Praise the Lord for His Works and Justice

92:1 It is fitting to thank the Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One! 92:2 It is fitting to proclaim your loyal love in the morning, and your faithfulness during the night, 92:3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre, to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp. 92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work. I will sing for joy because of what you have done. 92:5 How great are your works, O Lord! Your plans are very intricate! 92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this; the fool does not understand this. 92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass, and all the evildoers glisten, it is so that they may be annihilated. 92:8 But you, O Lord, reign forever! 92:9 Indeed, look at your enemies, O Lord! Indeed, look at how your enemies perish! All the evildoers are scattered! 92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. I am covered with fresh oil. 92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me. 92:12 The godly grow like a palm tree; they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. 92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house, they grow in the courts of our God. 92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old; they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. 92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector, is just and never unfair. Psalm 93

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 92 says it is right to praise the Lord day and night. His loyal love and faithfulness are shown in his works. The fool does not see this. The wicked may seem to grow for a time, but their rise is temporary and they perish. The righteous, planted in God’s presence, keep bearing fruit and testify that the Lord is just.

This is a Sabbath psalm. It teaches God’s people to worship him with praise. Morning and night are both fit times to thank him. The psalmist rejoices in the Lord’s works because they are great and full of wisdom.

But not everyone understands this. The spiritually dull and the fool do not read God’s world rightly. They see the wicked prospering and do not see the end. The wicked may grow like grass for a short time, but their rise is temporary and they will perish. The Lord reigns forever, and he will scatter evildoers and bring them down.

The psalm then speaks of strength and honor. God gives renewed vitality to his servant. The psalmist sees hostile enemies brought low, but the point is the Lord’s reversal, not human pride. Then the picture widens to the righteous. They are like palm trees and cedars: upright, lasting, and fruitful. They are planted in the Lord’s house, so their life comes from his presence. Even in old age they still bear fruit. The psalm ends by confessing that the Lord is upright, just, and without injustice.

• Praise to the Lord is fitting at all times.
• God’s loyal love and faithfulness are shown in his works.
• God’s works are great and wise, even when people do not understand them.
• The spiritually dull and the fool cannot rightly perceive God’s moral order.
• The wicked may flourish briefly, but their rise is temporary and they perish.
• The Lord reigns forever and will scatter evildoers.
• God gives strength, honor, and renewed vitality to his servant.
• The righteous are stable, fruitful, and endure in God’s presence.
• Even old age can still bear fruit in the life of the righteous.
• The Lord is just and never unfair.

• Command: thank the Lord and sing praises to his name.
• Command: proclaim his loyal love in the morning and his faithfulness at night.
• Warning: do not misread temporary success as lasting favor.
• Warning: do not think the wicked will stand forever.
• Promise: the Lord reigns forever.
• Promise: the righteous, planted in God’s presence, will endure and bear fruit.
• Promise: the Lord is just and there is no injustice in him.

In Israel’s Sabbath worship, this psalm trained God’s covenant people to judge life by his character and rule. It teaches that the Lord’s justice, not the temporary success of the wicked, is the true measure of reality.

Do not judge God’s favor by appearances. Keep praising him when life is clear and when it is confusing. Do not envy the short success of the wicked. Stay rooted in God’s presence, trust his justice, and keep bearing fruit in every season of life.

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