A Word From King David

In Psalms 138:1-8, King David's heart is crying out in praise to the Lord declaring the truth of God's goodness with the fact that His mercy endures forever.  And as history has proven, David had good reason to praise God for His faithfulness to him.

Now, all of this is well and good ... but there may be a point of doctrinal truth that if we aren't careful we just might miss.  May I share the last part of verse two of this Psalm, in both the King James and from the Amplified.

Psalm 138:2 b reads, speaking about God; "... thou hast magnified thy word above thy name."  (KJV)

Amplified reads; "... You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word, and You have magnified Your word above all Your name."

In both versions David uses the word ... "above."  How did David know that God regards His Word even higher than His name?  I think it may have something to do with what set David apart from the average Jewish shepherd boy.  It had to do with what was in his heart. 

The Prophet Samuel told King Saul that God was going to remove him as king, because of his sin, and then said unto him ... "the Lord hath sought Him a man after His own heart" ... 1st Samuel 13:13-14.     

In Acts 13:22-23, the Apostle Paul speaks of this and says ... "When God had removed Saul, He raised up unto them David to be their king ... and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart."  And Paul added that it was through David's seed that Jesus came.

How did David know the importance God placed on keeping and honoring His spoken Word ... even above the very name that God had chosen for Himself, the name ... "I AM."   I don't know that he did know.  It may be that as David sought after God's heart, this was just some of the truth about Himself God gave him for his psalms he sang.

In Exodus 3:13-15, when Moses asked God who it was that he should tell the children of Israel had sent him to them, God said ... "Tell them, I AM hath sent you."  And then God said ... "This is My name forever."

I've heard people argue as to what the true name of God is.  Does it really matter what the old Hebrew name of God was if you are a Christian today?  Besides ... all the various names like Jehovah, Elohim, Yahweh, and perhaps the prettiest sounding name to me ... "Adonai," pronounced (Ad-o-na-i) meaning master ... are really not names at all, but titles declaring His attributes and nature.   

Even so, according to the Psalmist David, we are to place God's name above all other things ... except above His Word.

This is exactly why Abraham kept his faith strong when God told him he would be a father in his old age.  He knew God was bound to keep His Word ... or He wasn't God.

It has been said that a man is only as good as his word.  So it is with God. 

Romans 4:3 & 21 ... "For what does the scripture say?  Abraham believed God ...  And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform."

Abraham believed God ... that's called having faith, believing that whatever God had promised, would be as God had said.
                                                                               
Abraham believed that "God is bound" … to fulfill His Word, and because He is Truth … only "truth" can ever proceed from Him.  Abraham knew if God said it ... if the words came out of the mouth of God ... it would happen.

Abraham's confidence comes down to this … "that the truth of God" … since He can be nothing less, bound God to fulfill His promise to him; therefore God could do nothing less or He wasn't God; and he was confident that God had the power and ability to perform it.

You see, Abraham knew in his heart the very same truth that God would later tell Balaam in Numbers 23:19 ... "God is not a man, that He should lie ..."

Okay, we know God can't lie, that He speaks only truth and does what He says He will do; but this doesn't answer the question ... "Why was God's spoken word so highly exalted, even above His name?"

One of the disciples of Jesus, answers this; at least in my mind he does ...

John 1:1 & 14 ... "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ..."

I know I have a habit of over simplifying scripture so I can understand it ... but this is pretty simple.  Until Jesus was born of Mary ... Jesus was "the spoken words that came out of the mouth of God." 

When God opened His mouth ... Jesus came out ... in the form of the heart felt words God spoke.  I am not saying that every word uttered by God the Father was Jesus.  But doesn't Matthew 12:34 say that ... "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh?"

I am of the opinion this is one of the reasons God's Word has been exalted above even His name.  God's Word is Jesus ... and no ... I don't understand it fully and completely, but I believe it.

Paul said in Philippians 2:6, that Jesus "thought it not robbery to be equal with God."  Therefore Jesus could say as God in Matthew 24:35 ... "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away."

Whether it was God the Father speaking though Jesus, or Jesus Himself ... either way it was still the Word of God that proceeded from them.

So ... when I read the words of David ... "Thou hast magnified thy word above thy name" ... I must conclude therefore that he is speaking of (not only God's promises) but also the Word made flesh.

God's Word means something to Him.  So much so, in fact ... He has placed it above His own name.