Psalm 33

Psalm 33 (NCV)
v.1-3: Verse 1 states that all who do what is right (the righteous, in other translations) should sing to the Lord and that honest people should praise Him. The psalmist here is emphatically saying that all who are righteous, all who do what is right, should sing to the Lord, and not just singing songs, but that the honest (and if you’re righteous being honest should be a natural characteristic for you), should be singing songs or shouts of praise. In Psalm 32:7 the psalmist speaks of being filled with songs of salvation. The NET Bible calls these songs shouts of joy from people who are celebrating being delivered. I’ve talked with people who tell me that the reason they don’t sing or join in the worship at church is that music just doesn’t do it for them. Each of us has a different heart worship language, something that draws us into the presence of God more quickly than normal. For me, it’s music and nature. When I take the time just to stop and look around me, I see the handiwork of God in everything He’s created. That draws me to Him. The same with music. Whether it’s the message of the song or simply the majesty or beauty of a musical piece, I see God’s handiwork, His provision, His touch, and it helps to propel me into an awareness of Him. For others it may be something completely different. Here, however, the psalmist isn’t addressing a heart worship language, he’s addressing the need, the requirement almost, for those who are active followers of Jesus, those who are righteous, to express to God our praise and adoration, our worship, and to do it with music. While verse 1 speaks to using our voices in praise, verse 2 adds another element, instrumentation. Specifically mentioned here are a harp and lyre, stringed instruments, to be used in aiding our worship of our King. Verse 3 is an admonition to singers to sing new songs of praise to God and for the musicians to play to the best of their ability and to play joyfully.
Now, before you think I’m saying that everyone must sing in church and those who don’t sing are awful sinners, let’s talk about what it means to sing new songs of praise to God. Am I saying that we all must be walking around singing or we’re in grave disobedience? Of course not. That would look kind of scary, to be honest. Or sound very scary, especially around some people. Yet, I can tell you of people who can’t carry a tune in a bucket who have songs in their hearts that bubble over onto their faces and into everything they do. I love watching them worship. They may not be singing out loud, but their heart is giving shouts of praise and celebration because of what they’ve been delivered from and to Whom they have been delivered. For those of you who have no musical desires, never fear. Yes, the admonition here is to sing and make music. And, to briefly touch the subject, there should be a desire in all of us to join with others in a corporate offering of worship and praise to our God, which, yes, is often and sometimes most easily done through music and singing. But, as we know from when God selected David over his brothers, God is looking at our hearts. It’s very easy to sing words without examining the impact of what we’re saying or even to sing them and never mean them. That’s not what the psalmist is telling us to do. For those who are called righteous, we are to be lifting praise to God on a daily basis because He is worthy of our greatest admiration, praise, thanksgiving and awe. The psalmist, in the rest of the chapter, gives us reasons why we should be full of songs or expressions of praise towards God.
v.4-5 His word is true and everything He does is right. Not only that, but He loves what is right, and that love fills the entire earth.
v.6-9: The whole earth should worship and fear the Lord. Why? Because He spoke, and the sky was created. He breathed, and the stars winked into existence. The oceans and seas maintain their boundaries simply because He decreed it. His word is that powerful. He speaks and it happens.
v.10-12 His plans will last forever, and at any time He is able to thwart the plans of men. That’s why the people who follow Him are happy. They know He’s in complete control.
v.13-15 God watches everyone on earth. He sees everything that happens. And, because He made their hearts (physical and spiritual) He understands everything they do.
v.16-19 There is no power on earth that can guarantee victory in every war we fight. There is no army powerful enough, no weapon great enough. And yet, those whose hope is in the Lord have the confidence that He will watch over them, protect them, rescue them, simply because they rest in His love. Which is why
v.20-21 Our hope is in the Lord, our Shield, our Protector, our Strong Tower, our Strength. Because we trust in His word, in His holy name, our hearts are filled with songs of salvation, shouts of joy in celebration of deliverance from our enemies and deliverance into the love and grace of God.
v.22 The psalm ends with this prayer. “Lord, show Your love to us as we put our hope in You.”

When we live every day seeking this God, desiring to be devoted followers of Him and willing to subject ourselves to His correcting touch, we see this God revealed in ways that will blow our preconceptions and our minds with how great He really is. As Psalm 32:10 tells us, we will be overwhelmed by His love and faithfulness. When that happens, our hearts won’t be able to help but overflow in worship and adoration, with “songs of salvation and shouts of joy.” And that’s the new song the psalmist tells us to sing. We can sing Amazing Grace all day long, but if our heart isn’t consumed with the reality of that amazing grace we’re just singing tired, old words. (just wait) But, if we ARE consumed by His grace, then those same words become alive with great meaning and celebration. In other words, it’s all really a matter of the heart, YOUR heart, when it comes to singing songs of praise to the Lord.

So, sing new songs. Seek God, His truth, place your hope in Him and rest in His love. Bask in His glory and give Him the praise and honor and worship He is due. In return, He will fill your heart to overflowing with new songs every day of praise and thanksgiving. And you won’t be able to help yourself. Yes, even those of you who say you hate singing. In those moments you will find your own heart filled with song, even if only you and God ever hear it.