Psalm 11 English Standard Version The LORD Is in His Holy Temple To the choirmaster. Of David. 11 In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, 2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; 3 if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” 4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 5 The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. 6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7 For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. It seems like David once again is being chased by one of his many enemies (maybe King Saul between the time that David was anointed by Samuel and the time that King Saul died and David actually took the throne). His advisors seem to be telling him to flee for his life--to run to the hills where they could hide in the caves and have a better chance with their guerilla tactics.
David's reply is that he doesn't need to run away because the LORD will protect him. Even though the enemy has their arrow drawn on their bow, it is like they are shooting into the dark--they can't see what to aim at because the LORD will not let them hit their mark. David then changes his perspective and looks at God high and lifted up on His throne and says He is enthroned in His holy temple--David is talking about heaven and not the Temple in Jerusalem. David is talking about the same heavenly temple that we see described in Ezekiel and that we see called "The New Jerusalem" in the book of Revelation. God's throne room is the Holy of Holies and this is the place where Jesus, our Great High Priest enters to make atonement for us by His own blood. From His throne in heaven, God sees everyone and He tests the righteous to purify their faith and make it stronger (not to cause them to sin). We see this in the book of Job when the LORD brings up Job to Satan when He says, "Have you considered my servant Job, there is none like him." On the other side, God hates the wicked (hatred is usually not an attribute that we associate with God, but God is the only one who can rightly hate the wicked man who is living in rebellion against Him). God also hates the one who loves violence--this is also the wicked man, they are one in the same. We see David say that there will be a hot, fiery judgment for the wicked and those who love violence. My mind is drawn back to the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah that was supposed to be a taste of what the coming judgment would be for the wicked and a warning to the whole world (especially the other Canaanites) to repent. The "cup" that is being described here is probably the cup that is filled with the wrath of God that God says that he will make them drink to the very dregs (see Psalm 75:8). It is their "portion" or their just rewards for how they have chosen to live in rebellion against the one who is Creator and King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The LORD, He is righteous meaning that He is not guilty of anything. He loves those whom are righteous and they are righteous because of His decree--we can only be declared righteous because of what Jesus did on the cross so that He could take our punishment and our sin would no longer be counted against us. All those who belong to Christ are the children of God and He loves them. He loves the righteous deeds that are the deeds that the Holy Spirit does in and through us after we are saved, and we have a promise that all of us who are righteous or "pure in heart" as Jesus will say in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 will see God face to face in a way that no one other than Jesus has. Moses desired this but was only allowed to see God's goodness pass before him (see Ex. 33:17-23). 1 John 3:2 English Standard Version 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Oh how great it will be to live our lives in the Holy of Holies behind the veil in the very presence of the throne room of God able to have perfect intimacy and communion with Him in the same way God the Son has from the very beginning. See His prayer for us in the Garden before His crucifixion. John 17:20-26 English Standard Version 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Psalm 10 English Standard Version Why Do You Hide Yourself? 10 Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD 4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” 5 His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. 6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” 7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 8 He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; 9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. 10 The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. 11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” 12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. 13 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? 14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. 16 The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. 17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear 18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. This is going to be one of those times where David tells God how he feels, but does not let his feelings dictate what is true. We could learn something from that in our culture today where the greatest truth seems to be ones feelings and perceptions of their personal experiences (their "story" or "narrative").
We'll see as we look at this psalm that there is a movement from focusing on the wicked ones that David wants to have punished to focusing on the the LORD and crying out to Him to fix the problems (though David is still crying out for the LORD to fix things the way that David wants them fixed and in David's time) to finally submitting to the fact that God will take care of the issues in His way and in His time and that we can trust that He will not let the wicked go unpunished. This is pretty consistent for these types of Psalms as there is a change in focus from inside myself and my feelings to outside myself and the world that I see to finally looking at the one who is ruler over not only all that I see, but all that I feel, and even my feelings must come into submission about the truth of who He is and what He is doing. David correctly identifies the wicked as boastful and arrogant. They believe that they somehow have won against God or that they somehow will escape His judgment. Even in the end of days when they know the wrath of the Lamb who sits on the throne is being poured out on them, they will imagine that death will be an escape for them. They are greedy and selfish and curse the LORD with their mouths and with their actions. They are proud and they deny the very existence of God whom they curse (isn't that ironic?).They are defiant and stubborn and they imagine themselves to be invincible as they thumb their nose at God and dare Him to do something about their rebellion. He is proud of the accomplishments that He thinks belong to him, not understanding that the LORD is the one that provides all good things, causing it to rain on both the just and the unjust. We have nothing that does not first come from the LORD. He surrounds himself with foolish friends who are likeminded and puff him up with the words that he wants to hear--his words coming out of their mouths. We will see much about this that describes "the fool" from the book of Proverbs soon. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression because these are his native tongue, just like it is for his "father" the devil. His intent and motives (what is under his tongue) is mischief and iniquity (intentional, volitional sin of rebellion). There is a progression here as he is not satisfied to simply attack men with his words, but he seeks to lay a trap for those in the villages (probably to indicate some kind of kidnapping or human trafficking) and this even escalates to murder of innocents as he desires to take advantage of the helpless. Again, he is like his father the devil who was a liar and a murder from the beginning. (See John 8:44 and Revelation 21:8 as all those who have their identity in wickedness will receive the same judgment as the devil and his angels as that man has taken on that identity for himself). Such an evil man stalks his prey in the same way that a lion does, seeking to take advantage of the poor and needy. He catches them in his snare and the LORD allows such a man to let the helpless be crushed so that they sink down under his might. The arrogant, wicked man imagines that God has forgotten about the poor and needy or has turned a bind eye to them or that God will not take vengeance for the innocent. The wicked man imagines he has escaped God's justice or judgment, or that this is somehow proof that God doesn't exist and that "might makes right" and that he is a god unto himself because if God were stronger than him, certainly God would be good enough and strong enough to put an end to him. This forgets though that God is merciful and gracious and wants all to come to repentance, and even though God is all-powerful and all-knowing, God also allows those who are going to fall under condemnation to behave in such a way that when the time for judgment comes, no man, woman, or child will question that suck a wicked person is deserving of the eternal condemnation that falls upon them, because they have lived a life in open rebellion to God and taking advantage of those made in the image of God. David cries out to God to see what is going on and to do something about it. David is not content to have God's ultimate justice served some day in the Day of the LORD, but he wants God's justice here and now. Let the wicked be punished so that people will know that the LORD, He is God and we are to serve and obey Him in the fear of the LORD. David knows that God sees everything and is keeping an accurate account of what is going on, but he is perplexed about why God doesn't seem to be lifting a finger to do anything about it. Those who are poor and helpless have no one else to turn to other than the LORD--the same LORD who David has identified as the Shield and Defender of those who were weak, powerless, defenseless, and innocent. There seems to be a disconnect here if the LORD is not standing up for them and defending them. When is God going to defend them and their Shield and Defender like David knows He is? When is God going to be the Avenger that David knows He is and break the arm of the wicked one to show that wicked man that he has no power and that he needs to stop abusing the power he's been given. David wants God to judge all the wicked people until there are no more wicked people left to judge. I'm taking it that David is saying this before his encounter with Bathsheba as the Psalms are not written in any kind of chronological order by more grouped by "theme." We'll see when we get to some other psalms later that David realizes he is caught up in the group of those who are wicked and have committed iniquity and if God answered his prayer to kill all the wicked people, he would be the first that needed to die. Paul identifies himself as the "chief of sinners," probably due to who he was before he was saved. Aren't you glad that God doesn't always give us what we ask for? David then recognizes that no matter how bad it looks that the LORD is still the King of Heaven and Earth and all nations are subject to Him whether they want to admit it and live like it or not. There will be no other kingdom that will survive other than the kingdom of the LORD. David is still certain that the LORD is who He is and that He definitely hears the cries of these innocent victims and that He will avenge them and that He is taking account of all the evil deeds of the wicked and that He will repay. He will get justice for the oppressed and those who were made orphans (the fatherless) because of these deeds of evil men. He will bring an end to the reign of terror of such evil and wicked men and every knee will bow before Him. Psalm 9 English Standard Version I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. 9 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. 4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. 5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah 17 The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. 19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! 20 Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah We are commanded many times in Scripture to "reckon" or "remember" what the LORD has done for us and to intentionally tell that story to others, specifically the next generation. The patriarchs did this by building altars and digging wells and building other "markers" that they would pass by and it would give them a chance to relay their history or would cause others passing by "What does that mean? I know it must have some significance." We should have similar things in our lives where we remember to tell the story of what God has done for us and that causes others to wonder what the meaning of this transformation is that they've seen or this new and abundant life which is so different than what they see in everyone else in the world.
David again worships the LORD for who He is and what He has done in his own life and writes it down in song so that he can share it with everyone, especially His children. God has given David victory over his enemies and has judged David according to His righteous judgment and declared David "not guilty" (because the guilt has been taken away and put on Christ). God has brought an end to the evil nations (and He will finish doing this in the book of Revelation when Christ comes back as the Conquering King who is the rider on the white horse). All of His enemies--those who join the rebellion against Him and ally themselves with the devil, the antichrist, and the false prophet--will be defeated and judged. The things that they thought made them strong (their walled cities) could not protect them from the LORD, and the very memory of the wicked will perish as God will make all things new and there will be no more sign or indication of these evil and wicked nations--Satan and all those allied with him will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to suffer eternal judgment. Along with this, the throne (meaning the kingdom and its power) that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ will be established forever. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that shall not pass away. His throne is a throne of justice, and He always executes righteous judgment (notice it does not say "fair" because that would exclude grace and mercy since they are by definition not "fair"). Those all seem like future things that David is talking about in present tense as if they are already done because we know Christ will fulfill those things at His Second Coming. Now David talks about some things that are true here and now. The name of the LORD is a place of safety for those who are helpless and defenseless. For those who are oppressed and in times of trouble, they can run to Him for safety and protection. "The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous man runs into it and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10). It seems like Solomon probably learned this directly from his father, maybe even by reading and hearing this particular Psalm. Those who know the LORD put their trust in Him and He has not forsaken them. Wow!!! That's some gospel language if I've ever head it--only those who come to the LORD by faith are the ones who really know Him and those who know Him and belong to Him are secure in their salvation because it's not about who we are and what we have done, but about who He is and what He has done! Yes, we are certain of the salvation that the LORD provides! We are to sing of His great name and tell the nations of His mighty works. We are to warn the wicked that He is the one who is the avenger when the wicked shed innocent blood. He is the one who will will hear the cries of the afflicted (think of those who are in slavery or are being abused and mistreated) and God promises that He hears them and sees them and does not forget about them (though He does not promise that He is going to save or deliver every one of them, He does promise that righteous judgement will come upon all those who shed innocent blood or afflict innocent people). "Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord." (See Hebrews 10:30, Romans 12:19, Deut. 32:35, Psalm 94:1, 1 Thess. 4:6, Isa. 65:6-7, and many other passages that we've seen already in Psalms and that we'll continue to see where the LORD is identified as the Avenger and the one who will justly judge the wicked). David then turns inward and cries for the LORD to have mercy on him. Possibly because he realizes that if he were really honest, he would be one of the "wicked" people that deserves this judgment were it not for the LORD's grace and mercy that come through the cross of Jesus. David prays for God to see his affliction, even though He just said he was certain that God sees the afflicted, it is sometimes hard for us to say to ourselves, "Well, yeah, I know that's true in general, but does that apply to me? It certainly does look or feel that way in my life and in my situation right now." David seems to be asking God to help him see that God is all those things that David just proclaimed Him to be in David's own life too. David believes this and that is why even though he seems to be on death's doorstep, He prays for the LORD to give him the strength to arise and praise the LORD. He wants to sing those praises loud and proud in the public square for all to hear about how much he rejoices in the salvation that the LORD has provided. David then turns back to his enemies and says that the enemies of the LORD who thought they were laying a trap for other have ended up getting caught in their own traps--that's the way the judgment of the LORD works. They fell into their own pits that they dug, they were caught up in their own nets, and they were trapped by their own snares and traps. The LORD has made it known that He is the one executing this judgment on them even though it looks like they are being caught up in their own devices. There are then two commands musically. The first one, Higgaion, probably means for the instruments to stop playing. We're more familiar with the instruction Selah, which is an instruction to the listener to pause and reflect. However David wants this to be a very dramatic or pregnant pause. Not even the music is supposed to disturb the meditation (another possible meaning of Higgaion is to "meditate" on what is being said). Other times this word is used in the Psalms, we see it translated (Psalm 92:3, Psalm 19:14 and in Lamentations 3:62--Lamentations is very much a song of lament and sorrow), but this is only place we'll see it as an instruction to the instruments and choir. After this dramatic pause, David returns to the final judgment of the wicked. Their place will be in Sheol (the closest word that Hebrew has for the Greek word "Hell." "Sheol" is the Grave or the place of the dead. It says they will "return" there, so it seems like David is talking about a "second death" like that of The Lake of Fire. Everyone who has "forgotten" or rebelled against God will have their end there. David says that he sees injustice right now in that there are those who are in need who are not taken care of and people who are poor who are not being provided for. David says that this will not always be the case. One day, when Jesus is King there will be no one needy or poor. Everyone will have everything they need and all those who are citizens of His everlasting kingdom will have all the riches and fullness of Christ at their disposal. However, Jesus tells us that for now, we will always have the poor and needy among us. We should be obedient in taking care of them poor and the widows and the orphans among us, but we should not imagine that somehow we are going to fix the issues caused by sin by throwing money at the problem. There is not enough money in all the world to make everyone rich--that will only happen when all those in Christ will have access to the infinite riches that belong to Him one day, and at that point, no one will need any of it because everything is going to be provided for us. Gold will be in such abundance and so "worthless" that the streets will be made of gold. It will just be something for us to walk on. There is then a cry to the LORD for His justice to come and come swiftly. For God to make things right and to judge the wicked people and teach them a lesson that He is God and they are not. In God's perfect timing, the LORD did not answer this prayer of David immediately as He gave time for the cross to happen first and He has given much time for everyone that is part of the LORD's Elect to come to salvation (those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life and have been written there since before the beginning of time). God desires for all to come to repentance, but we should not take His patience as slackness in carrying out His promises or His judgments. There will be a day coming very soon when the door to the Ark of salvation will be closed shut and those who are in the Ark of Christ will be safe from the coming judgment and all those outside of Christ will be judged and will have no more opportunity to enter the Ark. There are few things that still need to happen before the end will come, but the main thing that is see comes from Matthew 24:14, Matthew 24:14 English Standard Version 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. God is going to be patient in executing judgment until there is a remnant from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group. There are several places in the book of Revelation that say this, but I'll just cite Revelation 5:9 as one example, Revelation 5:9 English Standard Version 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, Revelation 7:9 and Revelation 11:9 contain similar language. Let us be about the business of fulfilling The Great Commission and taking the gospel to the whole world if we truly want to see the LORD's justice and righteous judgment and "[His] kingdom" come and "[His] will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Psalm 8 English Standard Version How Majestic Is Your Name To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. 8 O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! We now have a shift in tone as this is a psalm/hymn of praise and adoration. It is simply based off of who God is and the works He has done. Specifically, the Psalm looks at creation and says that even the mouths of babes that adore the wonder and beauty of God's creation and His power to keep HIs people safe from both the enemy and the avenger bring glory and praise to His great name. We see his glory in the heavens when we look at the sun, moon and stars and the vastness of the heavens (which we today would call "space"). Looking at a universe that is so large makes us feel small and insignificant, yet we see that God made man special in creation to have authority and dominion over creation. He made this planet special to be full of life and specifically to be a place for us to live. He breathed His Spirit into us so that we would be eternal and would desire a relationship with Him and we were made in His image. David ponders why it is that man is so special to God and why God takes such and interest in us. The only reason I can think of biblically is because it was "for His good pleasure" and was "to the praise of His glory." While we may not completely understand the mind of God in making the heavens and the earth and specifically making man to be stewards of His creation, we too can look at creation and worship along with David to say "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!" Psalm 7 English Standard Version In You Do I Take Refuge A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite. 7 O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, 2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. 3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, 4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, 5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah 6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. 7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high. 8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. 9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous-- you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! 10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. 12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; 13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. 14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. 15 He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. 16 His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. 17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. We see yet another prayer of "salvation" and deliverance here from David. The first image that we have in this psalm of David is that the LORD is a refuge--a place of safety and protection for David from all of his enemies. David says that if it were not for the LORD's protection that all of his enemies would have torn his soul to pieces in the same way that a lion tears apart its prey, and no one would have been able to deliver him from them if it was not for the LORD.
We then see something that to this point we haven't seen--David realizes that God sometimes uses our "enemies" to correct us and David thinks about this fact. Perhaps there is some secret and unconfessed sin that God is using David's enemies to deal with in his life and that God has a greater purpose in this and maybe the pain and suffering is for the purpose of good correction. Maybe, just maybe, David shouldn't be praying for the suffering to go away, but that he should learn from it what God means for him to learn from it. This shows another level of spiritual maturity on the part of David. David is not certain that there is sin there that is being corrected, but he prays that if it is there that God expose that to him so that it can be dealt with and that God would use whatever means necessary to correct him. This is the only place in this psalm where the reader/singer is told to pause and reflect, and I think that is for good reason as we need to stop and think about if we have this same kind of attitude or need to have this kind of attitude in our own lives. Once David is sure that he is right with God, he once again prays for God's wrath and judgment to be poured out on his enemies (likely Gentile enemies if he's praying for God's wrath to be poured out on them). He prays for all the people of the world to be called to watch the LORD hold court and sit in judgment (this will happen one day). David then prays for the LORD to judge him--remember he's already dealt with his sin issue, even his secret/hidden sins, and is sure that there is nothing other than righteousness and integrity for the LORD to see now. We know more about this from the New Testament that we can stand firm and confident knowing that at the coming judgment that we will be judged by the righteousness and integrity of Christ, and not by our own works which would never measure up, so don't read this as David claiming he can be saved by his own works. David has already received grace and mercy and we have seen other places where he has specifically cried out that God would not hold his sin against him. David desires for wickedness and evil to come to an end and for God to reign not just in heaven, but to be in complete control of the hearts and minds of men (maybe David had the recreation that we read about in the book of Revelation in mind). David relies on God's righteous judgment, that He will not let the righteous be swept up with the judgment of the unrighteous, that He will be a Shield to those who belong to Him, and we see that David says that not only is God's judgment righteous, but that God feels righteous indignation towards sin every single day--for all sin is sin against the LORD. It is Him that we are sinning and rebelling against, and He feels it each and every time that we sin against Him. David then makes it clear that there is no salvation without repentance (in case we missed that earlier in the psalm). There is only the sharpened sword of God's judgment and wrath for the unrepentant sinner and the bent bow (the arrow is already drawn and ready to be released to hit its target) that can strike its target from far away. The LORD can deal with your sin in hand-to-hand combat or by used a ranged weapon from far away--either way, He will always hit his target and accomplish His aim. We normally think of "fiery arrows" associated with the devil and his temptations, but here David says that these are what the LORD will shoot from His bow as he readies his "deadly weapons" and "fiery shafts" as instruments of His judgment. What an image we have next that the wicked man conceives evil, is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. Then another image that sin is like a man digging a pit to try to lay a trap for someone or something else (someone or something that will be his victim that he's going to take advantage of) and the man is caught in his own snare. This is what sin does to us as we are slaves to it and we are caught up in it with no way to make our own escape--salvation must come from outside of us--from the LORD. In all of this, David chooses to end the psalm by giving thanks to the LORD because He is righteous, even though there is much wickedness around us. David chooses to sing the name and the praises of the LORD Most High (to worship Him) in spite of everything that David sees and feels because God is still a good God worthy of our worship even if He does not destroy our enemies immediately or bring the whole world into account immediately. David knows that God has a good plan that maybe he doesn't fully understand--even we don't fully understand it, but we know God's plan a little better now as we understand that God has been patient with us so that all might repent and believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Way, the Truth and the Life--the only way to the Father, and the one who is the Righteous Judge of both the living and the dead. We are living in a period of God's "longsuffering" right now, but His longsuffering will come to an end when the vials of the wrath of God are full and will be poured out in judgment on unrepentant sinners. Then the world will come into judgment and all will watch as we stand there completely exposed before God and the books are opened--first the Lamb's Book of Life that contains the names of all those that are in Christ. Anyone whose name is not found in that book will then have the book that records all of their deeds opened so that they may be judged by their works (the only other option) and all who are judged by their works will be found guilty for no one will be able to stand by his own merit in the Day of the LORD. The LORD's judgment is good and holy as He will not let the wicked go unpunished, nor will He let the the righteous perish with the wicked. We can be certain of this because this is God's nature and this is how we've already seen Him work in the past and since He is unchanging, we know this is how He will continue to work in the future. So let us be free to praise Him for the salvation that we know that He has provided. At this point David was looking forward to the salvation that would be in Christ. We are both looking back to the cross and looking forward to the fulfillment where, " And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). Psalm 6 English Standard Version O Lord, Deliver My Life To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. 6 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long? 4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. This is also one of the Psalms of Salvation from Book One, but it feels different than the others that we've studied so far. While David is still crying out for deliverance, this time he is talking about being delivered from God's wrath (something that to this point it doesn't seem like David has seemed concerned about being directed towards him at all) and a prayer for healing both of his soul and his body.
We don't have timestamps for most of these Psalms to line them up with events happening in 1st and 2nd Samuel, but a few will give us the context as part of their subtitle when David wanted everyone to know what it was that he was mourning or celebrating. For this one, it sounds to me like David is older here and is looking back on his life and is asking the LORD to redeem the broken pieces that are there. He sees that there is no salvation other than that which comes from God's mercy (the Old Testament word for that is lovingkindness, and we'll see that here in this Psalm and in several others). David says that when he dies, it will be too late to ask for salvation, and that no one will be singing the praises of the LORD in Sheol (while largely equivalent to "the Grave" or "the Place of the Dead" where all dead people go, there is sometimes a connotation of this being the place where those who have not received God's salvation will remain--like in this passage). This seems equivalent to the warnings that we have in the New Testament and the Old Testament that the time is short to repent and believe the gospel because all who die outside of Christ will remain that way forever, and all those who die in Christ will also remain that way forever. Physical death will cast the dye which cannot be uncast. David seems to have much troubling his spirit that keeps him from sleeping--I don't know for sure what this is, but he seeks no comfort from men, only from the LORD who he knows has heard his prayers. Whatever is troubling him is something that is making him cry and lose his strength and be filled with grief--the only indication that we get is that there are foes and adversaries involved here who are even in the midst of David's grief are troubling his soul even more. David does not cry out for his enemies to be destroyed as he has done in the past, nor does he really have a turning point where he focuses on who God is and it somehow changes his perspective. David seems to have the right perspective from the very beginning--that He needs to cry out for mercy not just for the salvation of his life, but for the salvation of his soul. David seems to know this is a prayer that God will definitely hear and answer, despite any mocking that may come from his enemies that are trying to multiply his grief. David need not listen to them because he knows that God has listened to him. It will be his enemies that will one day be put to shame in the judgment, but David knows that he will stand justified, not because of who he is and what he has done, but because of who the LORD is and what He has done. Psalm 5 English Standard Version Lead Me in Your Righteousness To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David .5 Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. 2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield. Once again we see David in need and crying out to the LORD. He feels like he has to ask for the LORD to hear him and to listen to him. Then David expects the LORD's response by saying that he will awake early in the morning and will prepare a sacrifice to Him as he awaits the LORD's response.
David then describes how he is sure that the request he is making is going to be answered--because it is in keeping with the very nature of God. David's prayer for God to punish the evildoers so that the nations will fear Him and worship Him is something we know God will do--however, we also know that God extends grace and mercy and changes the identity of those who are found in Christ so that they are no longer under condemnation or judgment. We'll see David will have to cry out for such grace and mercy in the near future when it is he who is the wicked one. David then describes the nature of the wicked and how the judgment that God gives to them is just. They are opposed to the very nature of God and since God is holy and just, he cannot let the wicked go unpunished. However, we can see that David's request will only be answered for those who are outside of Christ, because Christ has taken the judgment and wrath of God (including the guilt and shame) for all those who are in Him. That is where this psalm ends--those who take refuge in the LORD are completely and totally safe (like those who were safe inside the Ark at the time of the Flood). We can worship and exalt the LORD for the salvation He has provided (through Jesus). We can then boldly ask for God's favor to be on the righteous as we know that when God the Father sees the ones who have been declared righteous that He sees His Son and will withhold no good thing from the Son or those who are being made into His image. We know that the LORD will also protect and defend all of us who are in Christ so that we have nothing to fear. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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