Please turn to Psalm 138. We will go through this Psalm and examine the verses to see what God is saying to us. Many of us are familiar with verse 2 of this Psalm, which God has really opened up and brought to our attention in these last few years.
In Psalm 138:1-8, we read:
A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. 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. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O JEHOVAH, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of JEHOVAH: for great is the glory of JEHOVAH. Though JEHOVAH 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: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. JEHOVAH will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O JEHOVAH, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
This Psalm starts out:
I will praise thee with my whole heart…
The Hebrew word for “praise” encompasses more than our English word for “praise.” This Hebrew word is sometimes translated as “thank” and sometimes as “confess.”
Let us look at Job 40 where the King James translators translated this word “confess.” Towards the end of this book in Job 40, God has appeared to Job and his three friends. He is showing Job’s three friends their error and He is also rebuking Job for counsel without wisdom. He says in Job 40:6-10:
Then answered JEHOVAH unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous? Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
In other words, God is suggesting to Job that he do all these things like God can.
Then He says in Job 40:11-13:
Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
Then He says to Job in Job 40:14 that if he can do all of these things:
Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
This is speaking of our utter helplessness and that we can do absolutely nothing to save ourselves. God is telling Job that if he can do all of these things, then He will confess that Job’s own right hand and his strength and his own will could save him.
Therefore, with this same Hebrew word being translated as “confess,” we can see that this means more than simply the word “praise.” In Psalm 18:49, this word is also translated as “give thanks.” God uses the praises of His people in their witness as they testify of the works of God. So this word involves a little more than just simply praising God.
Let us turn to Psalm 96. Psalm 96:1-2 starts out:
O sing unto JEHOVAH a new song: sing unto JEHOVAH, all the earth. Sing unto JEHOVAH, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.
This is what God’s people are to be doing. This is what they are doing in their praise of God.
Then we read in verses 3-4, Psalm 96:3-4:
Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For JEHOVAH is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
As we praise God, we are testifying of the wonderful and wondrous works of God and of His salvation.
Returning to Psalm 138, this starts out in Psalm 138:1
I will praise thee with my whole heart…
This is speaking of the “whole heart.” We cannot come to God with our “whole heart” and we cannot praise Him adequately with our “whole heart” unless He is working in us.
Now let us look at Jeremiah 3. In Jeremiah 3, God is speaking of the rebellion of the northern tribes of Israel. He is speaking of Israel and He is speaking of Judah as “her treacherous sister.” In Jeremiah 3:9-10, it says:
And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom…
This is speaking of the northern tribes.
…that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith JEHOVAH.
We should examine ourselves constantly against the Word of God to see if we have turned to Him with our “whole heart.”
In Psalm 17:1, we read:
Hear the right, O JEHOVAH, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
In other words, we should be constantly examining ourselves to see if we are worshipping God with our “whole heart.” It is God who causes us to come to Him with our “whole heart.”
In Deuteronomy, God commanded the Israelites to “circumcise…your heart.” In Deuteronomy 30, as well as all through the Bible, we read commands like this that tell us that we are to turn to the Lord and keep His commandments and that we are to turn from our sins. We are familiar with Deuteronomy 28 and 29 where God speaks about all the plagues and the afflictions that He will put on those who do turn away from Him. Then in Deuteronomy 30:1-6, He says:
And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither JEHOVAH thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto JEHOVAH thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then JEHOVAH thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither JEHOVAH thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will JEHOVAH thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And JEHOVAH thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And JEHOVAH thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love JEHOVAH thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
In other words, He commands us to seek Him with all of our heart and to obey His statutes, and yet we read that we will not do this unless He is working in us.
Back in Psalm 138, the second part of Psalm 138:1 says:
…before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
What does this mean, because this is the word ‘elohiym? This is the same word that is in Genesis 1:1 where we read:
In the beginning God…
This is plural: “Gods.”
…created the heaven and the earth.
What does this mean in Psalm 138:1?
…before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
Well, in a couple places in the Bible, God refers to men as “gods.” This is because we were created in His image and we are accountable to Him.
Turn to Psalm 82. I believe that this is speaking of how the Psalmist will bring praise to God before men. Psalm 82:1 says:
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
Again, this is the word ‘elohiym.
Then we read in Psalm 82:2:
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
God is speaking to His people, to their error and their apostasy and how they are turning the people to idols and teaching works.
Then He says in Psalm 82:3-7:
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness…
He is speaking again of His people who are supposed to be bringing the Word of God.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Can you see how He uses “gods” in the place of men? This is because we are created in the image of God. As Christ was speaking to the Pharisees in John 10 of the New Testament, He cited this verse.
So I believe that this is what we are talking about here. I believe that this is how we are to understand the second part of Psalm 138:1:
…before the gods [before mankind] will I sing praise unto thee.
Then Psalm 138:2 says:
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth…
This word “lovingkindness” speaks of the mercy of God in salvation.
…and for thy truth…
This is speaking of the truth of His Word.
The second part of this verse is what we have all seen in the last few years:
…for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
When we consider how God has magnified His Word and has made it to exceed above anything else concerning God, this statement is just amazing. This word “magnified” is translated “exceeded” in 1 Kings. It is translated “greater” in Genesis 41:40.
Let me read this in Genesis 41:40. This is Pharaoh speaking to Joseph. Genesis 41:40 says:
Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
This is the word that is translated “magnified” in Psalm 138:2.
Again, it is just an amazing thing for us to consider that God has magnified His Word above all of His names. As we read the Bible, we now know that God gives Himself many different names so that we might see different characteristics of God and different aspects of the salvation message.
We are all familiar with Isaiah 9:6, which says:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful…
“His name shall be called Wonderful.” “Wonderful” is a word that is used often in the Bible to speak of the salvation of God and “His wondrous works.”
…Counsellor…
This has to do with the Word of God. Christ brings that Word. We read in another part of the Bible, “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
Let me read Psalm 119:24, because this explains it. Psalm 119:24 says:
Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
The Word of God is our “counsellors,” and Christ is spoken of here in Isaiah 9 as the Counsellor, the One who brings the Word.
In Isaiah 9:6, He is also called:
…The mighty God…
He is the Omnipotent God, the Creator of this universe.
He is also called:
…The everlasting Father…
Because He is the Father of us all, as we just read.
And:
…The Prince of Peace.
Again, this is speaking of Christ and the peace that He has wrought for us in His works. This is because before salvation, we are all the enemies of God.
Christ is also spoken of as “the rose of Sharon” and “the lily of the valleys.” In Revelation 22, He is spoken of as “the bright and morning star.” In Revelation 19:11, He is given the words “Faithful and True.” Again, all of these words are speaking of the different aspects of God so that we might be taught.
In Isaiah 43, as well as other places in Isaiah, God emphasizes that His name is JEHOVAH, which seems to be saying that this is His saving name. In Isaiah 43:1, we read:
But now thus saith JEHOVAH that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Then in Isaiah 43:3, He says:
For I am JEHOVAH thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
Then in Isaiah 43:14-15, we read:
Thus saith JEHOVAH, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. I am JEHOVAH, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
Again, all these different names of God teach us different aspects of His salvation, and yet He has magnified His Word above all His name. So this is something that we have to consider. We certainly know that Christ is the Word. He is the Word personified.
We can now understand Philippians 2:9 a little more and get a little bit more insight into Christ. In Philippians 2:9-10, we read:
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;
He is the Word, and yet it seems that in these end times, as we are approaching the end, God is teaching us more and more about the utter importance of His Word as He has shown us the apostasy, the falling away of His corporate church and how they de-emphasize and lessen the importance of the Word of God more and more.
Let us now look at Matthew 24 to see the way in which God emphasizes this here. The whole sense of Matthew 24 is Christ leaving and taking His Spirit out from among the corporate church that He established when He went to the cross in 33 A.D. Matthew 24:1 starts out:
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple.
They are speaking of the glorious stones in that temple. He goes on to tell them, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another,” and they sensed that He was talking about the end.
Then in Matthew 24:3-4, we read:
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
They sensed that He was talking about the end of the world. Then He goes on and tells us what to look for. But in Matthew 24:15, He says to them:
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place…
He is teaching them here to compare Scripture with Scripture, to look to other prophets to see what they have said. He is directing them back to Daniel when He says in Matthew 24:15:
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet…
And He adds in the end of that verse:
…(whoso readeth, let him understand:)
In saying “whoso readeth,” do you see how He is emphasizing His Word? He is not telling them to go and find faithful teachers who will show them this. He is saying, “Whoso readeth.” In other words, “Go to the Word.” All through His ministry, Christ would say, “As it is written,” and then He would cite an Old Testament passage emphasizing the Word.
We read in Galatians 1:11-12 where Paul says under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This puts to silence all of the different statements that we can read in commentaries about Paul saying one thing because of some aspect of his personality or Paul saying something else because he was a certain way. It came from God and this verse flat out says it. Everything that Paul wrote had been inspired; it had been given to him by God.
God is just emphasizing the importance of His Word. In these last times, we are now just a little bit more then a year-and-a-half from the end of the world and God is really opening this up. He is opening up the Word to us and He is also opening up its importance, its utter importance.
Back in Psalm 138:3, we read:
In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
Again, this is speaking of the mercy of God in salvation and also telling us that there is nothing wrong with crying out to God for His mercy in salvation if we are not sure whether or not we have eternal life.
Psalm 34:6 says:
This poor man cried, and JEHOVAH heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Then in verse 15, Psalm 34:15, it says:
The eyes of JEHOVAH are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Verse 17 of this same Psalm, Psalm 34:17, says:
The righteous cry, and JEHOVAH heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
In Psalm 138:4, we read:
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O JEHOVAH, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
We hear because God opens our spiritual ears to hear His Word. “The words of thy mouth,” again, are the Bible.
Christ said in John 6:63:
…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
We must hear this Word. It is a part of salvation. The Words that Christ speaks to us and the words of the mouth of JEHOVAH are the Bible.
Then again in Psalm 138:4, it says:
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O JEHOVAH, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
“The kings of the earth” is a phrase that God uses a couple of different ways. He uses it to refer to unbelievers sometimes, those who are in places of rule on this earth, the kings and the judges, and this even speaks sometimes of those who have rule among God’s people in the church.
Look at Psalm 2. This is speaking of those who oppose God. In Psalm 2:1-3, we read:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth…
Here is that phrase:
The kings of the earth set themselves…
This word “set” means “to stand in a firm way.” It is sometimes has a sense of “withstanding.”
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against JEHOVAH, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
That is one way in which God uses this phrase, “kings of the earth,” but He also uses it to refer to the true believers because we know that the true believers are spoken of as “kings.” They become “kings” in salvation.
Revelation 1:4-6 says:
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We can see that He uses this phrase both ways, “kings of the earth.”
But again, He says in Psalm 138:4:
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O JEHOVAH, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
This is referring to the Word of God. This Word that He has magnified above all His name.
Then Psalm 138:5 says:
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of JEHOVAH: for great is the glory of JEHOVAH.
Let us look at one passage that talks about His ways. Turn to Psalm 25. Psalm 25:4-5 says:
Show me thy ways, O JEHOVAH; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Then verse 8, Psalm 25:8 says:
Good and upright is JEHOVAH: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
Then Psalm 25:9:
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Then Psalm 25:12 says:
What man is he that feareth JEHOVAH? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
This is speaking of the ways of God. He turns us to His ways. He teaches us His ways. This is what Psalm 138:5 says:
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of JEHOVAH: for great is the glory of JEHOVAH.
Then Psalm 138:6 says:
Though JEHOVAH be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly…
This is speaking of His condescension and this certainly brings to mind Isaiah 66 where it speaks of a “poor and…contrite heart.” Isaiah 66:2 says:
For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith JEHOVAH: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Again, this is speaking about His Word; but it is speaking, in the first instance, of Christ who is our example in His humility.
But again, in Psalm 138:6, we read:
Though JEHOVAH be high…
And He is spoken of as “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity” in Isaiah.
Psalm 138:6 continues:
…yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
This phrase “afar off” is used in numerous places in the Bible where it speaks of being distanced from God. God knows the proud and He is aware of all of their sin and their rebellion, yet He knows them “afar off.”
We read about Peter at the time that they took Christ in Matthew 26. At that time, sadly, Peter was separated from God because he had fled. In Matthew 26:57-58, we read:
And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
Ephesians 2 is a beautiful passage that speaks of how salvation is, again, entirely by the work of God and by His sovereign grace. Ephesians 2:14-17 says:
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
He would probably be speaking of the Israelites here who would represent the people of God, but He is also speaking of salvation going outside of the commonwealth of Israel. However, all of us were “afar off” before salvation, which is really what this passage is saying.
Here, again, in Psalm 138:6:
…but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Then verse Psalm 138:7 says:
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.
Look at Psalm 143 where He uses this word “trouble.” Psalm 143:11 says:
Quicken me…
Or, “Give me life”; this is a plea for salvation.
Quicken me, O JEHOVAH, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
We are all in trouble. Before salvation, we are heading for eternal death. This word “quicken” is the same word translated “revive” in Psalm 138:7:
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me…
Or “quicken me.”
…thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
If you remember, earlier we read in Job where it spoke of the saving hand, the right hand of God that saves us.
Turn to Psalm 44. Psalm 44:1-3 starts out:
We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them…
This is speaking of the Israelites as He brought them into the land of Canaan.
…how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword…
The physical land of Canaan represented salvation, the Kingdom of God. Let me read verse 3 again. Psalm 44:3:
For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.
This is speaking again of the favor of God toward His elect. If you look at Psalm 80, it speaks of Christ as “the man of thy right hand.”
Psalm 138 finishes up in verse 8. It says in Psalm 138:8:
JEHOVAH will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O JEHOVAH, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
This creation is spoken of as “the works of thy hands.” Man has been given dominion over this creation. We read about this in Psalm 8. God also speaks of salvation in many places in the Bible as “the works of thy hands” in relation to His people.
Also, where we read in the beginning of Psalm 138:8:
JEHOVAH will perfect that…
This word “perfect” means “to complete” or “to finish,” as in the verse that says, “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it.”
Again, salvation is entirely by the mercy of God. As we speak of “His wondrous works,” we are praising Him but we are also speaking of “His wondrous works” in our testimony to the world around us.
By the mercy of God, it still is the day of salvation, as we read in Psalm 34. Our crying, our begging will not save us, but there is no other place we can go. We continue to cry out to God for His mercy. It may be that He will hear. We know that He takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”
Questions and Answers
Guy: Does anyone have any comments or questions?
1st Question: As you know Guy, I have some difficulty with the teaching that God has many names. With respect to your teaching today, in Psalm 138:1 you mentioned that the word “gods” is in the plural. It is Elohiym and this is supposed to be according to the teaching that He has many names. So this is one of His names.
I guess one of the difficulties I have is that in the Lord’s Prayer we say, “Hallowed be thy name.” This is as if His name is to be separated, “Holy be Thy name.” In Isaiah, there is a verse that says, “I alone am JEHOVAH.” I tend to think that JEHOVAH is His name, and you did point out a verse in Philippians 2:9 where “Jesus” may also be His name.
However, when we talk about His many qualities and characteristics and powers as an infinite God, He must have infinite properties and characteristics that our feeble little minds cannot even conceive of.
But in Psalm 138:2, it ends up, “above all thy name.” Have you checked to see whether “name” is singular or plural?
Guy: I think that it is singular, but I am not sure. What you are saying occurred to me also while I was looking at it. I do not understand this verse fully, so I cannot expound perfectly on this verse.
Question continued: Okay, thank you. This is a real magnificent puzzle.