Psalm 33. Praise and Hope Amid Chaos

1-3 Calling the righteous to Worship

Vs 1 is not calling everyone

Imperative / Who / The reason

“Praise befits the upright”

Implies that it does not fit the crooked, the wicked

The wicked often praise in our world: boasting, bragging, but when you see it, it jars the senses. You know it’s wrong, because it feels like the wrong people at the wrong time celebrating the wrong things. When an abortion activist is exultant when they win a legal victory.

Oftentimes, the righteous mourn in this life. Mt 5:4

Matthew 5:4 ESV

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Yet, vs 1 is calling the righteous to praise … not only in the age to come, when our mourning is over, but now, in this life. How is that possible?

The title today is “Praise Amid Chaos”

What kind of praise? verses 2-3 parallel singing and instruments

Singing: “give thanks” = “make melody” = “sing to him” = “loud shouts”

Instruments: “with the lyre” = “with the harp of 10 strings” = “play skillfully on the strings”

What kind of praise? Some characteristics:

verbal praise

instrumental - there are 2 instruments, so there is a band here

this interesting qualifier “loud shouts”. The word in Hebrew sometimes is translated “alarm or scream” and sometimes “shout or jubilation”. In some situations it means “war cry”. We don’t need to read every nuance into every occurrence of the word to see that this is not a passive word. There is a time for quiet reverence (that is in the Bible, too). But, here we have something explosive.

4-7 Why The Righteous Praise. What gives rise to Ps 33 worship?

For ...

Vs 4. Statement … “word” = “work” and “upright” = “faithfulness”

Vs 5. Amplification of the “upright-faithfulness” theme, in a surprising direction, that of love. God “loves righteousness and justice” (the themes of vs 4). By his word and work, his justice throughout the earth is his love writ large. This is a bit of a threat against the wicked. God loves righteousness. It is his justice, his righteousness, that fills the earth with his love. So, if you are wicked, if you are praising falsely, this is a threat, because he will bring his justice to you in a way that you will not enjoy.

Vs 6-7 picks up the theme of his word from vs 4, in order to further put a stop to every boasting mouth.

“by the word of the LORD” = “the breath of his mouth” and “the heavens were made” = “all their host”

“he gathers the waters” = “he puts the deeps” and “as a heap” = “in storehouses”

This is poetic language that recalls Gen 1. He has absolute lordship over every molecule.

8-19 Global CTW and why

Vs 8-9 is a global CTW. Develops vs 1

Vs 8

A global CTW. “let all the earth” is developed by the more specific “let all the inhabitants” (humans!).

And what is every human to do? … “fear the LORD”.

Fear = Worship Word. Fear = Exclusivity. Rejection of old heritage. Example - Happy. Parallel - “stand in awe of him”. Why “stand”? = come before his covenant presence. And, the word that should characterize their approach is “awe”. Don’t forget - this is not directed to Israel, but to the pagan nations. Absolute, international, authority.

Vs 9

Base logic - Creator!

shows where this awful fear comes from: “he spoke” = “he commanded” and as a result “it (the world) came to be” = “it stood firm”.

Cosmos already standing (mirror)

Does “Creator” shake us to our bones?

Vs 10-11. Divine Chaos

There is a reason for the chaos in our world.

The nations are “counseling together” … “planning”. Their plan is to break free from the “LORD and his anointed” (Psalm 2). Tower of Babel. Vladimir Putin. Sometimes Sam Cotten.

The LORD “brings the council” … “to nothing” = “he frustrates the plans of the peoples”.

This perfectly describes the chaos of our world. God calls them to worship. They build idols. They make plans to avoid him. So, he frustrates their plans. This is happening in every nation, so the world is a sea of competing frustrations. Example: None of the things Putin wanted to happen will happen.

Two things:

This is from love. God will frustrates every path that does not lead to him!

We the church have to figure out how to live in such a tumultuous world. That is the focus of this psalm.

Reminder: The tumult of the last few years

Vs 11 contrast to vs 10

“the council” = “the plans” (same words as vs 10)

Two differences

“of his heart”. The nations (vs 10) have no ‘heart’. Our LORD does.

“to all generations”. The plans of the nations (who have no heart) are immediately frustrated; while the plans of our great God flow out of his heart and are enjoyed to “all generations”.

100% predictability / unfrustratability

What’s in his heart tho?

Vs 12 Blessing! … but, to whom?

Vs 12 finishes the thought of vs 10-11. His heart is full of blessing (that’s what’s there!). His plans are to bless his nation! (not every nation)

Who is his nation? Not any modern nation-state. “The people whom he has chosen as his heritage”

2 Peter 1:17–18 ESV

For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

Matthew 3:9 ESV

And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

Notice where we are in the Psalm: Chaos (which God brings about, yet chaos nonetheless), we have now been spoken to in the midst of that. A People Amid Chaos.

The phrase in vs 12 “whose God is the LORD” says it all.

“God” (Elohim, transcendent one) “LORD” (God’s personal Name, indicating his nearness in Incarnation).

Vs 13 - 19 God’s perspective on his people amidst chaos

What a gift!

Bird’s eye view / God’s eye view

Vs 13-17 How God sees the chaotic nations

The heart of the psalm

Like a periscope

Will you allow yourself to look at your situation through his eyes?

It takes faith. We avoid what feels like false hope. We will cling to our limited perspectives at times, even though it is killing us.

Ex, a soldier in battle sends up a drone and the drone sees help coming. There is something in us that doesn’t want to believe things could get better.

It is too easy for us to read vs 13-17 as sort of piously check it off, without allowing the hope of it to sink in

So, my challenge is “look through the periscope”

Vs 18 - 19 How God sees his people

His eye is on those who fear him (worship, stand in awe) … hope in him (those who look through the periscope)

What does it mean to have his eye on you? He is looking upon us that he might “save our souls from death and keep us alive in famine”.

The chaos in our world is not meant for us. His eye is on us to rescue us.

20-22 The Response of the Church Amid Global Chaos

Our (it is an us thing)

Soul = Heart. The soul / heart of the Church is something we all share. Our common union.

Waits for the LORD (content? patient?)

he is our help and shield (never get out from behind your shield in battle, that’s just not smart!)

While waiting we are glad

because we trust him

Our prayer: “Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you”.