NLT Psalm 138
I will sing your praises before the gods.
Why is this ponderable?
Today we ponder what David means when he sings praises before the gods. To whom or what is he referring when he makes this exclamation? We know he is singing this Psalm to the Lord on high. We may not have known that this praise of the Lord is not only an expression of deep devotion but also bears witness to the impotence of idols.
David stands face to face with the Princes of the heathen world. Each believed they had the patronage and protection of powerful gods that stood above the gods of their neighbors including the Hebrew god. This view does not shake David's unswerving fidelity to Jehovah. He uses this position to symbolically state, "in your face you misguided Princes serving idols; Jehovah is above all other gods and He protects us."
David is not suggesting that these gods really existed; he speaks of them only as figments in the minds of their worshipers. By exclaiming his thankfulness to Jehovah in the presence of these idol worshipers he affirms his trust in the one true God. In this way he assures his people that they have nothing to fear from hostile nations. At the same time he chides those Princes that place trust in gods having no real power to protect or sustain their kingdoms.
David stands face to face with the Princes of the heathen world. Each believed they had the patronage and protection of powerful gods that stood above the gods of their neighbors including the Hebrew god. This view does not shake David's unswerving fidelity to Jehovah. He uses this position to symbolically state, "in your face you misguided Princes serving idols; Jehovah is above all other gods and He protects us."
David is not suggesting that these gods really existed; he speaks of them only as figments in the minds of their worshipers. By exclaiming his thankfulness to Jehovah in the presence of these idol worshipers he affirms his trust in the one true God. In this way he assures his people that they have nothing to fear from hostile nations. At the same time he chides those Princes that place trust in gods having no real power to protect or sustain their kingdoms.
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