Go ahead and take your copy of God's Word and open up to Psalm 34.
Psalm chapter 34.
My daughter, we think, has been teething lately, and so you can imagine how my nights have been.
! So I had way more coffee than I should have, so if I start shaking uncontrollably, it's not the Spirit or, you know, anything like that.
It's just a lot of caffeine.
So, but yeah, we'll be looking at Psalm 34 this morning.
And, you know, I feel like since we're doing kind of random psalms this summer, every week started off with like an apologetic, like, why I picked this psalm.
I picked this one because it relates heavily to the Sermon on the Mount, so you know I was going to take that opportunity, because if you know me, I'll take any excuse to bring that up.
But then as I finished prep today, or yesterday, sorry, as I finished prep, I realized I never actually got to it.
I didn't have time, so I was really sad and disappointed.
So I say that on the front end to encourage you this week, if you have time, to read this side-by-side with the Beatitudes, Matthew 5, verses 3 through 12.
And I trust that that will be a great benefit to you.
But our text today is Psalm 34.
This is a psalm that David wrote after his incident before Achish, the king of Gath.
And you'll notice our psalm says, in the superscript, it says,
After David changed before Abimelech.
Okay, but Abimelech is not a name.
It is a title.
His name was Achish.
And if you're familiar with this story, you'll recall from 1 Samuel, chapter 21, verses 10 through 15, that David was fleeing King Saul for his life.
And in his evasion of Saul, he went into pagan territory, the homeland of Goliath, in fact, the giant that he had killed.
And he went to Gath.
And the residents of Gath recognized David and essentially said to themselves,
Isn't this that guy that killed a bunch of our buddies?
Isn't this why card night has been poorly attended?
It's a lot of empty chairs.
And David, recognizing that they were likely preparing to take vengeance to kill him,
he begins to act as though he were crazier, loonier, insane to save himself.
Right?
And he did this to the point of letting spit run down his beard,
which was a powerfully shameful image in the ancient world.
And so why did he do this?
Again, to preserve himself.
He was hoping that, oh, they'll see I'm crazy, take pity on me, and not even take the time to kill me,
because I'm just this crazy guy.
And so it was.
David was able to leave Gath with his life at the expense of great personal shame.
But Psalm 34 records his thoughts after this event.
Our psalm today is a reflection, then, of what was spurned in his mind by that event.
And it leads him to worship the Lord, to testify concerning the Lord,
and to instruct others for things pertaining to life and godliness.
So our outline is simple, just a three-step outline.
Number one, David's testimony.
Number two, David's teaching.
And number three, David's conclusion.
So number one, David's testimony, verses 1 through 10.
We'll begin reading in verse 1.
David writes,
So it's remarkable that David begins his psalm with praise.
So contextually, remember, he's on the run from Saul, who wants to kill him.
He narrowly escapes the Philistines by pretending to be crazy.
And they, too, wanted to kill him.
He's surrounded by his followers out in the wilderness,
nowhere to safely lay his head and nowhere to safely worship the Lord,
without the constant threat of death.
And yet, here he is, worshiping the Lord.
Verse 1,
I will bless the Lord at all times.
This praise is continually in his mouth.
And that should be convicting to us all.
I think of the times you've neglected Bible reading, neglected prayer, neglected fasting,
neglected singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs because of whatever,
behind on work, family obligations.
I'm tired.
I don't feel like it.
We've all used those excuses before.
And here is David, who probably had the best excuse, right?
Lord, sorry, a bunch of people are trying to kill me.
Don't have time to talk to you right now.
Yet, he is worshiping the Lord.
So this, for me, and I trust for all of us,
was warrant to stop pretending as though our lives are so busy,
as if our lives are so chaotic that we can't find time each day
to worship the Lord through the means he has intended.
And so I would encourage any of you who are limping spiritually right now
to go before the Lord in prayer,
to go before him and confess your sin
and make a game plan to return to the restful work of worshiping the Lord.
It is good for us to be humbly worshiping him
and boasting of him and him alone.
And in verse 3, don't miss the fact
that David is worshiping the Lord in community.
He's talking to somebody.
He's talking to his guys,
the guys with him out in the wilderness.
He says, magnify the Lord with me.
Let us exalt his name together.
So these men who chose God's chosen,
these men who have sided with David over Saul.
This is the faith community, right?
This is, dare I say, the church, right?
This is the faith community in the Old Testament gathered around David,
worshiping the Lord, being persecuted by the falsely religious Saul.
And David invites them all to worship the Lord,
and he's about to give testimony to God's goodness.
So I would extend the same invitation to us all this morning,
that as we read, as we meditate, as we think on God's word,
we would worship the Lord and reflect upon his goodness to David together,
recognizing that God's care for David and his band
is paradigmatic for how he cares for us today.
So looking at verse 4,
we'll see David's testimonial of God's salvation and deliverance begin.
He writes in verse 4,
So why does David praise God?
Because David has been delivered from all his fears.
I don't know what all of his fears were exactly,
but we can have a good idea, right?
I get a good sense that he's probably afraid of Saul.
He's probably afraid of Philistines.
Death is probably on his mind constantly.
He probably feared starving on the run, right?
You can read stories of him taking bread from the priests.
He left even without his weapons.
So I'd imagine he's pretty fearful of these things.
He's probably fearful of failure, right?
All these men who've chosen to side with him out in the wilderness,
their lives, their family lives, all at stake.
And the amount of pressure and the fear
that often accompanies such pressure for someone like David
is unimaginable.
Unimaginable.
David testifies that those who look to God
shall never be ashamed in verse 5.
And the language of this verse is reminiscence of Moses,
whose face changed in the presence of God in Exodus 34,
verses 29 through 35.
If you recall, Moses came down from Mount Sinai,
and when he came down, his face was radiant,
and all of Israel was afraid of him
because of how radiant his face was.
It changed every time he met with God.
And likewise, we have the benefit of the New Testament,
which gives us a portrait of the greater Moses,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 17 records Jesus' transfiguration
before the disciples, the inner circle.
And Jesus' face shone, is the words.
His face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became white as light.
So Moses, his face was merely radiant,
a reflection.
It radiated the light of God.
But here, Jesus, the light just came out from him,
because he is God.
So that greater description of Christ,
clothes, in fact, lit up white.
And David's testimony in verse 5,
that all who look to God are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed,
is language used throughout the Bible
to describe those who draw near to God.
Language used to describe those who put their trust in God.
They are looking to him and him alone for deliverance,
and he will deliver.
They will not be ashamed.
And so David's confidence is so strong,
despite the circumstances.
He says repeatedly and emphatically
that God saves those who look to him,
the righteous, the humble,
the brokenhearted,
as we shall see.
And David's confidence is strong
because it is in the Lord and not himself.
Look at verse 6.
David says of himself,
This poor man cried,
and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
This poor man cried.
And again, the emphasis of it being
all of David's troubles that he is saved from.
God saves the whole man
from the whole of his issues.
So perhaps you came to church today
by dragging yourself,
right?
Finances have you weighed down,
you're anxious,
strife in your families,
consuming your thoughts and energy,
right?
You're bitter, angry, or frustrated
that you're incapable of reconciling
all the wrongs.
Perhaps a sense of loss,
whether it be someone you know,
a phase of life that you miss,
or a friend who has moved away,
your discontent.
Perhaps you don't even know why you are,
but you just know that you are
dragging day to day,
moment to moment.
And one way or another,
you've come to a place
where you just recognize
that you are powerless
to do anything meaningful.
You are incapable of effectively
seeing the change
you want to see in life.
In fact, you recognize that
even if you did have that power,
you don't even know
what's good for you,
so you wouldn't bring it about
because you don't know
what to bring about.
So even if you were this powerful,
you recognize that ultimately
you are weak, foolish, blind,
deaf, and dumb.
I can't do anything on my own.
I can't provide for myself.
I cannot save myself.
If you've come to that place,
that's the kind of state
David was in,
right?
That blessed, poor man.
David does not look to his kingship.
He does not look to his army.
He does not look to anything like that,
but to God.
And by grace,
the Lord heard his cries,
and he will hear ours too
if we'd only look to him,
right, to seek him
and to worship him
with fear and reverence,
like David.
And for those of us
who do fear the Lord,
who recognize that we're broken,
that we're poor,
that we deserve death
and condemnation
because of our sin.
There's good news
in verse 7.
The angel of the Lord
encamps around those
who fear him
and delivers them.
Again, David seems
to be picking up
on Moses
and his writings.
The Lord encamped
in the midst of Israel
when they traveled
in the wilderness.
The Levite priests
were tediously instructed
on how to march
with the Lord's tabernacle
at the center.
And the priests
would surround it
in the way they marched
and the way they camped
and the way they did everything.
Numbers 1,
chapter 1,
verse 53,
explains why.
Moses writes,
But the Levites
shall camp
around the tabernacle
of testimony
so that there may be
no wrath
on the congregation
of the people of Israel.
So Levites,
as priests,
provided a hedge
of protection,
so to speak,
from God's holiness
destroying the unholy people
whom he tabernacled with.
This was the means
by which God
was able to dwell
with Israel
by priests,
by sacrifice,
by bloodshed,
by a covering.
And the priests
functioned as that covering.
But notice Psalm 34,
7 doesn't say
the Levites
encamp around his people.
It says the angel
of the Lord
encamps
around his people.
David seems
to understand
that this angel
of the Lord figure
is one who will take
the role of priest.
This is one
who will be a barrier
between us
and the wrath of God
which we justly deserve.
And we know,
of course,
from the New Testament
that the angel
of the Lord
is Jesus Christ.
He provides
the perfect sacrifice
by offering himself
on the cross
to bear the wrath
of God
which we deserve.
He intercedes
before the Father
on our behalf.
Whoa.
And he takes
the role
not only of high priest
but the role
of sacrificial lamb.
Okay?
And only he is fit
for such a role.
Who better
to encamp
around the people
of God
to shield us
from the wrath
of God
than God
himself.
And we could show
that the angel
of the Lord
is Jesus
in a number
of ways
but spice it
to say
the angel
of the Lord
appears
throughout
the Old Testament.
One example
is when Abraham
is about
to sacrifice Isaac.
We know
from Genesis 22
11 through 18
it's the angel
of the Lord
who shows up
and says don't.
And then again
in Exodus 3 too
it's the angel
of the Lord
who speaks
to Moses
through the burning bush.
And very significantly
the gospel
of John
opens by explaining
how the word
became flesh
and Jesus
was the word.
John writes
in chapter 1
verse 14
and this is the translation
I like
he writes
and the word
became flesh
Jesus became flesh
and tabernacled
among us.
Now the Greek word
here is usually
translated as
dwelt
or
encamped.
However
John seems
intentionally
to be picking
this word
in a context
where he's
showing the deity
and humanity
of Christ.
All that to say
that
John seems
to have
the ideas
of tabernacle
of wilderness
wanderings
of God
among man
all these things
seem to be
streaming through
this one
word choice
tabernacled
this angel
of the Lord
who encamps
around those
who fear him
our Lord Jesus
who delivers us.
that's who
David is
talking about.
So what does
it mean
to fear
the Lord
then?
What does
it mean
to look
like one
who is
of that
community
who fears
the Lord
who will be
shielded
from the
wrath
to come?
Well we'll
come back
to that
in verse
11
as David
does
but looking
at verses
8-10
see how
David cannot
help but
burst into
praise again.
He says
in verse
8
O taste
and see
that the
Lord is
good.
Blessed
is the
man who
takes refuge
in him.
O fear
the Lord
you his
saints
for those
who fear
him
have no
lack.
The young
lions suffer
want and
hunger
but those
who seek
the Lord
lack
no
good
thing.
Now I
love
eating.
I love
good food.
And when I
picture an
ideal time
with family
or friends
or whoever
food is
a constant.
I picture
you know
ribs,
fries,
you name it,
watermelon,
all that
stuff.
And there's
just something
amazing about
tasting.
And there's
really no
substitute
for tasting.
I can't
really think
of anything
that is
like
tasting.
In fact,
one of the
times I
felt the
most subhuman
in my
life was
when I
had COVID
and lost
my taste.
It was
like,
oh man,
like there
goes half
my life.
It was
miserable.
And God
designed us
with taste buds
for a reason,
right?
To enjoy
his gifts
of food,
not in a
gluttonous
way,
but still
to enjoy
nonetheless,
right?
All the
variety,
all the
nuance that
you can get
just from
a piece
of steak
and how
salted it
is,
how grilled
it is,
or how
smoked it
is,
all the
things you
can do
to that
little guy
that just
invites it,
you know?
And then you
add in,
you know,
vegetables,
if they're
buttered and
cooked,
of course,
you know?
All these
kind of
things.
And so I
love David's
imagery here,
taste,
that the
Lord is
good,
right?
The nuance,
the flavor,
the experience
from bite to
bite,
from hotter
to colder,
I mean,
just all those
things.
How much
more so
with the
Lord?
How much
greater,
how much
more satisfying,
how much
more joyful
is it to
taste that
the Lord is
good in so
many ways,
in every
way?
And David
invites us to
see that he
is good,
too.
You know,
what is it
about a smile
from someone
that is so
comforting?
What is it
about seeing
someone look
at us with a
caring eye,
or loving
eye?
What is it
about seeing
great rocks
and trees
and mountains
and these
kinds of
things that
evokes awe,
beauty,
and goodness
in our
hearts and
minds?
Again,
whatever that
is,
imagine seeing
God in our
faces becoming
radiant because
of his
surpassing
goodness,
his surpassing
glory,
to imagine
that.
In a way,
David is
saying,
give God
the eye
test.
And with
great confidence,
he's saying,
if you look
to him,
if you give
him that
test,
if you try
him out
in this
way,
no doubt
you'll see
he is
good.
Not evil,
not a
disappointing
eye,
not an
unloving
father,
not a
distant
father,
not a
shady
character
whom we
don't know
what to
make of,
but we'll
see and
know the
Lord is
good.
And the
man who
takes refuge
in this
good Lord
is called
blessed.
So you
can see
the Sermon
on the
Mount,
right?
Oh,
man.
This is a
beatitude,
and they
are found
throughout
Scripture,
Old and
New Testament.
Essentially,
the idea
is that
someone is
considered
blessed
when the
sum of
their life
will equate
to flourishing,
to happiness,
fortunate,
or bliss.
This does
not mean
that a person
will not
experience
persecution
or trials,
but that
in the
grand
scheme
of
things,
in the
sum
total,
the
negatives
are
insignificant.
Why?
Because they
are only
used,
beatitudes
that is,
they are
only used
to describe
true
believers.
So in
the grand
scheme
of things,
even though
you might
be boiled
in a pot
in this
life for
Christ's
sake,
in the
grand
scheme
of things,
you are
blessed
because you
will reign
in
eternity
with God
by grace.
So anyone
in this
life can
see that
the Lord
is good,
but only
the one
who takes
refuge in
the Lord
will feast
and enjoy
him forever
and eternity.
Those of us
who have
recognized
that we
are poor
men like
David and
have sought
the Lord
alone for
this refuge,
this deliverance,
this salvation
with which he
speaks,
will not
be disappointed.
So what
are we
to do?
Well,
David says
in verses
9-10
that we
are to
fear the
Lord.
Why?
Because he
encamps
around those
who fear
him.
He saves
those
who fear
him.
And because
he is
good to
those
who fear
him,
they lack
no good
thing.
Others
will starve
and hunger
and thirst
and shall
not be
satisfied
like young
lions,
but we
who place
faith in
Christ
will not
be ashamed.
We will
be
delivered.
Now we
get asked
the question,
what does
it mean
to fear
the Lord?
We've
had David's
testimony
of God's
goodness
from verses
1-10
to which
he discussed
the fear
of the
Lord a
lot,
but what
actually
is it?
Well,
here David's
second invitation
verses 11-12
he says,
come,
oh children,
listen to
me.
I will
teach you
the fear
of the
Lord.
So
everything
we're
about
to read
will cover
this.
What
is the
fear
of the
Lord?
But he
goes on
in verse
12 to
spice it
up more.
He says,
what man
is there
who desires
life and
loves many
days that
he may
see good?
He's
asking,
who loves
life and
desires a
long,
full,
flourishing
time on
earth by
walking with
God,
by seeing
good?
God,
he may
have
to
love
him.
And I
just want
to pause
for a
moment and
reflect on
something here.
You know,
I cannot tell
you how often
I've expressed
something like,
I can't wait
till this is all
over.
Right?
Not in a
depressed sense,
not in a
suicidal sense,
but just simply
recognizing that
once this life
is over,
I'm not going
to miss it.
Right?
I'm going to be
in heaven,
I'm going to
enjoy God,
there's nothing
in this life
I would
prefer over
that.
And so
there's been
this expression
of just,
man,
I can't wait
for this all
to be over,
the suffering,
the pain,
the agony,
all of it.
And I've
heard many
of you
express this
in similar
ways.
But here,
David assumes
we ought
to long
for a long
life to
see good.
And I am
so encouraged
by this.
Like me,
you've probably
looked at the
world and
just thought,
wow,
it was already
bad and it
just seems to
be aggressively,
unceasingly
getting worse
at a rapid
rate.
I can't even
keep up with
it.
Right?
We wake up
and the reality
is pretty much
every week we're
hearing about a
school shooting.
Right?
More anger,
more confusion,
more broken
families,
sexual revolution
is going on
in more directions
than ever imaginable
and on and on.
And this rightly
makes us all
just long
for Christ's
return,
long for heaven.
But even so,
David,
in the midst
of the same
fallen and
broken world,
holds out the
enticement.
Who desires
a long life
that they may
see good?
Who wants to
live a long life
and see good
despite all
the evil
in this world?
This was like
a Frodo
moment for me.
It was Sam
Wise just told
me, you know,
there's good
in this world
and it's worth
fighting for.
I mean,
it's just like,
oh, you know.
So how do we
find this good?
How do we
experience God
here and now?
How do we
live the good
in long life
in this fallen,
broken,
dark world
if the Lord
wills?
Well,
let's look at
David's teaching,
the second part
of our outline,
David's teaching
in verses 11
through 20.
So what is
David teaching?
As we said,
he's teaching
the fear
of the Lord
as he says
in verse 11
and he describes
it in verses
13 through 14
where he writes,
keep your tongue
from evil
and your lips
from speaking
deceit.
Turn away
from evil
and do good.
Seek peace
and pursue it.
According to
David,
the fear of the
Lord is obedience
or at least
it results
in obedience.
And that should
sound familiar,
right?
Doesn't that sound
like our study
of James
which we went
through recently?
Control your tongue,
practice good,
seek peace,
pursue it
wherever you
don't have it.
The good life
is not one full
of cursing
and bitterness
and anger
and conflict
and loose talk
or sin,
but it is full
of peace,
joy,
love,
harmony,
wholeness.
These good
things.
And we begin
this good life
according to
David,
we begin
this good life
by repenting.
Right?
He says,
turn away.
You could replace
that with the
language repent
from evil
and do
good.
Now,
perhaps you're
frustrated by
some of the
things I'm
saying like
earth to Zach,
people in this
life are evil
and they hate
us.
Right?
How can I
ever live in
peace when
they will
give me none?
How can I
ever hold my
lips when
they do
nothing but
let theirs
go?
How can I
not repay
evil for
evil?
But keep
reading verses
15 through
18 and
notice the
contrast.
David writes,
the eyes
of the
Lord are
toward the
righteous
and his
ears toward
their cry.
The face
of the
Lord is
against those
who do
evil to
cut off the
memory of
them from
the earth.
When the
righteous cry
for help,
the Lord
hears and
delivers them
out of all
their troubles.
The Lord
is near to
the broken
hearted and
saves the
crushed and
spirits.
So the
contrast,
God is
for the
righteous and
he opposes
the evildoer.
We won't
even remember
the wicked,
nor will
anyone remember
the wicked.
Their evil
lives and
the damage
they do
during those
lives is
so small,
so inconsequential
and so
brief.
As Job
18.5
says,
indeed,
the light
of the
wicked goes
out and
the flame
of his
fire gives
no light.
In other
words,
they will
all
die.
Nothing
will be
left of
them,
nothing
left of
their
works
or
anything.
There's
nothing
they can
do in
this life
that will
permanently
damage
us.
It will
not affect
our
eternity
with God.
And Jesus
picks up on
this theme
in Matthew
10,
verse 28.
He says,
do not
fear those
who can
kill the
body
but cannot
kill the
soul.
Rather,
fear him
who can
destroy both
soul and
body in
hell.
In other
words,
fear God
alone.
He's picking
up on this
Psalm 34
idea.
Set aside
all your
worldly fears
in exchange
for a healthy,
good fear
of the
Lord.
word.
Now,
if you're
looking for
additional
reason or
encouragement
to pray this
week,
look no
further than
verses 15
and 17.
As a
God-fearer,
a person
practicing
righteousness,
the Lord's
ear is
toward your
cry.
You have
his attention.
And further,
when you cry
out to God,
he will
hear your
prayer and
he will
save you
out of all
your troubles.
Now,
this doesn't
mean he'll
answer any
prayer you
pray,
right?
He's not
going to
drop a
Lamborghini
out of
heaven.
That would
be ridiculous.
But this
is a promise
ultimately that
God will
bless you.
He will
strengthen
you to
endure in
your
troubles.
He will
eventually
remove your
troubles,
either in
this life or
by ending
your life and
bringing you
to heaven.
All will
be well
or blessed.
it.
Your prayer
will be
answered when
your prayer
reflects the
will of
God.
So commit
yourself to
prayer and
pray often,
pray long,
pray short,
pray,
and God
will hear
you and
answer.
And there's
something else
in these
verses I do
not want to
miss.
Notice that
David brings
up the
dwelling or
encamping
language again
in verse
18.
He says
the Lord
is near
to the
brokenhearted
and saves
the crushed
in spirit.
Now by
itself,
this may
not be
shocking to
you,
but I
found this
verse a
little shocking
in the
flow of
the chapter.
Just
moments ago
in verse
12,
David is
assuming we
want to
live long
lives to
see good.
And that
good is
real in
this life.
But here
he is saying
that the
faith community
is one
of broken
hearted
people.
People who
are crushed
in spirit.
And we
might see a
problem in
holding these
two things
out.
We want to
live long
lives to
see good
and yet
crushed in
spirit,
broken
hearted.
But David
has no
problem talking
in these
terms.
He has no
problem holding
both as
true.
And again,
I find this
so encouraging.
I find it
encouraging
because on
the one hand
I do see
good in
this life.
I love my
family.
I think about
my wife and
daughter all
the time when
I'm not with
them.
I spent two
weeks in
Louisville a
few weeks
ago and
basically spent
half my time
looking at
photos of
my baby
girl.
I love my
church family.
I love the
beauty of
nature.
I love
singing great
hymns that
praise God.
I love sharing
meals with
brothers and
sisters.
I mean,
I could go on
and on about
good things I
have seen and
experienced in
this life,
good things that
I have in
my life,
all by God's
grace and
kindness,
all of it
being so
good.
But at the
same time,
I feel exactly
what David is
talking about,
right?
Day to day,
crushed in
spirit,
brokenhearted.
You know,
primarily I think
about this because
of my own sin,
right?
Day to day,
recognizing that
I fail to
honor God
rightly in so
many ways,
in varying
ways,
in varying
degrees.
Likewise,
I am broken
hearted and
crushed in
spirit.
When I look
at the world
around us,
every day it
just seems like
everything's
falling apart
more and
more.
With all of
creation,
I'm groaning
for Christ's
return.
So why am I
encouraged by
these two
realities?
I'm encouraged
because they
are normal
and to be
expected in
the Christian
life.
I don't know
about you,
but whenever I
feel these things
in tension
in my mind,
in my heart,
I sometimes
start to think
like I'm
weird or
something's
wrong,
you know,
that I can
swing from
one degree
to the other
so quickly
by the hour.
But it is
normal.
And I'm
encouraged because
David and his
followers felt
this way,
thought this
way, right?
I'm not the
only one.
The same God
who proved
faithful,
able,
and gracious
to sustain
David will
sustain me
and he
will sustain
all of us
who believe.
In fact,
look at the
next two
verses,
verses 19
through 20.
David writes,
many are the
afflictions,
so they're
real,
he's recognizing
them,
though they're
small,
though they're
brief,
there they
are.
Many are
the afflictions
of the
righteous,
but the
Lord delivers
him out of
them all.
He keeps
all his
bones,
not one
of them
is broken.
So though
there may
be many
afflictions
of many
kinds
and many
degrees,
the Lord
delivers us
out of
all of
them.
Not one
bone is
broken,
meaning he
keeps us,
he preserves
us,
no one
and nothing
can interfere
with God's
plan,
with what
the Lord
has in
store.
That is
David's
teaching,
fear the
Lord,
obey the
Lord,
seek the
Lord,
and he
will not
disappoint.
So David's
conclusion,
verse 21
through 22,
he writes
in verse 21,
Affliction
will slay
the wicked,
and those
who hate
the righteous
will be
condemned.
The Lord
redeems
the life
of his
servants.
None of
those who
take refuge
in him
will be
condemned.
So notice
that shift.
We believers
will be
delivered
from our
afflictions,
while the
wicked
will be
delivered
to
affliction.
God will
punish the
ungodly.
It is only
a matter
of time.
And frankly,
even now,
their punishment
has begun
to some degree
because they
are without
God.
They refuse
to taste
and see
his goodness.
They don't
even know
how to
enjoy this
life.
They're
denying
themselves
true delight
in God
for false
delight
in their
idols.
they hate
God
and they
hate
God's
people
and on
both
accounts
they will
be
condemned.
Justice
will
reign.
And I
think it
is fitting
that David
in this
circumstance
where he's
reflecting on
such a
moment,
right,
in this
fleeing of
Saul,
this fleeing
of the
Philistines
with his
men,
facing
death,
facing
unnecessary
persecution
in the
sense that
it is
evil and
wrong,
facing all
these things
and his
final thoughts
are on
the future,
on judgment,
on the
great day
in which
Christ will
come and
separate the
goats from
the sheep.
He finds
comfort in
knowing that
I don't have
to right the
wrongs,
there is a
lawgiver,
there is a
judge,
there is a
king and
he is
coming who
is able
and powerful
to save
and to
destroy,
who will
bring about
justice.
So for
those who
have truly
repented,
who have
sought the
Lord in
our
brokenness,
like David,
we will
not be
condemned,
we will
not be
ashamed,
but we
will be
delivered.
Let's
pray.