❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
Give thanks unto the Lord!
(Psalm 138)
Andy Nagahara
Today’s text, Psalm 138, is a song that focuses on giving thanks to God and praising Him. Over the past few weeks, we have thought about the problems in our society and how those who believe in God should live in that society. Today’s text teaches us the source of the strength to live in a way that pleases God in this difficult society.
Let’s read it in three parts.
1. Worship to Strengthen the Soul (1-3)
0 Of David.
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
When reading this passage, the first thing that comes to mind is “worship,” as expressions such as singing praises, prostrating oneself, and giving thanks. There is no doubt about it. This verse speaks to the importance and greatness of worship.
Before getting into the main topic, though, I would like to point out two things to keep in mind regarding translation. There are words in today’s psalm that seem to be translated quite differently in modern translations of the Bible, both in Japanese and English.
One is the word “Give thanks” in the New Interconfessional Translation, but translated as “praise” in the NIV. There are various translations, including some in English that use “Give thanks,” and others that use the Japanese translation “praise.” It’s a simple thing to say, but the original word contains both meanings. For the Old Testament people, gratitude was the primary motivation for giving praise. Praise is also a way of expressing gratitude.
Another is a phrase in the verse one that is translated as “before God” in the Interconfessional Translation and “before the gods” in the NIV, but is translated as “before the angels” in some other versions. The original word is Elohim, which in languages of the same family as Hebrew is the plural form of El (Allah), meaning gods, but in Hebrew it is used both in the singular and plural. Furthermore, in the Old Testament, which was first translated into Greek, they are considered angels, so they are used differently depending on the context, but here the meaning can be understood either way, so they were adopted differently depending on the translation.
Now, let’s get to the main subject. The psalmist gives thanks and praises to God with all his heart. He is prostrating himself before the temple. Where is our temple?
Is this place our temple? So, for example, when we travel, we need to carry an accurate compass with us to determine the direction of this place. Jesus foretold his suffering when he said:
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. (John 2:19-21)
He says that the body of Jesus is the temple. So what does the body of Jesus mean? That’s us. The Apostle Paul explains it this way:
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (１ Cor 3:16, 17)
Moreover, we are not separate, individual temples. In the same letter, Paul also says:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (１ Cor 12:27)
We need a place to gather together, but God does not dwell in a place; He is present within us, the group of people. Whether we are together like in this service, with just a few people like in a mini church, or when we are alone, God is there. And when we worship together, with all our hearts, our souls are filled with power. Let us experience this again today in our worship service.
2. The King of Earth and the King of Heaven (4-6)
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he
looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
It would be great if, as the psalmist wishes, all those in power on earth would be obedient to God and praise and thank him, but such a time has never come. And it will not come to pass until the end.
As I told you last week, we are sojourners in this world. But God sees everything. He will never abandon those who are discriminated against, persecuted, or despised in this world. We can live in hope for this. On the other hand, there are also people who make us wonder, “Why doesn’t God punish people who do such terrible things?” The proud and those who turn their backs on God have already received their punishment. We cannot fully know what retribution it is, but at least they cannot receive the comfort and peace that comes to us as the body of Christ and with God if they turn their backs on God.
Therefore, even if it appears that the evil ones are prospering, we should not be distracted by this, but rather, as part of the body of Christ, we should work as the hands and feet of God who cares for the humble. That is why God put us in this world. For our King is not earthly kings, powers, or rulers, but God, the heavenly King.
3. Let us look forward to the work of God’s right hand (7, 8)
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will fulfill {his purpose} for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever– do not abandon the works of your hands.
Do you feel like you are going through hardship right now? God says that He will avert the wrath of our enemies even when we are going through hardships, but do we believe this and have hope in it?
The suffering caused by the loss of health, economic suffering, relationship suffering, and suffering caused by discrimination for various reasons are suffering that each and every one of us here has experienced. And even now, there are people who are suffering in the midst of it.
So how does this salvation of the right hand, the work of His hands, that is written here, manifest itself?Sometimes an individual’s earnest prayers are answered in a supernatural way. But that is not God’s only way. He is also represented through His body, that is, our work. In my experience, in many cases God has reached out to me using his visible body.
In other words, the “right hand of God” or “the work of His hands” that we seek are not abstract expressions, but the actual, visible “hand of God” that is extended to us. And that hand is you. When you try to help someone in a compassionate way, what is written in verse 7 is happening to that person.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
If you want to be God’s hands to help someone, you must first be God’s eyes and ears. They are the eyes and ears that “consider the humble and detect the proud.” In order to have God’s eyes and ears, and to have correct judgment and to act like God’s hands and feet in society, we need the spiritual power (verse 3) that is given to us through worship.
Verse 1 says, “Sing with all your heart,” and the last verse for today gave a good model of how to sing with all your heart.
The LORD will fulfill {his purpose} for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever– do not abandon the works of your hands.
In our worship we confess, “The Lord will accomplish all for me,” and we pray with all our hearts, “Your mercy is forever, O Lord,” and “Do not let Your hands cease from working.”
(Prayer) Thank you, God, for being in us.
We worship you with all our hearts.
Please make it clear to our souls that you are with us.
Fill our souls with new strength and send us out to do Your work in each of the positions You place us in.
We pray with gratitude and expectation in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
Each of us is part of one body, the church, of which Christ is the head. This body of Christ has existed in the world since Jesus came as a replacement for the Old Testament temple. God is not present in the building called the church, but He is actively at work in us, with us, and among us. Through worship, our souls are strengthened to see the world as God’s eyes and ears and to do what needs to be done as God’s hands and feet.
For Discussion
- What are you expecting from God right now?
- Who are the lowly?