Psalm 138- Whole heartdly praising
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The One-hundred and thirty-eighth Psalm is a wonderful Psalm! It is a Psalm penned by David and inspired by God! This is a Psalm that would be put into the a category of Praise. The term praise is going to occur 3 times in 3 verses. The term sing will occur. The word worship will come up once as well.
This was inspired, penned, and preserved with the intent the reader would leave praising God!
If I could admonish, challenge, or edify you from this text it would be to the effect that we ought to praise our God!
You may ask what is praise? What does that look like?
“Scripture treats praise as the natural response of those who believe God in response to His person and actions”- Hodder Bible Dictionary
Think Moses singing after seeing and being saved by God, Abraham after God preserves Issac, Noah’s altar after God’s deliverance
God’s majesty/greatness is shown and we respond
“Thanksgiving enjoys the gift, Praise enjoys the giver”-Adrian Rogers
Praise is even commanded of God to his people
(OT)Psalm 68:22
22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:
(NT)1 Peter 2:9
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
(Times to come)Revelation 19:5
5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
It belongs to God alone
1 Chron 16:25
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods.
Even makes God happy
Psalm 147:1
1 Praise ye the Lord: For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
Let’s be honest…it can be hard sometimes to keep the praise coming like it should.
God never stops being good and worthy but we can cease to be grateful and willing
Life happens
A trial? Bad News? It’s just hard?
So much happening it can seem hard to stay mindful and present enough it’s hard to praise?
If anyone understood and I dare say had “obstacles” to praise it’d be the man penned this Psalm.
Sometimes old David was just going through it
Death
of friends
of his children
Sin
That he commited
That others did
Enemies
Political
Personal
Despite all he endured he was still able to say “I will Praise” & “I will worship” & “I will sing”; I don’t know what you may be going trough or about to battle you can say “I will Praise” too!
Let go to praise school
Psalm 138:1-3 “1 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 lovingkindness 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.”
1 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 lovingkindness 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.
We will be looking today at :
the origin of our praise
Where & How praise begins
the object of our praise
Where & to Whom praise belongs
and our obligation to praise
Why we should and What we should praise for
The Origin of our praise
The Origin of our praise
Where and how does praise originate ?
Psalm 138:1 “1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.”
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
Praise is Personal
“I Will Praise”
“I will” shows up three times here.
Praise is something that can be done publically but if it’s origin is not personal I dare say it’s not praise
Some one can not praise for you
YOU MUST PRAISE
The term “I will” is a term of personal decision
We must decide to praise
The Psalmist has a resolve to praise God.
I challenge you to resolve to praise.
Praise is personal
Praise is private
Psalm 138:1 “1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.”
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
Notice after Davids resolve to praise God personally he then gives another aspect of how he is going to praise God
With his whole heart!
Heart- Not the organ but rather the internal man.
“The inner most man, his feelings, thoughts, volitions, and all areas of inward thought and life”
The heart would contain the intellect, desires, emotion, affection, and will of the person.
THIS IS THE HEART DAVID COMITS TO GOD AND HIS PRAISES
We can & should bring God our heart too!
To praise with out heart is vain
Matthew 15:8-9
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
We are commanded to love the Lord with our whole heart!
Matthew 22:37-38
37 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. 38 This is the first and great commandment.
A loving heart will praise
We should have a song in out heart to the Lord
Eph 5:19
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Notice the only condition on the heart is how much.
He can take your broken, hurt, tender, fearful, bad, abused heart and turn it into a praising heart!
Psalm 147:3
3 He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds.
Jesus said this about broken hearts
Is 61:1
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Give him your heart
Praise is also public
Psalm 138:1
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
“before the gods” in this world
What are these god’s that he is planning to praise before?
The word behind “gods” could be referring to
Angelic beings
Psalm 8:5
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, And hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Idols of the nations
Psalm 97:7
7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, That boast themselves of idols: Worship him, all ye gods.
Rulers and Justices
Psalm 82:6
6 I have said, Ye are gods; And all of you are children of the most High.
Regardless of who is being referred to the outcome is the same: “I am going to praise God with my whole heart”
Notice every possible outcome is something that we have observed people worshipping or depending in scripture
I remind you that the Lord is the best provider, the best saviour, and by design the BEST TO BE WORSHIPPED!
Turn from what you were once dependent on and trust God!
The Object of Praise
The Object of Praise
David not only tells us that he is going to praise he then tells us the object of his praise.
Verse one and two are full of “unto thee”
David is praising God clearly
This may sound simple but God is the best recipient of our worship
Notice in verse two “towards the temple”
temple wasn’t built yet. He’s referring to the tabernacle in Shiloh
God’s place of worship
God had made a central place of worship.
David is saying when I am far I will sent my self towards the Lord.
His praise would be towards where God dwelt.
In that paradigm his affections are set to where God is
This is something we are challenged to do as well
Col 3:1
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
David also begins to praise the name of God
What an example for us!
Let’s make big of our Lord’s name
Early church- “his name”, “the name of Jesus”
David praises the Word of God
We learn that “God has magnified his word above his name.
This is a stunning and remarkable statement, showing the incredible regard God has for His own word. He holds His word in greater esteem than His very character or name.
His name is put on the line through his name! HE IS AS GOOD AS HIS WORD!
“It would be as if God is saying, ‘I value my integrity above everything else. Above everything else I want to be believed.’ The verse does not have to mean that God’s other qualities are moved to second place.”
In essence God is faithful and true. If he said it he’s going to do it!
We have seen where praise begins. We have seen where praise belongs but now we are going to look at why we should praise. This was not empty adoration. David meditated on aspects of God and it gave him his spirit for praise!
The Obligations to praise
The Obligations to praise
We can praise the Lord for his love!
Psalm 138:2
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.
We have a loving God! He was loving then and he is still loving now!
Praise him for his love! He loves us! He loves you!
1 John 3:1
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Romans 5:8
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Don’t lose awe over the fact that God loves you!
We can praise him for his truth!
Psalm 138:2
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.
Our Lord possess truth!
In a world full of lies God has the truth!
This truth does so much for us!
Saved by it
John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Ephesians 1:13
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
We live by it
Eph 6:14
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
We can praise the Lord because he answers prayer
Psalm 138:3
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, And strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
We notice an important pattern in the reasons David gave for his praise. It is important to praise God for who He is, even more than for what He has done for us.
God answered David when we cried out.
Our God really listens!
1 Pet 5:7
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Phil 4 6
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
To friends that aren’t saved(know they’re going to heaven)
He will answer that prayer for help too
Romans 10:13
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Our God is so good! We have so much to praise him for. I challenge us to be people who praise.