Psalm 92 1-15 It is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord

Old Testament, Psalms, Sermons

Good afternoon, everyone here and online! Happy post-Thanksgiving and beautiful snowy Sunday morning!  If you missed it, last Sunday we had our annual combined Thanksgiving worship service at IIT. [Pic 1] Many of you celebrated the official date of Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 23, 2023, with your family and friends. [Pic 2] Someone wrote instead of saying, “Happy Thanksgiving,” we should say, “Happy Gobble Gobble.” (It was Elena—she said this because we gobble up a lot of food) For history buffs among us, an easy question, which US president made Thanksgiving a national holiday? (Yes, President Abraham Lincoln, but do you know what year? 1863) I think that’s amazing faith in God, that he would declare this holiday in the midst of a civil war. It’s because giving thanks to God should not be based only on our human circumstances. We thank God because of who he is. So, the spirit of Thanksgiving should not just be once a year. That’s why I wanted to share a post-Thanksgiving holiday message today on Psalm 92. Let’s learn more from this passage why we need to thank God always and every day. My title is:

IT IS GOOD TO GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD

Psalm 92:1-15

Key Verses: 2:1-2:

“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…”

Look at verse 1. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.” As indicated in some Bible versions, prior to verse 1 are the words written, “A song for the Sabbath day.” This makes Psalm 92 unique among the 150 Psalms written, for it was directed to be sung during their worship service. This implies that Thanksgiving should not just be annually, but weekly, every Sabbath! Actually, many of the Psalms were used as songs as well for their worship on the Sabbath. Many of them also admonish worshippers to give thanks to God. Psalm 107:1 and Psalm 136:1 commands, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.” This is also indicating that worship is to be a cooperate event and not done in isolation on the Sabbath. They did not have TV’s or Zoom at that time.  Another thing we can thank God for is the end of the pandemic restriction so that we can come together again as a church and worship him. Amen. It is interesting to note that because of school closures during the pandemic many children suffered academically. Some educational experts say three years behind. This may explain the decline in church attendance and spiritual emptiness of many people due to church closures during the pandemic. That’s why it is so important to pray for God’s people to come together again to sing songs of praises to God as a holy congregation. And to read and listen to His holy word. We need to be reminded of why we give thanks to God.

Who is God and why does he deserve our praises? Look at verse 1 again. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.” Here “Lord” is the Hebrew word for God “Yahweh,” which can be translated as “He is.” Our God is who “He is” or “I Am.” That is why when Moses asked God what name he should say to the Egyptian Pharoah, God answered that he was sent by “I Am.” “I Am who I Am.” Wow! Only God can answer like this. God is God and there is no other. He is eternal, stupendous, majestic, Almighty Creator who made the universe. That is why we must sing praises to God who is “Most High.” He is to be above everything and everyone. We have many thanksgiving topics to God for: families, jobs, good health, church community, living in a country with freedom and rights, etc. But none of these are to be above God; otherwise, they will become counterfeit idols and stumbling blocks in our life of faith. Only God, Most High, is to be worshiped and sung praises to. Because He is God, Most High, we ought to thank Him several times a day, every day.

Look at verse 2. “2… to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.” We are to thank God morning and night, which means always. Of course, we need to have a reason for thanking anyone, especially God. The reason for our thankful hearts is because of God’s steadfast love. God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness is better than life because His love is unconditional and endures forever. In contrast, human love is conditional and, in many cases, temporary as we see in many broken relationships and high divorce rate. There are many people who misunderstand that God’s love is like human love. So, they cannot believe God is love because human love has many faults. But God’s love is agape love, which is the highest form of love, for God loves so much that he would give his Son, Jesus, to sacrifice Himself up for us. It is deep, spiritual, and steadfast love. God’s steadfast love means it will not stop, but continue on now and forever. That is why it’s important to have the right concept of God’s love so we can be thankful to Him always.

When we forget to thank God always, we can revert back to our fallen state with a grumbling and ungrateful heart. In one of his sermons, Charles Spurgeon wrote about believers who forget to thank God and only look at their human circumstances. “We talk as if, really, we were to be pitied for living, as if we were little better off than toads in a hole, or snails in a tub of salt. We whine as if our lives were martyrdoms, and every breath a woe. But it is not so. Such conduct slanders the good Lord.” a We must see our lives from God’s perspective and be thankful. God never gives us a command that is not good for us. On a human level, it is healthier to have an attitude of gratitude than a grumbling one. According to a psychologist Amy Morin, it is healthier for people to have a grateful and thankful heart. She wrote an article in Psychology Today, with the title “7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude”. I believe that you are eager to know what they are, so let me enumerate them for you: 1. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships; 2. Gratitude improves physical health; 3. Gratitude improves psychological health; 4. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression; 5. Grateful people sleep better; 6. Gratitude improves self-esteem; 7. Gratitude increases mental strength. So, I made my own summary chart based on the research to compare the attitude of grateful people and ungrateful people:

Grateful                               Ungrateful

1.More relationships /// Less relationships

  1. Good physical health /// Health problems
  2. Improves psychological health /// Psychological problems
  3. Reduces aggression /// More aggressive
  4. Sleep better /// Problem sleeping
  5. Improves self-esteem /// Less self-esteem
  6. Increases mental health /// Less mental health

In general, grateful people are happier and healthier than ungrateful people. We should not only sing praises to God, but even play instruments out of our thankfulness to Him.

Look at verse 3. “3…to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.” As mentioned, this is only possible if you know how to play an instrument. Of course, whether you sing well or play an instrument we should do our best to express our thankfulness to God. This is what I learned while singing in the Chicago UBF chorus for many years. Interestingly, I was in the Chicago UBF chorus for 20 years so when I went to try out for the Kyiv UBF chorus in Ukraine, I thought I would be easily accepted. But when I tried out, they said I did not sing well enough and did not even hit the right notes. I was a little shocked that I was rejected. But thank God that even though I am not a great singer like Pavarotti, God accepts my singing as praise to Him. Even here at WestLoop worship service I sometimes hear Maria and Elena sing off tune or at the wrong time, but they are joyful to sing praises to God. God also has special ear muffs that makes all of his children sound more beautiful than they really are. (I believe) I saw a documentary on the underground church in communist China. Because they don’t want to be discovered when they sing hymns in church, they only move their lips, but sing from their hearts. Their faces looked so joyful and peaceful singing praises to God from their hearts. Maria and I once visited our missionaries in Quatar, a Muslim country. They could be deported from the country because of their Christian faith. They told us to sing songs of praises to God loudly, they get in their cars, drive to the desert, and sing as loud as they want. By any means, they want to sing praises to God. As we know, music touches a person’s soul. That is why when we sing praises to God or play instruments for His glory our souls are moved by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to play an instrument. In high school, I wanted to learn to play an instrument. So, I went to join the orchestra and told them I wanted to learn to play the saxophone. Do you know what the problem was? I was told that there was no saxophone in an orchestra. That was the end of my learning an instrument. Besides singing and playing instruments, we should thank God for His mighty work in the world and in our own lives as well. In this way, we can declare praises to Him as well.

Look at verses 4-5. “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” If you notice, the personal pronouns “me” and “I” are in verse 4. This means that the Sabbath song becomes personal. When we sing our praises to God, we are also thinking about the work that he has done for each of our lives on a personal level. What makes you glad? I know that at our family recent Thanksgiving dinner some people were glad to eat some prime rib or have a piece of our son-in-law’s pecan pie. [Pic 3] Some may be glad after a good run or workout, especially after the dopamine and endorphins kicks in their brains. Personally, Maria and I are so glad to have our second grandchild, Theodon, a few months ago. [Pic 4] Having fellowship with God’s people, sharing our lives together and witnessing how God is working in each of us, also makes us glad. For those who were not at IIT last week, we were blessed to hear the messenger Orlando Ocasio’s life testimony. [Pic 5] He lived an unhappy life because of substance abuse and he was afraid that his marriage would fall apart. However, with the help of God and his Bible teacher he could overcome his drug addiction. God blessed him to be a stable and godly man. God blessed his family to remain strong, with 4 beautiful children. He could give us a powerful testimonial message at the Thanksgiving service and we all praised God for his mighty work in his life. But just being in a good human situation should not be the basis for our thanksgiving to God.

In verses 4 and 5, the Psalmist writes that we should give thanks to God for His “works.” God does many works, more than we can list, but God’s main work is to bring salvation to lost sinners. Jesus said about God’s work in John 6:29, “29 Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’” So, even though our human circumstances may not look like there is nothing to thank God for, we need to find the diamond in the rough. For example, while Paul and Silas were preaching the gospel they were imprisoned because of persecution. They knew that they were not imprisoned because of some crime that they had committed, but that they were doing the work of God of preaching the gospel. That is why even in their terrible human condition they could sing praises to God and be a witness to others. Acts 16:23-25 reads, “23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” Because of their joyful spirit and gladness of heart, in spite of their human situation, they became a blessing to others, who also came to faith in Jesus while in jail. Even though Joni Eareckson Tada is a quadriplegic she gives thanks to God by making many beautiful paintings and writing books about God’s love and grace. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she still thanked God because she could be a witness and comfort to those suffering with cancer,  disability, and other debilitating diseases.c [Pic 6] In spite of their difficulties, God’s people find God’s sovereignty in every situation and give thanks to Him. On the other hand, wicked people are those who do not recognize God as God, and do not give thanks to Him at all.

Look at verses 6-7. “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…” First time, I heard the translation “stupid” used. Such people are called stupid or fools because they are spiritually short-sighted. They see the wicked sprouting up everywhere like grass and flourishing quickly. There are many wicked people who come up with quick rich schemes to make a lot of money. They don’t care if they have to lie and use innocent people to make a lot of money. Fools think that it is better to be wicked in order to make money quickly than to be righteous before God. Because being righteous before God and growing in His image takes time, effort, much prayer, and sacrifice. God’s people may be tempted because of how well the wicked are doing. But we should not be fooled by superficial appearances! The righteous see God’s great works. The righteous accept God’s deep thoughts. But a fool does not see what God is doing and their destruction is inevitably. We recently heard of how crypto exchange FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was jailed with fraud to get billions of dollars. Because of him so many people lost their money and some cases life savings. I read now while waiting in jail at the detention center, he has to trade his meal of mackerel fish to get a haircut. So, he went from a bitcoin billionaire trader to a fish trader.d A spiritually short-sighted person only sees momentary flourishing in the world. He does not see the LORD who is on high forever.

Look at verses 8-11. “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 me[e] fresh oil.11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.” In any kind of war or combat, those who take the high ground have the advantage and more chances to win. God is on high forever. He can never lose and defeats all his enemies in His right time. There were many enemies of God and God’s people at the time the author was writing this psalm. But the psalmist wrote with confidence that all of God’s enemies would perish and be scattered like ashes in the wind. In the same way, there are many enemies of the gospel today, who oppose the teachings of the Bible and Christian moral values. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:18, “18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.” This often causes Christians to shy away from sharing their faith with others and telling the good news of the gospel to others. But we should not be afraid of any enemy of the cross of Jesus. We need to remain strong on God’s side, while the enemies of the gospel will perish and be scattered someday.

Look at verse 10 again. “10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me[e] fresh oil.” In the Scriptures, horn represented one’s strength. That is why he compared his horn to that of the wild ox, which is a symbol of strength. [Pic 7] Perhaps he became sick, tired, and weary when he saw all the evildoers and foolish enemies of God. But when he came to God with thanksgiving and remembering all of God’s mighty works, his strength was renewed and felt refreshed like having fresh oil poured on him. Personally, I thank God for renewing my strength after battling a cold and unceasing coughing for two-and-a-half weeks. Pouring oil in the Old Testament represented someone being set apart for God’s work like a king or a prophet. In the New Testament, being poured with oil was being filled with the Holy Spirit and set apart from the people of the world. They have been chosen by God and have a special place in His heart. God causes them to truly flourish and bear good fruit in their lives.

Look at verses 12-13. “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.” Here the psalmist using the metaphors palm and cedar trees are significant. He was contrasting the short-lived flourishing of the wicked to the life-longing flourishing of the righteous. In the Middle East, the palm tree that produced dates were very common. Not only were they beautiful and provided shade but also produced a lot of delicious dates to eat. The cedar tree was strong, with a massive trunk, and can grow as high as 120 feet. They signified great strength and stability. [Pic 8] As God’s people, we are to be a source of strength and comfort for others in the world. As we grow spiritually tall and large, and our tree branches reaching out, we are not to live for ourselves, but be a blessing to others. Interestingly, in many houses and buildings they had courts where they planted palm trees. These palm not only provided fresh fruit for hungry people, but also shade to comfort people under the hot sun. The long branches and leaves of the palm trees were used to make fences and cover roofs. We can flourish when we are planted in the house of the LORD. This means God’s people need to live in God’s presence every day. In other words, having a relationship with Jesus is key to spiritual flourishing. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” God wants his people to be fruitful and useful all of their lifetime.

Look at verses 14-15. “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.” This verse reminded me of our coworkers from IIT Daniel and Deborah Yang, who in their 70’s, serves students at IIT UBF and students in Rwanda, Africa. [Pic 9] One of the young people they helped was Orlando Ocasio who I mentioned was the messenger last week. Though their resident is in Chicago, a few times a year, Daniel and Deborah, travel to Rwanda to help the young people there. In one of his reports, Daniel mentioned that Rwanda students they helped often fast and pray once or twice a week.f Some of them do so because they cannot afford to eat because they only  get a monthly allowance of $30. But in spite of their poverty, Daniel wrote that they are happy to fast, pray, and sing praises to God. In our culture, we often make fun of grumpy old men. But when we get older in God, we should not become more grumpy but more gracious. There is another wonderful quote from Charles Spurgeon about getting older, which he wrote in his book, Teachings of Nature.g “I once heard a good Christian man say that he was confessing a fault. He said, ‘I am afraid that the fruit of my old age is impatience.’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘that is not a fruit of your old age; it is a fruit of your old nature.’ But the fruit of old age; where there is grace in old age, should be patience.” When we get older, we should become more delicious and tastier like aged wine, not like rancid beer. Next year, Maria and I will be in our 60’s. We thank God that though we are getting older, we can continue to serve God here at WestLoop and our church back in Kyiv, Ukraine. Currently, we are having Bible study with students online and marriage counseling with Kir and Ira, who will marry next March. [Pic 10] They asked us to come to their wedding to bless and officiate their wedding. As mentioned in the introduction, Abraham Lincoln declared the Thanksgiving Holiday in the midst of a terrible civil war. This reminded me of our precious brothers and sisters in in Podil UBF who had their Thanksgiving worship service and dinner already because they are 8 hours ahead. [Pic 11] In spite of the war in their country, they are thankful to God for many blessings that they have received. May we also be always thankful to God, day and night, and declare His wonderful works to all people. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. (No. 1138) DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
  2. Psychology Today, 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude, April 3, 2015
  3. https://joniandfriends.org/4-minute-radio-program/lessons-from-cancer/
  4. https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/11/24/sam-bankman-fried-used-mackerel-to-pay-for-a-haircut-in-brooklyn-detention-center-wsj/
  5. Psalm 92:10Compare Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  6. https://iitubf.org/articles/2017/06/26/rwanda_short_term_mission_report.html
  7. https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles%20Spurgeon/CHS_Teachings%20of%20Nature.PDF

1.Read verses 1-3. What does it imply that this Psalm is “A song for the Sabbath day”? Why is it good for believers to give thanks and sing praises to the Lord? (Psalm 107:1 and Psalm 136:1) Why is it significance to give thanks for God’s faithfulness both day and night?

2. Read verses 4-5. What is the source of gladness and joy for believers? What are some works of God in the world and in your personal walk with God cause you to be glad and joyful? How are God’s thoughts different from ours? (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Isaiah 55:8-9, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

3. Read verses 6-7. What does the stupid and foolish man not understand? What are the wicked like? Even though the wicked seem to prosper, what is their final destiny? Why don’t they give thanks to God? (Romans 1:19-21)

4. Read verses 8-11. Who are God’s enemies? What does it mean to Psalmist that his horn was exalted and fresh oil was poured on him? In verse 1 we read that God is “Most High” and verse 8 “on high.” What do these verses show about our God?

5. Read verses 12-13. What does the contrast that the wicked are like grass, while the righteous are like trees mean? Why palm trees and cedar trees, and what do they symbolize?

6. Read verses 14-15. What kind of fruit can the righteous in their old age bear? Why is God upright and our rock? Do you see any of these verses that look forward to Jesus?

Psalm 92
English Standard Version
How Great Are Your Works
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.
92 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; 8but 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 me[a] 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
a. Psalm 92:10 Compare Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

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