Galen Call's Sermon Library
"A Song of Thanksgiving" - November 18, 1984
Well, there's one of those contemporary numbers that seems to have found its way into our hymnogy, and we enjoy singing it. Well, let's take our Bibles tonight and turn to Psalm 138. Psalm has said, "A sentence of praise is worth a page of pleading. I think it's better to spend an hour in giving thanks, at least some of the time, than to spend a day in mourning and fasting. Because you see, God inhabits the praises of His people. The Psalm has said, "It is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant, and praise is becoming, it is fitting." Psalm 138 is a psalm of praise written by David, the man whose life we have been studying together. We will read down through the psalm and then talk a little bit about its historical significance. I will give thee thanks with all my heart. I will sing praises to thee before the gods. I will bow down toward thy holy temple, and give thanks to thy name, for thy loving kindness and thy truth, for thou hast magnified thy word according to all thy name. On the day I called, thou didst answer me. Thou didst make me bold with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth will give thanks to thee, O Lord, when they have heard the words of thy mouth, and they will sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is exalted, yet he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou will't revive me, thou will stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and thy right hand will save me. The Lord will accomplish what concerns me. Thy loving kindness, O Lord, is everlasting, do not forsake the works of thy hands. The historical background for Psalm 138 seems to be the promise which God gave to David of an eternal dynasty, a throne that would continue and be perpetual throughout the ages to come. That promise is found in the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 7. Would you turn back there with me, please, and let's look at the words of God to David on that occasion. David had desired to build a temple for the Lord. The Lord said that would not come to pass. David's son would accomplish that. But God was so pleased with David's heart and the expression of his love, that he responded by giving David a marvelous promise. We'll begin reading in 2 Samuel 7, verse 12. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men. But my loving kindness shall not depart from him as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever. Your throne shall be established forever. How marvelous was this promise that God delivered to David through the prophet Nathan. David responded with words of genuine thanks, he says in verse 18, "Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house that thou hast brought me thus far? And yet this was insignificant in thine eyes, O Lord, for thou hast spoken also of the house of thy servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God. And again what more can David say to thee, for thou knowest thy servant, O Lord God? For the sake of thy word and according to thine heart, thou hast done all this greatness to let thy servant know. For this reason thou art great, O Lord God, for there is none like thee and there is no God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation on earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for himself as a people and to make a name for himself and to do a great thing for thee and awesome things for thy land, before thy people whom thou hast redeemed for thyself from Egypt, from nations and their gods. For thou hast established for thyself, thy people Israel, as thine own people forever, and thou, O Lord, hast become their God. Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and his house, confirm it forever and do as thou hast spoken, that thy name may be magnified forever by saying the Lord of hosts is God over Israel. And may the house of thy servant David be established before thee, for thou, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, has made a revelation to thy servant, saying I will build you a house. Therefore thy servant has found courage to pray this prayer to thee, and now, O Lord God, thou art God, and thy words are truth, and thou hast promised this good thing to thy servant. Now therefore, may it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee, for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken, and with thy blessing, may the house of thy servant be blessed forever. And so David receives, with great praise, the promise, the word which God gave to him. The descendant in its immediate fulfillment was Solomon who followed David to the throne, but in its final application it of course returns to David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will one day return to the earth and establish a kingdom which will not ever depart, a kingdom which will be forever and forever. If you turn to Psalm 138 and look at those verses again, you will notice that there are a number of places where the millennium is apparent. When he talks for example about the kings of the earth giving thanks to the Lord. The application however of this song in 138, Psalm 138, is to all of God's children and not just to David or to Israel, but all of us who have been saved by grace through faith as was David, have been appointed to reign with Jesus Christ in his kingdom. Therefore we can enter into David's psalm of thanksgiving without any reservation, for we will reign with Jesus Christ and share in that kingdom of which David speaks here from an Old Testament perspective. We join with our friend and our brother David in a song of thanksgiving. Now as we look at this psalm, David outlines for us several reasons for our giving thanks. Let's look at them together. In verses one through three we have reason number one for thanksgiving. It is answered prayer. David says on the day I called thou didst answer me. Apparently David had prayed regarding this matter of his throne and his kingdom. Had he prayed for its extension and its continuance, we do not know. The narrative in 2 Samuel does not indicate that he did before the promise came. And yet there is the suggestion that David had in fact been praying about this very matter of his kingdom and his throne, his dynasty. And in response to that prayer, God gave him a word. And that word caused David to give praise. David says to the Lord in verse two thou hast magnified thy word according to all thy name. Thou hast enlarged or exalted your saying, your revelation, your word to me according to all thy name. Now what does that mean? What is David trying to communicate to us here? Well let's think for a moment what is meant by this phrase thy name. God's name in this context refers to his nature, what he is. And we see that summarized in two essential words that David uses in verse two. He speaks about giving thanks to God's name for his loving kindness and his truth. If you were going to summarize what God is like, what attributes of God would you select? David seems to say that God's name can be summed in these two attributes of the Lord. His loving kindness which refers to his faithful love and his truth, his truth. Is this not similar to what John says regarding the word which became flesh and was full of what? Grace and truth, grace being similar to loving kindness. And so as John summarizes the deity or the fullness of God which was in Jesus Christ, he says he was full of grace and truth. And here David says that God's name is loving kindness and truth. Now when he says that God has magnified his promise or his word according to his name, he's really saying that God's answer to his prayer fully evidenced his grace, his loving kindness and his truth. Gabelin says, "Thou hast fulfilled it in such a manner as to bring out all that thy name implies." And I think that Dr. Gabelin captures the essence of that sentence. David is saying, "Lord, you have fulfilled your promise in such a manner as to bring out all that your name says about you." David is overwhelmed and testifies with thanks of what God has done for him in his answer to his prayer. Notice that his praise is whole-hearted. He says, "I will give thee thanks with all my heart." That's giving is the memory of the heart. And as David recounts within his heart what God had promised him with his whole heart, he gives thanks to the Lord. Certainly our praise should be no less to the Lord. Whole-hearted thanks. And then his praise as well as tongue employed. He says, "I will sing praises to thee." So it was not only a heartfelt thanks, but it employed as well his tongue. And he says, "I will sing to the Lord, praise." And he says, "Even among the gods, or before the gods, I will sing." What does he mean by the gods? That has caused Bible students to wonder. Is David saying that he would sing to the Lord before the pagan gods around him? It's possible. Is he saying that he would sing praise to the Lord before the angels? For this word God's here could refer to angelic creatures. That's possible. But literally the word says, "I will sing praise before the mighty ones," the Elohim, the mighty ones. And it could be that David is saying here, "I will sing praise to you before mighty men." Because later he talks about the kings of the earth. And to give some parallelism to his thinking, it would seem that David is saying here, "Even before those who are mighty on the earth, before my peers, who are the kings, I will sing praise to thee." His are want to have their own praise's son, and to have the trumpets announce their arrival. To have the heralds proclaim their greatness, but David wants none of that. He says, "Before the kings, he will praise the Lord." And his tongue is employed in that, and so should ours be, in giving thanks to God. And then his praise is life impacting and life changing. He says, "I will bow down toward thy holy temple." In other words, David is saying here, "I will orient my life, Lord, to worship." I will bow down toward thy holy temple, to the place where you have revealed yourself in a special way, toward that place I will worship you. And so our thanks, our worship as well, should be life impacting. It should affect the way that we live. We should bow down, as it were, to the Lord, and orient our lives to worshiping Him. So David, with wholehearted, tongue-employed, life-impacting praise, thanks God, first of all, for answered prayer. Charles Spurgeon said, "It is the distinguishing mark of the true and living God that he hears the pleadings of his people, and answers them. The gods hear not, and answer not, but Jehovah's memorial is, "The God that heareth prayer." Can you think back through this year, or perhaps even this week, in ways in which God has answered prayer for you, for your family, for your church? Surely, all of us could bring a list with several items, specific items, in which we would give thanks to God tonight for answered prayer. Never take that for granted, that God is a God who hears and who answers, and delights to answer our petitions. Just this morning, I saw a young couple that we've been praying for, and God has restored their marriage. God answers prayer. Then David says, "There is a second reason we should give praise to God; it is because of his sovereign purpose, verses 4 and 5. As I've already suggested, David speaks about his peers, the kings, and he seems to anticipate the millennium, when he would join with the kings of the earth, as they will be at that time, joining in a hymn of praise and thanks to the Lord. And what is the subject of their happy, thankful chorus? Well it seems to be, in verse 4, the words of his mouth, and in verse 5, the ways of the Lord. What does this refer to? Well it refers to what God will do, that's the words of the Lord, that's his revelation. And the ways of the Lord, what does that mean? That means how God will accomplish what he says he will do. Certainly those who will live in that period of time will have no excuse for overlooking both the words of the Lord and the ways of the Lord, for the Lord himself will be reigning visibly upon the earth. And their happy chorus seems to be one of praise to the Lord for what he says he will do and how he goes about accomplishing his promises. God's revelation, God's providence, reveal his glory on the earth. God will achieve his sovereign purposes in the nations, and not only in the millennium, but even now he accomplishes those sovereign purposes. We can praise the Lord because his sovereign purposes cannot be denied, thwarted, hindered, or stopped in any respect for what God purposes to do he will do. Great is the glory of the Lord. He chooses to reveal to us what he will do and how he will accomplish it. And so as we give thanks to the Lord, let's give thanks to him for his sovereign purposes. His sovereign purposes in our lives, his sovereign purposes in history. We can give thanks as we come to the end of 1984, that history, as it is flowing today, is not flowing on an unchartered course, but that it is traveling in the direction which God has long ago ordained. We are not left to the chance of events, nor are we left to the evil whim of national leaders, but rather we rest secure in the sovereign purposes of God. God will achieve his sovereign purposes for the United States of America, for the Western culture, and for every civilization upon the earth. For there is not one that is here, but that he has designed it to appear, and there is not one that can disappear, but that he ordains it. There are, of course, those prophets of doom and gloom today who say that we are left to the whims of men, and that it is possible that this or that catastrophic event will take place because of mankind. Listen, history is not the victim of mankind. But rather history is the record of God's sovereign purposes, and so we can rest secure knowing that whatever takes place day by day and year by year, it is according to what God has planned. We praise him for his sovereign purpose. Then verse 6, David praises God for his personal care. He says, "Though the Lord is exalted and plans sovereignly, yet he regards the lowly." He is exalted, and the word means to be high, to be lofty. It is the same word that Isaiah used in his prophecy, 6th chapter, verse 1, that in the year the king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up, lofty, exalted. And David says, "The Lord is exalted," and folks, if only we could get a vision of how exalted he is, it would change our lives. But not only is he exalted and glorious, but rather as well, he regards the lowly. He is not removed and distant from your concerns. He is not uninvolved in your problems and cares. In fact, he is the God of such compassion and such lavish mercy that he cannot help but express himself in your life and in mind in terms of our personal care. God regards the lowly, that is those who are humble, those who abase themselves. Him says this verse, "He regards, he regards." That is an interesting word, it's just a basic word which means to see. And it has a lot of shades of meaning, including to have respect for. This morning in one of the scriptures from the Psalms, we read a verse which said, "That if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." This is that same word. If I see iniquity, and the idea is if I have respect for or if I cherish iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer. Well, that is the word that is used here of the Lord's care for you and me. He cherishes us. He has respect for us or as Peter puts it, it matters to him concerning you. He cares for you. It's a word that also means to provide for. It is the word used in Genesis 22 when God provided the ram in place of Isaac, the ram to be sacrificed instead of Isaac, the son of Abraham. So it means to provide for, and again we bring that meaning back to this verse. He provides for the lowly. He sees our needs. He provides for those who are lowly. It may be that you are in a place of particular need tonight. God knows that need. He has regard for it. I have a pastor friend who was at a very low point in his ministry. He was experiencing difficulties in his church and was tired. And in that low point as he drove to the church to his office, he determined he would resign. It was a Sunday evening about five o'clock, and as he drove to the church, he pounded the steering wheel and said, "I'll show them, I'll resign." And he prayed within his heart, in his low state. He said, "Oh that I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest." And as he looked out of his car window, driving into the church yard, there was a dove that flew right over his car, and then flew up and around the church and it steepled. And he pulled up to a stop and watched the dove and suddenly a fluttered and fell dead right in front of his car. He got out with tears streaming down his cheeks and picked up that dove, warm but lifeless. And the verse came to him, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles." And in a very special way, God in that moment put his arm around him as it were and said, "I care about you." And you're not to be a dove flying away from your trouble, but you're to wait upon me and mount up with wings as an eagle, as an eagle. God has regard for the lowly, He has regard for you, and is personally concerned with your life. In contrast to that, however, He is far away from those who are proud and self-sufficient. God remains aloof to them, leaving them to their own folly, but those who humble themselves know His personal care, and David thanks God for that, and so should you and I. In verse 7, He expresses thanks to God for certain deliverance. The previous point regarding His personal care does not mean that we will not have trouble. He says, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me." This word trouble literally is straits, or distress. It seems to mean pressure, which is produced by confinement. David says, "Though I walk in the midst of pressure and stress, thou wilt revive me. Thou wilt stretch forth thy hand. Thy right hand will save me." There are four verbs in verse 7. If you look at those four verbs, they give us four assurances when we are in trouble. The first verb is the verb walk, and the assurance that I have is progress. In other words, the pressures, the problems, the trouble that we face does not stop us, but rather it acts to channel our lives. We walk through them. We are not to sit down in our troubles and mope; we are to keep moving, we are to walk its progress. When I think of this, I think of a river, which actually makes its best progress when it is most confined. It is most swift and powerful as the banks bring its sides together, and it is forced through the straits. And so it is with you and me. Our best progress is often made when we are walking in the midst of trouble, because there is something about that confinement that thrusts us ahead, and so I have the assurance in trouble of progress, or I can say it this way, "My good comes out of my trouble." Romans 8, 28, underlines that statement. My good comes out of my trouble. The second verb is the verb revive. He says, "Thou willt revive me." Here I have the assurance of provision. For the word revive means to give life. And essentially what he is saying here is, "My trouble cannot overwhelm me, because God provides me with life." Whatever my trouble may be, God in that situation revives me, continually gives me life, and so I have the assurance of that provision in my trouble. The third verb is stretch forth, "Thou will stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies." Here I have the assurance of protection. It is that God will deal with my enemies. Whether they be people, or circumstances, or obstacles, or the devil himself, God will protect me, stretch forth his hand against the wrath of my enemies. I might say it this way, "My troubles will be dealt with by God." And then there is a fourth assurance in my troubles. It's found in that verb save, "Thy right hand will save me." Here is the assurance of preservation. How can I know that I will be preserved in my troubles because of God's right hand? And may I ask, "Who is at God's right hand?" It is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you and for me. How can I know that I will be kept through my troubles and preserved because of the Father's right hand? He intercedes on my behalf perfectly and will bring me through and end my troubles. And so I have this assurance that my troubles will end. I have great cause tonight to give thanks to God because of certain deliverance in my troubles. I have the assurance of progress because my good comes out of my trouble. I have the assurance of provision. My trouble cannot overwhelm me because God gives me life. I have the assurance of protection. My troubles will be dealt with personally by God. And I have the assurance of preservation. My troubles will end because of the one who is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for me perfectly. There is great cause for giving thanks to God in verse 7. And then he concludes in verse 8, "By saying that we can give thanks to God because of ultimate glory." He says, "The Lord will accomplish what concerns me. All of my interests, all of them, all of your interests, all of them are safe in His hands. God will not forsake the work of His hands, that's you and me. We are hell secure in sovereign hands. And we move without fail through God's will in this life toward that great consummation of His will when we will be glorified and like the Son, like Jesus Christ Himself." Is this not the assurance that Paul writes about when he writes to the Philippians? And he says, "I am confident of this very thing that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." What God begins, He always finishes. You and I can praise God that we will be changed. We will experience the ultimate glory when we are like Jesus Christ. And once again the apostle testifies Himself, "The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom, to Him be the glory forever and ever." That's ultimate glory. And so tonight we join with our friend David in giving thanks to God. Let us allow His thoughts to guide our thoughts at this Thanksgiving season. He has showed us why we can give thanks to the Lord for answered prayer, for His sovereign purposes in history, for His personal care, for His certain deliverance because of ultimate glory. Gratitude is always the right attitude for the people of God. And as His people, let's give thanks to Him in this season. Would you join me, please, in bowing your head? Let's sing this chorus that all of us, I think. "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me." He answers prayer, He answers prayer, He answers prayer, He's so good to me. He cares for me, He cares for me, He cares for me, He's so good to me. Father, we do express our praise and thanks tonight because you are so good to us. And though David's voice physically was still 3,000 years ago and he rested with his fathers, yet he dwells today in the house of the Lord. And we share through your inspired Word this song of Thanksgiving which he wrote. Thank you for the way you work in our lives and in the history of the world. Help us to see that though you are greatly exalted in your sovereignty, you care for each of us. And Lord, there are some of my brothers and sisters here tonight who are carrying heavy loads, and some are ready to quit and throw in the towel and wish they had wings like a dove. May they tonight know what the wings of the eagle are like as they wait upon you. Lord, may we live for you because we are thankful people. I live for him, I live for him, I live for him, he's so good to me. I love him so, I love him so, I love him so, he's so good to me, amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]