(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 138:1-8)

1 I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing praises to You before the gods.
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

In today’s Psalm, we see the psalmist not just praising and worshiping a god, or even the unknown God. The psalmist worships a God with a name, meaning that the Lord’s character, attributes, works, and authority are known.

The psalmist is worshiping a God with a name, that is known, that he knows, and it is because of the Lord’s name that proclaims His lovingkindness and truth through His Word that the psalmist will give thanks and sing praises.

In the midst of foreign gods, gods with no names, that are not known, that have not displayed character, attributes, works, and authority, the psalmist shall proclaim their worship and praise of the God with a name.

In fact, all the kings of the earth will give thanks to the Lord, because in time the Lord’s name will be established firmly in the world. At that time, no longer will there be conflict or tension between the gods, but only the Lord’s name will remain.

That is our hope in Lord because we know His name. We know His name, because He first knew us, and has brought us into His name through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Our worship then should not just be confined to a certain location, time, or be restricted to what is happening outside of us. Rather, our worship should happen within us, inside of us, from our heart and out into the world.

The Lord’s name reminds us that we are to worship even when we are physically away from the chapel, in the midst of gods (the world), and we are to worship Him because we know Him. His name is His holiness, faithfulness, righteousness, mercy, and power.

Many times what concerns us most is if God knows our name. Yes, He knows our name, but this morning we are also reminded that it isn’t just about God knowing our name, but in response, do we know the Lord’s name?

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Psalm 138