In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:3
Armored by God
Psalm 138 David vows to praise God publicly for answering his prayers and wishes that “all the kings of the earth” might praise God too. He is confident, for his sovereign God will fulfill His purpose in David’s life.
138:1, 2 As in many psalms, the poet begins his praise with a determination to involve his whole being. Before the gods: David is so confident in his faith in the Lord that he is determined to take the name of God into foreign territory. Your holy temple: The use of the word “temple” does not rule out David as the author of this or similar poems. The Hebrew term is a general one that would fit whatever building was in use in David’s day. The term was also proper for later readers and singers of this psalm when the actual temple had been built.
1 A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
138:3 God’s answer “You made me bold and stouthearted.” Don’t ask God to do for you. Ask Him to make you bold and stouthearted, and then you do what needs to be done. David captures a basic biblical truth when he says, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.” God has a purpose to be fulfilled in the life of every believer.
3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.
138:4-6 David, as a king who believed in God, looked forward to a day when all the kings of the earth would share his experience. Great is the glory of the Lord: This is another way of expressing the reality of the living God. Regards the lowly: God comes to the humble because they will have regard for Him. Conversely, He distances Himself from the proud.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord, When they hear the words of Your mouth. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, For great is the glory of the Lord. 6 Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.
138:7, 8 Though I walk: The poet is well aware that new troubles will confront him. He has confidence that God, who has blessed him in the experience of this psalm, will continue to bless his path. Perfect: The same Hebrew verb is translated “perform” in 57:2. The point of the word is that God acts on behalf of His servants.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
** The psalms written by David feel different from other psalms. David’s words are personal and intimate like spoken words rather than being formal and ritualistic. Like a beloved son talking to his father, David talks to God about all sorts of things in his life.
God heard his prayers and gave him victories over Goliath and many other enemies which in turn strengthened him and his faith. “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me… Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” This last verse is an expression of his faith in the living God and some more – before rushing out the door, he reminds God “Do not forsake the works of Your hands. That’s me!”
138 1 A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
