Psalms 92 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 92

How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

92:1   It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
    to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2   to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
    and your faithfulness by night,
3   to the music of the lute and the harp,
    to the melody of the lyre.
4   For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5   How great are your works, O LORD!
    Your thoughts are very deep!
6   The stupid man cannot know;
    the fool cannot understand this:
7   that though the wicked sprout like grass
    and all evildoers flourish,
  they are doomed to destruction forever;
8     but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9   For behold, your enemies, O LORD,
    for behold, your enemies shall perish;
    all evildoers shall be scattered.
10   But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
    you have poured over me¹ fresh oil.
11   My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
    my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12   The righteous flourish like the palm tree
    and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13   They are planted in the house of the LORD;
    they flourish in the courts of our God.
14   They still bear fruit in old age;
    they are ever full of sap and green,
15   to declare that the LORD is upright;
    he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Footnotes

[1] 92:10 Compare Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Commentary

Exhortation to praise God. Sometimes known as the Sabbath Psalm.

v1-4: Praise God, for He is worthy; praise includes a declaration of His character. It is good to do this (v1), and it makes us glad (v4); there is a real blessing for us in praising God.

Notice that music is a part of praise (v3); although David did not actually introduce music into praise, he promoted it greatly.

v5: The godly man acknowledges God's greatness; He is beyond human comprehension.

v6: See 1 Cor 2.14; spiritual truths are nonsense to the unbeliever.

v7: The ungodly do prosper and flourish, but only for a time, Ps 91.8.

v8-9: God is in total control; His authority is universal and eternal. We learn to appreciate Him, and to acknowledge that He is exalted (Ps 97.9). This is not merely truth; it is reassuring for the follower of God.

v10-11: We receive God's anointing for strength and victory.

v12-15: The reward for the righteous

We are "planted" (or transplanted); converted from natural human desires to spiritual desires. This is why we flourish in the courts of God. We will continue to bear fruit. Through our lives, glory comes to God; as we declare His character by lip and life. It is inescapable; but there is a link between our fruitfulness and our acknowledging God.