Psalm 33 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 33 Short Summary:

In Psalm 33, David praises God for His creation of the whole world. Then he worships the Lord for being the King of Kings, the supreme ruler over all nations. He writes that the Lord’s words are true forever, but the best laid plans of human governments are temporal and can be vetoed by God.  

Psalm 33 Summary

AUTHOR:

• Psalm 33 is a psalm of King David.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No Known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• God should be worshipped for creating everything.

• God should be respected as the King of Kings over all nations.

DEFINITIONS:

• Fear of God – In modern vernacular, we use the word “fear” to talk about things that terrify us, often things that we perceive want to do us harm. However, when the Scriptures talk about the “fear of God” it carries a richer meaning. Yes, we should be terrified of what will happen to us if we live in rebellion to God, but the “fear of God” is also to affect those who love Him. In the Bible, fearing the Lord means showing God the respect due to Him for how great He is. It is holding Him in appropriate reverence as a God of love and as a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24).

OUTLINE:

• WORSHIP THE LORD WHO CREATED EVERYTHING (33:1-9):

  • David begins the Psalm encouraging his people to “shout for joy in the Lord.”

  • He told the musicians to play their instruments in thanksgiving to God.

  • God was worthy to be praised because the whole earth was spoken into existence by Him.

  • “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him! For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm” (33:8-9).

• WORSHIP THE LORD WHO RULES OVER THE NATIONS (33:10-22):

  • God created the world, and He is the true King of Kings over the nations.

  • David contrasted the plans of human governments to God’s plans.

  • “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations” (33:10-11).

  • In light of this truth, David blessed nations who chose to worship and respect the true God.

  • He felt blessed to lead Israel, the nation God had chosen to be His special people.

  • David described God as constantly looking down on the earth and observing the behavior of men. He isn’t distant or uninterested in human affairs.
    

APPLICATION:

• God is not absent from government affairs.

• We shouldn’t view politics in a deistic way, as if the direction of our nations are solely the outcome of the choices of human leaders.

• Be careful before you embrace the trends that are promoted by your political leaders, even when your preferred candidate is in office.

• Not everything your favorite politician says should be endorsed or embraced as a way of life, remember that only the counsel of the Lord stands forever.

• Every talking point of an earthly king must be scrutinized in light of the word of the King of Kings.