# 378 A journey through the Psalms. Psalm 138. Is this for real?

On a very superficial level, just reading this Psalm probably does not bring to our mind words like “evangelical,” “scandal,” “embarrassment,” “revolutionary” and “radical.” But, in a few short sentences, commenting on Psalm 138, Walter Brueggemann uses all these words (as we shall see later).

So, read the psalm again and see if you can figure out why he uses such words for this Psalm “of David.”

¹ I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
    I will sing your praises before the gods.
² I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
    I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
    by all the honor of your name.
³ As soon as I pray, you answer me;
    you encourage me by giving me strength.

⁴ Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,
    for all of them will hear your words.
⁵ Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,
    for the glory of the Lord is very great.
⁶ Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
    but he keeps his distance from the proud.

⁷ Though I am surrounded by troubles,
    you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
    and the power of your right hand saves me.
⁸ The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
    for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
    Don’t abandon me, for you made me. (New Living Translation)

Basically, this is a psalm of thanksgiving and can be simply divided into 3 sections, as follows:

Verses 1-3 – a wonderful testimony concerning Yahweh whom the psalmist firstly offers thanks… with all my heart, and then a song – I will sing your praises. He then says, I bow before your holy Temple and continues to then praise the name of Yahweh. All this because of your unfailing love and your faithfulness, as well as His sure promises in His Word.

Wilcock comments on this as follows: “The name (God’s nature) and the word (his revelation of it) have been made known, says verse 2, above all things [KJV]. One practical consequence is that in his love he responds to those who call on him, and in his power, he makes them what they cannot otherwise be (v. 3). (# 5)

Verses 4-6 – great expectations, as Wilcock says, “that one day the Lord will be recognized universally. All will hear his word and see his glory,” He continues, “The word and the glory are of course already realities: his own people are well aware that the God of the Bible is far above every other power, yet reaches further down, and with greater effort. He is not too remote to see the need of the lowly; and he ‘can tell the haughty a mile off’ [Goulder, Return, p. 234].” (# 5)

But before we move on to the last section, it is concerning the truth of verse 6 that Brueggemann uses the words mentioned above. He begins by saying that “it contains the evangelical surprise.” He then asks, “In what does Yahweh’s great glory [v. 5] consist?” He then continues: “He is high, but attends to the lowly. (cf. Isa. 57:15). That is, unlike the other gods in verse 1 and unlike the conventional kings in verse 4. Characteristically kings and gods are high, but do not notice the lowly. The whole history of Israel is evidence to the contrary, and that is why Israel is a scandal among the nations, and why Yahweh is an embarrassment among the gods. This verse, the ground of the entire thanksgiving, is revolutionary in its disclosure… Such a radical claim for Yahweh and such a radical hope for Israel is not grounded in grand theory, but in the specific experience of the speaker… “(# 2), which leads us into the third section.

Verses 7-8 – great confidence that The Lord will work out his plans for my life. (v. 8) “So the works he has already done on the psalmist’s behalf are sure to be completed.” (# 5) The Apostle Paul said the same thing in his letter to the Philippians when he wrote:

⁶ And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. (Phil. 1:6 AMPC)

Thank you, Father, that in your care for the lowly (v. 6), You went to such extremes and even sent Jesus, the One who said:  For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10) Amen.