The Lord on High Preserves the Lowly in the Midst of Trouble

Psalm 138 is most like the thanksgiving psalms (cf. Pss. 30; 116), and it presupposes a preceding prayer or lament: “When I called, you answered me.” Such psalms are the fulfillment of the vow of praise made at the conclusion of most prayer psalms. Psalm 138 contains the usual opening proclamation of praise (v. 1) and introductory summary (v. 3), but it also has some unique elements, among which are its cosmic (“before the ‘gods’”) and international scope (“all the kings of the earth”) and its closing petition.

138:1–3  It is possible the expression, before the “gods,” can refer to human “judges” (perhaps Exod. 21:6; 22:8–9, 28), but it is more likely we should understand this term in the same sense as it is used in Psalm 82 (see t…