Pastor Don Carpenter
Praise Eruption / Psalm 138:1–2
Praise is a natural and necessary response to fully enjoy the object that is praised. For example, when watching a football game on television, it is a natural response to praise a tremendous play. To shout WOW! after an acrobatic catch in the end zone is not only natural, but necessary to fully enjoy the spectacular play. If you do not believe that it is necessary, the next time you watch a football game try to not express yourself at all. You will quickly find that you do not enjoy the action nearly as much as you do when you have the freedom to express yourself in praise and excitement.
1 Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 270). Baker Books.
A healthy and passionate praise life is essential for a believer to live up to their potential as a Christ -follower. Jesus explains that to the woman at the well.
John 4:24 KJV
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Today we start a four week series on Psalm 138 entitled “Praise Eruption”. In this passage, David gives us a clear path to having the right attitude directing praise back to God where it belongs.
It is interesting to note that David was responding to an onslaught of criticism, attacks and ridicule from unbelieving idol worshippers. We certainly know what it is like to try to serve God in a culture that is becoming more and more hostile to Bible truth. This morning we will see that our response does not need to be one of hostility toward unbelievers, or isolation from critics. We can follow the Sweet Psalmist’s example and embrace whole hearted praise.
In the first two verses of Psalm 138, David sets to music his declaration of intent.
I Will Praise Thee With My Whole Heart
Psalm 138:1 (KJV)
I will praise thee with my whole heart…
• Praise is directed to none else but God
Psalm 95:3 KJV
For the LORD is a great God, And a great King above all gods.
Psalm 96:4 KJV
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.
Barnes Notes puts it this way:
I will praise thee with my whole heart. Reserving nothing in my heart to give to idols or to other gods. All that constitutes praise to God as God, he would address to him alone. He would use no language, and cherish no feeling, which implied a belief that there was any other God; he would indulge in no attachment which would be inconsistent with supreme attachment to God, or which would tend to draw away his affections from him. See Notes on Ps. 9:1.1
1 Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 3, p. 287). Blackie & Son.
• This praise must be without distraction
• This praise must be with passion
John 4:24 KJV
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
• This praise must be with a clean heart
Hebrews 12:1 KJV
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
So when we approach worship in the church, the house of God, let us prepare ourselves for whole hearted worship so that we can tap into our own passion witnessed by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us so that everyone present will know that this is much more than a ritualistic rote experience.
I Will Sing Praise Unto Thee
Psalm 138:1 (KJV)
…Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
• Before the gods
Psalm 97:7 KJV
Confounded be all they that serve graven images, That boast themselves of idols: Worship him, all ye gods.
Psalm 96:5 KJV
For all the gods of the nations are idols: But the LORD made the heavens.
Charles Spurgeon in his sermon “Open Praise and Public Confession” gives us this bit of wisdom on this passage:
Sing with whole-hearted praise: “I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.” This seems a very singular thing to do; here is a man indignant with these false gods, one would suppose that he would begin to argue on behalf of the true God, that he would raise a controversy on behalf of Jehovah; but he does nothing of the kind. At least, this is not the first thing that he does; but he begins to praise God, and to sing that praise aloud: “I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.”
This was a very singular method of procedure, yet a very wise one; for, first, his song would openly show his contempt for the false gods. What does it matter to him what these idols really are? Men call them gods; so, for the nonce, he calls them gods, too; and he begins to sing, not to them, but to his own God, the only living and true God. He pitches the tune, he lifts up the strain, he sings a psalm, and this is the theme of his music: “Glorious art thou, O Jehovah!” And he does this in the very presence of the idol gods and their worshippers; as much as to say, “I take so little notice of them all that I will not even be disturbed about them. I was singing the praises of Jehovah, and I shall go on singing them. I was full of holy joy, and I intend still to be so. These gods of the heathen are nothing, but our God made the heavens; therefore, I will not rob him of his glory, or deprive him of his full revenue of praise, by turning aside even for a single moment to pay any attention to these mere blocks of wood and stone.” It was a wise way of acting on the part of David, and it was also a generous way, because he did not in words pour contempt upon the idols, but he showed his contempt for them by presenting his praise to Jehovah alone.1
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (1899). Open Praise and Public Confession. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 45, pp. 13–14). Passmore & Alabaster.
• Others will hear
Psalm 40:3 KJV
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
“Before the gods [the elohim] will I sing praise unto Thee.” The word elohim in this context means the rulers, rather than “gods.” David had nearly always borne fearless testimony before rulers—before Saul, before Goliath. The only time David was ashamed to bear testimony for God was when he pretended to be mad before Ahimelech, king of Gath—but David was in a backslidden condition at that time or he would not have gone to Gath in the first place1
1 Phillips, J. (2012). Exploring Psalms 89–150: An Expository Commentary (Vol. 2, Ps 138:1b). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.
I Will Worship
Psalm 138:2 (KJV)
I will worship toward thy holy temple…
• Toward thy holy temple
In verse 2a toward thy holy Temple may indicate, as Dahood thinks, that the psalmist is not in Jerusalem but in some foreign country, and is bowing in the direction of Jerusalem. But verse 1a seems to indicate that he is in Jerusalem (see also comments on 5:7).1
1 Bratcher, R. G., & Reyburn, W. D. (1991). A translator’s handbook on the book of Psalms (p. 1119). United Bible Societies.
• Worship is directed somewhere specific…. where God is, not where God is not.
Zechariah 1:3 KJV
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, And I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
• Worship does not have to be in a place, but directed toward a place.
1 Corinthians 3:17 KJV
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
I Will Praise Thy Name
Psalm 138:2 (KJV)
… And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
• Not just any name
Acts 4:12 KJV
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Psalm 115:1 KJV
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Philippians 2:9 KJV
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
• For thy lovingkindness
Psalm 63:3 KJV
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise thee.
Micah 7:18–20 KJV
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, And passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, Because he delighteth in mercy.
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; And thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, Which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
• For thy truth – the existence of absolute truth
John 1:17 KJV
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
• For thy word which is magnified above all they name.
John 17:17 KJV
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Author and Christian Apologist C.S. Lewis said this:
“It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with” (C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms [New York: Walker & Co., 1985], p. 95).9991
1 Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 270). Baker Books.
Conclusion:
We live in a world full of sinners and skeptics, people who hate the name and message of Jesus Christ. This darkness and oppression can start to quench the fire in a believer’s heart. We must be like David and make a declaration of intent…
• I will praise thee!
• I will sing praise before the false gods and doubters!
• I will direct my worship toward the house of God!
• I will praise the Name of Jesus – the only source of Salvation
And this is our intent… to serve notice to the world that we will not stop until we are fully involved in whole hearted praise.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 2:28 PM January 31, 2023.