#890 Midst

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

before the gods I sing your praise;

2 I bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

for you have exalted above all things

your name and your word.

3 On the day I called, you answered me;

my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,

for they have heard the words of your mouth,

5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

for great is the glory of the Lord.

6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,

but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138 ESV

A Psalm of David.

- “This Psalm is wisely placed. Whoever edited and arranged these sacred poems, he had an eye to apposition and contrast; for if in Psalm 137 we see the need of silence before revilers, here we see the excellence of a brave confession. There is a time to be silent, lest we cast pearls before swine; and there is a time to speak openly, lest we be found guilty of cowardly non-confession.” (Charles Spurgeon)

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart - In past poetry we have heard the Psalmist cry out, "create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me." It is always a matter of the heart, and the whole of it should belong to Him, Who made it whole again. He is holding no part back to himself, no credit belongs to any other than his Lord, his Savior.

Before the gods I sing your praise - Some think here he means before angels, others say before rulers as mentioned in verse 4. I think the Psalmist would nod to all that in this, declaring the preeminence of Jehovah above all things. Whatever others may call gods, he knows only one Creator, and in the presence of anything or anyone he is not ashamed to give thanks and to sing praise to his God.

…3 Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;… Psalm 115: 3-5

I bow down toward your holy temple - For some this was a monument, a beautiful building, but for David, the tabernacle was a place where God's presence was known. It told the story of distance, of holiness, of atonement, of salvation. This was a sacred place, and he had purchased the threshing floor, contemplated the services of the priest, and looked forward to the temple he would not build. 

And give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness - 

…2 Great is the LORD in Zion; He is exalted above all the peoples. 3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name— He is holy! 4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.… Psalm 99: 2-4

…22 Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! 24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”… Lamentations 3: 22-24

For You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word - God has put a premium on His word, and all that would seek another way will find their efforts in vain. He need not change Who He is, or what He says. He is not lost, but this is such a grand measure of grace, that He has given His word to those who are. It is a measure of His children too, His sheep hear His voice, they love His word.

- The word of promise made to David was in his eyes more glorious than all else that he had seen of the Most High. Revelation excels creation in the clearness, definiteness, and fullness of its teaching. The name of the Lord in nature is not so easily read as in the Scriptures, which are a revelation in human language, specially adapted to the human mind, treating of human need, and of a Saviour who appeared in human nature to redeem humanity. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the divine word will not pass away, and in this respect especially it has a preeminence over every other form of manifestation. Moreover, the Lord lays all the rest of his name under tribute to his word: his wisdom, power, love, and all his other attributes combine to carry out his word. It is his word which creates, sustains, quickens, enlightens, and comforts. As a word of command it is supreme; and in the person of the incarnate Word it is set above all the works of God's hands. The sentence in the text is wonderfully full of meaning. We have collected a vast mass of literature upon it, but space will not allow us to put it all into our notes. Let us adore the Lord who has spoken to us by his word, and by his Son; and in the presence of unbelievers let us both praise his holy name and extol his holy word. C. H. Spurgeon

On the day I called, You answered me - 

- The Lord answered it, but what answer can there be to a cry? --to a mere inarticulate wail of grief? Our heavenly Father is able to interpret tears, and cries, and he replies to their inner sense in such a way as fully meets the case. The answer came in the same day as the cry ascended: so speedily does prayer rise to heaven, so quickly does mercy return to earth. The statement of this sentence is one which all believers can make, and as they can substantiate it with many facts, they ought boldly to publish it, for it is greatly to God's glory. Well might the Psalmist say, "I will worship" when he felt bound to say "thou answeredst me." Well might he glory before the idols and their worshippers when he had answers to prayer to look back upon. This also is our defence against modern heresies: we cannot forsake the Lord, for he has heard our prayers. And strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. This was a true answer to his prayer. If the burden was not removed, yet strength was given wherewith to bear it, and this is an equally effective method of help. It may not be best for us that the trial should come to an end; it may be far more to our advantage that by its pressure we should learn patience. C. H. Spurgeon

…11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.… Jeremiah 29: 11-13

My strength of soul You increased - God never calls us to something that He does not make us fit unto. God is holy and when He calls the redeemed from Eternity, it is without compromise. He calls, He justifies, He sanctifies, He glorifies, by the merit and atonement of His Son's life and death, and by the work of His Holy Spirit, regenerating men unto repentance, calling them to confession and forgiveness of sin. When troubles are great His mercy abounds, He is the lifter of my soul.

…5“Do you not know what they are?” replied the angel. “No, my lord,” I answered. 6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts. 7 What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”… Zechariah 4: 5-7

All the kings of the earth shall give You thanks, O Lord - Every knee will bow, and these that are called lords here will give thanks. Take the word of God to every nation. This is a king not satisfied with his own knowledge and worship of the One True God, for the glory of God is more than he alone can express, and it is more than he can contain. It is overflowing, that God you deserve more, that all men should praise You, that all should come to the knowledge of Christ, we should detest a watered down understanding, a creed of our own feelings, an isolated religion, and we should not rest while another gospel is preached. 

For though the Lord is high, He regards the lowly - Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

…31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.… John 12: 31-33

…9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. 10 On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. 11 On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.… Isaiah 11: 9-11

…13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.… John 3: 13-15

But the haughty He knows from afar - Pride is the root, and we attack much of the surface, and sometimes the most prideful men have the cleanest outside, but inwardly it is decay, gangrenous. The sight and smell of it must be know to remove it, but we need a physician. Sin is the disease, and Christ is the only Cure. I remember the first time I threw up and had to leave the operating room as a tech, and it was a twisted intestine that had gone gangrenous. You couldn't tell from the outside, but once he was open, a healthy looking man in his 30's, strong, athletic surfer, a man I knew, and I felt for him, my heart was filled with compassion, but when the surgeon opened his abdomen, I had to run from the room, my stomach kept wanting to empty itself, over and over again. Pride will say there is nothing wrong, I am clean, I am good, or at least good enough, but that is delusion, and the humble will cry out, I am sick, I am a sinner, I can't fix this, please save me.

…23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139: 23-24

…30 But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”… Luke 5: 30-32

Though I walk in the midst of trouble - He is the preserver of my soul, even in the turmoil, when I my enemies outnumber me, when my problems are many and pressing. If I was the keeper of my own salvation, surely it would not hold, the trials would brake me, but no, His left hand holds back the storm and His ride hand accomplishes the victory.

Do not forsake the works of Your hands -

“Look upon the wounds of thy hands, and forsake not the works of thy hands, prayed Queen Elizabeth. And Luther’s usual prayer was, Confirm, O God, in us that thou hast wrought, and perfect the work that thou hast begun in us, to thy glory; so be it.” (Trapp)

ii. His creating hands formed our souls at the beginning; his nail-pierced hands redeemed them on Calvary; his glorified hands will hold our souls fast and not let them go for ever.” (Burgon, cited in Spurgeon)