Session 4
Our Response
Thanksgiving is the proper response to God’s answer to our prayers.
Psalm 138:1-8
Memory Verse: Psalm 138:1
First THoughts
Some reactions are instinctive. For example, whenever people see an object flying toward their head, they duck. Other reactions are developed through experience. When a batter hits a ball, the outfielder begins moving to the spot where he can catch it. Other responses are shaped by personal allegiance. If the outfielder catches the ball, fans of his team cheer. If they are fans of the batter’s team, they groan.
(In PSG, p. 42) What other categories for reactions would you suggest other than instinctive, developed, and allegiant? What example would you give to justify that category?
Psalm 138 encourages believers to develop a thankful heart. This mindset begins with thanking God for everything He does. But a thankful heart entails more than saying “thank You.” It also acknowledges that eventually everyone will recognize that God is sovereign. Some will joyfully embrace His sovereignty. Others He will subjugate. Thus believers can trust God’s promise to complete His purpose in their lives and can find a reason to be thankful even in the tough times.
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
Psalm 138
Psalm 137 is a lament that expresses the sorrow the people of Judah felt while they were living in Babylon. The Babylonians had conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and the beloved temple, and exiled thousands of Judeans to Babylon. In Psalm 137 the psalmist lamented separation from Jerusalem and announced Babylon’s future doom.
The next psalm represents an abrupt change of subject and mood. In Psalm 137 the psalmist confessed that he felt no inclination to sing praise to God. In Psalm 138 the psalmist happily expressed his intention to sing praise. The mood of Psalm 137 is somber and grim. The mood of Psalm 138 is joyful and confident. Psalm 137 states that praise to God is not found in the foreign nation of Babylon. Psalm 138 declares that all foreign nations will give praise to God.
The dramatic shift in mood evident at the beginning of Psalm 138 is not unusual for the Book of Psalms. Every experience we face, every emotion we feel, is somehow represented in the psalms. Sometimes, like the abrupt shift from Psalm 137 to 138, our experiences and emotions change quickly and dramatically. The Book of Psalms is a book of life. It came from real experiences in the lives of real people, and God inspired those people to write about those experiences.
Psalm 138 is a Davidic psalm, the first of a series of Davidic psalms in Psalms 138–145. Some commentators have written that this psalm was composed on the occasion of God’s promise to David concerning the permanence of David’s dynasty (2 Sam. 7). Psalm 138 mentions God’s promise (vv. 2,4) but does not specify the content or nature of the promise. Therefore, perhaps it is best to conclude that the historical circumstance behind Psalm 138 is uncertain. Such is the case for most of the psalms, and leaving the particular background as an open question in no way diminishes the meaning or value of the psalm.
Explore THE TEXT
I WILL THANK (Ps. 138:1-3)
Psalm 138 could be classified as a praise psalm, a thanksgiving psalm, or both. The psalm expresses both praise and thanks to God. Generally, thanksgiving is expressed for God’s works, what He has done for us. Praise is expressed for God’s character, who He is. It does not seem that all the psalmists followed that sharp distinction, but the different emphases of praise and thanksgiving are helpful to keep in mind. Sometimes we may not be moved to express thanks for His works because we cannot see God at work in our circumstances. But God’s holy attributes do not change, so He is always worthy of praise in every circumstance.
VERSE 1
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
Parents teach their children to say “thank you” to anyone who gives them something. Most parents are attempting to teach something more important than polite manners. They are trying to cultivate in their children a genuine attitude of thankfulness. If it is important to express thanks to people, how much more important is it to express thanks to God who gives all good things to us and does more for us than we could ever repay? “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (Jas. 1:17).
Expressions of thanksgiving are throughout the Book of Psalms, and Psalm 138 is one example. We have all said “thank you” just to be polite, even when we didn’t really mean it (like when we receive a present that we don’t like). But the psalmist told God, I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart. The psalmist’s gratitude was sincere and profound. Sometimes we say “thank you” when we feel so grateful that no words can really express just how thankful we are. Gratitude is what brand-new parents feel when their first baby is born and the doctor says, “Your baby is perfect.” It’s what a cancer patient feels when she hears the surgeon say, “We got it all, and it was benign.” To comprehend giving thanks with my whole heart, it is helpful to consider another way of saying it—“No part of my heart is not grateful.” The writer of Psalm 103 expressed something similar when he wrote: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” (v. 1).
Record and share some moments when you were grateful to God with all your heart.
The psalmist also told God that he was going to sing your praise. In the original Hebrew this phrase is one word. The word translated I sing your praises is used only in poetry and almost exclusively in Psalms. The vast majority of its uses focus on praising God. Sometimes this word is parallel to the word for singing (Pss. 27:6; 101:1) and sometimes it is linked to a musical instrument (Pss. 33:2; 71:22; 98:5; 149:3). The people of Israel employed their voices and their musical instruments in expressing praise to God. Psalmists also wrote that they would sing God’s praise for the entirety of their lives (Pss. 104:33; 146:2). They stated that they were offering praise music because of what God had done (Pss. 9:11; 105:2) and because of His holy attributes like love and justice (Ps. 101:1).
The psalmist wrote that he would sing praise to God before the gods. The gods translates the Hebrew word that is customarily translated “God.” The psalmist is addressing God, so it makes no sense to say, “I will thank and praise You, God, before God.” Hence, another translation is likely. The “gods” is possible, just as “sons of God” refers to angelic beings in Job (1:6; 2:1). Some commentators think it is more likely that the gods refers to great persons on the earth, especially since the psalmist refers to kings in verse 4. The likely possibility is that it refers to false gods (the word here is in its usual plural form). It is similar to Psalm 82:1, which says that God “in the midst of the gods … holds judgment.” Israel was surrounded by the idols of false gods and the people who believed in them. Even many Israelites worshiped false gods. In Psalm 138 the psalmist said to God that though he was in the presence of the images of false gods, he would not worship them. Instead, before them and in defiance of them he would offer praise to the one true God.
VERSE 2
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
The psalmist also fell to his knees in reverence before God and gave thanks to God while facing the temple in Jerusalem. God is everywhere and cannot be limited to one space, but the temple represented His presence among His people on the earth. He declared to His people that He would associate His name with that place (Deut. 12:2-7). The psalmist surely valued that location because he gave thanks to God by bowing toward it, likely with powerful memories of being in God’s presence there with God’s people.
The psalmist thanked God for His attributes, specifically steadfast love and faithfulness. The word translated word can be translated “promise” or “utterance.” God is worthy of our praise because He has made great both His word and His name above everything else.
VERSE 3
3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.
The psalmist also expressed gratitude to God because He had heard and answered his prayer. God’s answer to our prayers may not always be what we want, but He knows best, and what a blessing to know that God answers prayer! The psalmist also testified that when he called on God, his strength of soul …increased. Not only does God work for us in answer to prayer, He also works in us. Prayer changes things, but it also changes us.
(In PSG, p. 46) What motivates a person to express thankfulness? Are some motives better than others? Explain.
THEY WILL BOW (Ps. 138:4-6)
VERSES 4-5
4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, 5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.
Two similar and recurring themes in the Book of Psalms are God’s reign over all the nations and the praise all nations will offer God one day (Pss. 22:27-28; 46:10; 86:8-9; 102:15). Psalm 138 is “Of David,” and David was the king of Israel. Naturally David would think about not only other nations but also the kings of those nations. So when David wrote about the praise other nations would offer the one true God, he singled out their kings.
Just as David expressed thanks to God in verse 1, David wrote that all the kings of the earth shall give … thanks to God when they have heard what He has promised. They shall sing of the ways of the Lord. Here, David used the covenant name of God, Yahweh, the name God gave Himself. Kings will no longer worship the false gods of their nations, but the one true God by name.
The one true God is worthy of universal worship, for great is the glory of the Lord. Sometimes glory is used as a synonym for greatness (1 Chron. 22:5), a synonym for praise (Luke 17:18), or a synonym for heaven (Ps. 73:24). Glory also refers to the expressed, or manifest, greatness of God. When Jesus was born, the angels said, “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14) because God’s greatness was being manifested in Jesus’ birth. In Exodus, the glory of God is repeatedly associated with manifestations of His greatness and power (Ex. 16:7,10; 24:16-17; 33:18,22). God’s glory will be made known, and all nations and their kings will sing of the Lord’s ways (see also Phil. 2:9-11).
How do you feel about the fact that one day the great leaders of the earth will give praise to the one true God? What difference does it make in your daily attitude?
VERSE 6
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
The psalmist carried forward the theme of God’s greatness by stating that the Lord is high. God is far greater then we can conceive, and He is perfectly holy (Isa. 6:3). He says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9). However, in spite of God’s unfathomable greatness, He is not aloof from humanity: he regards the lowly. In this context, haughty are people who are impressed by their own greatness, not God’s. They exalt themselves, not God. God knows those people too, yet only from a distance. Intimacy with God is obstructed by pride. In Psalm 131:1-2, David professed that he was not among the proud, but among those who are as humble as children. Psalm 138:6 is a call for all of God’s people to humble themselves (see also 1 Pet. 5:5-6).
(In PSG, p. 48) In what ways could this verse be seen as a promise and a threat? How would you describe the difference?
GOD WILL FULFILL (Ps. 138:7-8)
VERSE 7
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
David concluded this psalm with a confident affirmation of his faith in God’s work in his life. Though I walk brings Psalm 23:4 to mind, and the point here is essentially the same as in that verse. In Psalm 23 David professed his belief that God would be with him and help him in deep darkness and in the presence of enemies. In Psalm 138 David declared his faith that God would protect him from the midst of trouble and from the wrath of my enemies.
In the Old Testament the hand of God usually represents His power. Exodus 32:11 states that God brought His people out of slavery in Egypt “with great power and with a mighty hand.” In Psalm 138 the psalmist refers to God’s power to save him in the midst of difficulty. The type of difficulty is not specified. The fact that the nature of the difficulty is left open-ended means that we can apply this verse to our troubles whatever they may be. No matter what we may face, God will help us.
VERSE 8
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
This verse begins with a life-changing affirmation: the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. The verb translated fulfill occurs only five times in the Old Testament, all in the Book of Psalms. It means “to complete.” One of the most encouraging truths is that God is at work in our lives in a way that will fulfill His intentions. Sometimes we do not feel God’s presence, but He is with us. Sometimes we do not see His work, but He is bringing His plans for us to completion.
David is an example of God’s fulfillment of His purposes. God’s plan was for David to be the king of Israel. While Saul was the king, that seemed impossible. When Saul and his men were pursuing David, it seemed more likely for David to fall by the sword than to rise to the throne. Yet, God’s purpose was fulfilled. God’s plan was also for David’s dynasty to endure forever (2 Sam. 7:16). When Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, that plan seemed impossible. However, when Jesus was born, God the Father gave to Him “the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:32). Jesus reigns now, and His reign will indeed endure forever (Rev. 11:15).
Just as God’s plan came to pass in David’s life, His plan for us will also be fulfilled in His time. As the apostle Paul affirmed, “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
The word translated steadfast love is one of the richest words in the Old Testament. It is sometimes translated with words like “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” and “covenant love.” It refers to mercy given to unworthy people and to deliverance or protection given by one who is more powerful. The Old Testament affirms repeatedly that God related to His people in that way. He chose the Israelites as the special recipients of His mercy, and He gave it to them faithfully. He bound Himself to them in a covenant based on His grace and love, and He always kept that covenant. According to Lamentations 3:22, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.”
When life is going well and we feel comfortable, affirmations of faith like those in this psalm may not seem as precious to us. But this verse helps us profoundly in moments when we are beaten and bruised by pain and we wonder why God’s hand of blessing has been removed and whether He will ever bless again. When we are there, it changes everything to remember that God fulfills His purpose for us and that His loving and merciful character is eternal. How do we know God will fulfill His purpose for His people? His pledge is His character. His lovingkindness is eternal.
David began this psalm by expressing thanks to God, and he ended it with the unalterable foundation for our thanks—God’s holy, eternal love. God’s glorious character never changes, so He is always worthy of our praise. Jesus was the personification of thanksgiving. He gave thanks to God the Father (Matt. 15:36; 26:27; John 11:41). If our Lord expressed thanks, so should we.
If you called to mind God’s faithful love and praised Him for it every day, what difference would that make in your life?
KEY DOCTRINE
Jesus
He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.
BIBLE SKILL
Use other Scripture to help understand a Bible passage.