1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Verse 1 — The name of God is at stake in the way we get through distress. A study of the first two chapters of Job brings this out. At first, God’s hedge (see verse 10) protected Job’s family and possessions, then his own physical and emotional self, and finally his very life. Satan’s contention was that if the Lord would move the hedge back a way, and allow him to attack, then Job would “curse you to your face.” (v. 11) God did then move the hedge back one step. This exposed family and possessions. They were all stricken from Job.
Later, of course, the hedge was moved back still another notch and only his life was barely spared. Job passed the test in that he did as our Psalmist does — worshipped God and blessed Him rather than yield to the enemy’s plan. (Job 20:21) Perhaps these great truths lie behind the teaching of Ephesians 3:10.
My prayer for you is that you will be given grace to look at these ultimate principles and keep clear of reactions toward mere mortals. We wrestle not against flesh and blood.
Verse 2 — Our direction of worship is toward the temple where the sacrifice is. The writer of Psalm 73 admitted that he had been offended in his heart and almost collapsed in bitterness “until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I…” Romans 8:31-39 teaches us how to keep looking toward the place of sacrifice, the cross.
Verse 3 — How good is the strengthening of the Lord! Although this strength is already promised, or even commanded, it still must be obtained by the transaction of faith — in a definite claim. See Psalm 68:28.
Verses 6, 7 — God’s spyglass of concern is aimed low. When we are the lowest, there is often the most hope of a new quickening. (v. 7) It is good to ask the question: Who are these enemies mentioned here? They are the same ones mentioned in Psalm 42 and elsewhere who dig at us with all sorts of doubts. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we reject these insinuations of unbelief and claim His victory over Satan. (I John 3:8, Revelation 12:11, Colossians 2:8, 9)
Verse 8 — Finally, we stand forever sure that we ourselves are the product of His hand. He will never leave a work of His half-done. (Philippians 1:6)