Psalm 92 - The LORD most High is to be Praised

Introduction

Most of our days are almost all of our week is spent is dedicated to the cares and concerns of this world. These could be schooling, family issues, work, navigating COVID-19, holidays this time of the year, and many other things. How often do we take, or better yet, make time to rest and worship. The inscription of this psalm tells us we need exactly that, a time to rest, reflect, and give praise to our exalted king who reigns forever. He is worthy of praise and the rewarder of the righteous and the unjust. This is psalm 92.

Background

Psalm 92 is a individual thanksgiving psalm. The psalmist is praising God for His wonderful works and providence in his life and creation as a whole. We don’t have a specific historical backdrop for it. According to Jewish writings this was one of the psalms used by the Levities in the sanctuary. The others are psalms 24,48,82,94,81, and 93 with 92 bringing in the rear. We don’t have a record of that in scripture itself but there is no reason to reject it. The psalm has eschatological implications as it looks toward the ultimate end of the wicked and prosperity of the righteous.[1] We can break this psalm up into 3 parts:

Praise and thanksgiving to God for what He has done (vs. 1 - 5)

The end of the wicked and the victory of the LORD (vs. 6 - 9)

The prosperity of the righteous and the praise of the LORD (vs. 10 - 15)

Exposition

Verses 1 - 5: The psalmist begins with the declarative statement that it is good to give thanks to the LORD. Singing praise to the LORD of hosts is always good. Charles Spurgeon wonderfully states: “It is good ethically, for it is the Lord’s right; it is good emotionally, for it is pleasant to the heart; it is good practically, for it leads others to render the same homage.”[2] His lovingkindness is there morning and evening and therefore the praise of it should be continuous as well. Indeed God is to be praised both for who He is and what He has done. His actions flow from His nature and His nature govern His actions. The expression ‘God is good all the time and all the time God is good’ is absolutely affirmed by this verses. This praise isn’t limited to words. We can and should praise the LORD with instruments as well and the Levites did so. The psalmist praise is based upon what the LORD has done. The specific deeds are not delineated, they could be the LORD’s works in creation and / or other more directed actions, but they bring forth joy from the heart of the psalmist. Whatever the LORD does is good and is worthy of praise because all the works of the LORD bring Him glory and are good for His people. The LORD’s work in creation are also very good. His providence is often beyond our understanding but are beneficial to His people nonetheless. There is another benefit to thinking and praising of the LORD’s goodness and works.

We have seen over and over in the psalms how mediating on who God is and what He has done can be eye-opening and perspective changing. When we focus on the LORD He gets bigger and all our issues get smaller. We are encouraged to keep going as we remember the awesome power of God and His absolute ability to meet our needs. Tony Evans makes the excellent point that genuine praise is missing from the church because we don’t dwell on the deeds the LORD has done.[3] Returning to our inscription there is no better time to praise the LORD than on the Sabbath or Lord’s Day for us as believers. It is the set time for us to come together and worship. To not worship on the Sabbath is to dishonor the God of the Sabbath, our God who saved us by grace and daily bestows new mercies and blessings upon us.

Verses 6 - 7: The psalmist turns to the wicked and the fate that will befall them. These are people who lack good sense. They lack true wisdom, rejecting the knowledge of God as revealed in his word and the reality of His reward and justice, failing to see to true outcome of those whom walk in unrighteousness. The wicked often prosper in this life and do so for a long time (cs. psalm 73). Yet in the end they will face the judgment and justice of the LORD and receive eternal destruction.

Verse 8: Many commentators see this as the heart of the psalm. Whatever happens in this world, Yahweh is in control. He remains the sovereign ruler of the universe. No one is beyond the power of God and the LORD remains eternally who He is. This is a source of hope for the righteous and should be a source of dread for the wicked.

Verse 9: All those who oppose the LORD and His people will ultimately be destroyed. Their prosperity will profit nothing, and their iniquity assures their destruction. Either you trust and obey the LORD or you perish.

Verses 10 - 15: In contrast to the wicked the righteous will be lifted up. The LORD will strengthen and preserve them, pouring out new strength unto them which enables continue in the LORD. They will see and rejoice in the justice of God against those who persecute them. I am again reminded to Rev. 6:10;19:2 which makes clear the ultimate triumph of the people of God by the hand of God. Unlike the wicked who prospers for the moment and it destroyed, the righteous will continue and grow stronger and stronger in the LORD. The righteous are planted in the LORD and flourishes in His presence (cf. Ps 1:3). There is no time or age limit on the fruit they can produce for the LORD. The righteous will remain to declare the rightness of God in all He does, that He is the only sure rock, and there is no unrighteousness or injustice in His nature and character.

Gospel Application

The reality of ignore of the wicked is an apologetic for evangelism. The unbeliever must have the truth of the gospel kept before him / her. The reality that this world is not all there is and the truth of the existence of the Supreme Judge must be ever present in our thoughts, words, and deeds. This psalm makes clear the reality that all will give account to Him who sits on the throne and the Lamb and that those whom have opposed Him shall face an eternity unending penalty. Let this psalm encourage all of us to preach Christ and call all men to repent and believe the gospel.

For believers today, the sabbath or Lord’s day is a time to worship and reflect on the reality of God’s grace toward His people. It allows us to consider how the Lord can and does more for us than we do for ourselves in six days of work. This has no greater focus than the resurrection of Christ. It is his resurrection that ensures our resurrection and prosperity. As we worship and reflect we remember that Christ is our ultimate sufficiency. We have all we need in him and He is absolutely worthy of our praise. Christ Jesus is King and triumphed over sin and death. He has achieved victory for His people. We shall prosper in him, provided we stay attached to the vine. We shall the one with the name above all names to whom all creation shall bow. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Bibliography

1. Bullock, C. H. (2017). Psalms 73–150. (M. L. Strauss & J. H. Walton, Eds.) (Vol. 2, p. 151). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group.

2. Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 88-110 (Vol. 4, p. 116). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.