Psalm 33:1-22
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Summary
- Praise to the sovereign God of Israel, who rules over all creation. When he speaks, what he says happens; and his word is by nature faithful, righteous and just - all being expressions of love.
- The power of his word (as well as the nature of it, mentioned above) is demonstrated by the way he made and organized all creation, by simply commanding that it be that way. (This is our main focus here.)
Details and/or Comments
- The "creation event" is well summarized by v. 9 - "For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm."
- This psalm has 4 parts:
- A call to praise (v. 1-3)
- The rule of God over all creation; no human power can thwart his righteous purposes (v. 4-11)
- God's people are safe and secure under his rule (v. 12-19)
- A response by the people (v. 20-22)
Scripture
Psalm 33
A call to praise (v. 1-3); and the rule of God over all creation (v. 4-11)
| Scripture Passage | Comments and Links |
| Psa 33:1 Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.
Psa 33:2 Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings. Psa 33:3 Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy! |
Give praise to God. Why?
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| Psa 33:4 For the word of Yahweh is right. All his work is done in faithfulness.
Psa 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of Yahweh. |
Yahweh's word is faithful, just, etc. - attributes that are fully consistent with his nature. This word is the means by which God made creation, and by which he rules over it.
The earth is filled with expressions of his love. The faithfulness, righteousness and justice mentioned here are among those expressions of love (as is everything else he does).
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| Psa 33:6 By Yahweh's word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth. | The skies - a demonstration of God's justice and love in nature.
God created all things by simply commanding that they come into existence. The psalmist is referring to the creation account in Genesis.
The main emphasis here is on the visible creation, the events described in Genesis 1. The word translated as "army" can sometimes refer to angels and other heavenly beings. But in this context, it probably refers to the stars and other visible inhabitants of the sky - though it doesn't necessarily exclude invisible entities!
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| Psa 33:7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses. | This probably refers to the second and third days of creation, with an emphasis on what happened to the water:
"The deeps" - This may include the depths of the visible waters (now called the seas and oceans); but it probably also includes the underground water sources, such as aquifers (and any other ways the water may be stored). It was this underground water that would have been the source of the "fountains of the deep" that burst forth at the time of the Flood. |
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Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear Yahweh. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Psa 33:9 For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm. Psa 33:10 Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect. Psa 33:11 The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. |
Reasons that all should be filled with the fear and awe of God:
Fear and awe are the proper response of a created being, in the presence of the Creator. The verses that follow are an application of these facts. |
The safety and security of God's people (v. 12-19); and a right response (v. 20-22)...
| Scripture Passage | Comments and Links |
| Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. |
The Bible teaches us that God's sovereignty and human responsibility go together. (This is the opposite of what the world wants us to believe.) The "sovereignty" part is mentioned here - such as, God choosing us. The "responsibility" part is mentioned in other verses in this psalm - such as, people fearing God, trusting him, etc. |
| Psa 33:13 Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
Psa 33:14 From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, Psa 33:15 he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works. |
"Heaven" is described as the place of God's throne (in addition to the other ways the word is used). Though God is described as "looking from heaven," we must not interpret this based on limitations that humans (and other created beings) have. "Seeing" all people and understanding what they do is not a problem for the Uncreated One, who is by nature spirit, all-knowing and present everywhere!
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| Psa 33:16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
Psa 33:17 A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power. Psa 33:18 Behold, Yahweh's eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness; Psa 33:19 to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine. |
Consider these two things:
In view of these things,
Israel demonstrated these things many times in its history - both the wisdom of trusting God, as well as the folly of not doing so. "Yahweh's eye ..." - The same as saying that God will "watch over" his people. He will protect them. The emphasis here is on God's protection of the nation or community that trusts him - protection from calamities such as disasters and famine. |
| Psa 33:20 Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield.
Psa 33:21 For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Psa 33:22 Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh, since we have hoped in you. |
The people's response of trust. Those who trust in Yahweh are not disappointed. |
Scripture Passages
(Only books that have relevance to this study have active links. The others are in italics.)
Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy • Joshua • Judges • Ruth • 1 Samuel • 2 Samuel • 1 Kings • 2 Kings • 1 Chronicles • 2 Chronicles • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther • Job • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon • Isaiah • Jeremiah • Lamentations • Ezekiel • Daniel • Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi Matthew • Mark • Luke • John • Acts • Romans • 1 Corinthians • 2 Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • 1 Thessalonians • 2 Thessalonians • 1 Timothy • 2 Timothy • Titus • Philemon • Hebrews • James • 1 Peter • 2 Peter • 1 John • 2 John • 3 John • Jude • Revelation |
—— To avoid any copyright issues, all Scripture is either from a public domain translation (such as the World English Bible), my own translation, or a combination of these. ——
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The name "Yahweh," when present in an Old Testament passage, represents the Hebrew name for the God of the Bible.
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Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.
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