Psalm 64: Freedom from our Foe's Fetters of Fear and Foolishness

My tongue-twister of a title for this lament attempts to capture how the psalmist prays for God’s help in the face of fear and foolishness.

Facing Fear (v.1)

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The psalmist prays to the Lord, “preserve my life from dread of the enemy.”

We might join him and pray for protection from the enemy, but do we pray for protection from the fear of the enemy? It might be a good idea. Our world is increasingly motivated by fear and anxiety, and as the old song says, “fear is a liar!” If we are moved by our fear or dread of the enemy, we are not standing in faith and love. I find that the more I consume news and social media accounts, the less faith-motivated I am. Not only that, but I am less likely to act in love and kindness towards those I face today.

The trick is for us not to be controlled by fear. The Bible tells us to “fear not,” “do not fear,” or “do not be afraid” more than 100 times! One of the most famous was God’s charge to Joshua,

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8-9)

Or Paul’s oft-quoted charge to the Philippians,

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:4-7)

What do these two passages about not being afraid or anxious have in common? It is not our strength of giftedness, nor is it our ability to have all the right answers. The key is remembering that the Lord is with us! How can we keep from forgetting that important fact? By reading and thinking about his word (the Bible) and talking with him about everything, we will not forget that he is with us and greater than all our problems. I confess that I am not always gentle in my speech, nor am I always free from anxiety, but I have noticed that both are impacted by my awareness that Christ is present with me.

Facing Foolishness (v.2-6)

They hold fast to their evil purpose;
    they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
    They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
    For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep. 

Their wickedly hateful words are the expression of violent thoughts, the manifestation of their secret plotting for our demise, their declaration of their atheism (that he doesn't exist to oppose them). The imagery used is vivid—they “whet their tongues like swords,” just as steel weapons are sharpened on a stone for battle. These verses are not describing particularly witty humor or friendly banter. Rather, it is speech intended to slander, snare, and slay its target. In Proverbs 12:18, Solomon writes, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Such speech can cause real damage on every level.

Will we fight our enemies on their terms? Or will we pick good ground and sound tactics? When verbally ambushed, whether with slander or threats, the enemy of the righteous wants us to either run in fear or fight (a losing battle) according to the flesh.

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There is a warning here for those who think they can plan in secret and act with impunity. We fool ourselves when we think that God doesn't see our sinful plans and that judgment won't come. I know that those most in danger of God’s judgment are often the most oblivious to it. They think they will not be held accountable for their wickedly violent words and actions and are thus emboldened. Silence in the moment is no proof of secrecy. God judges justly and surely, though in his mercy it may not be immediate. Yet, it will happen suddenly.

Finally comes “suddenly” (v.7-9)

But God shoots his arrow at them;
    they are wounded suddenly.
They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
    all who see them will wag their heads.
Then all mankind fears;
    they tell what God has brought about
    and ponder what he has done.

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Their very devices will be turned against them when God acts suddenly. They are caught by their own words, trapped by their own tricks. This is a consistent theme in Psalms and Proverbs. For example...

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
    and is pregnant with mischief
    and gives birth to lies.
He makes a pit, digging it out,
    and falls into the hole that he has made.
His mischief returns upon his own head,
    and on his own skull his violence descends. (Psalm 7:14-16)

And Psalm 57:6,

They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. 

And Proverbs 26:27,

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

When suddenly the enemy is caught in his own words, when they fall into their own pit, when they are brought to ruin, do we fear (show great reverence and awe) the Lord? I hope so! We do not celebrate their des

Further, let this truth instruct our mouths so that our tongues do not cause harm to others nor ensnare us. We all need to make sure that we come to Christ before he comes for us!

Faith’s Freedom from Fetters (v.10)

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When we put our faith in God, we are set free from our besetting fears so that we can worship him. We learn that we can rejoice in the Lord always!

Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

While fear and foolishness both serve to bind and ensnare us, faith sets us free to celebrate his righteous works! In humble submission to Jesus, we are empowered to resist the enemy, and he will flee (James 4:7)! 

Psalm 56 When I am Afraid...

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This psalm addresses what we should do when we are afraid.

Though it is short (13 verses) Psalm 56 contains a powerful statement of faith and a key concept that allowed David to make such a faith statement again and again. Another unique aspect of this psalm is it’s one of the few that is specifically tied to a recorded event in the life of David… “when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” This brief narrative is found in 1 Samuel 21:8-15.

From the superscription, we know that the psalm was to be sung with the tune “The Dove on Far-off Terebinths.” Is it a coincidence that the previous psalm speaks of the desire for the wings of a dove so that the psalmist might fly away from trouble and be at rest (55:6)? I doubt it. David, having fled from Saul into exile, having “flown like a dove”, wrote Psalm 56 as an individual lament, when he found that flight had not brought the desired rest but only further oppression. I also wonder if the psalm’s tune mimicked the soft yet plaintively distinct sound of a distant mourning dove. When there is one in the area, it is hard to ignore its lament!

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Not only had David been forced to repeatedly flee from Saul’s murderous jealousy, but this time, as he fled Nob, he took Goliath’s huge sword (that had been stored there) and fled to the Philistines in Gath… the very place that Goliath had called home. Crazy where fear directs us! In the West, we have the saying, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire!” This would certainly have applied to David’s situation.

Let’s follow the path of fear that led to this moment.

After David’s victory over Goliath and the Philistines in 1 Samuel 17, as they were coming home the women of Israel sang a celebratory song that caused a lot of trouble.

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands.” (1 Sam. 18:7)

This song made Saul angry and jealous, both masking emotions for his fear that he would lose the kingdom to David. It drove Saul crazy, and he tried to kill David from the next day on. Fast forward several chapters and we find David in his fear fled once again from Saul the promise-breaker right into the city of Goliath. Even there in Gath, that horrible repetitive chorus caused him grief as the Philistine king's servants brought up that refrain...

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands.” (1 Sam. 21:11)

At that moment David became “much afraid of Achish the king of Gath”. I can imagine him suddenly snapping out of his funk and asking himself "How did I get here and what am I carrying this?" We could argue that David should not have been afraid since he had won many victories over the Philistines and Achish was no giant like Goliath. However, exhaustion, grief, and hunger probably shaped David’s emotional response. He feigned madness (21:13) and Achish told his servants that he had enough madmen already and David was allowed to depart to hide in the cave of Adullam (approx. 10 miles away).

David might have written this psalm in the cave as he processed all that had happened in Gath, or perhaps the words of this psalm were actually on his lips as he feigned madness before the Philistines. Such a repeated declaration of faith in the city of the Philistines would have seemed like madness to them! 

Now that we have considered the context, let’s take a brief, devotional, look at the psalm.

David began with a poetic lament describing the severity of his situation and the aggressive and continuous attacks of prideful enemies.

"Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
                      all day long an attacker oppresses me;
                                       my enemies trample on me all day long,
                                                    for many attack me proudly.” (v.1-2)

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As we conclude a long and bitter election season in the US, it would seem almost all candidates could say the same thing as David, though not all would ask God for mercy/grace. As an average person, I know that I have felt something of the “all day long” oppression if only from political commercials! 

David’s next statement was imperfect, indicating that he has to do it repeatedly as a continuous practice. They are words we may have heard before but are very important for us in days such as these. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." (v.3)

Will we learn to put our trust in God when we are afraid or will we turn to other things for help? Here is David’s statement of trust in v. 3-4…

When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

I think many can relate to this cry from the Psalmist's heart... but I wonder how often we think about how we might be the one who tramples on another—if not directly, we may be indirectly a participant in a structure that does. I wonder if we lived out verse 3, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you" instead of trying to control those we fear, it might make the world a better place. This week, at least half the country will have a chance to practice this, if they are willing to do so.

Ironically, fear can prompt us to trust in God, and the more we trust in God the less we fear.

Though David began his lament by saying, “Man tramples me” (v. 1) I have always loved the rhetorical question at the end of v.4, "What can flesh do to me?"(See also v. 11). However, if we read on in v. 5-6, we find that quite a lot can be done to us.

All day long they injure my cause;
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk;
    they watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.

Though the way forward may be painful and well acquainted with suffering, God knows and remembers. He has stored our tears in a bottle... and He delivers us!

You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me." (v.8-9)

While God doesn't store time in a bottle, he does keep track of all our tears! He has shared in our sufferings, for he took them upon himself at the cross. It is in Christ alone that we are delivered, healed, and find peace.

How did David keep trusting? Certainly, he was not perfect and knew his failures well, but David knew something about God that gave him the confidence to continue to trust God!

If there was something that the psalmist knew even when all around him might be madness, it was "This I know, that God is for me.”

Such an understanding that God is not primarily a judge but a loving Father who rewards those who seek him is a key principle of faith. In Hebrews 11, what is called the “Hall of Faith” chapter, we read that faith goes beyond believing God exists to knowing that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). He is for us, to the end of the line and beyond!

Other people may delight to hound us and belittle us, but our hope is not found in their fleeting approval. We can get distracted, and embrace plans we think are right, but ultimately it is God’s plan that will be established.

So what do we do with our afflictions that hurt so much? Are they a sign that God is angry with us or has turned his back on us? Certainly not! When we are afflicted, we are in a blessed place, a place where we can receive the comfort of Christ, as Paul encouraged the church in ancient Corinth.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Cor. 1:3-5)

I don’t know what the future holds but Jesus does, and he will walk with us through whatever comes until we safely reach the other side where there is no more sorrow! So, instead of being motivated by fear that not only steals our joy but leads to bad decisions and even worse behavior, let us put verse 3 into practice, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." because verse 9 is still true, God is for us!

Psalm 49 Playing A Little Music While Pondering Big Questions

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Psalm 49 is considered a Wisdom Psalm. It focuses on wisdom and understanding, and it sounds very much like a mashup of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

When commenting on this song, about 80%of the time my emphasis has been on the second stanza (v.5-9) and verse 15’s victoriously confident statement, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.”

However inevitable it may be that I again consider those verses, my emphasis in reading the psalm this time was on the first stanza (v.1-4) and specifically verse 4.

Hear this, all peoples!
    Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
    I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.

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The psalmist declares the nature of the psalm from the beginning and then in v. 4 paints a picture of his pondering or thinking through or considering a weighty matter while noodling around on his lyre (guitars were much harder to come by back then). This process of thinking, meditating, and creatively working out the big questions in the heart can be very profound.

Too often, our lives are filled with so many distractions that we never seem to find time to quietly think through the goodness of God and the ridiculous pride of humanity. Other times it is not distractions but a residual distrust that keeps us from honestly considering the evidence regarding the big questions. That distrust produces fear and fear is then masked with anger. In the end, we find it easier to yell at someone else than it is to consider the truth of God’s heart amid the difficulties of a broken world.

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Now back to v. 4. What riddle does he work out in this psalm? He wrestled with the big questions… seeking wise perspectives on power and wealth, fear and hope, and even on human mortality and redemption. As he pondered and played, it seems that he worked through all of his concerns and realized that he didn’t need to live in fear (v. 5, 15).

It should be noted that while the third stanza (v.10-12) speaks of the finality of the grave, the sons of Korah had no clear grasp on the idea of the resurrection. Many truths in the Bible were progressively revealed as God’s plan unfolded down through the centuries. Yet, even in this psalm, there is the confident expectation that as v. 15 states,

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will receive me. 

But what was the riddle?

Is this post starting to sound like a click-bait article that keeps stringing you along as long as possible before giving you the answer to your simple question? Maybe. But what I was hoping was that you would read the psalm and find the answer for yourself before I confirmed your answer.

The answer to the riddle the psalmist works out in this passage is first stated in v.12,

Man in his pomp will not remain;
    he is like the beasts that perish.

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The psalmist solved the riddle as he saw behind the deceptive curtain of human pride and self-importance. Proud, self-important, powerful people still die and rot in the grave. Humans are not God; we are not even capable of saving ourselves from our sins (v.7-8). Our wealth, and the social trappings that go with it, cannot redeem us… yet we waste so much time trying. And in the end, we die like everything else. And everything we may have accumulated goes back into the box. I remember a popular psychologist telling the story of thoroughly beating his family at the board game Monopoly and how in the face of his excess celebration they left him to clean it up all by himself. It was then that he realized that it all goes back in the box—all the hotels, houses, property deeds, and the money too. This is true of real life as well. Such understanding, which the Bible calls wisdom, is what we still need today.

Apparently, the people this was written to needed to hear it again as well, for verse 20 repeats, “Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish” with the addition of “without understanding.”

Are we merely selfish animals that live without understanding and die without purpose, meaning, or any lasting legacy? Or are we invited to join God in his mission to heal the broken universe? It starts with the understanding that only God can ransom our souls! The price he paid was costly, even the precious blood of Jesus! What mere bauble that this world offers could be worth enough to turn me away from trusting Jesus? So, we cannot save ourselves, and neither can we continue to live forever without dying. The good news is that God has ransomed me at the cross!

While the psalmist may not have understood how the Lord would do it, he knew that his soul would be redeemed from the grave. And thus there was no reason for fear and anxiety to direct his life.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14-15) 

As a result of the psalmist’s inspired pondering and playing, I am reminded that I no longer need to fear in times of trouble or when the wrong people grow rich and famous. Neither of those situations can determine my value for that is secure in the finished work of Christ Jesus! 

Psalm 46 A Very Present Help

The Sons of Korah whose psalms are most closely tied to Jerusalem and the Temple wrote one to be sung that would encourage a panicked people to focus on the steadfast protection of a non-slip Lord! Since the psalm is short, I will quote it all here.

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¹God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

 

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

 

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)

God is our Refuge

This psalm contains some of the most familiar phrases from the entire Book. Specifically, in verse 1,

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.

And also the admonition of verse 10a “Be still and know that I am God” are often quoted in sermons and Christian literature alike. If we know that God is our fortress, then it will enhance our ability to “be still” in trusting the Lord through tumultuous times.

Nature Gone Wild

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On the surface, from a distance of at least 2500 years, the catastrophic nature imagery in the first section (v.1-3) reads like a Weather Channel "Top 10 Worst Ancient Disasters" special. It indicates that no matter how devastating of a natural catastrophe God’s people may face, our hope is in the Lord who is our refuge. This means that our hope is not in mountains to protect us from armies, nor in oceans to protect us from the navies of ambitious empires. God’s people are to look to him first and always as their mighty fortress.

Nations Run Amok

From perhaps a more historical-culturally informed perspective, we see earth and sea, mountains and waters, used as multiplied metaphors used to describe the chaotic and seemingly unstoppable advance of an enemy army like the Tsunamic waves of the sea that swallow up cities and strongholds (mountains) along the way. Peter Craigie, in his commentary, explains how the Lord both aspects of nature and nations fit, and yet there is also an eschatological element to be considered.

In the psalm, the natural implication of this creation theology is drawn out and expressed in a statement of confidence. Because God controls both history and nature, the chaotic threat which both may offer to human existence may be faced fearlessly. The very worst manifestation of chaos is merely a threat, for the Creator has mastered chaos. And yet, as Gunkel rightly observed, there is an eschatological element in the psalm, though it is implicit rather than explicit. The order of creation has been established, and yet the reality of human existence is that there continue to be manifestations of chaos. Faith in God's protection, expressed so profoundly in this psalm, is both present and proleptic, reaching forward to the time of God's ultimate conquest of chaos and establishment of peace.[1]

In verse 6a, we see the connections as “the nations raged” much as the waters “roar and foam” (v.3a) and the kingdoms tottered much as the mountains had been “moved into the heart of the sea” (v.2b). In light of these parallel images, it is likely that the context for this psalm was God’s deliverance of Judah from the Assyrian army at the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah (à2 Kings 18-19; Isaiah 36-37 for the narrative). Such was a time when Jerusalem certainly would have fallen if not for the intervention of the Lord on their behalf. The Assyrians had amassed an impressive undefeated record as they marched toward Jerusalem like a slow-motion tsunami.

Are We Fearful or Glad?

Like with the citizens of Jerusalem, our fears cry out for us to worry and hide. Yet our pride cries out that we can handle it on our own. We fight and grab and protect our own little slices of the world. Yet, in doing so we eventually become discouraged and are tempted to despair if we don’t put our faith in the Lord God.

Photo: Greg K. Dueker 2021

But what about “the river whose streams make glad the city of God” (v.4)? How does that verse fit this proposed historical setting? If this happened at the time of Hezekiah, John Philipps suggests that this river refers to the tunnel the king had built to bring the waters from the spring of Gihon (originally outside the city walls) into the city, thus giving it the ability to hold out against the Assyrian siege.

Knowing that sooner or later the Assyrian army would besiege Jerusalem, Hezekiah had taken wise and practical steps to ensure that Jerusalem had an unfailing water supply, no matter how long the siege. The spring of Gihon, located below the steep eastern hill of Ophel in the deep Kidron Valley, Jerusalem's most ancient water supply, was exposed to enemy attack. Hezekiah diverted the spring through a conduit, 1777 feet long and hewn out of solid rock, into a reservoir inside the city's walls. He then completely covered the ancient spring so that the enemy would not know it was there. Throughout the fearful siege, there was "a river, the streams whereof made glad the city of God." The psalmist tells us of this river, how impassive was its flow (46:4), and how impotent was its foe (45:5-7). 

        For all his great strength and cunning, the enemy knew nothing of this unfailing source of inner refreshment without which the city could not have lasted more than a month or two. Without that hidden river Jerusalem would have fallen, not from the strength of the foe without, but from weakness and failure within. Instead, the city had a secret river that kept it strong. [2]

Hezekiah's Tunnel with a constant flow of water
Davidbena, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This tunnel was and is quite a feat of engineering! It is very smooth inside. The two ends of this aqueduct have been excavated and visitors to Jerusalem can walk through the ankle-deep water from the spring to its other end near what was once the Pool of Siloam. I have walked through this tunnel and appreciated how refreshing it was on a hot summer day! I can imagine it was quite calming for the city to have such a hidden source of water when facing attacks from outside. Certainly, as Christians, we have access to a spiritual source of life that cannot be taken from us!

As this psalm makes clear, God is our fortress whether we are facing geologic turmoil, political strife, or both. God is still God, and his plans and purposes will be established. Everything else that we think to be solid and safe isn't. Earthquakes and invasions both have a way of shifting our stance and our perceptions regarding what is solid.

Also, if this historical setting is correct, then the “works” and “desolations” that the Lord has brought would refer to the overnight destruction of the Assyrian army (2 Sam 19:35; Isa. 37:36).

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

A biblical faith, such as that encouraged here, acknowledges our trust in God's character and power despite the overwhelming problems we face, then it quiets our hearts and directs our gaze, expectantly, to watch God work! And it is much better for us if his name is exalted... that means that we would honor and value and lift up his character as the greatest good. If we who claim to follow him did that consistently, just think how different the world would be!

Quite A Ride

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There are several different emotional / tempo shifts in this psalm...from the frantic description of natural disasters (v.2-3) to the calm and serene river of God (v.4), and then back to nations raging and desolations being wrought, ironic though they are (v. 6-9). Then back again to v. 10-11. Where are the peace and calm? They are in God...no matter what else is going on outside! In the end, the gladsome river is a symbol of the presence of the Lord himself in the midst of his people.

I am so glad, in light of the string of recent events in 2020-21 that we can hope in something more stable than the earth itself, someone more steadfast than a political party, and some place where no attack against us can prosper! Even today, we can "be still” and know that the Lord is God"! Yet have we made God our refuge and strength or are we still trying to fight our battles or pull off an epic escape by doing it ourselves?

The key to being still is trusting that there is no need for us to fear...for we are in God's hands. We are neither alone nor undefended. God doesn't promise a trouble-free life, but he is a "very present help in trouble”! And this world is not all that there is to the life that he shares with us.

With Us!

Did you notice that the promise of verse 1 is recast and twice repeated as a chorus (in verses 7 and 11) in this psalm? This chorus should ultimately inform our understanding of the psalm and the steadfast approach to life it describes. It reads, 

The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Patrick Henry Reardon in his work on the Psalms notices this refrain and comments as to its Christological significance.

“The twofold refrain says that God is “with us” in Hebrew ‘imannu. A close look at that word shows it to be most of the name of the Messiah, “Immanuel,” which literally means “with us God.” “God with us” is, of course, Christ our Lord, abiding in our midst all days, even to the end of the world.” [3]

As we head towards the Advent season, let us find our stability and our gladness in the presence of Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is indeed God with us! He invites all who are thirsty to come and drink!

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. (Rev. 21:6)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)

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[1] Peter C. Craigie, Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1-50, (Word: Waco, TX) 1983, 346.

[2] John Phillips, Exploring the Psalms: Psalms 1-88 (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1988), 366.

[3] Patrick Henry Reardon, Christ in the Psalms, (Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press), 2000. 90.

 

Psalm 112 "Not Afraid of Bad News"

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Psalm for Today = 112:7-8    

He is not afraid of bad news;

    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,

    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

Comments:

In this psalm, the man “who fears the Lord” and the “upright” are used synonymously and such a person is blessed by God. Verses 4-5 describe his character (i.e., gracious, merciful, and righteous, and just) while verses 7-8 above describe his emotional state. This is what I would like to be! 

Because of his reverent and trusting relationship with the Lord, his character was changed and made godly. Flowing from such a redeemed character came consistently honorable and generous actions. The emotional result is a calm and settled trust. 

Don’t we all want to go through life without fearing bad news? Yet this man’s lack of fear was neither a denial of nor was it a result of there not being any bad news (he still had adversaries) but of his relationship with the good and very present Lord of All.

The very same Lord speaks the comforting words to his faithful that…

·       He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

·       He will never let anyone snatch us out of his hand. (John 10:28-29)

·       He works all things together for good to those that love God and are called according to his purpose…and is committed to conforming us into the image of his Son. (Romans 8:28-29)

So there is really no "bad" news for me to fear! By the way, that will really tick the enemy off!