Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 33:20

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 33:20. Our soul waiteth — Our whole life is employed in this blessed work; we trust in nothing but him; neither in multitudes of armed men, nor in natural strength, nor in the fleetest animals, nor in any thing human: we trust in Him alone "who is our help and our shield."

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 33:0 Rejoicing in God

Israel’s musicians and singers are called to unite in joyous praise to God (1-3). He is worthy of people’s praise because of his faithfulness, seen in all his righteous works (4-5); because of his power, seen in creation and in his irresistible word (6-9); and because of his sovereign control, seen in the history of world events (10-12). God, being perfect in knowledge, sees the uselessness of all those achievements in which people put their trust (13-17).
Above all, God is worthy of people’s praise because of the salvation he gives to those who fear him. He gives them life, protection and provision (18-19). All who humbly trust in his mercy will find that their lives develop new qualities of patience, confidence and joy (20-22).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE CONCLUSION

"Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, Because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, be upon us, According as we have hoped in thee."

"In Psalms 33:20, we still hear the echo of Deuteronomy 33:29, that basic promise, in which God pronounced the perpetual blessing upon Israel."F. Delitzsch, Vol. V, p. 405.

The nation, as did Israel, or any individual who really belongs to God need have no fear of anything whatsoever. That passage from Deuteronomy is this:

"Happy art thou, O Israel, Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah,
The shield of thy help,
And the sword of thy excellency!
And thine enemies shall submit themselves unto thee;
And thou shalt tread upon their high places." - Deut. 39:29.

These glorious promises once belonged to Racial Israel; but today God has a New Israel, the Church of Our Lord; and all of the glorious promises that once pertained to Racial Israel are today the exclusive property of the Holy Church of Jesus Christ. This excludes no racial Jew; but, at the same time, it includes no one whomsoever merely upon the basis of his racial origin. The New Israel is composed of "The one New Man in Christ Jesus."

"Lovingkindness" (Psalms 33:22). We have already noted that this is one of David's favorite words, adding another link to the chain of evidence that points to the harpist of Israel as the author of this psalm.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Our soul waiteth for the Lord - This and the subsequent verses to the end of the psalm refer to the people of God, expressing their faith in him in view of the considerations suggested in the former part of the psalm. The language is expressive of the general character of piety. True piety leads people to wait on the Lord; to depend on Him; to look to His interposition in danger, sickness, poverty, want; to rely upon Him for all that is hoped for in this life, and for salvation in the life to come. Compare Psalms 62:1; Psalms 25:3.

He is our help - Our aid; our helper. Compare Psalms 10:14; Psalms 22:11; Psalms 30:10.

And our shield - See the notes at Psalms 5:12. That is, He will defend us from our enemies, as if He threw His shield between us and them.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

20.Our soul waiteth upon Jehovah. What the Psalmist has hitherto spoken concerning God’s providence, and particularly concerning that faithful guardianship by which he protects his people, he has spoken not so much from himself as from the mouth of the Holy Spirit. He now, therefore, in the name of the whole Church, raises his song to declare that there is nothing better than to commit our welfare to God. Thus we see that the fruit of the preceding doctrine is set forth to all true believers, that they may unhesitatingly cast themselves with confidence, and with a cheerful heart, upon the paternal care of God. In this matter, the Psalmist declares nothing concerning himself in particular, but unites the whole of the godly with him in the acknowledgement of the same faith. There is an emphasis in the word soul which should be attended to; for, although this is a common mode of speech among the Hebrews, yet it expresses earnest affection; as if believers should say, We sincerely rely upon God with our whole heart, accounting him our shield and help.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 33:1-22

Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely [or beautiful] for the upright ( Psalms 33:1 ).

Now, this is something that you might not be able to do as you read it.

Praise the LORD with a harp: sing unto him with a psaltery ( Psalms 33:2 )

Another instrument in those days.

and an instrument of ten strings ( Psalms 33:2 ).

Actually, David was quite a musician. These were all written to be sung. And he invented many instruments. David was actually an inventor of instruments. And so he had some instruments that he had made with strings, and he was a skillful player on the harp himself, and he was called the beautiful psalmist of Israel.

Sing unto him a new song; and play skillfully with a loud noise ( Psalms 33:3 ).

And that is the motto of our Maranatha groups.

For the word of the LORD is right; and all of his works are done in truth. He loves righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD ( Psalms 33:4-5 ).

If you will look around you can find the goodness of God that has been extended to us in so many ways.

Now he speaks of the power of God's word.

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all of the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap: he laid up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth reverence the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast ( Psalms 33:6-9 ).

I was up at the conference center last weekend with a lot of the fellows, and we had just a beautiful night up there. And after the service I took a walk out through the woods, just the Lord and I. I could see the Pleiades, because it was getting close to midnight and the winter constellations are starting now. If you wait until after midnight you can see the Pleiades, and Taurus and Orion, and of course, right above head was Corona. And I was looking up, and of course, you can still see up there the Milky Way. And looking up into the skies I thought of this verse, "For the word of the Lord is right. His works are done in truth, and by the word of the Lord were the heavens made." Created by His word. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God said, "Let there be light holders, the stars, the sun," and it was so. And I got to thinking of the power of God's word. "He spake and it was done." And then he said, "Let the earth stand in awe of Him." And I will tell you, when you look at those skies up there, you stand in awe of God. Oh, how great is the power of His word.

The LORD brings the counsel of the heathen to nothing: he makes the devices of the people of none effect. For the counsel of the LORD stands for ever, and the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah; and the people whom he hath chosen as his own inheritance ( Psalms 33:10-12 ).

Oh, how blessed is that nation who will honor God and who will serve God, and who will put God at the heart of their national life. Blessed, happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah. Not whose God is materialism, but whose God is Jehovah. And you look at the nations that have honored God, and put God at the heart of the nations, and you'll see nations that have been blessed. I think of our forefathers and the founding of our nation, and I would recommend to you the book, "The Light and the Glory," which brings out some interesting facets of the history of the United States that you don't find in your usual textbooks. Gives you a little insight on the spiritual foundations of our nation. Putting on the coinage, "In God We Trust." Placing within the Pledge of Allegiance, "One nation, under God." Oh blessed, happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah.

"And those people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance," that is you. You are God's inheritance. Oh, that you might know what is the hope of His calling and the riches of His inheritance in the saints.

The LORD looks from heaven; and behold all the sons of men ( Psalms 33:13 ).

Now, God is watching you. That can be very comforting; it also can be very terrifying. It all depends on what you are doing. "The Lord looks from heaven; He beholds the sons of men."

From the place of his habitation he looks upon all of the inhabitants of earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considers all their work. There is no king that is saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those that reverence him, upon those that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee ( Psalms 33:14-22 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 33

This psalm calls the godly to praise Yahweh for His dependable Word and His righteous works, specifically His creative activities in nature and human history. The psalmist also assured the readers that He will be faithful to those who trust in Him.

"If the purest form of a hymn is praise to God for what He is and does, this is a fine example. The body of the psalm is occupied with the Lord as Creator, Sovereign, Judge and Saviour, while the beginning and end express two elements of worship: an offering of praise, doing honour to so great a King, and a declaration of trust, made in humble expectation." [Note: Kidner, p. 136.]

The Hebrew text does not identify the writer of this psalm, though the Septuagint translators believed he was David. Perhaps they concluded this because other psalms that David composed surround this one (cf. Psalms 72:20). The occasion of writing appears to have been a national victory.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The righteous wait for God to deliver them and regard Him as their help and protector.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

3. A fresh commitment to trust in the Lord 33:20-22

The psalmist saw the faith of God’s elect in three activities in this section.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Our soul waiteth for the Lord,.... This, and what follows, are the words of the church, expressing her expectation, faith, and joy, by reason of what is suggested in the preceding verses. She signifies her expectation of good by waiting for the Lord; either for his coming in the flesh, and salvation by him; for which the patriarchs, prophets, and all the Old Testament saints, waited,

Genesis 49:18; and so the Targum paraphrases it, "our soul waiteth for the redemption of the Lord"; or for his spiritual coming, his appearance to them, and gracious presence with them, he having been for some time absent; and it is right and good so to do, and in the issue proves advantageous, Isaiah 8:17; and this being soul waiting, it denotes the heartiness, sincerity, and earnestness of it;

he [is] our help and our shield; the Lord is the help of his people in time of trouble, when none else is or can be; and he is a present one, and helps right early, and at the best season: and he is their shield, who encompasses them about with his love and favour, and keeps them by his power in the greatest safety; all which encourages their waiting upon him, and expectation of good things from him.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.   13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.   14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.   15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.   16 There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.   17 A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.   18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;   19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.   20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.   21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.   22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

      We are here taught to give to God the glory,

      I. Of his common providence towards all the children of men. Though he has endued man with understanding and freedom of will, yet he reserves to himself the government of him, and even of those very faculties by which he is qualified to govern himself. 1. The children of men are all under his eye, even their hearts are so; and all the motions and operations of their souls, which none know but they themselves, he knows better than they themselves, Psalms 33:13; Psalms 33:14. Though the residence of God's glory is in the highest heavens, yet thence he not only has a prospect of all the earth, but a particular inspection of all the inhabitants of the earth. He not only beholds them, but he looks upon them; he looks narrowly upon them (so the word here used is sometimes rendered), so narrowly that not the least thought can escape his observation. Atheists think that, because he dwells above in heaven, he cannot, or will not, take notice of what is done here in this lower world; but thence, high as it is, he sees us all, and all persons and thing are naked and open before him. 2. Their hearts, as well as their times, are all in his hand: He fashions their hearts. He made them at first, formed the spirit of each man within him, then when he brought him into being. Hence he is called the Father of spirits: and this is a good argument to prove that he perfectly knows them. The artist that made the clock, can account for the motions of every wheel. David uses this argument with application to himself, Psalms 139:1; Psalms 139:14. He still moulds the hearts of men, turns them as the rivers of water, which way soever he pleases, to serve his own purposes, darkens or enlightens men's understandings, stiffens or bows their wills, according as he is pleased to make use of them. He that fashions men's hearts fashions them alike. It is in hearts as in faces, though there is a great difference, and such a variety as that no two faces are exactly of the same features, nor any two hearts exactly of the same temper, yet there is such a similitude that, in some things, all faces and all hearts agree, as in water face answers to face,Proverbs 27:19. He fashions them together (so some read it); as the wheels of a watch, though of different shapes, sizes, and motions, are yet all put together, to serve one and the same purpose, so the hearts of men and their dispositions, however varying from each other and seeming to contradict one another, are yet all overruled to serve the divine purpose, which is one. 3. They, and all they do, are obnoxious to his judgment; for he considers all their works, not only knows them, but weighs them, that he may render to every man according to his works, in the day, in the world, of retribution, in the judgment, and to eternity. 4. All the powers of the creature have a dependence upon him, and are of no account, of no avail at all, without him, Psalms 33:16; Psalms 33:17. It is much for the honour of God that not only no force can prevail in opposition to him, but that no force can act but in dependence on him and by a power derived from him. (1.) The strength of a king is nothing without God. No king is sacred by his royal prerogatives, or the authority with which he is invested; for the powers that are, of that kind, are ordained of God, and are what he makes them, and no more. David was a king, and a man of war from his youth, and yet acknowledged God to be his only protector and Saviour. (2.) The strength of an army is nothing without God. The multitude of a host cannot secure those under whose command they act, unless God make them a security to them. A great army cannot be sure of victory; for, when God pleases, one shall chase a thousand. (3.) The strength of a giant is nothing without God. A mighty man, such as Goliath was, is not delivered by his much strength, when his day comes to fall. Neither the firmness and activity of his body nor the stoutness and resolution of his mind will stand him in any stead, any further than God is pleased to give him success. Let not the strong man then glory in his strength, but let us all strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God, go forth, and go on, in his strength. (4.) The strength of a horse is nothing without God (Psalms 33:17; Psalms 33:17): A horse is a vain thing for safety. In war horses were then so highly accounted of, and so much depended on, that God forbade the kings of Israel to multiply horses (Deuteronomy 17:16), lest they should be tempted to trust to them and their confidence should thereby be taken off from God. David houghed the horses of the Syrians (2 Samuel 8:4); here he houghs all the horses in the world, by pronouncing a horse a vain thing for safety in the day of battle. If the war-horse be unruly and ill-managed, he may hurry his rider into danger instead of carrying him out of danger. If he be killed under him, he may be his death, instead of saving his life. It is therefore our interest to make sure God's favour towards us, and then we may be sure of his power engaged for us, and need not fear whatever is against us.

      II. We are to give God the glory of his special grace. In the midst of his acknowledgments of God's providence he pronounces those blessed that have Jehovah for their God, who governs the world, and has wherewithal to help them in every time of need, while those were miserable who had this and the other Baal for their god, which was so far from being able to hear and help them that is was itself senseless and helpless (Psalms 33:12; Psalms 33:12): Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, even Israel, who had the knowledge of the true God and were taken into covenant with him, and all others who own God for theirs and are owned by him; for they also, whatever nation they are of, are of the spiritual seed of Abraham. 1. It is their wisdom that they take the Lord for their God, that they direct their homage and adoration there where it is due and where the payment of it will not be in vain. 2. It is their happiness that they are the people whom God has chosen for his own inheritance, whom he is pleased with, and honoured in, and whom he protects and takes care of, whom he cultivates and improves as a man does his inheritance, Deuteronomy 32:9. Now let us observe here, to the honour of divine grace, (1.) The regard which God has to his people, Psalms 33:18; Psalms 33:19. God beholds all the sons of men with an eye of observation, but his eye of favour and complacency is upon those that fear him. He looks upon them with delight, as the father on his children, as the bridegroom on his spouse, Isaiah 62:5. While those that depend on arms and armies, on chariots and horses, perish in the disappointment of their expectations, God's people, under his protection, are safe, for he shall deliver their soul from death when there seems to be but a step between them and it. If he do not deliver the body from temporal death, yet he will deliver the soul from spiritual and eternal death. Their souls, whatever happens, shall live and praise him, either in this world or in a better. From his bounty they shall be supplied with all necessaries. he shall keep them alive in famine; when others die for want, they shall live, which shall make it a distinguishing mercy. When visible means fail, God will find out some way or other to supply them. He does not say that he will give them abundance (they have no reason either to desire it or to expect it), but he will keep them alive; they shall not starve; and, when destroying judgments are abroad, it ought to be reckoned a great favour, for it is a very striking one, and lays us under peculiar obligations, to have our lives given us for a prey. Those that have the Lord for their God shall find him their help and their shield, Psalms 33:20; Psalms 33:20. In their difficulties he will assist them; they shall be helped over them, helped through them. In their dangers he will secure them; they shall be helped over them, helped through them. In their dangers he will secure them, so that they shall not receive any real damage. (2.) The regard which God's people have to him and which we ought to have in consideration of this. [1.] We must wait for God. We must attend the motions of his providence, and accommodate ourselves to them, and patiently accommodate ourselves to them, and patiently expect the issue of them. Our souls must wait for him, Psalms 33:20; Psalms 33:20. We must not only in word and tongue profess a believing regard to God, but it must be inward and sincere, a secret and silent attendance on him. [2.] We must rely on God, hope in his mercy, in the goodness of his nature, though we have not an express promise to depend upon. Those that fear God and his wrath must hope in God and his mercy; for there is no flying from God, but by flying to him. These pious dispositions will not only consist together, but befriend each other, a holy fear of God and yet at the same time a hope in his mercy. This is trusting in his holy name (Psalms 33:21; Psalms 33:21), in all that whereby he has made known himself to us, for our encouragement to serve him. [3.] We must rejoice in God, Psalms 33:21; Psalms 33:21. Those do not truly rest in God, or do not know the unspeakable advantage they have by so doing, who do not rejoice in him at all times; because those that hope in God hope for an eternal fulness of joy in his presence. [4.] We must seek to him for that mercy which we hope in, Psalms 33:22; Psalms 33:22. Our expectations from God are not to supersede, but to quicken and encourage, our applications to him; he will be sought unto for that which he has promised, and therefore the psalm concludes with a short but comprehensive prayer, "Let thy mercy, O Lord! be upon us; let us always have the comfort and benefit of it, not according as we merit from thee, but according as we hope in thee, that is, according to the promise which thou hast in thy word given to us and according to the faith which thou hast by thy Spirit and grace wrought in us." If, in singing Psalms 33:12-22, we put forth a dependence upon God, and let out our desires towards him, we make melody with our hearts to the Lord.