A Song for the Sabbath

Well, it's a great privilege to be here with you again and to bring the word to you this

evening.

Would you please turn with me, if you have a Bible with you, to Psalm 92, Psalm 92,

portion of which we've just sung.

Let us hear God's own word.

Psalm 92, a psalm, a song for the Sabbath day.

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your

love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.

For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord.

I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

How great are your works, O Lord!

How profound are your thoughts!

The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up

like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.

But you, O Lord, are exalted forever.

For surely your enemies, O Lord, surely your enemies will perish, all evildoers will be scattered.

You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox.

Fine oils have been poured upon me.

My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries.

My ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.

They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the Lord.

They will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age.

They will stay fresh and green, proclaiming,

The Lord is upright.

He is my rock.

And there is no wickedness in him.

So far, the reading of God's word.

Well, this psalm, Psalm 92, is a rather remarkable psalm.

And it is remarkable for a variety of reasons.

Perhaps most obviously, we find it remarkable for its moving imagery,

for the beauty of some of its phrases.

Towards the end of the psalm, particularly from verse 12 and verse 13,

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.

They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon,

bearing fruit in old age,

flourishing in the presence of God.

What words of beauty and splendor!

What words of strength and encouragement!

So it's a remarkable psalm because it is a beautiful psalm.

But it is also a remarkable psalm because it is the one psalm in the Psalter

that mentions the Sabbath.

That's kind of intriguing.

Only one psalm in the whole Psalter mentions the Sabbath day.

And it's further interesting that this psalm, Psalm 92,

where we find the Sabbath mentioned,

that reference comes only in the title.

Many psalms, of course, have a title.

Many psalms have a title.

But the title of this psalm is a psalm, a song for the Sabbath.

The Sabbath was a central institution in the Old Testament,

connected not only to particular historical festivals for God's people,

but to the regular weekly worship of God.

God, of course, had strictly charged Israel to keep the Sabbath day holy.

In Genesis 2 and Exodus 20,

he declared that he had grounded the holiness,

the sanctity of the day in creation,

following his own pattern.

Of working for six days and then resting.

In Deuteronomy 5,

he declared through Moses

that he had also grounded the Sabbath day

in his redemptive work.

So he, through Moses, tells the people there,

you shall remember that you were slaves in Egypt,

and that the Lord your God

brought you out from there with a mighty arm,

a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Therefore, the Lord your God commands you to keep the Sabbath day.

And so, too, when the prophets warn Israel

of the peril and the danger of Israel's sin,

of Israel's disobedience,

keeping the Sabbath is never far from view, is it?

Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58,

we read of blessing that is promised to the people.

Isaiah 56, verse 2, 58, 13, and 14.

Isaiah 56:2

If you honor the Sabbath day by not going your own way

and not doing as you please

or speaking your own idle words,

but if you call the Sabbath a delight,

then you shall take delight in the Lord.

You shall find joy in the Lord.

I will make you ride on the heights of the land

and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.

So we might think that it's somewhat surprising then,

because of the great importance of the Sabbath for Israel,

for the people of God of old,

that this psalm is the only place

where we find any reference in the Psalter

to that holy day.

And more surprising still is the apparent absence

of any clear reference to the Sabbath

in the body of the psalm.

As we've said, it's only in the title.

But I think that's important.

I think that is a remarkable testimony

that the Sabbath is never an end in itself.

It's not something to talk about endlessly.

The Sabbath is always a means to an end.

It's a means to an end of time with God.

It's a means to an end,

a goal of thinking about God,

of praising God,

of being renewed in the grace of God,

of fellowshipping with the people of God,

of hearing that verdict pronounced

that we find from the apostles in their letters,

grace to you,

and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The students are sometimes startled

to encounter the great importance

attached to this

and to worship generally during the Reformation.

When John Calvin described the problems

in the church that needed to be reformed

according to the word of God,

he put worship at the top of the list.

He said,

that belongs even ahead of the recovery

of the authority of the Bible,

even ahead of recovering

the right doctrine of salvation.

Worship is the number one issue

of the Christian religion.

But he was reminding us

that God revealed himself in Scripture

for a purpose,

and that our salvation

is not an end in itself,

but it is a means to an end.

And what is the end

for which we are saved?

What is the purpose

for which God revealed himself

in his word?

It is the worship of God.

And what is the worship of God?

It is God meeting with his people.

So this psalm, Psalm 92,

a great psalm of praise,

a great psalm of creation and redemption,

of meeting with God,

is particularly fitting

for the Sabbath day.

It is a gloriously God-centered psalm,

isn't it?

As we read it,

we notice that it opens

with giving thanks to God.

This is a key activity of the Sabbath

to praise God,

to thank God,

to focus on God,

to thank him in prayer,

to praise him in song.

These things are critical

for our relationship with God.

And then it closes

with blessing for the people.

We hear what God has done.

We respond in praise and thanksgiving.

And God provides for us

what we need.

But at the center of this psalm,

Psalm 92,

we find verse 8.

Another remarkable feature

of this psalm,

this remarkable declaration

in verse 8,

You, O Lord,

are on high forever.

You, O Lord,

are exalted forever.

We might ask then,

what is the center

of this Sabbath song?

The psalmist tells us

it is the exaltation

of the Lord.

Elsewhere,

we read in the Psalter

that God is enthroned

on the praises of Israel.

And this psalm addresses

God as Lord,

as Yahweh,

the great covenant name of God.

It addresses him

as the Most High

so that we can know

it is this God,

this God who is

in himself

high and lifted up

forever.

He is pleased

that we would exalt him

in our hearts

and minds

with our praise.

And what a blessing

that is for us.

So how does this psalm then,

this song for the Sabbath,

this celebration

of the Lord,

teach us

to worship

and exalt the Lord?

Well, first of all,

I think this psalm

teaches us

that God is exalted

in the destruction

of the wicked.

Somewhat a startling thing

to find in this psalm.

We might be tempted

to ask,

who believes in judgment?

Isn't that a little ridiculous?

A little comical.

A little absurd today.

But this psalm

reminds us

of the terrible judgment

that does await

those who reject the Lord.

that judgment

is coming.

That the holiness

of God,

the justice of God

will be upheld.

The wicked

may seem

to flourish

for a time.

Evil

may seem

to be exalted

for a time.

All we need

to do

is read the newspaper

to see that.

But the day

is coming,

we need to remember,

when the wicked

will perish

everlastingly.

verses 6 and 7

of this psalm.

Senseless people

do not know.

The force here

is really

the stupid one

cannot know.

The fool

cannot understand

that though

the wicked

spring up

like grass

and all evildoers

flourish,

they are doomed

to destruction

forever.

Or again,

verse 9.

For surely

your enemies,

O Lord,

surely your enemies

shall perish.

all evildoers

shall be scattered.

So this psalm

contains a solemn

warning.

And when we

praise God

on the Sabbath

for the coming

judgment,

we remember

the importance

of rejecting

worldliness

in order to

pursue true

godliness.

We remember

the requirements

laid out for us

in God's

holy law.

psalm 92

here almost

seems to

review for us

the familiar

imagery of

psalm 1,

of the ideal

of the blessed

man,

the blessed

man who

listens to

the word of

God,

who lives

the word of

God,

who loves

the word of

God,

who meditates

on the word

of God

day and

night,

so that his

heart and his

mind might be

steeped,

saturated in

the word of

God.

Because he has

listened to the

word,

he does not

walk in the

counsel of

the wicked.

He does not

copy the

behavior of

the sinful

world around

him.

He does not

join the

mockers who

scorn the

truth,

but he hears

the word and

delights in it,

and the word

gives him what

he needs.

Psalm 1,

Psalms 1:3

verse 3,

he is like a

tree planted

by streams of

water,

yielding fruit

in season,

and whose

leaf does

not

wither.

Whatever

he does

prospers,

but not

so the

wicked.

They are

like chaff

that the

wind blows

away.

Therefore,

the wicked

will not

stand in

the judgment,

nor sinners

in the

assembly of

the righteous.

For the

Lord watches

over the

way of the

righteous,

but the

way of the

wicked will

perish.

God is

so the

Lord

will not

be the

righteous.

We praise

him,

this psalm

suggests,

for his

destruction

of the

wicked,

where God

shows himself

to be

holy.

And not

only holy,

but also a

great comfort

to his

people,

because he

promises that

he is the

judge who

shall come

to set

all things

right.

Also,

secondly,

we exalt

God for

his

deliverance

of the

righteous,

for the

flourishing

of the

righteous.

This

psalm,

again,

like Psalm

1,

compares the

righteous to

a healthy

tree.

Verses

12 and

13,

the righteous

flourish like

the palm

tree,

they grow

like the

cedar of

Lebanon,

planted in

the house

of the

Lord,

they flourish

in the

courts of

our God.

A tree

that has

been planted,

that grows

because someone

else has

planted the

seed,

and watered

the seed,

and tended

it, and

cultivated it.

The righteous

are not like

fleeting grass,

but long

lasting trees.

The beauty

of the palm

strength of

the cedar,

near to

God,

growing in

the very

courts of

the Lord,

in his

temple.

And so we

are meant to

be planted,

to be fixed

and rooted in

the courts of

the Lord,

in the house

of God,

near to the

Lord,

where he has

made known

his holy

presence.

Again,

these moving,

beautiful images,

the palm,

the cedar,

spirit.

These are

also remarkable

testimonies to

the abundance

of God.

And God

also promises

here that the

righteous shall

stay vital and

productive even

into old age.

Verse 14,

they still bear

fruit in old

age.

They still

stay fresh

and green.

You see,

it's not just

that they

endure.

It's not just

that they

withstand the

difficulties of

this life that

would threaten

the people of

God.

But we are

given here a

great picture of

the splendor of

the people of

God like a

tree, rich and

plentiful, lavish,

continuing to

bear fruit,

continuing to

flourish.

And so there

is a future

for the people

of God.

The wicked

sprout like

grass today,

but in God's

time,

they are gone

tomorrow.

But there is a

future for the

people of God.

And that's such

a comfort,

isn't it?

That there is a

future.

Something we need

to remind

ourselves.

We don't always

feel that way,

do we?

We don't always

feel that we

have a future.

We can and

do know times

of trouble and

sorrow and

anguish,

distress and

discouragement.

We are prone

to ask in

times of great

sadness and

difficulty,

where is this

stability?

Where is this

strength?

Where is this

peace and rest?

Yes, all that

sounds good, but

when I look around

at my life, I

don't see much

of this.

peace and

peace and

peace.

But when that

is our

experience, we

would do well to

remember this

song for the

Sabbath, where

we read, God

is on high

forever.

So when we're

feeling afflicted,

we're feeling

like things are

unstable, like

things are

tottering.

When we're

feeling puny,

God says to

us as his

people, don't

be discouraged.

I have a

future for

you.

You will

flourish like a

palm tree and

grow like a

cedar, tall with

a beauty that

does not fade,

strong to

withstand distress.

For I have

planted you,

don't you see,

I have planted

you in my

house, on my

property, you

are mine, you

are within my

temple.

And because I

have done this

for you, you

can have

confidence that

you will find

life and hope

and deliverance

in me.

You will not

blow away like

grass.

You will not

wither.

The source of

your life will

not dry up,

because the

source of your

life is not

you, but it

is God

himself.

It is the

Lord Jesus

Christ given

to you as

the water of

life.

life.

So this

image of the

people of

God as a

tree, I

think, is a

particularly

appropriate image

for the

Sabbath day, for

us to meditate

on, because it

is a testimony to

our Savior.

So this

psalm would

teach us then to

exalt the

Lord for his

destruction of

the wicked, for

his deliverance

of the righteous,

but also,

thirdly, for the

declaration of

his character.

for the

declaration of

his character.

The psalmist

here declares

the steadfast

love of God

in the morning,

and the

faithfulness of

God by night,

verse 2.

God has

loved his

own from

eternity, the

mystery of

redemption, and

will ever

continue to

love and care

for them.

And because he

loves them, he

is always

faithful to his

promises.

promises.

He is

completely

reliable and

worthy of all

praise.

And he has a

purpose to

save, to

deliver, and

he will not

fail.

He is the

God of great

power, bringing

all creation

into being.

He is the

God of great

authority, redeeming

his people from

Egypt.

The God of great

purpose, making

men and women in

his image, and

renewing his law

for his people

at Mount Sinai.

He is the

God of great

promise, who

meets with his

people, to

dwell with

them, to

sustain them, to

bring them to

flourish.

And he is

perfectly holy in

all that he

does.

This psalm

reminds us of

the character of

our God.

Verse 15,

the righteous

will proclaim,

the Lord is

upright, he is

my rock, and

there is no

wickedness.

No unrighteousness

in him.

God's character

here is to be a

great comfort for

his people.

We are to set

before our eyes

not what the

changing course of

the world would

bring, not the

calamity that we

might face in this

present moment, not

the difficult

circumstances and

trials of life that

are true and

real and can be

unrelenting and

can feel unbearable.

But this psalm would

tell us we are to

know who our God

is.

He is permanent.

He is steadfast in

love.

He is high and

lifted up.

How frequently in

the psalms are we

called to remember

who our God is and

what he has done for

us?

I think this must be

one of the hardest

things for us to do.

One of the hardest

things we have to do

is to remember the

character of our

God.

So often this slips

from our mind.

So often we lose

track of it.

But it's something we

never outgrow needing

to hear as

Christians.

So we're told again

and again throughout

all of the

scripture, aren't we?

Remember, do not

forget.

Remember, do not

forget.

I am the Lord

your God, merciful

and gracious, slow

to anger, abounding

in steadfast love

and faithfulness,

keeping steadfast love

for thousands,

forgiving iniquity and

transgression and

sin, and I will by no

means clear the

guilty.

And so we are

called to confess

verse 5 of our

psalm.

How great are your

works, O Lord.

How deep, how

profound are your

thoughts.

We are to remember

again with Isaiah

that the Lord's ways

are higher than our

ways.

That God's thoughts

are higher than our

thoughts.

We are called to

remember and not to

forget that our God

is sovereign in his

power and in his

wisdom and in his

goodness.

That he has laid the

foundation of the

earth.

earth.

That he is indeed

the most high

enthroned forever.

That he will never

be cast down.

And though we may

not always see the

wisdom of his

action, and we may

not always understand

his purpose, we can

have this great

confidence in our

God that he is

upright in all that

he does.

He is my rock and

there is no

wickedness in him.

We see this above

all in the face of

our Lord Jesus

Christ, don't we?

How do we know

that God is

steadfast in his

love?

What is the work

of the Lord that

would make us glad,

that would cause us

to rejoice?

It is the work of

the Savior.

He is the blessed

man of Psalm 1.

He is the righteous

one who brings

abundant life to his

people, who suffered

terribly, but in

doing so came to

know our suffering.

And in his death, he

destroyed the power

of death, so that he

might bring us to

glory.

All of this is

impressed on us in

this psalm.

When we see that

Psalm 92, this song

for the Sabbath, is

set in the mouth of

Israel's king.

Verses 10 and 11,

You have exalted

my horn like that

of a wild ox.

Fine oils have been

poured upon me.

My eyes have seen

the defeat of my

adversaries.

My ears have heard

the rout of my

wicked foes.

And when we compare

these words to

Psalm 89, part of the

context for

understanding Psalm 92,

we read in the

middle of Psalm 89,

similarly of David,

You, O Lord, are the

glory of our

strength.

By your favor, our

horn is exalted.

I have found David,

my servant.

With my holy oil, I

have anointed him.

I will crush his foes

before him and strike

down those who hate

him.

My faithfulness and

my steadfast love

shall be with him,

and in my name shall

his horn be exalted.

But then we think

about Psalm 89, the end

of the third book of

the Psalter.

And we find that it

is about the people

of God left wondering

whether God's word is

true, whether God has

not forgotten his

promise that David's

sons will sit on

David's throne.

Psalm 89, verse 49,

Psalms 89:49

Lord, where is your

steadfast love of old,

which by your

faithfulness you swore

to David, the king?

You see, there's a

terrible crisis of

faith there, a

crisis of the

apparent failure of

the promises of God,

a crisis of kingship.

Where is that king?

Holy, exalted,

powerful, who will

lead the people of

God in praise.

You think of

Deuteronomy 17.

The king is to be a

guide for the people.

He is to order his

life in the kingdom

according to the word

of God.

Where is that king?

Well, who is that king

who is to lead the

praise for the people

on the Sabbath day?

Who is the answer to

the crisis of Psalm

89?

Who is the king who

brings rest to his

people?

Who defeats the

adversary and brings

peace with God?

It is the Lord Jesus

Christ, isn't it?

He is the son of David.

He is the true king of

Israel.

He himself declared,

Hebrews 10, 7,

Behold, I have come to

do your will, O Lord.

He alone offers perfect

praise to God.

He alone is Lord of the

Sabbath.

And this psalm would call

us to draw our strength

from him.

Now, it's sometimes

suggested that Jesus,

as Lord of the

Sabbath, abolished the

Sabbath because it was a

purely Mosaic

institution.

But as we've seen,

the Old Testament

sees the Sabbath

first as a command of

creation.

Command which is

repeated by

Moses,

but not

instituted by

Moses.

There remains a

holy day in the

new covenant.

The Lord's day is a

special day belonging

to God.

We think of

Revelation 1.10.

There are many

texts we could refer

to.

We might preach on

all of them tonight,

but I think you would

get weary and so

would I.

Psalm 1.10, at least,

shows us this.

And in the New

Testament, the only

day that is given any

special attention is

Sunday, the Lord's

day.

The first day of the

week.

The day of the

resurrection of our

Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ.

Jesus, as Lord of

the Sabbath, has made

the first day, rather

than the seventh day, a

holy day for his own.

From the beginning of

creation to Jesus, we

looked forward to the

rest that would come in

the end.

But with the coming of

Jesus, rest has been

won in his resurrection.

And so, as the people of

God, we begin our week

with rest and worship.

And by doing so, we

anticipate already our

eternal rest, dwelling

with God forever in

glory.

Hebrews 3 and 4.

You see, the Sabbath is

a foretaste of that

eternal rest.

It is a day that is set

apart, given to us by

God for worship and for

fellowship.

It is a day when we

can turn off the lies

of the world.

What is the greatest

lie of the world?

This may be a difficult

question.

Surely one of the

greatest lies of the

world we find elsewhere

in the Psalter.

Psalm 3, verse 2.

Psalms 3:2

David is there

complaining against

enemies who would rise

against him.

And he says,

Many are saying of my

soul, there is no

salvation for him in

God.

There is no deliverance

for him.

God will not deliver

him.

What a terrible thing

it is that the world

shouts at us.

There is no salvation

for you in God.

There is no deliverance

for us in God.

I think that's something

we hear all the time,

isn't it?

The world that would

mock and ridicule the

people of God.

That would crowd out the

voice of our Lord.

And so too our flesh,

the sin that continues to

abide within us, the doubt

that often grips us.

That would tell us there

is no deliverance for you.

And of course the

temptations of the evil

one.

So much so tempting

us that we can wonder,

is there any salvation?

Is there any deliverance?

Does any of it really

matter?

Yes, I go to church on

Sunday.

Does any of it really

matter?

God says to us in this

psalm, this song for the

Sabbath, he says, the

Sabbath is the day when

you gather before me so

that I can tell you my

gospel, that I can preach

to you good news.

It's news that you cannot

find anywhere else.

It's news that you keep

forgetting.

But I will keep on telling

you again and again and

again, because of my

steadfast love, because of

my faithfulness, because of

my covenant promises, I

declare to you, yes, there

is salvation for you in me.

Yes, there is deliverance

for you in my son.

He is the one whom I gave

for the salvation of the

world.

And it is his resurrection

and life that you

celebrate on the Sabbath

day.

And so isn't it wonderful

then that God gave us the

Sabbath as a day to

rejuvenate us, to restore

us, so that we might be

renewed in God.

And even in this psalm here,

we're reminded that God

gives it to us because we

are tired from the labor of

our hands.

We're reminded that we are

freed here from the burden

of our hands, from the

work of our hands, from the

concern, from the struggle,

from the anxiety of our

hands, of our six days of

labor.

We are called away from our

work to rest in God's work,

to delight in the work of

our Lord.

Lord.

Those of you who listen

carefully will have seen

that verse 2 teaches us

there's to be a morning and

an evening service.

Well, maybe not exactly.

But it does say to declare

your steadfast love in the

morning and your faithfulness

by night.

It is the whole day that

belongs to God, is the

point.

The morning belongs to the

Lord.

The evening belongs to the

Lord.

And that pattern of

scripture, of morning and

evening devotion to God, the

whole day is His.

It is a great help to us.

It is a great blessing to us

that we might keep the

Sabbath day, that we might be

refreshed by our Savior.

When we know what God

promises, that He says, I

will meet with you.

I will give you what you

need when you are weary and

you are tired and you cannot

bear your burdens.

Where else would we go?

Think of Peter.

John 6, responding to our

Lord.

You have the words of

eternal life.

Where else would we go?

Where else would we go?

So the Sabbath is to be for

us a day when we thank God,

when we praise Him, when we

exalt Him for His judgment,

for His destruction of the

wicked, for His deliverance

of the righteous, for the

declaration of His character.

The Sabbath is a weekly

reminder for us that we serve

a high and mighty,

lifted up, almighty God

who is reliable, who will

judge His enemies, who will

prosper His people, because of

who He is, because of all that

the Son has done for us.

So Psalm 92 is a perfect

Sabbath psalm because it helps us

to worship and praise our God.

may we be encouraged by this

psalm.

May God be pleased to make us a

Sabbath people who find their rest

in Christ.

Amen.

Let us pray.

O Lord, our God, we thank You for

Your Word.

We pray that we would all know the

blessedness of faith in our Lord

Jesus Christ, the great King who is

even now at Your right hand, working

all things together for us and for

our salvation.

We thank You that He will come in

glory to bring us to be with You

forever.

Help us to know, our Father, that You

are indeed on high and that in

Christ, Your Son, we have a mighty

Savior.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Will you please stand as we sing our

final psalm here?

Psalm 93.