10/12/17

Tom Lowe

 

Psalm 92

(A wisdom psalm which deals in broad terms with the problems raised in the Book of Job and Psalms 37, 49, and 73.)

 

Title: A PSALM OR SONG FOR THE SABBATH DAY

Theme: God should be praised for His righteous judgments upon the wicked and His care and defense of His people.

 

Scripture

 1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

5 O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

8 But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.

9 For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

 

INTRODUCTION

This Psalm is a Song of the Sabbath. The title reads “A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath Day.” It is closely followed by five other psalms without titles, which has led commentators to believe that they were deliberately arranged by the compilers of the Hebrew hymnbook to form one continuous song service for the Sabbath.

 

The psalmist has been attending the festival services at the temple.  He has heard once more the sacred saga of God’s triumphant grace.  These are his personal reflections. We do not know when or why the psalm was written. One suggestion is that the song has special reference to the first description of the Sabbath by a Hebrew. We recall the occasion. Israel had come up to Kadesh-barnea. They had sent the spies into Canaan. The majority report had been depressingly negative, and that made the people wish they were dead. God granted that request by sentencing everyone over twenty to death in the wilderness. The first recorded death after that was of the man who profaned the Sabbath. He was found picking-up sticks without any regard for the fact that the Sabbath had been given to Israel as a special day of rest. This worldly-minded man was sentenced to death and executed. Thus, God gave Israel a lesson on the sanctity of the Sabbath day (Numbers 15:36{1]).

 

We do not know if that is what inspired this psalm, however. The psalm seems to have been used in the second temple, rebuilt after the Babylon captivity as a special song for the Sabbath. According to the Jews, it was sung as an accompaniment to the drink offering when the first lamb was offered as the Sabbath burnt offering.

 

The title relates the psalm to the Sabbath Day worship at the sanctuary.  During the week, a lamb was sacrificed each morning and another in the evening, but on the Sabbath Day, those sacrifices were doubled (Exodus 29:38-46; Numbers 28:1-10).  Because our God reigns supremely and always will, we can be the people of God that He wants us to be.  The psalm describes the characteristics of believers who trust a sovereign God.

 

It is a psalm of praise, and the psalmist here may be the King whose triumph in battle brings blessing to all of God’s people (see vs. 10-11).

 

 

COMMENTARY

1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

 

That is the highest of all occupations. The sinless sons of light who stand before the throne of God in Heaven do that. The four living creatures of the Apocalypse do that. They stand there, at the very center of things, and lift up their voices to “sing the praises” of Him who sets on the throne. These are the cherubim, highest of all created intelligences. Lucifer, son of morning, was once numbered in their ranks and led the worship of the angels. There is nothing an intelligent creature can do that is more fitting to his intellectual and emotional capacities than offer praise to God. That’s what the psalmist means here when he says, “It is a good{3] thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High.” “To give thanks” means “to give public acknowledgment” or to praise God verbally in a public setting (35:18; 105:1).

 

Someone reading this might ask, “Why does God so often demand that we praise Him?” (There’s one in every crowd.) This is how I would answer him; “God demands praise because, as the catechism puts it, man’s chief end is ‘to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’” To praise God is the intelligent, and emotional thing for a creature to do when brought into the presence of One so glorious, so holy, so loving, so worthy of wonder and worship as God. Not to praise Him proves that we are lacking something.  To praise him spontaneously, delightfully, is proof we are alive to all that He is.

 

So then, the psalmist begins with the excellence of praise.  He praised God for his being able “to give thanks” to Him. He recognized that doing so (like worship in general) was not a right but a privilege, granted not on the basis of the psalmist personal merit, but on God’s lovingkindness (v. 2) and faithfulness (v. 2). “It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises unto His name”{4]. It is the appropriate response to One who combines in Himself the fact that He is Lord (Jehovah) and that He is “Most High” (Elyon, supreme Governor of the world).  No one can deny the fact that it is downright “good to give thanks to the lord.” It is “good” in the sense that the Lord deserves such gratitude, and it “is good” also for the one who offers the “thanks” and for those who hear it.

 

2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

 

“To shew forth thy lovingkindness{5] in the morning”―that’s a sensible thing to do. Put the day into His gracious, loving hands. We do not know what a day may bring with it. There might be some great tragedy just around the corner, or some sudden temptation, or some unexpected opportunity. It is wise to put the day into His hands and rest for the day with Him. Then, whatever lies ahead, we shall face it with Him.

 

“And thy faithfulness every night.” There is something appropriate about linking the morning with a consideration of God’s “lovingkindness” and the evening with a consideration of His “faithfulness.” At the end of the day, looking back over its crowded events―at that accident in the kitchen, at that little word of testimony, at that loss of a job or promotion at work or at that tough exam―we can thank God for His faithfulness. We thank Him not, perhaps, for giving us what we sought, but for giving us what was best.

 

“Morning” . . .  “night” may be a reference to the temple services, probably the “tamidh,” the burnt offering made every morning and evening (Exodus 29:38-42).

 

3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

 

“Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery.” Bring on the music! Strike up the orchestra! Pull out the stops! Music is a great aid to praise. There are times when the mind is too full for words―when the heart takes over and the only way we can express ourselves is with an “instrument.” What is in the soul has to come out at the feet and the fingers. Most of us are too composed in our public worship to clap our hands. The Orientals had no such inhibitions. If they wanted praise they summoned the orchestra and made a joyful noise. Praise can be blissful. But in the last part of the verse, the psalmist delivers a warning.

 

“An instrument of ten strings” was probably a “lute”; the “psaltery” would be a “harp” or “lyre.”

 

“Upon the harp with a solemn sound.” The Hebrew word translated here as “solemn sound” actually denotes a soliloquy or a meditation. I was once shocked to hear a prayer leader address God as “Daddy,” and later I heard a pastor say to his congregation, “Let’s give Jesus a clap offering.” And the people gave Him a round of applause as though He was some kind of rock star. THAT IS EXCESS! A sense of balance would remind us that He is the One before whom the shinning seraphim hide their faces because of His burning holiness.

 

The psalmist is calling here for “meditative music on a harp.” The music is only the vehicle; the meditation, the words are the important thing. Let us never become flippant or irreverent in our emotional excitement. It is only a short step from uncontrolled bliss to blasphemy.

 

Note, the instruments to be used show that this song was probably designed for corporate worship. 

 

4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

 

“Thy work,” is a reference to some recent manifestation of the Lord’s power on the psalmist’s behalf.  “The works of thy hands” includes all the Lord’s deeds both creative and providential, some of which are given below.  “Sing for joy” is a better translation of the Hebrew than “triumph.”

 

We should praise Him for His work in creation. Think, for instance, of how many factors were necessary before life as we know it could exist on earth. Let me give you just one example. The earth rotates at about one thousand miles per hour. If it turned at one hundred miles per hour our days and nights would be ten times as long. The sun would burn up all vegetation in the day time, and frost would kill anything remaining at night. We could go on and on. God has carefully balanced all the factors that make life possible on our planet. We should praise Him for His work in creation.

 

We should praise Him for His work in providence.  History is filled with examples of God’s hand in history and His heart planning for His people and for the general well-being of mankind―so much so that one definition of history is that it is His-story.

 

We should praise Him for His work in redemption. I will triumph in the works of Thy hands,” sings this unknown songster from the past. How much more should we? Those lovely “hands” of His that fashioned Adam’s clay, that were placed upon the heads of little children, that broke the bread beside the sea, that touched the leper, now bear the scars of Calvary. That was the ultimate work of those “hands”―to blaze a trail for us from the dark paths of sin right into the glorious presence of God.

 

We can praise Him then, for the things His “hands” have performed; wondrous “works” that make the worshippers “glad”—His salvation through the blood of the Lamb, and his gracious covenant with us because of what Jesus did on the cross.  Worship ought to be the natural outflow of a heart that loves the Lord and appreciates whom He is and what He has done for His people.

 

5 O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

 

“And Thy thoughts{2] are very deep.” Of course they are! Sometimes we are asked to solve a deeper mystery of the faith. How can God be sovereign and at the same time give us power of choice? If God is omnipotent and overflowing with lovingkindness, why does He permit so much suffering? The best we can say to some of these questions is that God’s “thoughts are very deep.” If we understood everything we too would be omniscient.

 

It should not bother us that some issues are too profound for us. It gives us an opportunity to trust Him. It allows us to praise Him because He is so much wiser than we are.  The marvelous, intricate plans of God, His “deep” designs and wise plans add fuel to the flame of praise.

 

6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

 

The “brutish man” is the one who is stupid or dull and does not comprehend the principles of divine equity (justice). There are some men who are so wrapped up in their conceited thoughts that they cannot “understand” spiritual things, nor are they always the dullest and densest of men in matters of intellect. Some of the world’s most brilliant people have been insensitive when it comes to the things of God. Perhaps the best example I can give is the man thought by many to be the “smartest” man that ever lived―Albert Einstein. He did not believe in the God of creation. So, for all his brilliance he missed the most important facts of all, the greatest truths discoverable. He never knew what it was like to praise a personal, loving, living God. In the last analysis, he was spiritually insensitive because, like all the rest of us, he needed to be born again, and like so many, apparently never was. 

 

The “fool” here, as in the proverbs and elsewhere in Scripture, is not the mentally incompetent but the morally wicked. Such persons see the temporary prosperity of the wicked, and do not understand the outcome of such a life―that they shall be destroyed for ever (v. 7),” whereas “Thou, Lord, art most high for evermore (v. 8).”

 

Men who are dominated by sensuality or by moral perversity cannot discern this providential government in the world nor understand why the wicked flourish as the spring grass. The psalmist not only declares the destruction of the wicked, but implies that their short-lived prosperity is an intentional lesson to the godly (Psalm 73:17).

 

Neither the “brutish man” nor the “fool” should be expected to “understand” the deep things of God.  They can’t understand them, “because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).  As far as divine realities are concerned, they are dull and stupid though they may be intellectual giants as far as the world is concerned.  They never come to grips with the fact that the fixed moral laws in the universe prescribe destruction for the wicked.

 

7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

 

The psalmist looks at the rapid growth of evil, and its equally rapid downfall. God has a way of allowing wickedness to “flourish”{7] in the life of a person and of cutting it down when it has come to full flower and fruit. We are living in a time when wickedness is flourishing.  There is no thought of God, still less of praising God in the lives of those who promote perversion and pornography. How could there be? The two things could never coexist in a human heart of a “saved” man. God allows such men to have their way in the world just as we allow weeds to grow in our garden―until the time is right to cut them down.

 

We have all heard the old adage that the Lord hates the sin, but loves the sinner. It needs to be corrected; those who set themselves against the Lord will find that He is personally set against them.

 

8 But thou, Lord, art most high{6] for evermore.

 

The psalmist has been looking at the insensitive and wicked man in whose life there is no room for praising God. Now he turns back, looks full into the face of the Eternal, and says: They shall be destroyed for ever (v. 7); But thou Lord, art most high for evermore” (v. 8). [Or, “Thou Lord rule forever to judge and punish them.”]

 

“Most high” is a millennial name for our God.  This psalm is a great millennial psalm, but some verses look back in retrospect to earthly conditions.  Man is pictured as brutish.  He does not walk uprightly.  He does not look up to God.  He thinks he does, but he does not.  He actually looks down and grovels in the filth of sin.  He is a fool.  He lacks good sense.  He cannot understand because God says, “ . . . [his] foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21).  The Brutish man denies God, and he lives like a brute.  He lives like an animal—like a pig.  Many people live as though God does not exist.  They just eat, and sleep, and rest, and play, and work.  That’s it—that’s life for them!

 

You might ask, “Why does God allow the wicked to flourish for so long?” Is it because He is not like man, whose life is of uncertain and short duration, a little time is long and tedious, and who expects to escape punishment. God is unchangeable  and everlasting, and therefore long-suffering without any inconvenience, and the longest time of the prosperity of the wicked is short and inconsiderable in His eyes, a thousand years being in His sight, the same as yesterday when it has passed (Psalm 90:4). They can never escape out of His hands. But, why will the wicked be destroyed forever? It is because God lives and reigns forever to execute that just sentence of everlasting punishment, which He has pronounced against them.

 

Thoughts of God, especially when God is seen in contrast with the world, sometimes produce an explosion of praise. That is why the Lord in His wisdom wanted the Jews to have a Sabbath―so that they could have a day for undisturbed praise of God. That is why we set aside the first day of the week―so that we, too, can have time to give expression individually and collectively to worship and praise.  A part of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord was their honoring of the weekly Sabbath.  It was a special sign between Israel and the Lord (Exodus 20:8-11; 31: 12-17; Nehemiah 9:13-15) and reminded them that God had delivered them from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:12-15).  But the Sabbath also reminded them of God the creator (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11).

 

9 For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

 

Though God in his forbearance (patience) may allow some among those who do “iniquity” (literally, “those doing inequity,” i.e., an ongoing unrepentant lifestyle) a brief time to flourish― so that they might repent, ―He will inevitably retaliate and bring them down―should they not repent―with destruction for evermore, that is, with eternal condemnation (7; 83:17; Daniel 12:2).

 

Yahweh’s enemies will cease to exist and all that do wicked things will be “scattered.” That Yahweh’s enemies, at the least, include the psalmist’s enemies is borne out by the next two lines of the psalm, which celebrate both his own vindication and the defeat of his adversaries.

 

That word “lo” suggests that he had just witnessed the overthrow of some forces of wickedness. Wickedness comes on strong but it is deceptive, for the forces that bind evil men together in an evil enterprise are all destructive and self-defeating in the end. It follows then, that if they continue to live for themselves and become “enemies” of God, they will surely “perish” and be destined for failure.

 

10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

 

The word “horn” is a metaphor for power. My horn shalt thou exalt” indicates either that God has given the singer victory or that he expects He will do so in the future.

 

The “wild ox” (“unicorn”) was well-known to be a wild and untamable beast, like the wild buffalo of the African veldt. As the wild ox tossed its head in triumph, so the psalmist expected to triumph. It was a theme for praise! How could he possibly lose? No matter how many or how strong his foes, no matter how dark and ominous his circumstances―he was on the winning side! Praise the Lord!

 

“Oil” (“fine oil” or “fresh oil” in other versions) symbolizes joy and blessing. I shall be anointed with fresh oil” means that God had lavished favor upon him; which typifies the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit.  And it could possibly be a reference to anointment by “oil” by a priest in connection with some sickness (the leprosy rite in Leviticus 14: 10-18).

 

11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.

 

The writers different senses (sight, hearing) detect the faithfulness of God all around him. Speaking from personal experience, the psalmist attests to the positive results of God’s presence in his life. It is all true, affirms the psalmist.  God’s grace and judgment, themes of sacred song, have come true in his personal experience. God has given him the strength to meet his “enemies.” Then granted him the sensitivity to recognize them where they are and for what they are. The Lord’s “enemies” were his enemies; his enemies were the Lord’s enemies. Those who attacked him also attacked the living God. He was on the way up; they were on the way down.  The contrasting fates of the “righteous” and the “wicked,” demonstrate the discriminating justice of God’s rule.  The writer’s enemies are again viewed as God’s enemies, too.  The psalmist is certain that God will bring true retribution, for he feels at one with the Lord and that he is inseparable from the vindicating triumph of God’s righteous cause. He gratefully records the overthrow of his personal adversaries and sees it as God’s power and judgment at work, and so here is an application of verse 9.

 

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

 

The date palm was prized for both its beauty and its fruit (Song of Solomon 7:7). While the cedars [a similar phrase, “cedars of Lebanon,” is often used in the Old Testament] grew throughout Palestine, they flourished{7] in the mountains of Lebanon, from where their timbers were often imported into Israel.  These trees picture fruitfulness and vitality (v. 14) under God’s good hands (1:3{8]).  Those who are so blessed will proclaim the righteousness of the Lord, their “Rock.” The image of the “righteous” person as a flourishing tree is common in the Bible (see Psalms 1).

 

In contrast with the “palm,” the “cedar” flourishes in the snows and storms of the mountains and spreads its roots out, entwining them around the rocks (v. 15). It, too, is an evergreen, glorious in its foliage. Its wood is incorruptible, fragrant and richly grained.

 

13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

 

The palm has a tap root{9]. It stands straight and tall and its roots go down through the barren soil to be watered in the depths. It is an evergreen, noted for its variety of fruit. The people of God are envisioned as having their roots “in the house of the Lord.” While evildoers spring up like weeds and quickly disappear (v. 7), righteous people are deeply rooted and productive like palm or cedar trees. They continue to prosper even in old age, still praising God as they have throughout their long and happy lives (vs. 12-15). The poet is declaring that it is in Yahweh’s Presence that His righteous ones “flourish”{7] and produce fruit, and their productivity will not be short-lived. Even in old age they will still be putting out buds, will still have thick green leaves. And this in itself declares that Yahweh is upright. Thus, the condemnation of the wicked is counterbalanced by what God will yet do for the righteous, that is, that He will be “planted” (literally, “transplanted,” as in Ezekiel 17:8, 23) “in the house of the Lord” and “flourish in His courts.” A tree “planted” in the courtyard of the temple symbolized the thriving conditions of those who maintain a close relationship with the Lord (Psalms 52:8{10]).  In other words, they live in daily fellowship with the Lord, drawing their strength and sustenance from Him.  Age does not impair their fruit-bearing capabilities.  They continue to pulsate with vigorous spiritual life (the sap) and their testimony remains ever green.

 

14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

 

The psalmist says: “How happy are the Lord’s people, for They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.’” He sees the righteous flourishing like a palm as they enter “old age.” When their natural strength decays, it shall be renewed; their last days shall be their best days, and as they grow in grace they shall be increased in comfort and blessedness. The effect of this good providence is to demonstrate the righteousness of God in governing the world.

 

“Fat” would mean “juicy” or “full of sap and green.”

 

15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

 

God is to be praised because of the kind of God He is. His character is such that it should draw us out in worship. Worship is the ascription of “worthship” to God. It would be very difficult to worship a god who could lie or lust as the gods of the heathen did. It is easy to worship a God marked by complete goodness, reliability, and righteousness, such as our God. So then, let us praise the Lord. It is “the fruit of lips that confess his name” in praise (Hebrews 13:15).  Here in the temple they are ready to proclaim (“eager to declare”) that God is “upright,” “straight in his dealings with others.”

 

The Lord is pure “rock” with never a flaw or fault, reliable to the core (Deuteronomy 32:4{11]).  And, asserts the psalmist, unable to resist a final personal note, He’s “my Rock.” “My rock” is a figure for a firm and unshakable foundation.

 

SCRIPTURE AND SPECIAL NOTES

[1} “And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses” (Numbers 15:36).

[2} “Thy thoughts” signify Thy councils and methods in the government of the world and of thy church.

[3} Good―intrinsically right and personally satisfying.

[4} Name―all He has revealed Himself to be.

[5} Lovingkindness―lit. “mercy.”

[6} most high―occupying the highest place in heaven (Psalm 7:7; 18:16).

[7} Flourish in verse 7 means “to be conspicuous, to shine,” while the word in verses 12 and 13 means “to be vigorous, to flourish richly.

[8} “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

[9} tap root―a main root descending downward from the radicle and giving off small lateral roots.

[10} “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).

[11} “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).