The word of God Is Magnified

His record bring him praise

Psalm 138

A Psalm of David.

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. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.

There are imprecatory psalms which call for judgment against enemies.

Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary (p. 331). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

➔ Praise. There are a number of Hebrew and Greek words in the Bible rendered “praise.” In each Testament praise is our response to God’s revelation of Himself, an acknowledgment of His character and His acts. But it is more. Praise is our expression of delight in God Himself; our expression of the love we feel as we consider, “How Great Thou Art.”

Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary (p. 331). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Psalm 42:4

Perhaps this is the image we ought to keep in mind as we approach the Book of Psalms. Keeping festival. Coming with praise and rejoicing to our God.

Keeping festival. This is one of the lost arts of believers, who are called to celebrate relationships with God. Such celebration comes not because of our feelings alone, but it comes when we realize just who God is and all that He means for us.

One contemporary definition of worship, suggested by Chapel of the Air speaker David Mains, helps us focus on a secret of keeping festival. Worship, says Pastor Mains, is essentially “ascribing worth to God for who He by nature is.” At heart, worship is focusing our attention on God. It is praising the Lord for one of those qualities or characteristics which set Him apart in His perfection and His glory.

Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary (p. 332). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

The repeated word thanks in verses 1, 2 and 4 (translated ‘praise’ in the last of these) points to the moment the psalmist has in mind for his song to be heard, when he will publicly sacrifice his thank-offering and tell ‘the glad news of deliverance’ to ‘the great congregation’ (cf. Ps. 40:10). There is a fine blend of boldness and humility from the outset: boldness to confess the Lord before the gods, humility to bow down before him.

David had once felt, but rejected, the pressure of ‘other gods’ (1 Sam. 26:19) within their territories—somewhat as we may feel the force of other ideologies, or of demonic powers, where they are cultivated. So verse 1b is no empty gesture, any more than 2a.

2b. The Hebrew text, as we have it, runs as in av, rv: ‘… hast magnified thy word above all thy name’ (cf. rsv mg). This is a strange expression (one would expect ‘even’ rather than ‘all’), and a strange statement if ‘thy name’ has its usual meaning of ‘thyself revealed’, as it has in the first half of the verse. For all its high claims, Scripture does not encourage bibliolatry; so the meaning of such a sentence could only be that God has fulfilled his promise in a way that surpasses all that he has hitherto revealed of himself. But this would be an obscure way of putting it, and rsv seems justified in assuming a copyist’s omission of the letter w, meaning ‘and’, from a text which will have read ‘… hast exalted above everything98 thy name and thy word’.

3. There is an attacking spirit in the second line of this verse, which rsv fails to catch (but see rsv mg.). It comes out in neb: ‘thou didst answer me and make me bold and valiant-hearted’. We are reminded of Paul, boasting in the Lord and even in his own infirmities; for it is possible that the answer here was first and foremost the boldness itself, which made David (like Paul in 2 Cor. 12:8–10) equal to the occasion. It is not always the situation which most needs changing; it is, as often as not, the man involved in it.

Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, pp. 497–499). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. 7 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. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Ps 138). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Co 12:8–9). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

In 1604, England’s King James I authorized a new translation of the Bible aimed at settling some thorny religious differences in his kingdom—and solidifying his own power.

But in seeking to prove his own supremacy, King James ended up democratizing the Bible instead. Thanks to emerging printing technology, the new translation brought the Bible out of the church’s sole control and directly into the hands of more people than ever before, including the Protestant reformers who settled England’s North American colonies in the 17th century.

Emerging at a high point in the English Renaissance, the King James Bible held its own among some of the most celebrated literary works in the English language (think William Shakespeare). Its majestic cadences would inspire generations of artists, poets, musicians and political leaders, while many of its specific phrases worked their way into the fabric of the language itself.

Even now, more than four centuries after its publication, the King James Bible (a.k.a. the King James Version, or simply the Authorized Version) remains the most famous Bible translation in history—and one of the most printed books ever.

The Holy Bible: King James Version Psalm 70

PSALM 70

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD. 2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. 3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha. 4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. 5 But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.