Sermon Tone Analysis

Prayer Requests & Praise Reports:

Tim and the prostate cancer; community and fellowship

Thad and Nate’s training

Great Lakes Ministry

Intro:

Tim and the prostate cancer; community and fellowship

is a hymn of praise, with a special emphasis on the Lord as creator.

The psalm’s emphasis on creation is unique because it “alone among all of the psalms, speaks of God’s creation by word.

A call to lively and joyous praise to God for His glorious attributes and works.

A call to lively and joyous praise to God for His glorious attributes and works, as displayed in creation, and His general and special providence, in view of which, the Psalmist, for all the pious, professes trust and joy and invokes God’s mercy.

The psalm’s emphasis on creation is unique, as Diane Jacobson notes, because it “alone among all of the psalms, speaks of God’s creation by word.

This psalm is a hymn of praise to Yahweh, celebrating his righteous character, creative power, and sovereignty—qualities that make him the only reliable foundation for trust and hope.

The lack of a psalm heading in this psalm is noteworthy, especially since it is only one of two psalms in Book 1 of the Psalter (, considering and 2 as introductory) that do not have any heading.

All the remaining thirty-seven psalms in this book are referred to David, and most have other indications of psalm type and musical performance notes included.

As mentioned elsewhere, psalms without titles are frequently combined with the preceding psalm in the ancient Hebrew manuscripts, yielding a single composition.

This is true of —at least ten ancient Hebrew manuscripts combine and 33.

Wilson, G. H. (2002).

Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 555).

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997).

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 357).

Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Jacobson, R. A., & Tanner, B. (2014).

Book One of the Psalter: .

In E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, & R. L. Hubbard Jr. (Eds.),

The Book of Psalms (p.

310).

Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Thad and Nate’s training

P1. (v.

1-5) The Praise Due to the LORD

v. 1-3 A celebration is called for as the Psalmist invokes the praise of God with music and singing!

This is a celebration that raises the bar to any worship concert that you could ever attend.

This is a song the Psalmist invokes of all God’s people.

And note at , his call to present our praise “skillfully.”

We should understand this to mean that when we praise God, we do not provide Him our reserves, but our ALL.

In due course the quiet close of the psalm will make the further point that jubilance is not the only mood in worship.

In the second major section of the psalm, the psalmist lays out in sixteen lines the motivating reasoning behind the call to praise.

The motivation falls into three categories: the right and faithful character of God (33:4–5), the powerful and creative word of God (33:6–9), and the enduring and unshakable purpose of God (33:10–11).

The right and faithful character of God.

The first motivation for praising Yahweh is grounded in his essential character.

What God says is “right and true.”

The niv evidently uses these two words to get at the full meaning of the single Hebrew word yašar (“straight, level, right”).

The plural of the same word is used to describe the “upright,” who are called to praise Yahweh in 33:1.

Moreover, Yahweh is characterized by being “faithful” (ʾemunah [“steadiness, reliability, honesty”]) in all he does (33:4).

Because Yahweh is upright and reliable, he also loves righteousness and justice in the world he has created, and his own dealings with his creatures and creation demonstrate his “unfailing love” (ḥesed) to them.

Wilson, G. H. (2002).

Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 557).

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Wilson, G. H. (2002).

Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 557).

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

v.4 The psalmist explains why God deserves such praise: because of HIS WORD.

Because of HIS WORKS.

The Psalmist points to HIS HESED, HIS COVENANT LOVE (v. 5).

The purpose of such praise is due to what God has spoken about Himself: Who He is and What He has done, is doing, and will do.

His word and his work (4) are inseparable, for his words are never empty.

His word and his work (4) are inseparable, for his words are never empty.

v.4 The psalmist explains why God deserves such praise: because of HIS WORD.

Because of HIS WORKS.

The Psalmist points to HIS HESED, HIS COVENANT LOVE (v. 5).

The purpose of such praise is due to what God has spoken about Himself: Who He is and What He has done, is doing, and will do.

Kidner, D. (1973).

: an introduction and commentary (Vol.

15, p. 154).

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

In speaking of His Word, this leads the Psalmist to transition to our second point

P2.

(v.

6-17) The Word and Works of the LORD *Break up as 6-11 & 12-17*

Great Lakes Ministry

The two stanzas of this section (4–7, 8–11) unite in the theme of the supreme ease with which the Creator dominates alike the physical and the personal creation.

He is master of the waters (7) and the peoples (10): the waters do his bidding; the peoples are at his disposal.

Faithful.

Many aspects of the created order remain a puzzle to us: why earthquakes?

Why ‘nature red in tooth and claw’?

In everything, we are assured, the Creator is faithful to his own character and faithful to the welfare of his creation.

Motyer, J. A. (1994).

The Psalms.

In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.),

New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 506).

Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

By the word of the LORD (33:6).

Among ancient Near Eastern stories of creation by the gods, only one Egyptian hymn to the god Ptah approaches the Old Testament emphasis on creation by the spoken word (see comment on Ps. 104).

The creative activity of Ptah, however, involves an unfolding of his being into the form of other gods, human beings, animals, idol statues, and even food for gods and people.

Such an evolution is foreign to biblical cosmogony.

In the message of Psalm 33, God’s spoken word not only ordered the created universe but also regulates all that humanity plans and does (vv.

10, 15).

The heavens are the exact expression of his mind (word) and the direct product (mouth) of his will.

Breath, ‘spirit’ or ‘Spirit’, what the Lord says is full of the Lord’s energy to bring it to effect (cf. 9; 104:7, 30; , ). 7 The waters, as the unruly component of creation, are chosen to exemplify the ease of the Creator’s sovereignty (93:3, 4) 8, 10, 11 In OT thought the Creator is more than the initiator; he remains sovereign over his creation, worthy of the reverence of all its people and in directive management of all its affairs, restraining and dominant, purposive and irresistible.

Motyer, J. A. (1994).

The Psalms.

In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.),

New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 506).

Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

1.

Tim’s BOB

By the word of the Lord (33:6).

Among ancient Near Eastern stories of creation by the gods, only one Egyptian hymn to the god Ptah approaches the Old Testament emphasis on creation by the spoken word (see comment on ).

The creative activity of Ptah, however, involves an unfolding of his being into the form of other gods, human beings, animals, idol statues, and even food for gods and people.

Such an evolution is foreign to biblical cosmogony.

In the message of , God’s spoken word not only ordered the created universe but also regulates all that humanity plans and does (vv.

10, 15).

Let all the earth fear (33:8).