by Bible League International
Verse of the Day and Devotion
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. – Psalm 33:1 NIV
The thing about those that are righteous, those, that is, that are in right-standing with the Lord, is that they know what to do in life. They know what is good, what is bad, and that they shouldn’t mix the two up. The wicked, in contrast, mix them up all the time. That’s why Isaiah pronounces woe on them: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20) The wicked, one could go so far as to say, have no real sense of the nature of good and evil. Consequently, they have no real sense of the goodness of praise for the Lord God. To them, it is something bad, something not worth the time and effort.
The righteous don’t make that mistake. As with everything else, they get this right as well. They know that praise for the Lord God is good. It only makes sense, then, that they would praise Him. Indeed, it is fitting, as our verse for today says, for them to praise Him. It is fitting because it exemplifies their righteous nature and character. It may even be the primary exemplification. The Lord God deserves all the praise that people can send His way. It is fitting for upright people that know this to actually do it.
After all, the Lord God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. The Bible says that all things are from Him, through Him, and for Him. (Romans 11:36) All things depend upon Him for their continuing existence. If for some reason He were to withdraw His sustaining power, then all things would cease to exist. The righteous know this and are willing to give the Lord the praise that is due Him as a result.
Moreover, it is fitting for the righteous to praise the Lord because He’s the one who gave them the wisdom to understand the goodness of praise in the first place. They should praise Him, in other words, for giving them the wisdom to know that they should praise Him.