Psalm 138

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

⁸ The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

The Old Testament … strenuously denies the existence of “other gods” as beings (Psalm 115:4-7) but ever recognizes their reality as objects of somebody’s worship and their potential to seduce Israel away from the Lord. The psalmist’s purpose here (v.1) is simply to assert the absolute supremacy of the Lord against all such claimants to his worship (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). — Guthrie, page 537.

__________

Implicit in David’s assertion that he will give thanks with all his heart … before the gods is the contrary assertion that these other “gods” (i.e., the gods of “all the (Gentile) kings of the land” mentioned in v.4) deserve none of his worship, since they are in fact no gods at all (Psalm 135:15-18). The worshiper’s focus on the Temple is motivated not by the “house” itself, but by the presence of God Himself therein. God’s name here represents a summary reference to all the past deeds for which He is known—specifically those deeds expressive of His lovingkindness and truth, as when He redeemed David from Saul in the episode described in Psalm 57, where David employs the same parallelism (57:3; suggesting that the present psalm may have been specifically intended as a follow-up to the former). — Wechsler, page 332.

__________

One of the many reasons for the description of David as having a heart after God’s own (1 Samuel 13:14) was, as demonstrated here, his recognition of the underlying motivation tying together all of God’s dealings, both in word and in deed, with His people Israel—to wit: that by means of such the Gentiles might also come to know and worship Him as one people with Israel (cf. Isaiah 19:24-25). Such is clearly the meaning of vs.4-5, the very wording of which hearkens to David’s anticipation of the same in Psalm 22:27-31 and 68:32. — Wechsler, page 332.

__________

David concludes with the confident assertion (as opposed to a wish) that God will revive him—literally, “give me life,” referring not just to preservation of his mortal life, but also, if not more so, to the granting of eternal and incorruptible life in God’s presence, as in Psalm 30:3 and 80:18—as also intended by his parallel assertion that God will save him. — Wechsler, page 333.

Williams’ take:

The praise of the first three verses of this Psalm, the predictions of the next three, and the persuasion of the last two are based upon the trustworthiness of the Word of God. The first six verses will have their fulfillment in the future day of Messiah’s glory, and the last two express His faith while waiting for that glory. As Israel’s High Priest He sings the song for, and with, His people.

The prediction in verses 4-6 relate to the time when all the kings of the earth—the gods of verse 1—will become subject to the words of Messiah’s mouth (v.4); they will applaud His ways, and great will be His glory (v.5). He as the self-humbled One (Philippians 2:8) will be enthroned (v.6); but the proud one (Isaiah 10:13, Daniel 11:36) will be afar off in the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). — Williams, page 408