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Psalm 33
Please notice the connection between Psalm 32:11 and Psalm 33:1. Also, notice there is no title in the heading of this great Psalm which suggests Psalm 33 is a further expansion of Psalm 32.
The person who experiences the complete and immediate forgiveness which God promises to those who come to Him will thus have great warrant to praise God. In fact, this Psalm suggests that only those who have come to know what it means to experience God’s forgiveness first hand are the only ones who can properly praise the Lord. In other words, no true forgiveness no true praise. Also, this true praise in Psalm 33 is redemptive praise.
This also tells us something about God, in that God allows us to sin against Him sometimes in order that we may be brought to the place where we understand what it means to have Him forgive us so that He can relate to us in His steadfast love.
But notice, this “steadfast love” is being spread not just to Israel but to the whole world in Psalm 33:8. Now do we see why Paul used Psalm 32 as the foundation for his doctrine of justification by faith. —Remember, the Jewish people did not want the Gentiles to be brought into God’s covenant but thank God that God had different plans for us!
What is God’s “steadfast love” (hesed) in Psalm 33:5, 18 and 22?
The Hebrew word “hesed” occurs 255 in the O.T. with 130 of those occurrences being in the book of Psalms. This word is notoriously difficult to translate properly into English, even when translators double up the words. “steadfast love” “loving kindness” or “covenant loyalty”. But those words fall short of describing the meaning of hesed.
Steadfast love is a relational term which describes the benefits and duties that one party bears to another party because of their relationship with one another. In other words, to know the Lord means to know the benefits of being in relationship with the Lord. In Psalm 32, we meet the Lord whose nature is to forgive and in Psalm 33 we find the benefits of knowing the Lord who forgives and are called upon to worship and praise Him for His ‘steadfast love’.
Psalm 33 teaches us that everyone who experiences the undeserved forgiveness of God enters into a life of incredible praise!
ancient hymn reveals at least 4 great benefits of God’s steadfast love for us!
- The Benefit of Knowing a New Song of Praise in Verses 1-3-This Psalm tells us that the “righteous” sing a “new song”.
- Who are the “righteous” in verse 1? —We tend to think of the word “righteous” in strict moral terms. In other words, we think the righteous are those who don’t do bad things but do good things. While morality is suggested in the word ‘righteous’ there is something more to it. Here are several characteristics of those whom the Lord calls ‘righteous’:
- The righteous are relational with God.
- …rely on God
- …are aware of their own frailty, finitude and fallibleness and are driven into God’s arms of mercy.
- As Creach says, “the righteous are distinguished from the wicked mainly by their confession of helplessness … and therefore they ‘seek refuge’ in the Lord.
- Because the righteous are in a relationship with the Lord they are challenged to live in a right relationship with each other.
- What is this “New Song” in verse 3?
- What the “New Song” is not—Not primarily a new composition even though the 33rd Psalm was ‘new’ at the time it was written.
- What the “New Song” is—2 things: “A Renewed Song”
- The ‘New Song’ is one that arises out of a renewed heart and a New Life. In other words, only the redeemed can sing this new song. The song which God puts into our hearts after our redemption.
- The ‘New Song’ is a fresh praise which we sing to God for His works day by day. Yesterday’s praise song to God is old what we need is be experiencing God afresh and praising Him with a New Song daily.
- Who are the “righteous” in verse 1? —We tend to think of the word “righteous” in strict moral terms. In other words, we think the righteous are those who don’t do bad things but do good things. While morality is suggested in the word ‘righteous’ there is something more to it. Here are several characteristics of those whom the Lord calls ‘righteous’:
- The Benefit of Knowing God’s Word and Works in Verse 4 and 5 — Notice verse 4 “the Word of the Lord” and “all His work”. There are 5 qualities of God in these verses upright, faithfulness, righteousness, justice and steadfast love. All of this suggests that God’s Word and God’s Works always mesh perfectly together. How different is it with us as fallen creatures in a fallen world? Very often we say one thing and do another…although we may have the best intentions. Sometimes we are merely inconsistent, other times we are hypocritical or blatantly dishonest at worst. The Lord is never like that! Therefore, He should be praised for everything He says and does! —The Fidelity of God!
- The Benefit of Knowing a Trustworthy God in Verses 4-12— God deserves to be trusted because He has proven Himself trustworthy!—In at least 4 ways from our text:
- God proves Himself trustworthy in His wise ordering of creation. The world is filled with the “steadfast love” of the Lord because He is keeping chaotic cosmic forces at bay. Like a dam which holds back the crushing waters and keeps them in check. In this way, we see God’s Creative Work as ongoing.
- God Proves Himself Trustworthy by Choosing His People in Verse 12— God chooses a people who will love and reverence Him. God is a God of order and so He chooses His people to be people of order by conforming their lives to His will and plans for them. Just as God is faithfully sustaining the creation He is also sustaining His saints.
- …Through His Providential Ordering of Human History in Verses 8, 10 and 11. God frustrates the purposes and plans of the nations but His own counsel and plans shall endure forever. When we look at God’s providential ordering of human history do we stand in awe? Because God has been at work from the beginning of time bringing His will to pass! God has put both the chaotic forces of creation and the rebelling nations in their place! God is trustworthy because every generation has had God providentially ordering the world!
- …Because He Sees and Knows the Hearts and Deeds of All Humanity in Verses 13-15. There are 4 statements that God “looks down” “sees” “looks out” and “observes” which emphatically underscore the thoroughgoing, universal, and complete nature of the Lord’s seeing and knowing. Remember, in Psalm 10:11 those who say “God does not see” but this Psalm boldly declares God does in fact know all things. We can trust our trustworthy God because He is the Creator of humanity and He alone possesses the power to discern and see the hearts and actions of everyone!
- The Benefit of Knowing the God Who Saves in Verses 16-19—
- What does not save? —In verses 16 and 17 we are told who cannot save! “In sum, the first two verses of this stanza make the point: deliverance cannot come from military strength. Military strength is here a metaphor for all human power and earthly efforts. It stands as the symbol for all of the earthly sources of comfort—wealth, security, family, career, home, etc.—in which the mortal will is bound to trust.”
- Who can save? — See Verses 18-22. Set over against the various objects in which human beings naturally trust is the declaration that we are not to be trusting in objects at all. The focus of our worship, trust, love etc. is a subject Whom is God Himself! —Not an object!
One last powerful benefit of this great Psalm is original context in which it was written. For the ancient Hebrew, the themes of creation, human history, covenant and human response in praise and worship are not to be taken apart from each other but rather together as a whole. In our day, we use the Bible doctrine of creation and treat it like a science. This Psalm reminds us that creation is merely the stage upon which the eternal redemptive purposes of God are played out.
