In this psalm, we find the psalmist speaking about how the wicked are prospering; however, in the end, they will be destroyed. The justice of God will be shown, Psalm 37 / Psalm 49 / Psalm 74, and God will be praised because of His justice.
Although the headings aren’t inspired by God, they are important because they give us some understanding of the Psalm, and they help us to see why it was written. The headings usually tell us four things.
1. Who wrote them, probably wrote them, or possibly wrote them.
2. Information about the historical background to the Psalm. Why was it written?
3. They tell us of the tune the Psalm was written to.
4. How it was used.
The heading for this psalm doesn’t tell us the author, so we don’t know who the author is; however, Jewish tradition accredits Psalms 90-100 to Moses. Other Psalms written by Moses are also found in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32.
This song was to be sung on the Sabbath day, which tells us the Sabbath day wasn’t only a day of rest for Israel, Exodus 35:2, but also a day of worship, Leviticus 23:3.
The psalmist begins by revealing an everlasting truth, and that is, it is good to praise the LORD, Psalm 92:1. It’s good to give thanks to the Lord for all the good that He does in our lives, and when we think about what He has done in our lives, it will always lead to praising His Name.
When we think about what God has done in our lives, it’s always good to make music to His Name, Psalm 92:1 / Ephesians 5:19 / Colossians 3:16. The psalmist starts their day by proclaiming God’s love in the morning and ends their day by proclaiming God’s faithfulness, Psalm 92:2.
We can imagine the psalmist encouraging everyone to start and end every day with these proclamations of thanksgiving. These proclamations are made to the music of instruments, the ten-stringed lyre, Psalm 92:3 / Isaiah 5:12, and the harp, Psalm 92:3 / Isaiah 5:12.
They brought a pleasant sound to their ears as they poured out their heart in praise to the Lord. The proclamations were made from a glad heart, which resulted in singing praises to God because of the things God had done.
The psalmist now praises the greatness of God’s works, Psalm 92:4 / Job 11:7, and acknowledges how profound God’s thoughts really are compared to mankind’s, Psalm 92:5 / Isaiah 28:29 / Romans 11:33-34.
The ‘senseless’ and the ‘fools’ who think that they are smarter than God, Psalm 92:6. A senseless person doesn’t think about things that are above this world, Psalm 49:10 / Psalm 73:22 / Proverbs 12:1 / Proverbs 30:2.
They don’t see the work of God in the righteous, they behave like an animal which shows no rationale, and like a fool who shows no common sense, Isaiah 1:2.
We can almost imagine the psalmist looking around and watching the wicked prosper. They appear to grow like grass, and they appear to flourish, but the psalmist knows their end; they will be destroyed forever, Psalm 92:7. While the wicked perish, God will be exalted forever, Psalm 92:8. In other words, the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary, but God is everlasting.
Notice the psalmist repeats the words, ‘surely your enemies’, Psalm 92:9. This is for emphasis purposes. They do not doubt that God’s enemies will perish and be scattered, Psalm 92:9 / Job 21:18 / Isaiah 17:13 / Isaiah 29:5 / Hosea 13:3.
While God’s enemies perish, God will ‘exalt His horn’, Psalm 92:10, that is, He will strengthen the righteous with the power a wild ox has, Psalm 92:10 / Job 39:9-12.
The anointing with fine oils brought refreshment and honour, Psalm 92:10, signifies the blessing and power and enabling of God poured out upon the one anointed, 1 Samuel 16:13.
The psalmist is also blessed in seeing his adversaries being defeated, and hearing his foes being routed out, Psalm 92:11 / Romans 8:37. Because their adversaries and foes have been defeated, the righteous will ‘flourish like a palm tree’, Psalm 92:12. In other words, they will prosper and experience the best life has to offer, Psalm 1:3 / Matthew 21:8 / John 10:10.
Because their adversaries and foes have been defeated, the righteous will ‘grow like a cedar of Lebanon’, Psalm 92:12, that is, they will be strong and useful, and be able to endure, Isaiah 2:13.
Because their adversaries and foes have been defeated, the righteous will ‘be planted in the house of the Lord and will flourish in God’s courts’, Psalm 92:13. In other words, they will live in the very presence of God Himself and they will flourish, Matthew 21:12.
Because the righteous will live in God’s presence, they will ‘still bear fruit in old age’, Psalm 92:14 / Deuteronomy 34:7. They will grow to maturity and be fresh and green, that is, active until the day they die, 2 Corinthians 4:16.
As they bear fruit, they will proclaim the LORD is upright, Psalm 92:15 / Psalm 25:8; they will proclaim that God is their Rock, Psalm 92:15 / Isaiah 26:4, that is, their stability, and they will proclaim that there is no wickedness in Him, Psalm 92:15 / Psalm 5:4, that is, His ways are pure.
The psalmist spoke of those who would be in the very presence of God being able to bear fruit, despite being old in age. Sadly, among many congregations, the elderly are often overlooked and forgotten about.
Many congregations forget that the elderly were once young and have and continue to invest a lot of time in the lives of other Christians, Psalm 37:25 / 1 Timothy 5:3-4 / Galatians 6:10.
Many congregations forget that being old and having grandchildren is actually a blessing from God, Proverbs 17:6. They forget that it’s those very same elderly people who are teaching their grandchildren the ways of God, Psalm 128:6.
One of the biggest blunders for many congregations is that they don’t recognise the wisdom that the elderly can add to a congregation, Proverbs 16:31 / Proverbs 20:29 / Job 12:12. The elderly have lived longer and learned many life lessons, and they have learned to submit to the Scriptures, Psalm 119:100.
Although some people look upon old age as a curse, the elderly often recognise that being old is often the best time of their lives. The young people within a congregation must recognise that the elderly still have a place within the Lord’s church.
They are not there just to make up the numbers and fill the pews; they are an important part of the kingdom of God, and they are still very useful, Deuteronomy 34:7. Despite being older, just like the psalmist says, they can still bear fruit to the glory of God, Psalm 71:18 / John 15:5.