Psalms 138: Before the Gods I Praise
A wholehearted thanksgiving for answered prayer, confident that the high God who regards the lowly will finish all that concerns his servant.
Psalms 138 (WEB)
1 I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.
3 In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, Yahweh, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of Yahweh; for great is Yahweh’s glory.
6 For though Yahweh is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but the proud, he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me.
8 Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me; your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.
Psalms 138 (KJV)
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Psalms 138 (ASV)
1 I will give thee thanks with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praises unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, And give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day that I called thou answeredst me, Thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall give thee thanks, O Jehovah, For they have heard the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah; For great is the glory of Jehovah.
6 For though Jehovah is high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly; But the haughty he knoweth from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me; Thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of mine enemies, And thy right hand will save me.
8 Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, endureth for ever; Forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Summary
Psalm 138 is a thanksgiving of David, praising God with his whole heart for answered prayer. He sings before the gods and bows toward the holy temple, giving thanks for God's loving kindness and truth, marveling that God has exalted his Name and his Word above all. The reason for his thanks is personal and immediate: in the day he called, God answered him and encouraged him with strength in his soul. David then lifts his eyes to a global horizon, foreseeing that all the kings of the earth will give thanks to Yahweh when they hear the words of his mouth and will sing of his ways. At the heart of the psalm lies a beautiful paradox—though Yahweh is high, he looks after the lowly, while the proud he knows only from afar. From this confidence David faces trouble head-on, sure that even when he walks in the midst of distress God will revive him, stretch out his hand against his enemies, and save him. The psalm closes with one of Scripture's great assurances: Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns David, for his loving kindness endures forever, and a final plea that God not forsake the works of his own hands. Believers in Christ find here the assurance that the God who began a good work in us will carry it to completion.
Voices
- David — The psalmist who gives wholehearted thanks for answered prayer and trusts God to complete what concerns him.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The high God who regards the lowly, answers when called, exalts his word, and promises to finish his work.
- The kings of the earth — The rulers who will one day hear God's words and join in giving him thanks and singing of his ways.
Key Verse
Psalm 138:8 (WEB)
Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me; your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.
Lessons Learned
- God answers prayer not only by changing circumstances but by encouraging us with strength in the soul.
- The greatness of God is shown precisely in his attention to the lowly and his distance from the proud.
- Our personal thanksgiving anticipates a day when all the kings of the earth will praise God too.
- We can face trouble with confidence because God has promised to fulfill what concerns us.
- Praise begins with the whole heart. "I will give you thanks with my whole heart" (Psalm 138:1, WEB)—worship is not half-hearted but the offering of the entire self.
- God answers and strengthens. "In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul" (Psalm 138:3, WEB)—he gives inner strength even before outer rescue.
- The high God draws near the lowly. "Though Yahweh is high, yet he looks after the lowly" (Psalm 138:6, WEB)—his majesty bends toward the humble, not the proud.
- He completes what he begins. "Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me" (Psalm 138:8, WEB)—our confidence rests on God finishing the work of his own hands.
- What does it mean to praise God "with my whole heart," and what competes for that wholeness in us?
- How does God's strengthening of the soul (v. 3) differ from simply removing our troubles?
- Why does the psalmist say God regards the lowly but knows the proud only from afar?
- What does it look like to trust that "Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me" while still walking through trouble?
- Where in your life do you most need to believe that God will not forsake the work of his own hands?
- Wholehearted praise means undivided devotion, with nothing held back or kept on a higher throne than God. Discuss what rivals tend to fracture our worship—comfort, reputation, fear—and how thanksgiving reorders the heart.
- God's answer was inner courage "in my soul" before any change of situation. This teaches that God often strengthens us to endure the trouble rather than simply lifting it, and that this is itself a gracious answer.
- Pride lifts itself up and so cannot receive God, who is already high; humility makes room for him. The verse comforts the lowly and warns the self-sufficient. God's nearness is a gift to those who admit need.
- It means continuing to walk "in the midst of trouble" (v. 7) while resting in the promise that God's purpose for us will not fail. Faith does not deny the difficulty but trusts the outcome to God's faithfulness.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to name an unfinished area—a relationship, a calling, a healing—and to entrust it to the God who completes his work. As leader, keep the tone hopeful and unhurried.