What tremendous joy we had this morning to find ourselves being led in worship by this Psalm. We have just gone through a stretch and trial in which we wondered why God was not answering our prayers. All we knew was that He was our God, and that if we were to know the answer it would come later.
We were more than ready to declare His lovingkindness in the morning, and will not wait until evening to declare His faithfulness. How great are His works. He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him! We have come to a point (not the end but at a most critical moment) when we realized that five of the hardest days of our lives were being overseen by His Sovereign hand, that He was strengthening us all along the way, and was protecting from a potentially hopeless situation.
So this Psalm is very personal. It is also called “A Song for the Sabbath Day.” The day of rest is always meant to find us engaged in the work of praise, as Spurgeon said (Treasury of David). This would be excellent for that day.
· 92:1-4: as noted, it calls us to the most basic element of the universe: it all exists for His praise. But the praise will come easier when we meditate on His checed, grace for the day; and His emeth, His every word being fulfilled during the day. In other words, this also teaches us the importance of praise throughout the week, that we might enjoy the Sabbath-rest of faith in all of life.
· 92:5-7: It is a sad reality that the wicked will never know this ultimate relationship with God. It is their choice, but still sad given the reality of God’s love for the world. They will be destroyed forever, forever separated from this Sabbath God.
· 92:8-9: The Lord will be proven right, forever. He will endure while His enemies will perish and the leaders in sin (workers of iniquity) are scattered.
· 92:10-11: The saints should rejoice in God’s great works as experienced in their lives. Remember that God exalts the humble because it glorifies Him. He is strong in our weaknesses, His grace sufficient for these earthen vessels in which we live, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not us (2 Cor. 4:7).
· 92:12-15: All of this reflection gives us hope at the end of the Sabbath as we look to what is ahead. This doesn’t say it will be easy. It says the righteous will flourish and grow like the stately trees that are only more majestic in the strong winds that will blow. Even in old age the righteous will bear fruit.
Do you not find these thoughts, and the many more the Spirit has impressed on your heart, to be rich fodder for your “morning and evening” each day, as well as for your day of rest? It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High!
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Additional thoughts on Psalm 92:1-4:
Here are some encouragements on how to thank God properly. Remember, the first steps away from God are failure to glorify Him as God and failure to give Him thanks (Rom. 1:21).
· 92:1: Perhaps you know these words as a chorus, as we do. What a great reminder that giving God thanks is a GOOD thing. Cain, in his rebellion, could not get this right. The sin, crouching at the door of his heart, took control. God is our Creator and has blessed us abundantly. It is good to thank Him!
· 92:2: How appropriate. In the morning we declare His lovingkindness, “checed.” We preach this to ourselves because we want to live out of that goodness all day. Then, in the evening, we will thank Him for His faithfulness, “emeth”, that He was indeed good all day long! Families are blessed who pray around the table before breakfast and the evening meal.
· 92:3: Music is a magnificent way to thank God, allowing us to speak from the soul. But not just any music. It must be harmonious, a “symphony” if you will. As opposed to a “cacophony” of discordant sounds. All agree in thanking God.
· 92:4: Our gladness comes from God. We may think, “I did that; what a great person I am.” But we understand that our triumphs are the result of God’s work. He always is to be thanked. When people thank us, we need to thank God.
Prayer for Psalm 92
Lord, this is such a great Psalm. It is written by someone who knows how to meditate on You, Lord. He is patient, allowing Your plan to work out because he knows Your thoughts are very deep. Your plans look awry to the fool but it always works for our good and the demise of the enemies of Christ. And we can count on You, Lord, because 1) You are on high forevermore; and 2) there is no unrighteousness in You!!!
