Psa 33:9 | KingComments | STEP | The first reason for the new song of are the words of God and directly related to them the works of God ( ). This is indicated by the word “for” with which the verse begins. God is “upright” in His words. In everything He says, He is ‘true’, ‘faithful’. An upright person is trustworthy, without deceit ( ). God is always justified in His words ( ). His words are trustworthy, He keeps His promises, which is reason for the righteous to praise Him. Also “all His work”, all that He does, is done “in faithfulness”. His work is accomplished by His Word. His Word and His work are therefore in perfect harmony with each other. Just as there is no unreliability or mendacity in His words, there is nothing in His works that shows or will ever show any defect or wear and tear. Everything is stable, perfectly reliable. Why is God reliable? Because He “loves righteousness and justice” ( ). This determines all His actions. His “righteousness” and His “justice” or verdict are never in conflict with His love, and conversely, His love is never in conflict with His righteousness and justice. His righteousness and justice are expressions of His love for the truth, they are expressions of His trustworthiness. He does what He says, even in enforcing justice and executing judgment. In His love, He thus makes Himself known to man so that he may bow before Him. Everywhere we look on earth, we see a testimony of God’s “lovingkindness”. Lovingkindness is a word that implies both love and truth or faithfulness. It is due to His lovingkindness that man can live on earth and be provided with many good gifts and everything he needs to live. Everywhere we see the same love and faithfulness in God’s care of His creation (cf. ). This is an encouragement to His own, especially when they are in need and think that He might have forgotten them. His Word is reliable and powerful. We see this in the creation He has created, focusing here especially on the heavens ( ; cf. ; ). He made the heavens. The “host” of the firmament, the entire galaxy, evokes awe ( ). Its creation is attributed to the breath of His mouth. We may think here also of the Holy Spirit, Who is also involved in creation ( ; cf. ), because the Hebrew word ruach can also be translated “spirit”. Also “the waters of the sea” are completely under His authority ( ). He can gather the water and make a dam of it, thus heaping the waters ( ; ; cf. ). “The deeps”, the deep waters, He can lay up in storehouses as if it were an object (cf. ; ). He deals with it as a farmer does with his grain when he stores it in a storehouse. Man has no grip on either the heavens or the waters of the sea. They are completely beyond his control, while God, through His Word, has complete control over them (cf. ). This should bring “all the earth”, all the nations, to a “fear”, that is, a deep awe, of the LORD ( ). “All the inhabitants of the world” are called to “stand in awe of Him”. This goes beyond just deep awe. There is also in this the aspect of fear and trembling at God’s power in creation ( ; ). Because He created all, and rules sovereignly over the universe, the nations must acknowledge that He alone is the Creator-Ruler. The nations, all of whom have their own idols, must know that the world did not come into being through an activity of cooperating gods. Nor was anything originated by chance. Everything in creation reflects God’s wisdom. It is the effect of His Word, which shows that He alone is trustworthy. Because He speaks a word, it happens, and what happens is what He has said, no more and no less. The theory of evolution, therefore, besides being a denial of God as Creator, is also a denial of the reliability of His Word and thereby of Himself. Everything He speaks comes about because He speaks ( ). In the long enumeration of the way faith works in Hebrews 11, the first and thus most fundamental activity of faith is the actual belief that God created everything by His Word ( ). There is no unruly element in the matter that He has created. He commands and it is there, exactly sized and in the place He wants it to be. The order in creation reflects God’s sovereign dominion. His supremacy does not frighten the God-fearing, but fills him with comfort and courage. God’s control of the universe tells us that He also controls our lives. It also tells us that we can entrust Him with the control of our lives. That is what God taught Job and that is what we must also learn, especially when we do not understand things that happen in our lives. Job does not understand God, and this causes him to wrestle with his faith, until he comes face to face with God. Then he understands that he is too small to judge God’s government of all things. The point is that we learn to trust that He really is in control of all things.

‏ Psalms 33:9

The Power of God’s Word

The first reason for the new song of Psa 33:3 are the words of God and directly related to them the works of God (Psa 33:4). This is indicated by the word “for” with which the verse begins. God is “upright” in His words. In everything He says, He is ‘true’, ‘faithful’. An upright person is trustworthy, without deceit (Psa 32:2). God is always justified in His words (Rom 3:4). His words are trustworthy, He keeps His promises, which is reason for the righteous to praise Him.

Also “all His work”, all that He does, is done “in faithfulness”. His work is accomplished by His Word. His Word and His work are therefore in perfect harmony with each other. Just as there is no unreliability or mendacity in His words, there is nothing in His works that shows or will ever show any defect or wear and tear. Everything is stable, perfectly reliable.

Why is God reliable? Because He “loves righteousness and justice” (Psa 33:5). This determines all His actions. His “righteousness” and His “justice” or verdict are never in conflict with His love, and conversely, His love is never in conflict with His righteousness and justice. His righteousness and justice are expressions of His love for the truth, they are expressions of His trustworthiness. He does what He says, even in enforcing justice and executing judgment. In His love, He thus makes Himself known to man so that he may bow before Him.

Everywhere we look on earth, we see a testimony of God’s “lovingkindness”. Lovingkindness is a word that implies both love and truth or faithfulness. It is due to His lovingkindness that man can live on earth and be provided with many good gifts and everything he needs to live. Everywhere we see the same love and faithfulness in God’s care of His creation (cf. Mt 6:26). This is an encouragement to His own, especially when they are in need and think that He might have forgotten them.

His Word is reliable and powerful. We see this in the creation He has created, focusing here especially on the heavens (Psa 33:6; cf. Jn 1:1 ; 3; Heb 1:1-2). He made the heavens. The “host” of the firmament, the entire galaxy, evokes awe (Isa 40:26). Its creation is attributed to the breath of His mouth. We may think here also of the Holy Spirit, Who is also involved in creation (Gen 1:2; cf. Psa 104:30), because the Hebrew word ruach can also be translated “spirit”.

Also “the waters of the sea” are completely under His authority (Psa 33:7). He can gather the water and make a dam of it, thus heaping the waters (Exo 15:8; Jos 3:13 ; 16; cf. Job 38:8-11). “The deeps”, the deep waters, He can lay up in storehouses as if it were an object (cf. Job 38:22; Jer 10:13). He deals with it as a farmer does with his grain when he stores it in a storehouse. Man has no grip on either the heavens or the waters of the sea. They are completely beyond his control, while God, through His Word, has complete control over them (cf. Psa 29:3 ; Psa 107:25).

This should bring “all the earth”, all the nations, to a “fear”, that is, a deep awe, of the LORD (Psa 33:8). “All the inhabitants of the world” are called to “stand in awe of Him”. This goes beyond just deep awe. There is also in this the aspect of fear and trembling at God’s power in creation (Exo 15:16; Jer 5:22). Because He created all, and rules sovereignly over the universe, the nations must acknowledge that He alone is the Creator-Ruler.

The nations, all of whom have their own idols, must know that the world did not come into being through an activity of cooperating gods. Nor was anything originated by chance. Everything in creation reflects God’s wisdom. It is the effect of His Word, which shows that He alone is trustworthy. Because He speaks a word, it happens, and what happens is what He has said, no more and no less. The theory of evolution, therefore, besides being a denial of God as Creator, is also a denial of the reliability of His Word and thereby of Himself.

Everything He speaks comes about because He speaks (Psa 33:9). In the long enumeration of the way faith works in Hebrews 11, the first and thus most fundamental activity of faith is the actual belief that God created everything by His Word (Heb 11:3). There is no unruly element in the matter that He has created. He commands and it is there, exactly sized and in the place He wants it to be. The order in creation reflects God’s sovereign dominion. His supremacy does not frighten the God-fearing, but fills him with comfort and courage.

God’s control of the universe tells us that He also controls our lives. It also tells us that we can entrust Him with the control of our lives. That is what God taught Job and that is what we must also learn, especially when we do not understand things that happen in our lives. Job does not understand God, and this causes him to wrestle with his faith, until he comes face to face with God. Then he understands that he is too small to judge God’s government of all things. The point is that we learn to trust that He really is in control of all things.