Image of “Covered”: https://hopechurchtw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Covered_Sermon_Graphic-1080×608.jpg
Worship in Word:
VI, VII. Counsel, Educate, vv. 8-9
Who is speaking in these two verses is subject to much debate. Is it the Lord, or is it David? Or is this a quote from a priestly oracle instructing God’s people?
There is disagreement amongst scholars and interpreters of who is speaking here and who is/are being addressed. Who we identify as speaking will help determine who we believe is/are being addressed.
However, since commentators disagree amongst themselves, a definitive answer may not be determined with any high degree of certainty. Yet, I believe that will not keep us from making any profitable application of these verses.
As mentioned above, there are various views on Who/who the counselor is and who is/are being counseled. As I mentioned above, there are three basic opinions. At first, I considered quoting a scholar from each viewpoint. But I determined that would take up too much space and perhaps be a little bit overwhelming. Therefore, I will attempt to summarize each viewpoint and end with a quote from a perspective that I find most satisfying. I write “I find most satisfying” because you may have come to a different conclusion.
Viewpoint 1: God
This seems to be the most common view among the commentaries I have read. It is probably the most popular view amongst believers as well. It has adorned coffee mugs, t-shirts, and posters. It is a memory verse for those who are memorizing scriptural promises. Until verse 7, David has been speaking, and according to this view, God responds in verses 8-9 to the prayers of David and all who have repented and experienced God’s deliverance.
Some find this view difficult to account for for two reasons. First, there doesn’t appear to be anything to account for the sudden change in the person speaking. The one speaking doesn’t identify themselves, and it would seem strange to see a change in the person’s speaking without any indication that this has occurred. The second objection comes from those who believe the same person is speaking in verse 10 (see NIV’s division of the verses). This view would mean that in verse 10, The LORD refers to Himself to His listeners/readers in the third person, which would seem awkward. However, this second objection disappears if we join verse 10 with verse 11 as the ESV does. This is the view I have taken at this time concerning verse 10; thus, I have changed my second outline to reflect this change of view.
Viewpoint 2: David
Many scholars believe there is no change in person, and David continues to speak in verses 8-9. To them, this flows better and is a more reasonable position, avoiding a sudden unaccounted-for change in the person speaking.
If David is the one speaking, this changes the application of the verse from a promise to that of principle. If God were speaking, then in verse 8, it would be a promise to David and, by extension, to all believers. However, If David continues to speak, then it becomes a principle by which those who have been chastised and forgiven should also pass on by testimony, warning, and instruction that which God has taught them. David promises to keep an eye on those he instructs. He gives counsel and sees to it that those he instructs apply it to their lives. David promises help and personal attention. Certainly, this is a good pedagogical example for all believers to follow.
Some commentators object that these words are more appropriately attributed to God, who sees everything, than the lips of David, who does not. They cite Jer 24:6, Psalms 33:18, and 34:15 as evidence. However, those who believe David is speaking point out that verse 8 is more in line with the heading of the psalm, which says this psalm is a “Maschill,” meaning an instructing Psalm. They also cite Psalm 51:13, in which David promises to instruct sinners. David declares this in response to the Lord’s chastisement and forgiveness of David himself. Commentators believe Psalm 32 is following the same pattern.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
ESV
Viewpoint 3: An Oracle
Some scholars say David was quoting an oracle of God received by a priest. Instead of trying to explain this view, let me quote a proponent of this view.
Integral to this thanksgiving ceremony are Yahweh’s own words. While they may have been delivered by an official ritual prophet, they could also be a quotation of an earlier oracle and delivered by a liturgist.
Hubbard, R. L. J., & Johnston, R. K. (2012). Foreword. In W. W. Gasque, R. L. Hubbard Jr., & R. K. Johnston (Eds.), Psalms (p. 162). Baker Books.
Thus, this view incorporates a little of each view. The one speaking in verse 8 is God, as revealed to a priest (ritual prophet) and incorporated by David into this Psalm. This view may be possible but seems a little contrived.
Another view seems more plausible. This view sees David quoting from one of the songs of deliverance mentioned in verse 7.
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
NIV
That took up more space than I anticipated. So, what is my conclusion from all this? The second view is the most probable, though the idea of it being derived from one of the songs of deliverance is also attractive to me. Does that leave God out of the picture? Certainly not! This psalm and David’s testimony, shared in other psalms written by him, testify that God was undoubtedly counseling David and watching over him!
Worship in Witness:
Does this view minimize the promise of God’s guidance in our lives? Does it delegitimize our mugs and apparel with Psalm 32:8 emblazoned on them? Do we remove this from our list of promises from God? Or worse, do we look with disdain at those who own things with this verse imprinted on them or quote it as a promise? Some get great pleasure in doing this.
Indeed, we ought to quote and apply Scripture accurately and reverently. However, I believe the witness of Scripture (God’s breathed word) and our own experience make the truth of verse 8 both a principle and a promise.
Let us, therefore, endeavor to share with other struggling Christian pilgrims what God has worked in our lives. Let us pray, exhort, lead by example, and reprove our fellow brothers and sisters in the body of Christ with all humility – always looking first at the plank in our own eyes before we seek to remove the speck in their eyes! And let us continually seek the Lord’s counsel and guidance with a humble and yielded heart.
Jude 22-23 NIV (1984)
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
Rom 15:14 AMP
Personally I am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge and competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another also.
Isa 48:17 NIV (1984)
This is what the Lord says —
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.
Ps 25:4-5
Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Ps 25:4-5 NIV (1984)
Witness in Promise, Poem, Prayer, and Praise
Taught and Tested
Taught and tested by God.
To some, that would seem very odd.
To tenderly teach
but firmly preach
And sometimes keep my sleep out of reach.
So, with rod and staff, You guide.
As You walk with me by my side
And softly speak,
Yet firmly critique
To show me where I am weak.
A Prayer for Guidance and Deliverance
All-powerful, All-knowing, Ever-present
Wise God
Please guide me on these paths
I trod
Lead me through the ways
unknown
Between the briers that evil has
sown
On the thorny path, In the darkest
vale
Where doubts and fears maliciously
assail
Oh, God of immeasurable wisdom and
brength
Save me, deliver me, in Your infinite
strength
— Amen
Here are the lyrics to a song I wrote. Is anyone able to compose a tune for me?
A Song of Testimony
Verse 1:
Faithful and good, righteous and just
Merciful, mighty, One we can trust
Cherished by Him who made us from dust
A refuge, a shelter from the enemy’s thrusts
Chorus:
He’s my LORD and my God
He’s my Savior and my Rock
A mighty fortress
His foes He withstands
By loving and loyal
Omnipotent hands
Verse 2:
Provider and Guider, trusted and true
Defender, Redeemer, no other like You
Rescues from evil the wicked should spew
To You, my Deliverer, all glory is due
Chorus:
He’s my LORD and my God
He’s my Savior and my Rock
A mighty fortress
His foes He withstands
By loving and loyal
Omnipotent hands
Notes & Quotes:
Ps 33:8-12
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
ESV
Ps 48:10,14
10 Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.
NIV
Isa 58:6-14 NIV
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Psalms For The Journey 
