Psalms 138:1
A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
138:1. I will praise thee with my whole heart. His mind is so taken up with God that he does not mention his name: to him there is no other God, and Jehovah is so intimately known that the psalmist, in addressing him, no more thinks of mentioning his name than we should do if we were speaking to a father or a friend. He is resolved to praise the Lord with the whole force of his life, with his whole heart. He would not act because of the opinions of others, but in the presence of the opponents of the living God he would be as hearty in worship as if all were friends and would cheerfully unite with him. If others do not praise the Lord, there is all the more reason why we should do so with eagerness. We need a broken heart to mourn our own sins, but a whole heart to praise the Lord’s perfections.
Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. The psalmist will not for a moment suspend his songs because there are images before him, and their foolish worshipers might not approve of his music. I believe David referred to the false gods of the neighboring nations, and the deities of the surviving Canaanites. In these days when new religions are daily thought up, it is well to know how to act. Controversy is apt to advertise the heresy; the very best method is to go on personally worshiping the Lord with unvarying zeal. Do they deny the divinity of our Lord? Let us the more fervently adore him. Do they despise the atonement? Let us the more constantly proclaim it. Praising and singing are our armor against the idolatries of heresy, our comfort under the depression caused by insolent attacks upon the truth, and our weapons for defending the Gospel. Faith, when displayed in cheerful courage, has about it a sacred contagion.
The Treasury of David by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)
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