This psalm gives us words of praise that we can make our own as we consider the goodness of God. As individuals and as believers who come together in praise, thanksgiving, and worship, it is only right to verbalize our thoughts as we praise God for who He is, for what He has done for us, for what He is doing for us now, and for what He has promised in the future. Likely, this is a millennial psalm for when the sabbath is again reestablished in the temple at Jerusalem, titled, “A psalm for the sabbath day.”
Today, believers, as priests, “worship the Father in spirit and truth” wherever we are, not just in the temple. Our service to God in the dispensational church is not limited to an earthly sanctuary. It is always good to thank the Lord, even if we are limited and unable to do anything else. Thankfulness in the morning, when we awake, is when we are fresh in our minds. Thankfulness at night is our acknowledgment of God’s faithfulness throughout the day. We recount to Him our thanks for His guidance and His understanding of all our situations. We thank Him for giving us wisdom in making decisions and for His protection in all the day's experiences.
Like the psalmist, we delight in being in God's house. We are delighted because others are there to worship the Lord. Praise is always fitting. This practice is one way we give God what He does not give Himself. We can give to the Lord that which is both personal and public. Praise includes worship, which gives depth to our fellowship with God. Speaking openly of His lovingkindness and faithfulness testifies to His virtues, which are not found in idolatry of any kind.
Praise and thanksgiving change our attitude toward life. Instead of pessimism and focusing on the wrong things, our attitude is calm assurance and lasting joy. We praise God for His works and His thoughts. We praise God for “Thy name” above every name. We praise Him for “Thy lovingkindness,” providing for our every need. We praise Him for “Thy faithfulness.” He can be counted on in every situation. We praise Him for “Thy work,” which is ongoing and suited to everything we cannot do. We praise Him for “Thy hands,” always reaching out to supply and guide us. We praise Him for “Thy thoughts,” far above ours and infinite.
Natural man doesn’t see or sense God’s ways, His design, and his glory – not even in creation. He cannot understand the things of God. He can’t accept that moral laws are established and are unchangeable. A “brutish” man is deliberately stupid, and a foolish man is careless. Both are without understanding because they avoid facing the incomparable nature of God as seen in His works and thoughts, in contrast to the ignorance of fools and brutish people who have no understanding and will be destroyed. God is immovable on high and forevermore. His rule is righteous. Retribution will happen to the wicked, and vindication to the righteous.
Praise to God makes us look at others with a positive view, a gracious heart, and humbleness of mind. We can certainly identify with the psalmist who praises God, “for He hath made me glad,” and he sings for joy (triumph). God gives him strength, “my horn,” and with the oil of joy, he speaks of “my anointing.” His understanding - “my eye” is opened, and his victory - “my desire” over “my enemies” (opposition) is because of the hearing of, and acting on, faith, “my ears.”
We praise God for our security and spiritual prosperity. We praise Him for His grace throughout life and right to the end of life. His consistency in everything He does brings praise from our hearts. He is our Rock, our security, and a hiding place from attacks that come. He is always right in all He does. Sabbath worship will be restored in the millennium, but today we meet together to worship on the first day of the week because our Lord died on the sabbath and came out from among the dead on the first day of the week. “Most High” is the millennial name for our Lord, who will then be King of kings and Lord of lords. Today, the spiritual man honors God, is faithful to God, lives for God, and loves God. God Himself gives strength and honor to those who honor Him. “Them that honor Me, I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.”
We can certainly praise God for causing us to flourish and be fruitful if and when, like the palm tree, we stand tall and beautiful, bearing dates and nuts. As cedar trees, those who know and love the Lord and His ways and word will be strong and firmly grounded in truth. There is a permanence in those who live in daily fellowship with the Lord. They get their life and strength from Him, who planted them in the house of the Lord. We praise Him for using those in old age to be productive and vital in carrying out their faith in physical and active ways and spiritual worship.
The joy of those in old age is in the Lord, not in their accomplishments or success. They also find their joy in the house of the Lord with others who have also been planted there by the same Lord. They flourish with a spiritual life that is fruitful in old age. They testify that the Lord is upright in all His ways, keeping His promises, committing Himself to making them what He wants them to be. We praise Him because He is dependable, faithful, and absolutely righteous in all His dealings with us.