Today, Saturday January 21
Rejoice and Praise the LORD
Psalm 33:1-11
“Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.”
Today, we will begin to look at Psalm 33. This is one of the few Psalms that does not have a title or inscription at its beginning. We are not sure who wrote it, but most Bible students would conclude that David was the writer because of its location especially next to Psalm 32. Psalms 32 and 33 are linked by their subject which is the mercy and majesty of God. Together they set Him forth as a God of infinite grace and greatness. Psalm 32 deals with God as Redeemer, and Psalm 33 with God as Creator.
Psalm 33 seems to have been written in a time of national crisis. Psalm 33 reveals that the God of Heaven is the God of history, for His hand can be seen just as clearly in the way He controls the destinies of men as in the way He creates empires in space. Souls and stars alike bend ultimately to His will.
I love what Spurgeon said about Psalm 33. “The praise of Jehovah is the subject of this sacred song. The righteous are exhorted to praise Him in verses 1-3. They praise Him because of the excellency of His character, in verses 4-5, and for his majesty in creation in verses 6-7. Men are bidden to fear before Jehovah because his purposes are accomplished in providence in verses 8-11.”
Someone else noted that Psalm 33 is a primer for praise. It is so easy to be overcome and overwhelmed by the cares and problems of this old world and we forget and lose sight of how awesome our God is! But when we start praising the LORD and rejoicing in Him, it seems the windows of heaven open, and the blessings come down. As someone said, “When the praises go up, the blessings come down!”
The first few verses of this Psalm are a call to rejoice in the LORD and praise Him. God created us to worship and praise Him and that is what all eternity will be about! Read about this in Revelation 4 and 5. Who is called to worship? Two groups of people are called to Praise the LORD. Verse 1 tells us the “righteous” or those who are godly should praise Him. And verse 8 says: “Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” So, both the godly and the globe are called to this praise!
“Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful”. (v. 1)
Why should the “righteous” praise and rejoice in the LORD? Interestingly, this verse parallels the last verse of Psalm 32:11: “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” They both remind us that only those who are righteous by faith and obedient in their walk ("upright") can sincerely worship the Lord (Psalm 15; Gen. 15:1-6). It's a fitting and proper thing for those who have experienced the grace of God and his forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-3) to praise the Lord (Psalm 147:1).
The LORD is the Creator and cares for us. He is the Lord of all and watches over us. "We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3). He has redeemed us, and we belong to Him. No wonder in this Psalm, the worship leader exhorted the people to rejoice, praise, play instruments, and sing to the Lord. A sinner who has been saved by God's grace ought to have no problem praising the Lord.
My friend, today please let this Psalm speak to you and “prime” your heart and mouth to praise the LORD and rejoice in Him!
God bless!