December 5
Reading: Psalm 33
1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13 The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
This Psalm has no prescript, but it was almost certainly written by David. The reason is that the connection to the previous psalm is irrefutable. Psalm 33:1 is in parallel verse with Psalm 32:11. It is as if Psalm 33 is what had to be sung after the confession, restoration, and gladness of Psalm 32.
Psalm 33 is a song of unmitigated joy! It begins with three verses commanding us to sing for joy, sing praises, sing a new song to the Lord. Why a new song? Often new songs grab the heart in a way that old songs do not. Of course, old songs sometimes will grab the heart in a way that new songs do not. But if there are not new songs written and sung there would not be any old songs. Every old song was new once.
The song ends with three verses of joyfully waiting and hoping in the Lord, Yahweh.
And why should we sing for joy to the Lord? Well, we are not left to wonder. This psalm gives us reasons!
The psalm is pure poetry. Between the three opening verses and the three closing verses are four carefully constructed sets of four verses each:
vss. 4-7 We sing for joy because His Word created the heavens and the earth.
“The earth is full of His steadfast love.”
vss. 8-11 We sing for joy because the truth of His Word confounds the peoples of the earth.
“Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe.”
vss. 12-15 We sing for joy because the Lord rules over all peoples.
“He shapes the hearts of them all.”
vss. 16-19 We sing for joy because the Lord delivers those who hope in Him.
“The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him.”
He watches over us, keeps us, helps us, loves us. Do you realize the amazing blessing it is to live life with the Lord as your companion, savior, and friend? Do you remember what it was like to not know Him? Every day with the Lord is an incredible blessing compared to the lostness and loneliness of living without Him.
It is time for you to use this prayer of praise to express your joy to the Lord who loves you and leads you to seek Him. He shapes your heart.