The LORD and His People

God is Praised By His People v. 1-3

These first three verses serve as the introduction to the Psalm.

Much like Psalm 33 there has been something in the life of David that has sparked a canticle of praise. This time we know exactly what that event is because of the subtitle given in the text.

1 Samuel 21:10–15 “And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?””

When David wrote this Psalm in the aftermath of what we just read I get the feeling that David is saying to himself, “that never should have worked.” He recognizes that God sovereignly orchestrated his protection through that dangerous circumstance. This is what leads him to exult the Lord in praise.

The Praises of David:

“I will bless the LORD at all times...” - David is making a commitment. Not only will he bless the Lord but he will do so at all times.

“His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” - Again David is committing to more than just a one time bout of praise. Did he live up to his commitment? No, not really, but to be honest I still respect him for making it. Just because we know we will fall short of perfection doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t shoot for it. Many of us here enjoy target shooting as a hobby. We know every time we line up our shot that it is unlikely we will hit the bullseye, but we still try to aim for it every single time. The world will always try to get us to move the goal post, but we must not give in. Our goal and desire must always be true biblical Christlikeness.

“My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad” - What are you boasting in? It would be almost funny if it weren’t so sad when we boast in things outside the Lord. It is easy to pick on churches in this regard.

One church is very conservative. Everyone wears a suit and tie or formal dress. They only sing music from a hymnal they bought 47 years ago. It is very awkward when some one walks in dressed informally. Visitors have exactly 3 weeks to conform or they probably wont make it. At the end of the day their boast is not in the Lord but in their rules and regulations.

Another church is much less conservative. Nobody wears anything formal and they are very casual. They only sing music recently heard on KLOVE. It is very awkward when someone walks in wearing a suit and tie. Visitors have exactly three weeks to conform or they probably wont make it. At the end of the day their boast is not in the Lord but in their rules and regulations.

I find it highly ironic that for both of these churches their greatest boast is that they are not each other. For literal centuries Christians have spent more time boasting in who they are not rather than who they are. I recognize that there are points of separation that we must never give ground on, but we ought not to boast in that separation. We boast in the Lord because anything else, no matter how we dress it up, is pride.

“Oh, magnify the LORD with me...”

Here David passes out an invitation.

I hope that in the worship we have already engaged in this morning we have answered that invitation.

It is my frequent prayer that I will magnify Christ in what I say and do.

But what does it mean to magnify Christ?

There are a couple of ways that we can understand this magnification.

One is like a microscope where we take something small and make it big enough to see. Clearly, this is not what David meant. Yahweh is not something small that need to be made large by our efforts.

The second and more accurate to the sense in this Psalm is a telescope. This takes something huge and awesome but far off and brings it near. We magnify God by declaring who He is and living according to His purposes and will. In reality God magnified Himself in a way that we never could by sending His Son. He brought Himself near.

“Let us exalt His name together.”

This is the second part of David’s invitation.

Why is there such a focus on the name of God in Scripture? His name is not some magic spell that can be cast, but rather a verbal representation of who He is. That is why we exalt His name.

God Listens to His People v. 4-7

“I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

This is the first reason that David gives for all the praise and exaltation of v. 1-3

When was the last time that you were completely flabbergasted by the fact that God not only hears your prayers but actually answers them?

“This poor man cried and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”

It is here that I get the sense that David recognizes that his plan was a long shot and it was through God’s providence that it succeeded.

It undeniable fact that we underestimate just how much God “interferes” with our lives.

God’s People Enjoy Him v. 8-10

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

“Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack!”

v. 10 repeats this same idea with an illustration.

God’s People Will Be Sanctified v. 11-14

“Come, Oh children, listen to me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

Learning to fear the Lord more and more has a sanctifying effect on the believer.

David illustrates this with a question in v. 12

v. 12 Paraphrase: Are you a man who wants to live a long and good life?

This question is answered in v. 13 and 14

Control your tongue

Turn away from evil

Do good

Seek peace

God Will Deliver His People v. 15-22

“The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears toward their cry.” This verse is given in contrast to v. 16 “The face of the LORD is against those who are evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.”

“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles” - David comes back to the reality that God hears our cries.

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” - We are delivered through afflictions not necessarily from them. We have the assurance that we will come out on the other side. This is seen in this Psalm when David compares the outcomes of the righteous and the wicked.

Afflictions will slay the wicked and they will be condemned.

The LORD redeems the life of His servants none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

How can I be redeemed after all that I have done?

This Psalm has many words for God’s people:

“Those that look to Him”

“Those that fear Him”

“The man who takes refuge in Him”

His saints

“Those who seek the LORD”

The righteous

His servants

Did you notice v. 20?

It seems out of place doesn’t it?

In David’s day this would have been recognized as a reference to the passover lamb.

Exodus 12:46 “It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.”

Numbers 9:12 “They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.”

The righteous of v. 19 will be kept pure like a passover lamb.

We understand that all of this is ultimately about Christ. Even the passover lamb itself is prefigure of Christ.

It is not a mistake that our redemption is discussed in the context of something that points us to Christ.

We will be redeemed, we will be delivered not by our own righteousness but by His.