Great is Thy Faithfulness (Ps. 33)

Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

As you read Psalm 33, did you notice what's missing? There is no title for Psalm 33. All of the Psalms in book 1 have a title – except Psalms 1, 2, 10, and 33. All of the other Psalms are Psalms of David. All of the surrounding Psalms call us to sing them in and with David. Psalm 33 does not.Then again, look at the content of Psalm 33. There is no "first person singular" speaker. Most of the Psalms that we have been singing recently distinguish between "I" (the king) and "we" (the people). Psalm 33 does not.There is a king in Psalm 33 (verse 16), but he is a passive figure who cannot be saved by a great army.This reinforces for us the importance of seeing the titles as directions for how to sing the song! By omitting any title, Psalm 33 gives us no particular direction. In other words, sing this song in your own voice – in the voice of the people of God.(And since the psalms were written to be sung in the temple by the Levites – we should hear Psalm 33 as the Levitical choir singing to the congregation – as we sing to one another – and to all the nations – of God's great faithfulness!)Psalm 33 still connects closely with the themes of this section of the Psalter.32:11 had closed with an appeal for the righteous to be glad and rejoice and shout for joy.Psalm 33 opens with an appeal to the same people to do the same thing.Psalm 34 will be a song of thanksgiving for deliverance – precisely what the conclusion of Psalm 33 asks for...