveyed in David s determination (vs. 2-3) 1 David appreciated what God had done for him in the past. Notice the word lovingkindness in v. 2. This has to do with God s love, kindness, and mercy toward David, and toward Israel. Verse 3 indicates that there were probably many times that David was in a jam and God bailed him out. Example Remember when the Amalekites came and burnt down Ziklag, the town where David s family was along with the families of all of David s men. The Amalekites took David s wives and children. His men lost their families as well. The men wanted to stone David. God bailed David out that day. He not only gave all of the men back their wives and children, but 3
God also gave them more stuff than they lost. This is just one example in David s life. God had been good to David time and time again. David appreciated all that the Lord did for him. 2 David also had a great appreciation for the Word of God (v. 2) David was used of God to pen portions of the Scripture, almost half of the Psalms, including this psalm. He loved the Word of God. Notice it says that God magnified His Word above all His name. Many have wrestled with this statement and some have tried to reconcile it with their philosophy by retranslating it. I believe it is our Bible exactly as God wanted it. Why is the Word of God so important? Everything we know about God is based upon His Word, and if there is any problem at all with His Word, then there is also a problem with Him. But, there is no problem with His Word. It is perfect and pure. It is holy. "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Psalm 12:6-7) "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) Illustrate Lester Roloff it reads me This Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Book (D. L. Moody) The Word of God is so important. It tells us everything that we need to know about God and it also tells us everything that God wants us to do. Illustrate The pulpit is in the center because it is the desk that holds the sacred Book. Illustrate Chuck L got mad whenever he saw a Bible on the floor. Illustrate Are we losing something with the technology of having the Bible on our phones. The Bible is crucial we need to magnify it also, because God does. I don t worship the Bible, but I do magnify it. We need to read it, study it, memorize it, meditate upon it, and come hear it preached. It will help us to stay pure by keeping us from sin. 4
It will guide us in the path, and show us when we stray. It will strengthen us when we re weak, and correct us when we re wrong. It will help us with our marriages and teach us how to rear children. Our nation is failing today because she has stopped magnifying the Word of God. We need to make a big deal out of the Bible, because God does. II David Delivers a Prophecy for the Lord (vs. 4 5) "All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth." (Psalm 138:4) "Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD." (Psalm 138:5) The Kings of the earth were not all praising the Lord in David s day, though Israel did have some friends. There were some that may have been forced to honor David s God, but that was only because those nations were conquered by Israel. There has never been a time since David s day when all of the kings of the earth praised God so these verses must be speaking prophetically of the Millennial Kingdom, which will begin after all of God s enemies have been removed from the earth. "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain." (Zechariah 14:16-17) Jesus is the King of the kings of the earth (Revelation 19:16). He is also called the prince of the kings of the earth. (Revelation 1:5) Someday every knee will bow to him: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11) The kings that don t voluntarily bow to Christ will someday be forced to bow to Him. In the Millennium, all unbelievers will be gone, and every earthly king will be in submission to Christ. III God Descends to Perfect Us (vs. 6 9) 5
"Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off." (Psalm 138:6) Pride must be eliminated. God must bring us to where we know who He is. Illustration Compare Nebuchadnezzar with Pharaoh and Herod "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." (Psalm 138:7) "The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands." (Psalm 138:8) The word perfect here has the idea of maturing or completing. God was going to complete His work on David, and He will complete His work on you. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philippians 1:6) He uses the Word of God to perfect you. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) 6