Psalms 138

By David.

I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.

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.

In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.

All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth.

Yes, they will sing of the ways of the LORD, for the LORD’s glory is great!

For though the LORD is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but he knows the proud from afar.

Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me.

The LORD will fulfill that which concerns me. Your loving kindness, LORD, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This psalm is a hymn of grateful praise from David, expressing wholehearted devotion to God for His faithfulness, deliverance, and sovereign care. It moves from personal thanksgiving to a vision of universal acknowledgment of God’s greatness, affirming confidence in His enduring covenant love and steadfast purpose for His people. Situated near the close of the Psalter, it exemplifies the response of faith shaped by God’s self-revelation and redemptive acts.

Flow.

Begins with a declaration of total, reverent gratitude, offered publicly—even before other so-called gods—affirming God’s surpassing holiness (v. 1–2).
Recalls a personal experience of answered prayer and inward strengthening, grounding praise in lived encounter with God (v. 3).
Expands from individual to cosmic perspective, anticipating that earthly rulers will recognize and praise God for His revealed Word (v. 4–5).
Affirms God’s attentive grace to the humble, His judgment on the proud, and His faithful preservation of the righteous through trouble (v. 6–8).

Connections.
Following chapter 137, which poignantly expresses grief and disorientation in exile, this psalm marks a return to confident worship, lifting the heart from lament to assurance through remembrance of God’s faithfulness. It provides a response to suffering not with complaint, but with trust in divine constancy. Its tone of grateful confidence prepares for the final crescendo of praise in Psalms 139–150, especially the call for universal worship in Psalm 150. Where chapter 137 dwells in the ache of divine hiddenness, chapter 138 re-anchors the soul in God’s personal presence and purpose.

What it teaches.
God is worthy of total praise because His character—marked by loving kindness (Heb. hesed) and truth—is perfectly revealed in His exalted Name and Word (WCF 7.6). He answers prayer, strengthens the soul, and preserves the lowly, demonstrating His covenant faithfulness (HC LD 10). His universal reign is such that even earthly kings will respond to His self-disclosure (WCF 6.6). The psalm affirms divine sovereignty in human life—God "will fulfill that which concerns me"—yet roots assurance not in human merit but in His enduring covenant love (CD I.17). The works of His hands, particularly His people, are held securely in His purpose (WCF 12.1).

Apply.
Praise that arises from remembering God’s past faithfulness becomes a foundation for trusting His care in every circumstance.

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