Psalm 92
Psalm 92, The Goodness of Giving Thanks to the Lord
Psalm 92 is titled, A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day. This title is important because it identifies the psalm as a song intended for Sabbath reflection and worship. It is the only psalm with this specific title. The Sabbath was not merely a day of inactivity, but a day set apart for rest, worship, remembrance, and corporate devotion before the Lord. The Old Testament Sabbath was described as a holy convocation, meaning God’s people were to gather before Him in reverence and worship.
Leviticus 23:3, “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”
Psalm 92 therefore shows that the Sabbath was intended to lift the heart from earthly burdens to the Lord Himself. The psalm does not focus heavily on the mechanics of Sabbath rest, but it captures the proper spirit of the Sabbath, gratitude, praise, meditation on God’s works, confidence in God’s judgment, and delight in the flourishing of the righteous. It teaches that worship is not a burden, but a blessing. It teaches that giving thanks is not merely proper, but good. The believer’s heart is strengthened when it turns from the noise of the world and considers the Lord’s lovingkindness, faithfulness, works, thoughts, justice, and righteousness.
A. Giving Thanks
Psalm 92:1,3, The Manner of Giving Thanks
Psalm 92:1,3, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD and to sing praises unto thy name O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.”
The psalm begins with a simple but profound statement, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD.” Thanksgiving is good because it is fitting for creatures to thank their Creator. It is good because redeemed people should thank their Redeemer. It is good because the people who have been blessed, delivered, preserved, forgiven, corrected, and sustained by God should return praise to Him. It is good because God Himself is good, and gratitude toward Him is always right. It is also good because thanksgiving benefits the worshipper. It lifts the soul, corrects the attitude, restrains bitterness, strengthens faith, and turns the mind away from self pity and toward the Lord’s goodness.
Thanksgiving is not merely an inward attitude. The psalm says it is good “to give thanks.” Gratitude should be expressed. A silent attitude of thankfulness has value, but Scripture calls God’s people to declare it, sing it, speak it, and make it known. Worship is not merely thinking thankful thoughts. Biblical worship involves the whole person, heart, mind, voice, and life.
The psalmist connects giving thanks with singing praise, “and to sing praises unto thy name O most High.” Hebrew poetry often repeats the same idea with related language, and here thanksgiving and singing praise are placed together. To sing praises to God’s name is to give thanks to Him for who He is and what He has revealed Himself to be. The name of God represents His character, authority, holiness, covenant faithfulness, mercy, and power. He is addressed here as “most High,” emphasizing His supremacy over all creation, all nations, all rulers, all powers, and all false gods.
Singing is a God given expression of worship. Creation itself seems to testify to this principle. Birds sing, waters move with sound, and creation declares the glory of God. The redeemed heart should not be silent before the Lord. There are times when singing praise strengthens the soul against discouragement, fear, temptation, and spiritual heaviness. A believer who sings truth to God also preaches truth to his own soul.
The psalmist then says, “To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night.” The word lovingkindness speaks of God’s loyal covenant mercy. It is the faithful love of God toward His people. Morning praise is fitting because the believer wakes under God’s mercy. Every new day is another evidence of His sustaining hand. The morning should begin with recognition that life, breath, provision, salvation, and strength come from the Lord.
Lamentations 3:22,23, “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
The believer should declare God’s lovingkindness in the morning because each day begins with fresh mercy. The world teaches men to begin the day with anxiety, ambition, anger, news, labor, and worry. Scripture teaches the people of God to begin with the Lord. Morning praise sets the direction of the heart before the burdens of the day press in.
The psalmist also says to declare God’s faithfulness “every night.” At night the believer has another day of experience behind him. He has seen God preserve, guide, correct, protect, provide, and sustain. Therefore night is fitting for reflection. Morning praise looks forward in dependence, and evening praise looks backward in gratitude. God’s mercy is praised at the beginning of the day, and His faithfulness is remembered at the end of the day.
The psalm also includes instrumental worship, “Upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.” Worship may rightly include instruments when they are used to honor God. The issue is not performance for the praise of man, but skillful and reverent worship directed to the Lord. The phrase “with a solemn sound” suggests ordered, fitting, harmonious worship. Music offered to God should not be careless, chaotic, self centered, or fleshly. It should be reverent, excellent, and suitable for worship.
The opening verses show that worship has many expressions. It includes thanksgiving, singing, declaration, morning praise, evening praise, and music. It is focused on who God is, “the LORD” and “most High,” and what God has done, especially His lovingkindness and faithfulness. Worship belongs to every part of life. It is not confined to one hour, one building, or one day, though the Sabbath setting shows the special value of setting apart time for deliberate worship.
Psalm 92:4, The Reason for Giving Thanks
Psalm 92:4, “For thou LORD hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.”
The reason for thanksgiving is now given, “For thou LORD hast made me glad through thy work.” The psalmist’s joy comes from what God has done. This is a God centered joy. Many people look for gladness in comfort, money, circumstances, approval, achievement, entertainment, or control. The psalmist finds gladness in the work of the Lord.
The phrase “thy work” is personal. The psalmist is not merely admiring religious ideas. He rejoices in what God Himself has done. God’s works are expressions of God’s nature. His works reveal His lovingkindness, faithfulness, wisdom, justice, power, and goodness. The believer should not separate God’s deeds from God’s character. What God does flows from who God is.
The psalmist then says, “I will triumph in the works of thy hands.” His triumph is not in himself. He does not boast in his own power, cleverness, righteousness, or success. He triumphs in what God has done. The works of God’s hands are the ground of his confidence. This includes creation, providence, preservation, redemption, judgment, and every act of divine faithfulness.
Psalm 143:5, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.”
The believer is strengthened when he meditates on the works of God. Forgetfulness produces fear and complaint, but remembrance produces praise and courage. When God’s people remember what He has done, they are better prepared to trust Him for what He will do.
B. God’s Works for His People and His Enemies
Psalm 92:5,6, God’s Great Thoughts
Psalm 92:5,6, “O LORD how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.”
The psalmist moves from rejoicing in God’s works to marveling at their greatness, “O LORD how great are thy works!” God’s works are great in number, greatness, wisdom, power, purpose, and glory. Creation alone displays immeasurable greatness. Providence displays God’s continual rule over all things. Redemption displays His mercy and justice. Judgment displays His holiness. The preservation of His people displays His faithfulness.
The psalmist adds, “and thy thoughts are very deep.” God’s works flow from God’s thoughts, His designs, counsels, purposes, wisdom, and decrees. God’s thoughts are deep because they are beyond human measurement. Man sees fragments. God sees the whole. Man sees the moment. God sees the end from the beginning. Man sees surface events. God knows every hidden cause, every motive, every outcome, and every eternal purpose.
Isaiah 55:8,9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
This truth is essential for faith. Many people stumble because they think God should govern the world according to their limited understanding. They see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer, and they assume something is wrong. But the psalmist has learned to bow before the depth of God’s wisdom. The issue is not whether man can fully explain God’s ways. The issue is whether man will trust the Lord whose thoughts are very deep.
The psalm then says, “A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.” The brutish man is the man who lives like an animal, concerned only with fleshly appetites, earthly appearances, and immediate gratification. He does not discern the works and thoughts of God. He may be intelligent in worldly matters, but spiritually he is senseless. He does not understand God’s greatness, nor does he understand the coming judgment of the wicked.
The fool is not merely someone lacking information. In Scripture, the fool is morally and spiritually blind. He refuses the fear of the Lord. He does not understand that God is wiser than man. He cannot interpret prosperity, suffering, judgment, or blessing rightly because he leaves God out of his thinking.
Psalm 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart There is no God. They are corrupt they have done abominable works there is none that doeth good.”
The fool may look at the prosperity of the wicked and conclude that sin pays. The believer looks deeper and understands that God’s thoughts are very deep, and that temporary prosperity can be the very road to judgment.
Psalm 92:7,9, God Judges His Enemies
Psalm 92:7,9, “When the wicked spring as the grass and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou LORD art most high for evermore. For lo thine enemies O LORD for lo thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.”
The psalmist now addresses the troubling reality that the wicked often appear to flourish. “When the wicked spring as the grass and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish.” Wicked men can rise quickly. They may gain wealth, influence, power, public honor, and ease. Their growth may look impressive, like grass springing up after rain. Yet grass is temporary. It grows quickly and withers quickly. The wicked may flourish outwardly, but their prosperity is fragile and short lived.
The psalmist interprets this prosperity with eternal perspective, “it is that they shall be destroyed for ever.” This is a sobering statement. The outward prosperity of the wicked does not prove God’s approval. In some cases, it may only fatten them for judgment. Their success can become the means by which their pride, rebellion, and guilt increase. God’s patience is not weakness. His delay is not indifference. His mercy should lead men to repentance, but when mercy is abused, judgment becomes certain.
Romans 2:4,5, “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
The psalm gives the contrast, “But thou LORD art most high for evermore.” The wicked rise and fall, but the Lord remains on high forever. Their prosperity is temporary, but His throne is eternal. Their power is borrowed and brief, but His authority is everlasting. The believer must measure all earthly power against the eternal rule of God.
The repeated phrase in verse 9 gives emphasis, “For lo thine enemies O LORD for lo thine enemies shall perish.” The psalmist points to this truth as certain. God’s enemies shall perish. They may appear secure for a time, but their end is fixed unless they repent. All workers of iniquity shall be scattered. Evil will not have the final word. God’s judgment is not cruelty. It is righteous and necessary. A weak sentimentality that allows evil to continue destroying is not true compassion. God’s justice destroys evil because He is holy, upright, and good.
This is important in a world where men often confuse tolerance of evil with love. Scripture never does that. The Lord is merciful, but He is not morally indifferent. The same God who comforts the righteous also judges the wicked. His victory will rid the world of evil.
Psalm 37:1,2, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.”
Psalm 92 stands in the same truth. The righteous must not envy the wicked. Their flourishing is grass like. The Lord is most high forevermore.
Psalm 92:10,11, The Psalmist’s Experience of Blessing and Deliverance
Psalm 92:10,11, “But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.”
The psalm now turns from the destruction of the wicked to the strengthening of the righteous. “But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn.” In Scripture, the horn is often a symbol of strength, power, dignity, and victory. The psalmist is saying that the Lord will exalt his strength. The wicked may flourish briefly and be destroyed, but the righteous are strengthened by God.
The word translated “unicorn” in the King James Version refers to a powerful wild ox like creature. The image is one of great strength and untamed power. The psalmist is not claiming strength in himself. He says God exalts his horn. His strength comes from the Lord.
The next phrase says, “I shall be anointed with fresh oil.” Fresh oil speaks of refreshment, honor, consecration, blessing, and enabling. In the Old Testament, oil was used in the anointing of priests and kings. It was also associated with gladness, healing, and preparation. Here it pictures renewed strength and fresh grace from God.
The believer cannot live today merely on yesterday’s strength. Old mercies should be remembered, but fresh grace is needed for present obedience. The servant of God needs continual renewal. Old vows must be renewed. Old truths must be freshly applied. Old duties require fresh strength. The work of God requires the enabling of God.
Psalm 23:5, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
The anointing of fresh oil reminds the believer that God refreshes His people even in the presence of enemies. The Lord does not merely rescue. He strengthens, honors, equips, and satisfies.
Verse 11 says, “Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.” The psalmist expresses confidence that God will vindicate His servant against those who rise against him. This does not mean personal vengeance in a sinful spirit. It means confidence that God will judge wicked opposition and fulfill His promises. The righteous may not always see full vindication in this life, but faith knows that God’s victory is certain.
Romans 8:37, “Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
Victory is assured for the people of God, though sometimes it is seen only by faith before it is seen by the eyes. The psalmist speaks with confidence that the enemies of righteousness will not ultimately prevail.
Psalm 92:12,15, God Makes the Righteous Flourish
Psalm 92:12,15, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him.”
The psalm now gives one of the most beautiful descriptions of the righteous in Scripture. “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.” Earlier, the wicked flourished like grass. Grass grows quickly and dies quickly. The righteous flourish like the palm tree. The palm tree stands upright, endures heat, and remains fruitful in difficult conditions. It can thrive where other things perish. This is a fitting picture of the godly man who, by divine grace, stands upright in a barren world.
The righteous do not flourish because the world is easy. They flourish because their life is rooted in God. Outward circumstances do not determine the soul’s fruitfulness when the Lord is the source of life. A believer may live in a spiritually dry land and still flourish because grace sustains him.
The psalm continues, “he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” The cedars of Lebanon were known for majesty, strength, durability, beauty, and usefulness. They were prized in the ancient world. The righteous are compared not only to fruitful palms, but also to strong cedars. The life of the righteous is meant to be upright, durable, deeply rooted, and useful to God.
The reason is given in verse 13, “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.” The righteous flourish because they are planted in the right place. They are not spiritually rootless. They are planted in the house of the Lord, in the place of His presence, worship, truth, fellowship, and covenant blessing. The house of the Lord is their native soil. They belong near God.
This has a clear application to the life of the believer. A Christian cannot expect to flourish while staying distant from worship, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and obedience. The tree flourishes where it is planted. The righteous flourish in the courts of God because God Himself is the source of their life.
Psalm 1:1,3, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Psalm 1 and Psalm 92 belong together in this sense. The righteous man is planted, nourished, fruitful, and enduring because his life is rooted in the Lord and His Word.
Verse 14 says, “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” This is a tremendous promise and picture. The righteous do not become useless with age. In God’s design, old age can be a season of mature fruitfulness. Physical strength may decline, but spiritual fruit can increase. Wisdom, patience, steadiness, prayer, testimony, counsel, endurance, and faithfulness can become richer in old age.
Moses is a biblical example of strength preserved into old age. Deuteronomy 34:7, “And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated.” Not every believer will experience the same physical preservation, but the principle remains that God can make His servants fruitful even in old age.
The New Testament gives the inward principle clearly. 2 Corinthians 4:16, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” The outward man may decline, but the inward man can be renewed. This is why aging believers should not surrender to bitterness, complaint, peevishness, or spiritual laziness. Irritability is not the fruit of old age. It is the fruit of the old nature. Where grace rules in old age, there should be patience, wisdom, humility, steadiness, and hope.
The phrase “fat and flourishing” means full of vitality, richness, and life. It does not speak of fleshly indulgence, but of spiritual health and abundance. The righteous are pictured as still green, still fruitful, still alive, still useful, still testifying to the Lord.
Verse 15 gives the purpose, “To shew that the LORD is upright.” The fruitfulness of the righteous is not ultimately about drawing attention to man. It is to declare the uprightness of the Lord. When God preserves, strengthens, renews, and uses His people through many seasons of life, their lives become testimony. They show that God keeps His promises. They show that He does not forsake His own. They show that His grace is sufficient. They show that He is righteous in all His ways.
The psalm ends with personal confession, “he is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him.” The Lord is not merely a rock in theory. The psalmist says, “my rock.” God has been personally proven faithful. A rock speaks of stability, strength, refuge, and dependability. The believer may stand on Him because He does not shift.
Deuteronomy 32:4, “He is the Rock his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he.”
This final confession brings the whole psalm together. The Lord is upright. He is the rock. There is no unrighteousness in Him. His works are great. His thoughts are deep. His judgment is sure. His people flourish. His enemies perish. His faithfulness is worthy of morning and evening praise.
Psalm 92 teaches that thanksgiving is good because God is good, worship is good because God is worthy, and confidence is good because God is upright. The wicked may flourish briefly like grass, but the righteous flourish deeply like palms and cedars because they are planted in the house of the Lord. The Sabbath setting reminds the people of God that regular worship recalibrates the heart. It lifts the eyes above temporary appearances and fixes them on the Lord who reigns forevermore.
