Psalms 33:1

The Bible says in Psalms 33:1-4, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.[2] Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.[3] Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.[4] For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” These verses are among the many verses in the Psalms about rejoicing, being happy, singing songs about Him, and praising the Lord. Of course, the New Testament has a similar message. It says in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.” It is interesting that this verse in the New Testament encourages Christians to learn the Psalms and to be “Speaking to yourselves in Psalms.” The Psalms were primarily written by King David through the inspiration of the Holy Spirt approximately one thousand years before Christ. It is wonderful how these ancient writings are so spiritual and still apply to our lives today as if they were just recently written. The only way that you will be able to be “Speaking to yourselves in Psalms” is if you know the Psalms and read them and learn them, so that you can quote them to yourself throughout the day, and sing them throughout the day.

The same is true about “hymns and spiritual songs.” One of the blessings about church services where you gather with other Christians is that you will sing together “hymns and spiritual songs.” As you attend consistently, you will learn hymns and spiritual songs, and then once you know them, you will be able to sing them “to yourselves.” These songs will lift up your spirit, strengthen your faith, draw you close to the Lord, and give you joy. One of the secrets to a happy Christian life is to do this very thing on a daily basis: “Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.” Notice that it says, “making melody in your hearts to the Lord.” God Himself is your audience and He loves to hear you sing to Him. Dedicate everything that you do to God and His glory and especially the speaking and singing of “Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

The Bible says in Psalms 33:5, “He loveth righteousness and judgment; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” Since God loves righteousness make sure that you are on God’s side by aligning yourself with what is right and also aligning yourself with true and fair judgment. Look for what is good and true and right and align yourself with it. There is a lot of good to find if you look for it. David wrote by the Holy Spirit, “the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” If you look for the bad, you will find some of that because there is evil in the world. But do not get caught up in doing that. How enjoyable is it to constantly look at what is bad and talk about it and complain about it? There is a lot of good to look at and to think about. God is everywhere and thus goodness is everywhere. There is also some good in every person because God made that person. God gives to every person some gift and some good quality. Look for the good.

The Bible says in Psalms 33:6-7, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. [7] He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.” This is another reason that there is so much good in the world: Jesus made the world and everything in it. It says in Genesis 1:31, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Can you look at everything and say that it is “very good.” Notice that Psalms 33:6 tells us how God made everything: He simply spoke and it happened. That is power. That is the power of the Word of God. God’s power is in His Word. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The Bible says in Psalms 33:8, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” The key word in this verse is used twice: “all.” Jesus died for everyone. God loves everyone. And Jesus wants everyone to be saved and to go to heaven when they die. It says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Since Jesus died for everyone and God wants everyone to be saved, everyone can be saved if they will only turn to Christ and believe. Do not give up on anyone. Pray for them and ask God to help you be a good witness. The truth and the Spirit of Christ might touch someone today. It could be a terrorist, or a political enemy, or someone else that you thought would not be saved. You never know who might turn to Christ today.

The Bible says in Psalms 33:9, “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” This verse is given as the reason that everyone in the earth should turn to the Lord. God’s power as manifested in the creation is the reason. This is the first reason to believe in God. What is the source of the universe, and the earth, and all life: God is the Source. As a matter of fact, the world that we see around us is one of the greatest evidences of His existence. It says in Psalms 19:1-6, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.[2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.[3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.[4] Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,[5] Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.[6] His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.”

The Bible says in Psalms 33:10-11, “The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.[11] The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” God is in control. Jesus is called King of kings and Lord of lords. Everyone on this earth is under his control whether they know it or not. The unbelievers who reject Christ are on a path to destruction. It is amazing that God gives us free will, but even after we have made our own decisions, God decides what the outcome will be. Because God’s “counsel” “standeth for ever,” you want to make sure that you seek and learn His will and seek wisdom. God certainly has made His wisdom available to everyone. His “thoughts” are available “to all generations” by the Spirit and by the Word. That is the reason to believe that the Bible is without error: God gave it and He has preserved it.

The Bible says in Psalms 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD: and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” God looks at nations as well as individuals. God wants nations to turn to Him and to glorify Him and to seek Him. Israel was supposed to be a nation that God used as His people. Israel was supposed be the nation through whom the truth of God came to be spread to the rest of the world. But sadly they failed. Because of the Christian influence in America’s founding, it may be that God wanted to use America in a similar way to how He wanted to use Israel. May the Lord keep America from having the same fate that Israel had: Israel was overrun by the Babylonians. It does not look good right now for America, but God is able. Perhaps some other nation on earth will turn to God before it is too late and become “the nation whose God is the LORD.”

The Bible says in Psalms 33:13-15, “The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.[14] From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.[15] He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.” God is watching. God sees and knows. No one will get away with anything. One day everyone will stand before the fair Judge who knows all things. It says in verse fifteen that God “considereth all their works.” Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” God will treat everyone equally. That is why we say as in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal.” God has created “their hearts alike.” Everyone has an opportunity to turn to Christ and believe on Him and start serving Him. But unfortunately, not everyone will repent. Not everyone will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved. They could call upon Him. They have the same potential in their heart, but they do not, and so their judgment will be fair and just and true.

The Bible says in Psalms 33:16-17, “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety; neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.” David lived in a time of hand-to-hand combat. He was involved in many battles, including the one with the Philistines when he killed Goliath with God’s help. As the king, undoubtedly David prepared his army and his soldiers as well as he could. Every country should do that. The best way to have peace is to have a strong military as a deterrent. Jesus described the age in which we live, and Jesus said in Matthew 24:6, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars…” By the Holy Spirit David is reminding us that no matter how well prepared a leader is, trusting in the Lord is what will give victory and nothing else. David mentioned three things that the armies of his day relied on: “the multitude of an host,” which is the size of an army; the strength of a “a mighty man;” such as what we have with the members of the special forces and other well-trained military; and a “horse,” which gave a great advantage over infantry. David knew that even if you had an advantage in all these things, without the Lord, you had no advantage. Trust in the Lord Jesus. He can give you victory in any situation against any enemy.

The Bible says in Psalms 33:18-20, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;[19] To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.[20] Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.” God is all-knowing. He sees everything, including the thoughts of our hearts. What is God looking for when He examines the hearts of human beings? God is looking for “fear” and “hope in his mercy.” This kind of fear refers to respect for God and who He is as Judge. Why should anyone turn to Christ if they do not fear the judgment? It will be a terrible thing to stand before God one day without a Savior. Who would have such a reverential fear: those who understand that they are sinners. That is why they “hope in his mercy.” There is a lot of mercy available from Christ: all the mercy that you need. His death on the cross was that powerful. Once you experience the mercy of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then your soul will be saved “from death.” You will have eternal life, and death will simply be when you leave this world and go to be with Christ in heaven forever. Of course, there are many other benefits that come with your salvation. God will keep you “alive in famine.” He will supply your needs even when the hard times of life come; and there will be hard times. Another great benefit of knowing the Lord Jesus as Savior is that you now have Jesus to trust in and to rely upon every day of your life. As you learn to live by faith and trust in Him for every detail of your life, He will be for you your “help” and “shield.” Notice that Jesus is called your “help.” He will help you. That means that you do what you can, and then He blesses your efforts and helps you. Jesus is also your “shield.” There are some things that you cannot do for yourself. The spiritual attacks will come against you sometimes like flaming arrows to pierce your heart and crush your soul. Learn to rely upon Jesus as your shield. It says in Ephesians 6:16, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

The Bible says in Psalms 33:21, “For our heart shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in his holy name.” This is the number one reason to rejoice: you have trusted in His holy name, and because of that you are saved. The name of the Messiah is Jesus. The angel told Mary about the child, “Thou shalt call his name Jesus because he shall save his people from their sins.” The word “Jesus” means “Savior.” What a name! It says in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

The Bible says in Psalms 33:22, “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” A spiritual person, even though full of faith and secure in the arms of Jesus, is constantly aware of his or her own sinfulness, and thus constantly aware that we are every day and every moment dependent upon the mercy of God. Thankfully, because of Jesus there is always mercy available even for the greatest of sins.

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