Thank You, LORD Psalm 138 Psalm 138 Introduction

---

Thank You, LORD Psalm 138 Psalm 138 1

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 5 6

7

8

All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD. For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. 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. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Introduction - David wrote this psalm to stir the people of Israel to give thanks to the LORD in difficult times and circumstances. His intention was to engender hope through the giving of thanks. This morning, my desire is the same. As we study Psalm 138, my prayer is that we will see the relationship between the giving of thanks for previous mercies and how they contribute to strengthening our present hope. Let us now turn our attention again to Psalm 138 as we consider David’s actions… Exposition I.

Reflect (Vss. 1-3)

In order to engage in thanksgivings to the LORD, one must be diligent to reflect upon the LORD. When we reflect upon the LORD, we are thinking about who He is and what He has done! In David’s case, the LORD promised to establish an everlasting dynasty for him. 2 Samuel 7:10-16 reads 10

And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own 11 place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, 12 the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will 13 establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom 14 forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline 15 him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from 16 him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

David had promised to make a house for the LORD, yet the LORD turned things around on him, promising to make a house for David. The result of the LORD’s promise is a Davidic throne that “shall be established forever.” Now, immediately following this promise to David, things looked pretty good. Solomon ascended to power, built a glorious temple for the LORD, and kept the monarchy united. However, after Solomon, the kingdom was divided and eventually, the northern tribes ended up in Assyrian captivity while the southern tribes ended up in Babylonian captivity. In other words, it appears as though the LORD’s promise to David failed. Why? Because there was no Davidic descendent upon the throne. In fact, there was no throne at all! So did the word of the LORD to David fail? It did not! The LORD’s intention was not for there to be a continual stream of Davidic descendants upon the throne, but instead, one Davidic descendant that would never leave the throne. Who might this descendant be? It is Jesus! Luke 1:30-33 could not be any clearer! It says, 30

31

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, 32 you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Jesus is the Davidic descendant that will forever sit upon the throne and rule over the people of God! So as David reflects upon the faithfulness of the LORD in His promises, we reflect upon the fruit of those promises as those who have been saved by King Jesus! When we think of the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, we cannot help but think about and reflect upon who Jesus is and what Jesus has done! II.

Request (Vss. 4-6)

Any proper reflection upon the LORD will inevitably lead to others being invited into to reflect upon the LORD. In other words, our reflections will lead to us to request that others reflect upon the LORD. This is a very natural pattern in our lives. Whether it is a good book, movie, television show, if we have enjoyed it, then we will typically invite others to enjoy it as well. One of the places that this is seen the most is in social media. This past week I have enjoyed viewing many of your pictures and reading many of your statuses on Facebook. My assumption is that your willingness to share these things implies that you want your friends to enjoy and appreciate the things you enjoy and appreciate. In a similar way, in verses 4-6, David is requesting an audience of foreign kings to come and reflect upon and enjoy the “greatness of the glory of the LORD.” He wants others to know of the goodness of the LORD to the “lowly,” and to be warned that the LORD resists those who are haughty. Like David, our thanksgiving must not end with us. The LORD intends for our enjoyment of Him to spill over into the lives of others. Therefore, once we have reflected upon the LORD, we request that others join us in enjoying Him for who He is and what He has done, is doing, and ultimately will do!

2

III.

Rest (Vss. 7-8)

As David concludes this psalm, we find him not only reflecting and requesting, but also resting. His thoughts about God are not theoretical. They are intensely practical. Meditating upon the person and work of God necessarily impacts those who do it! Consider verses 7-8 with me: 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. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

The faithfulness of the LORD moves David to trust Him more! As the LORD proves himself, our natural response is to rest more fully in His promise. Conclusion In His reflecting, requesting, and resting, David essentially gives thanks to God for God Himself! Because of who God has been in the past, David is confident that he can trust the LORD now. And it is in the context of giving thanks to the LORD that the faithfulness of the LORD strengthens our hope in Him. Like the apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” If Christ has been faithful in the past, then we have no reason to doubt him in the present or in the future. Therefore, let us reflect upon the steadfast love and faithfulness of Christ, which preserves us in difficult and uncertain times. And let us request that others enter into this blessed experience with us while we rest in the hope that Christ will never leave us or forsake us.

3