God Is Our Creator and Deliverer

God Is Our Creator and DelivererText: Psalm 33

This psalm is about the greatness of God. It began with a call to praise Him (v. 1-3). He is worthy of praise because of His word and work (v. 4), His righteousness and justice (v. 5), and His lovingkindness that fills the earth (v. 5). Let us notice some of the things that this psalm tells us about God.

God Is Our Creator

  • God created all things with His word (v. 6) – described in the beginning (Genesis 1:1, 3, et al.); we understand this by faith (Hebrews 11:3); it is vital that we believe this (cf. Psalm 11:3)
  • He gathers the waters together (v. 7) – an allusion to the fact that He holds all things together (Colossians 1:17); everything is under His control; Jesus demonstrated this power in calming the sea (Matthew 8:23-27)
  • We are expected to learn a lesson from the creation (v. 8; cf. Romans 1:20; Acts 14:17) – we are to fear Him and stand in awe of Him; this should lead to obedience (Ecclesiastes 12:13); creation shows us the power of His word (v. 9), which has the power to save us (Romans 1:16) and to judge us (Hebrews 4:12)

God Is Greater Than the Nations

  • The counsel of the Lord is greater than the counsel of the nations (v. 10-11) – rulers may attempt to usurp God’s authority (cf. Psalm 2:1-6); yet the Lord is over all (Ephesians 1:20-21); Jesus’ resurrection proved this (Colossians 2:14-15)
  • Those who follow the Lord will be blessed (v. 12) – at that time, this was the nation of Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6); no nation today belongs to the Lord, but there is a principle; righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34); as rulers fulfill their God-ordained role, it is for our good (Romans 13:3-4; 1 Timothy 2:1-2)
  • Remember that God rules from heaven (v. 13-15) – no ruler can replace/supplant the Lord; therefore, we need to put our trust in Him (Psalm 118:8-9); it is better to trust in the Lord than in the might of rulers (v. 16-17; cf. Psalm 20:7)

God Is Our Deliverer

  • God keeps watch over “those who fear Him” (v. 18) – already discussed the importance of this; fearing God leads us to obey God (Ecclesiastes 12:13); obeying God leads to salvation (Hebrews 5:9)
  • We need to put our trust in Him (v. 20) – trust Him to do right (1 Peter 4:19), even if we suffer (1 Peter 4:16)
  • We need to rejoice in Him (v. 21) – rejoice because we trust in Him to save us (1 Peter 1:8-9)
  • We need to hope in Him (v. 22) – we look to Him for the hope of eternal life (1 Peter 1:3, 13)

Conclusion

  • Many choose to put their trust in man – yet we must put our trust in God
  • Only He is worthy of our trust and devotion – only He can deliver us from death