Psalm 33: A Hymn of Praise for Yahweh, The King of Creation and History

We were made to worship the triune God of the Bible. Life is all about loving and reverencing God (See Eccl 12:1–14). We will remain restless until we find our rest in God. He alone can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts. If we have a covenant relationship with Him, we can experience great joy even in the midst of trials.

  I. Encouragement to celebrative worship of Yahweh 1–3

      A. Shout, sing for joy, rejoice in Yahweh

      B. Our joy is found in the LORD

      C. The righteous ones are encouraged to praise Yahweh

           “He who has clean hands” Believers have an alien righteousness put on their account

      D. These are His obedient people whose lives conform to His law

      E. Musical instruments had their place in Jewish joyful worship

      F. This call to praise assumes the godly know Yahweh, submit to His Lordship, and trust in  His                  deliverance and ongoing covenant love

      G. New acts of deliverance call for the composing of new songs to praise God for His works

 II. Reasons for worship: The Perfections of Yahweh 4–5

      A. Who the LORD is should drive our worship

      B. God’s word is never empty. When He speaks, things happen. “Let there be light.”

      C. Yahweh is “right,” upright, without deception, full of integrity

      D. Yahweh is “true,” His words are true truth, Yeshua is the truth

      E. Yahweh loves righteousness and justice because that is His nature

           Everything God does is righteous and just, He is the standard

           When someone says, “My God will never punish sin,” they have broken the 2nd 

           commandment against making a false god. This is not the God of the Bible.

      F. The LORD’s covenant faith fullness is seen throughout creation

           His loyalty, consistency, and love can be viewed by those with eyes to see

           He has not destroyed the world again by water as He promised

III. Reasons for awe and adoration: Yahweh is the Creator and Ruler of History 6–11

      A. What the LORD has done should also drive our worship.

      B. Redemptive history is His Story, Yahweh has been keeping His covenant promises

      C. God is the creator and sustainer of the universe

      D. Fearing and revering God is a key theme of this psalm and key for life 

      E. Yahweh is a great and sovereign King, His will happens just as He says it will

      F. Nothing is accidental. God is working His plan even through his enemies

      G. We have every reason not to fear, but to trust in this Great King

 IV. Reasons for gratitude and humility: Yahweh Sovereignly Rules over Mankind 12–17

      A. Blessedness is a state that the obedient people of God are in

           God chose Abraham, redeemed Him, entered into a covenant relationship and then blessed 

           him. Deliverance is God’s immediate actions for His people, blessedness is a state of  

           fruitfulness, growth, expansion, with adequate supplies and provision

      B. The nation Yahweh chose was Israel

      C. He has also chosen the church to be His redemptive channel

      D. God sees all and knows all

      E. Bigger is not always better, God can deliver by a few

      F. If a nation rebels against God’s law, their defenses are futile

      G. Having faith in the military might of a wicked people is foolish

      H. Fearing God and living righteously is the best defense

 

  V. Reasons for great hope, faith and rejoicing: Yahweh Loves His People 18–19

      A. Real safety comes to those who love, fear, and worship Yahweh

      B. Faith in the God of the Bible is vital

      C. God is watching His children and can send deliverance, salvation, at any moment

      D. Believers trust God because of His covenant love (hesed) 

      E. Yahweh can deliver His people from death or any enemy

      F. Don’t worry, reverence the Sovereign God who overcomes the strong

      G. We can depend on and wait on God to do what we cannot do

 VI. Encouragement to trust in, wait for, confidently hope in and rest in Yahweh’s Love  20–22

      A. Regardless of the circumstance, if you belong to Yeshua the Messiah, you are secure.

      B. Yahweh, the Creator-God is our help. (The Holy Spirit is a helping present One)

      C. Yahweh is our defender and promised us protection (Israel and the Church).

      D. Worshipers love God and have great joy in His presence

      E. Trust in the holy name of God, His name is His revealed character  

      F. He redeemed Israel from slavery and entered into a covenant relationship with them

      G. He made promises that He will surely keep

       I. Trust requires submission to Yahweh’s word and will, Let God be God

       J. A request for Yahweh’s covenant love (hesed) to remain on His people

      K. His people are the ones who have hope and trust in Yahweh

Exalting Christ

Evangelism is something the church does when it is scattered and edification is something the church does when it is gathered.  Another function of the gathered church is exalting Christ.  This describes our active worship of the Lord Jesus, both personally and as a group.  Acceptable worship is regulated in Holy Scripture.  In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus tells us two things God the Father is looking for in worship.  The first is spirit.  This means that our hearts and minds must be fully engaged when we are magnifying Jesus and praising His name.  The second thing God requires in worship is that it be according to the truth.  This means that we must follow the Bible in our private and corporate worship.  With these two things in mind we can offer acceptable worship like Abel did.  If we ignore these we will be offering unacceptable worship like Cain or strange fire like Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-7.  These latter two lost their lives by not following Scripture in their worship.  God is very particular about worship.  Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) and the Corinthians can all testify to that truth (1 Cor. 11:29-34).

Therefore, we should have a New Testament text for everything we do in corporate worship.  Every activity in the bulletin should be supported by a text.  Furthermore, the changes from the old covenant to the new covenant made some switches in what should and should not be done in the worship of the Triune God.  For example, it would not be proper any longer to offer an animal sacrifice in worship of God, because Jesus was sacrificed for our sins once for all time.  The book of Hebrews makes that clear.  So if we go to the New Testament, we can find what pleases God in new covenant worship.  This will not contradict the Old Testament, but the New Testament informs us of the changes in worship.  Acts 2:42 tells us what the early church practice was when they met together.  We also can learn a lot from 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14. Actually 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are clear manuals for church life and order and should be given much attention on this subject.  Externals in worship can be dictated by culture or by the light of reason as long as these are not forbidden in Scripture (i.e., pew cushions and electric lights are acceptable in America, but a statue of Buddha is not [see Exodus 20]).

Exalting Christ is a very important function of the church.  It is worship in action.  It is actively praising the Lord and magnifying the name and person of the Lord.  Warren Weirsbe writes that:

. . . .worship involves both attitudes (awe, reverence, respect) and actions (bowing, praising, serving).  It is both a subjective experience and an objective activity.  Worship is not an unexpressed feeling or empty formality.  True worship is balanced and involves the mind, the emotions, and the will.  It must be intelligent; it must reach deep within and be motivated by love; and it must lead to obedient actions that glorify God. (Real Worship, 21)

Exalting Christ requires our time.  If a man does not constantly check their watch during a sports game, then neither should he be checking his watch and sighing if worship has the priority in their life required by the Bible.  Open Door does not have a time clock in the building where you can insert your time card and prove you put in the “time” by design.  True worshipers of God are willing to put in the time and are flexible in their time investments.

Another thing to consider is that worship displaces worry and worry displaces worship.  It is like a seesaw.  When worship is up, worry is down, and the reverse is also true.  It is very important for a Christian to worship the Lord Jesus during the week wherever he or she is.  Likewise, it is vital to gather regularly for corporate worship.  We do this out of love for Jesus and to obey the Bible’s direct command concerning public worship (Heb. 10:24-31).  So, let’s worship Jesus together.  We have found true worshipers of God share their faith so that men and women are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light and become worshipers of God.  Let the Nations Be Glad!