The
Psalmist was being pursued by enemies who were intent on his full and
final destruction. He puts his trust in the Lord. He looks to the Lord
for salvation – “O Lord my God, I take refuge in You; save and deliver
me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me
to pieces with no one to rescue me” (vs. 1-2). Following his opening
words, we read about human sin – “O Lord my God, if I have done this and
there is guilt on my hands – if I have done evil to him who is at peace
with me or without cause have robbed my foe - then let my enemy pursue
and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep
in the dust” (vs. 3-5) – and divine judgment – “Arise, O Lord, in Your
anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree
justice. Let the assembled peoples gather around You. Rule over them
from on high; let the Lord judge the peoples. Judge me, O Lord,
according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. O
righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the
violence of the wicked” (vs. 6-9a). In thinking about what God is saying
to us through this Psalm, we do not limit ourselves to looking at
David and his pursuers. We look at human sin and divine judgment. This
is the bad news concerning ourselves. We look also at personal
salvation. This is the Good News concerning our Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Human Sin * “O Lord my God, if I have done this and there is
guilt on my hands – if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me”
(vs. 3-4). Looking beyond the immediate situation of David and his
pursuers, we ask, “What are these words saying to us?” Here, we must be
honest with ourselves, and we must be honest with God. There is no “if”
about it! We are sinners. we are guilty. * “Let my enemy pursue and
overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in
the dust” (v.5). We do not look only at David and his pursuers. We look
into our own hearts. We have a pursuer. His name is Satan. He is the
devil. He is our “accuser” – he “accuses us before our God day and
night” (Revelation 12:10). When we are honest with ourselves, and honest
with God, we must confess that Satan has every right to accuse us.
“Every one of us has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” (Romans
3:23). Satan has won the victory over every one of us. This is the bad
news concerning every single one us – without any exceptions. Divine
Judgment The bad news continues. Sin brings judgment. We cannot escape
God’s judgment. We must confess our sins. We are “the wicked” (v. 9).
“God is the righteous Judge.” God’s wrath “rests upon us (v. 11). We
hear the bad news about human sin and divine judgment. We wonder, “Can
‘the wicked’ become ‘the righteous’?” (v.9). Is there a way in which
guilty sinners can escape the righteous judgment of God? Is there a way
in which we can be victorious over our pursuer? Personal Salvation We
come to God with our questions. We ask about salvation – “Can my sin be
forgiven?” We ask about victory – “Can I triumph over Satan?” God gives
to us His answer. Yes! There is a way of salvation. Yes! There is a way
of victory. Here, in this Psalm, we have God’s answer to two very
important questions - “What must I do to be saved?“ - “What must I do to
be lost?“ * In verses 9-10, we learn that it is the “righteous God” who
“makes the righteous secure” – “My shield is God Most High, who saves
the upright in heart.” What must I do to be saved?” – “Believe in the
Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31); “God is righteous and
He declares righteous those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
Trusting in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3), we
receive the forgiveness of our sins – “the blood of Jesus, God’s Son,
cleanses us from every sin” (1 John 1:7). We also enter into Christ’s
victory over Satan – “They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb … ”
(Revelation 12:11). Personal salvation is not about ourselves. It’s
about our Saviour. We don’t save ourselves. Jesus saves us.
In
verses 11-16, we have God’s answer to the very important question –
“What must I do to be lost?” “God is a righteous judge, a God who
expresses His wrath every day. If He does not relent, He will sharpen
His sword; He will bend and string His bow. He has prepared His deadly
weapons; He makes ready His flaming arrows. He who is pregnant with evil
and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a
hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he
causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.” We
don’t enjoy reading this kind of thing. It doesn’t make us feel good
about ourselves. It makes us realize that we have no right to feel good
about ourselves. Before we can begin to appreciate the Good News of our
Saviour’s love for us, we must give up on trying to feel good about
ourselves and start listening to the honest truth about ourselves. What
must I do to be lost? Do nothing. Just keep on trying to feel good about
yourself. Just keep on turning a deaf ear to what God is saying to you
about your sin. Just keep on refusing to take seriously God’s call to
repentance. Just keep on living the way you have been living. God speaks
to us with many warnings. He speaks of His righteous judgment. God
speaks to us of His undeserved love. He calls us to return to Him. What
happens when we keep on refusing to listen to what God is saying to us?
We dig a hole for ourselves – ” He who digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit he has made” (v. 15). We bring judgment upon
ourselves – “The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence
comes down on his own head” (v. 16). The way of sin is a hopeless way –
“He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to
disillusionment” (v. 14).
Is
there a better way? Is there a way of salvation? Is there a way of
victory? Jesus is the Way. He is the true and living Way (John 14:6).
Thank God that this Psalm doesn’t end with the dark words of verse 16 –
“his violence comes down on his own head.” Beyond the bad news
concerning human sin and divine judgment, there is the Good News
concerning personal salvation – “I will give thanks to the Lord because
of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most
High” (v. 17). The Psalmist moves from the inevitability of divine
judgment (v. 16) to the assurance of personal salvation (v. 17). This is
the work of divine grace. What are we to say about this? Is there a
smooth passage way from divine judgment to personal salvation? No!
Between divine judgment and personal salvation, there is the Cross of
Jesus Christ. This is costly grace – Jesus Christ laid down His life for
us. It is also free grace. We come in the emptiness of our sin and we
receive the fullness of God’s salvation. At the Cross of Christ, we see
both the judgment of God upon sin and the love of God for sinners. From
the Cross of Christ, we hear the call to turn from sin and receive
salvation. We look at ourselves. We see human sin. We look at the
outcome of our sin. We see divine judgment. We look at the Cross of
Christ – “We see Jesus … He suffered death, so that by the grace of God
he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). This is love. This is
the greatest love of all. This is divine love. It’s sacrificial love.
It’s victorious love. It’s eternal love. “God so loved the world that He
gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is God’s answer to human
sin. We look at our sin and our hearts are sad. We look at our Saviour
and He makes us glad. How does our Saviour turn bring us our sadness and
into His gladness? Is it an easy passage way – from sadness to
gladness? No! For Jesus, it meant going to the Cross. It meant going to
the place where He cried out, in deep spiritual agony, “My God, my God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). When we hear the words,
“God so loved the world … “, let us never forget what it meant for our
Saviour who “loved us and gave Himself for us” (Galatians 2:20) – “God
made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we consider our
personal salvation, let us never forget our Saviour’s costly sacrifice,
and let us say, from our hearts, “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”
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