Psalm 33

Commonplace –

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine” (Psalm 33: 18-19).

Psalm 33 is a psalm of praise. The writer begins instructing the reader that praise is “comely for the upright” (v. 1). It is a worthy practice. Praise is something we do with our voice and instruments, “play skilfully with a loud noise” (v.3).

Next, the author moves in to the many reasons we have to worship the Lord.

1. He is the maker of heaven and earth (v. 6).
2. He brings the heathen to nothing (v. 10).
3. His counsel stands forever (v. 11).

We are reminded that strength doesn’t come from ourselves or other people; it comes from God. God is our deliverer.

In his summary, Matthew Henry notes the following:

“This is a psalm of praise” and “[w]e need not be at a loss for proper thoughts in singing this psalm, which so naturally expresses the pious affections of a devout soul towards God” (286).

It is lovely that the psalmist gives order and guidance to our praise, centering us on what is most important. Considering the Word is divinely inspired, it is God himself, a good Father, who through the writer, directs our praise towards Him.

Works Cited

Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 33.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

© 2025 Angela Hormberg