... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 138:1-8[1]
[A
Psalm] of David.
I will praise You with my whole heart. I will sing praise to You before the gods[2]. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and
praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and for Your truth: for You have
magnified Your Word above all Your name.
In the day when I cried, You answered me, [and] strengthened me [with]
strength in my soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise You,
Lord, when they hear the words of Your mouth. Yes, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great [is] the Glory
of the Lord.
Though the Lord [is] high, yet He has respect for the
lowly. But the proud He knows at a
distance.
Though I walk in the heart of trouble, You will
revive me. You shall stretch forth Your
hand against the fury of my enemies. Your
right hand shall save me. The Lord will perfect [that which]
concerns me. Your mercy, Lord, [is] everlasting. Forsake not the works of Your own hands.[3]
[1] This
delightful Psalm, written by David, finds its foundations in the Word of God,
where David finds the answers of life.
In 1000 BC, David’s Bible was a good deal smaller than ours. Certainly, David sees God’s conversation with
Moses and Samuel, as well as with other great prophets. But David himself has the gift of
inspiration, that conversation with the Holy Ghost, which was still rare in his
day. Today, it is given to all
Christians. In this Word of God, David
sees the kings of earth coming to sing praise to God with him, all due to the
greatness of God’s Glory: for this Word is not in abstraction, merely part of a
book; it is a living, active conversation with the Glory, Who David sees, and
with whom he speaks regularly. David now
turns from the greatness of God’s Glory to the lowliness of his own humility;
here he expresses his warm gratitude for God’s revival, salvation, and
willingness to perfect his personal life and his kingdom. He knows that God in His mercy will not
forsake him. He knows from God’s
promises that Jesus is coming to make all this into its greatest reality.
[2] In
this context, god’s refers to “kings of the earth.” This could include angels, Israelite judges
and tribal leaders, family heads, and other instruments of God, all of whom are
called gods. This is not likely to be a
reference to pagan idolatry.
We are reminded that “At the name of Jesus,
every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:9-11).”
Then all things will be “under His feet” (Psalm 2; Psalm 8; Psalm 110; Acts
2:30-36; 1 Corinthians 15:25, 27; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 1:13; 2:8). Yes, full prostration is in order here. For more Scripture on this topic see, http://www.openbible.info/labs/cross-references/search?q=Hebrews+2%3A8.
[3] If
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