Please explain Psalm 33:18.
Psalm 33:18-19 says, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” Psalm 33 is a psalm of praise and verses 18-19 give reasons that we should praise our Lord.
First, we see that the Lord always has His eye upon His people. He never loses sight of us. King David later wrote in Psalm 139:7-10, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” The Lord always sees us, He leads us, and He upholds us.
The Lord’s eye is upon “them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” The word ‘fear’ really means to ‘reverence’. The Lord does not want us to be afraid of Him, but He does want us to revere Him for who He is and for what He has done. He certainly deserves that. The very presence of the Lord should drive out all fear. As the Lord walked upon the water to His disciples in their ship, He said to them, “It is I; be not afraid.” (John 6:20).
“Them that hope in His glory” are those who keep their eyes upon the Lord. Those who believe in Him as Savior and patiently wait for Him to lead in their lives. True believers are the ones who are able to hope when there seems to be no reason to hope. True believers look for His glory while His very existence is being denied by a sin loving world. We read in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and REJOICE IN HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD.”
To those who fear Him and hope in His glory, the Lord will “deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” The soul refers to our life and when the Lord sees it to be beneficial for us, He will preserve us. Sometimes it is better to die than to live, and sometimes it is simply our time to go home to be with the Lord. It is God’s love that causes Him to take us into His presence. Until that day arrives, He will preserve and deliver us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (362.6)