Psalm 33
The entire psalm is a call to the joyful praise of God for His glorious attributes and works as seen in His creation and providence. It is the song of the saints to God in thanksgiving for all His blessings.
The first section (verses 1 to 3) is a call to worship God. The “righteous” are those are those whom God declared holy by faith in His Son—the coming Messiah. Only through this righteousness is their praise considered beautiful. The righteous are to rejoice and praise the Lord. Along with their shouts of joy, they are to praise God with musical instruments, for God created music to praise Him. The beauty and abundance in the world shows the goodness of God in the world. Therefore we have a duty to praise God for His gifts—our praise should not be lukewarm or indifferent—for we sing a new song of joy to God.
The next section (verses 4 to 5) praises God for His Word. The first blessing from God is His Word of truth, which is always right and without errors. All God’s work is done to fulfill His great promises. God is faithful and just to keep every one of them. The righteousness of God is an attribute that declares that God is perfectly just and holy in everything He does. God also loves justice, that is, that His laws are obeyed perfectly and that He will punish those who break them. In spite of man’s sin, the earth is filled with the evidence of God’s goodness toward all in sending rain and sunlight to all people.
Section three (verses 6 to 9) praises God for His creation. Verse 6 restates the truth of Genesis 1 that all things were made by God’s Word. God’s “breath,” His Holy Spirit, created the hosts of stars and galaxies. The triune God has power to gather the waters together into oceans, and to command that they stay in the depths He prepared for them. Without water, the life God created could not have existed. All creatures God created are to worship Him in holy reverence and awe. Only God can simply speak and bring forth a universe teeming with stars, or command and everything stays in place according to God’s will.
The next section (verses 10 to 12) praises God for His wisdom and rulership in the world. Kings and nations may plot and rage against God and the truth (as in Psalm 2), but God causes their counsels to amount to nothing, frustrating their evil. In contrast, God’s counsels and plans stand forever. What things He promises are real and will be done for many generations. God had chosen Israel to carry out His plans regarding the Messiah. At the right time, God’s Son was born from a descendant of Abraham and David (cf. Galatians 4:4-5). The nation who trusts God is truly blessed with salvation, help, and protection. Verse 12 teaches the truth that God chooses as His children those to whom He gives faith in Jesus.
Section five (verses 13 to 15) describes God’s providence and care. God is pictured as looking down from heaven to see all the people on earth. God knows what all the inhabitants of the earth are doing—both good and evil. God not only bestows to each individual the powers of their mind, abilities, and will; He also watches over them to see how they use His gifts.
In Section six (verses 16 to 17) the Psalmist teaches that no one can oppose the will of God. A large army or great strength does not always win the victory. A horse will not always provide safety in flight nor win by its strength. All who trust in earthly things will not prevail. Only God can give someone a victory (and many-a victorious army sang the Te Deum to thank God for their safety).
In verses 18 to 19, God’s “eye,” His attention, is on those who “fear Him,” that is, those who worship and praise God in holy awe and who hope for God’s mercy through the salvation of the Messiah. God delivers the soul from death (Daniel) and the body from famine (Elijah). If God allows the evils of this world to happen to believers, He will strengthen them in distress or take them to heaven, as He did with John the Baptist.
The last verses (20 to 22) declare the believer’s trust in God. He will wait for God to answer because He alone can help and shield us from spiritual harm. Amid all the sorrows in this world, believers can rejoice because they trust in His name—that is, God’s revelation in the Bible. For God promises that though we are grieved for a while by trials, the salvation that Jesus won provides forgiveness of sins, deliverance from hell, answers to prayer, and eternal life in heaven. Therefore believers ask God for His mercy, trusts that He cares for them, and hopes for God to deliver them from every evil.