November 18

Psalm 138 I remember being in the second grade, sitting in my room and thinking, “What if everything around me isn’t really what it seems. What if I am actually on some sort of stage and everyone around me is some sort of actor? What if there are some kind of beings out there that are just enjoying me perform, and everyone else is an actor? What if everything that happens to me is to provide some kind of entertainment for those beings.” Well, I knew you thought I was kind of strange. Yes, I occasionally have some really weird thoughts. Maybe I watched too much Twilight Zone as a kid. Consider this first verse from Psalm 138, “I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You.” But I thought David believed in only one God! Certainly the word ‘gods’ here is translated from ‘elohim’, which is regularly used for God and is plural. The word can mean rulers, judges, divine ones, angels, or gods. When used of the One True God, it is a plural of majesty, an intensive singular. It allows for the Trinity, but doesn’t necessarily demand it. Elsewhere in the Psalms David teaches that all the other gods are mere idols, statues, the work of men’s hands, non-entities. So just what does David mean by this? In 1 Corinthians 8:4–6 Paul says:

4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

Later in 1 Corinthians 10:19–20 Paul continues saying:

19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

Now couple that with what Paul says in Ephesians 2:7 “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” To whom is He showing those riches? Well, read a little further in Ephesians 3:10, “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” So, what does David mean by ‘the gods?’ He could mean the mighty rulers with whom he is constantly engaged in battle. He could mean the angels. He could mean the spiritual principalities and powers ruling in the heavenly places. Maybe he means all of them. I really don’t know. But I do know that when you fuse this Psalm with the theology revealed through Paul, there is a very real sense that we all have become actors on a stage. In this play in which we are unwittingly participants, God is seeking to reveal the various aspects of His wisdom, not just to us, but also to a spiritual audience. Perhaps David was well aware of the spiritual battle raging in the universe. Perhaps he was aware that he was a player on stage observed by more than this physical world. What is it that he wants to praise or magnify? Well, look at verse 2, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” What does it mean that God has magnified His word above His name? Psalm 8:1 informs us, “O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!” The glory of our Lord is majestically proclaimed throughout the earth through His creative acts. Everywhere we look, His creative power is displayed in glory around us. It is a constant sermon of the greatness of His name, particularly the judgment aspects of His Name. The beauty of the creation constantly proclaims His mighty power. But, as beautiful as is His work of creation, the creation itself screams, “We have been cursed!” Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, lightning, droughts, famines, floods, diseases etc. all constantly scream at us, “We have been cursed!” They tell us that something is wrong, and we have been damned! Who is this God who creates such beautiful things but slams us with judgment? Ahh! That is where the exaltation of His Word above His name comes into play. His Word is He Who came from eternity past; through Whom He made all things; without Whom nothing was made that has been made; without Whom there is not light or life; without Whom there is only judgment. His Word brought us grace and truth. Moses’ law explained the judgment of a righteous God upon His creation, but His Word triumphs over His judgment, for He has made His Word judge of all things. His Word has shown us that God has not just performed this great act of creation, judged us and left. His Word has entered His creation and become the atoning sacrifice for our sin. This Word He has exalted above every name that is named. This Word is Jesus! He will not leave us in the judgment of the sin of our past. He calls us out of that sin. He enables us to walk free of that sin. As 2 Peter 1:3–4 says:

3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

So David agrees with Peter when he says, “8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” I am on a stage acting out the marvels of His grace. I am playing to an audience around me upon this earth, in the heavenly places and even to God Himself! In order to give me a perfect performance, He is working in me to accomplish perfection. Praise the Lord! Mercy has triumphed over judgment! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john