Psalms 138 - Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Bible Comments
  • Psalms 138:1-6 open_in_new

    A Psalm of David.

    Psalms 138:1. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

    Before the heathen gods, however highly exalted I will sing thy praises so in their very teeth; and the magistrates and princes and kings who think themselves gods on earth I will not fear them or be silenced by them.

    Psalms 138:2. 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.

    For thou wert far more glorious in revelation than in creation thy promise did greatly transcend every other display of thyself above all we have ever known or conceived of thee. Thou hast magnified thyself by thy covenant of grace, and thy works of grace toward thy people. For this worship and praise are for ever due!

    Psalms 138:3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

    That is a thing to make a man King when in the day of trouble God comes to him, hears his prayer and works his deliverance, when none else can help. God's rescues demand our grateful songs: his deliverances our new anthems of exultant praise.

    Psalms 138:4. All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.

    When thy gospel is preached, and they know it, they shall count it their honour to honour thee. It is ignorance of its glory and grace that makes silence possible: but to hear it as God's word of caring love is to be compelled to extol.

    Psalms 138:5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the LORD.

    David was a king, and he danced before the ark, and he anticipated the time when other kings should not be ashamed of exuberant rejoicing in the King of kings. Oh, that it were come! May the Lord hasten it in his own time, and the choral hosts of heaven be swelled by the presence of the crowned monarchs of earth!

    Psalms 138:6. Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly:

    That is a sweet text. One who was a scoffer met a humble child of God one morning, and he said to him, «Tell me, is your God a great God or a little God,» and the poor man said, «Sir, he is both, for, though he is so great that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, yet he makes himself so little that he condescends to dwell in my poor heart.» Ah, it was sweetly said. He who fills the heavens, nay all things, will be our abiding guest and friend if we will but welcome him.

    Psalms 138:6. But the proud he knoweth afar off.

    He has enough of them. He does not want them to come near to him. When they are miles away he knows all about them. They make a fair show, but he sees that it is all a fable and pretence. He knows them afar off!

  • Psalms 138:1-7 open_in_new

    Psalms 138:1. I will praise thee with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

    We cannot be too much occupied in the praises of God. He rightly deserves all the thanksgivings we can bring to him. It is the great engagement of heaven; let us begin the music here. If we would be heavenly-minded on earth, we must be filled with the praises of God. Notice how David resolves that in praising God, it shall be done heartily. «I will praise thee with my whole heart.» If there is ever a thing that ought to be done enthusiastically, it is the praising of God. I cannot bear to hear God's praises chirped out elegantly by polite people, as if they were ashamed of what they were doing, or to see a mass of pipes and bellows left by itself to blow the praises of God by machinery, instead of men and women praising him with their heart. Oh! how acceptable it must be to God to hear the heart speak. As for the tongue and voice, however sweet their sound, there is little in it. It is the heart. Soul-music its the soul of music. «I will praise thee with my whole heart.» See how bold the psalmist is about this. «Before the gods,» he says, «will I do it. Before the angels, before the kings and great ones that think themselves little gods. I will speak to the honour of Jehovah's name awe, and in the idol temples, where their worshippers will be greatly wroth about it. I will praise thee with my whole heart. Before the gods will I present praise unto thee.»

    Psalms 138:2. I will worship toward thy holy temple,

    That was God's way of worship. In the old times there was the shrine of God. There was the one altar which world render praise acceptable. David takes care to render praise to God in God's way: and that is a great principle in worship to avoid will-worship, and to endeavor to present sacrifices such as God prescribes. «I will worship toward the holy temple.» What blessed reasons are here given for praising. «I will praise thee for thy loving-kindness.» Is not that the grandest word in any language loving-kindness? It is a compound of perfect sweets to make up yet more perfect sweetness kindness and love mixed together. A marvellous blend? Loving-kindness gave the promise, but truth takes care to see it fulfilled. «So will I praise thy name.»

    Psalms 138:2. And praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word

    That is, «thy word of promise thy gospel which thou hast applied with power to my soul. Thou hast made it to seem lustrous beyond anything else I have ever seen of thee, O my God; therefore, will I magnify thee, because thou heart magnified thy word.»

    Psalms 138:2-19. Above all thy name. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

    Ah! this is what ties a man to praise. Answered prayer is sure to lead us to adoring gratitude. Notice that he says that God answered him, not by taking away his trouble, but by strengthening him with strength in his soul. You see it does not matter whether he takes away the load, or strengthens the back to bear it. And that is often the method by which he answers his servants' cries. Not strength of body, perhaps he would have liked that, but strength of soul. And oh! when the soul is strong bodily weakness is but a very small drawback. Nay, the weakness of the body may sometimes tend to illustrate the more the greatness of the power of God. Let us read that verse again, for some of us can set our seal to it. «In the day when I cried, thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.»

    Psalms 138:4-19. All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.

    David was a king, and kings would learn from him. You and I are not kings, but we may exercise a very beneficial influence in our own circle of acquaintances if we make bold to praise God when others can hear us. Let us speak well of his name. Wherever we go, let us have a good word for our Master. When others want to know what sort of God we serve, may they gather it from our holy joy and exultant confidence at all times.

    Psalms 138:6. Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.

    A glance of them is quite enough for him. He has no wish to know any more about them: he so hates them. Nothing can separate God from a soul so much as pride. It is that which causes the rejection of the gospel. Men will not have the humbling gospel the sinners' gospel. They are too fine, too good, too lofty, and so they do not want God, neither does his soul desire them. «For the proud he knoweth afar off.»

    Psalms 138:7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:

    He was a king but he had his trouble. A throne is not a place wherein we can shelter ourselves from trial. «Though I walk in the midst of trouble» like a man that is to rush through a fire «yet I shall be safe,» saith he «for thou wilt revive me give me new life. When it seems as if my life would be destroyed, thou wilt quicken me again.»

    Psalms 138:7-19. Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save. me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

    Note the confident spirit that runs through all this. There is a childlike trust in God, and there is a gladsome praise of God for what has been already received at his hands. Oh! for more of this spirit the spirit that makes music to the Lord for the past, and trusteth him for the present and the future. Some more blessed words of comfort from:

    This exposition consisted of readings from Psalms 138:1.; Isaiah 55:1-11; Romans 8:28-39.

  • Psalms 138:1-8 open_in_new

    Psalms 138:1. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

    «Gods or no gods, whatever they may be, ‘I will praise thee with my whole heart,' I will not be ashamed to declare my confidence in Jehovah, whoever may listen to me.»

    Psalms 138:2. 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.

    Now was his time to speak. The gods of the heathen had their worshippers; then, should Jehovah be deserted by his loyal subjects? «No,» says David, «I will worship thee, and I will praise thee, whoever may oppose me.»

    Psalms 138:3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

    What worshipper of idols could ever say that of his god? «Ears have they,» but they bear not the cries of their worshippers. «Hands have they,» but they cannot deliver those who cry to them. «Feet have they,» but they cannot come to the help of their votaries. But David declares that God had heard him in the day of his trouble, and strengthened him with strength in his soul.

    Psalms 138:4. All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth.

    He felt that he had had such good things to say concerning God, such blessed words of God to make known, that even the kings of the earth, when they began to listen to him, would become attentive, and would even become converts, and begin to praise Jehovah with him.

    Psalms 138:5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.

    Think of that, kings singing in the ways of the Lord, crowned princes becoming choristers in God's service. Someone has said that there are few in heaven who wore crowns on earth; and I am afraid it is true that, of all who are crowned on earth, few ever get to that land where all are kings and priests unto God. To have a crown on earth, and a crown above, is a rare thing; but David says that these kings «shall sing in the ways of Jehovah: for great is the glory of Jehovah;» and they shall be overpowered by that glory, melted, subdued, wooed, won, converted by its power.

    Psalms 138:6-19. Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:

    He was a king, yet he expected trouble; and do you complain when it comes to your cottage, after it had been to David's palace? «Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:

    Psalms 138:7. Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

    He expected first to be revived, and afterwards to be protected. He believed that God would stretch out his hand, as men do when they make a supreme effort, and put forth all their force: «Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies.» David also expected ultimate preservation: «‘Thy right hand shall save me.' Thou wilt do it; dexterously, readily, gladly, wilt thou do it: ‘Thy right hand shall save me.'»

    Psalms 138:8. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:

    «All that has to do with me my business, my family, my work, my temporal and my eternal interests, ‘that which concerneth me,' and that which troubles me, moves my heart with the deepest concern, Jehovah will perfect.»

    Psalms 138:8. Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

    And he will not do it; he will carry on unto completion the work which he has begun, blessed be his holy name!