See the Goodness of God

Read Psalm 27

Psalm 27 KJV 1900

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, They stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; Put not thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; leave me not, Neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, And lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed To see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Psalm 27 is one of the best known psalms in the Psalter, it has been referred to as one of the most comforting by James Montgomery Boice as well as others.

One has cautioned us on...

Central and Eastern European Bible Commentary Psalm 27: A Poem of Confidence

It is a challenge to interpret such a beautiful psalm without exaggerating or trivialising it.

The Hebrew title to Psalm 27 is simply “A Psalm of David” the Septuagint adds, “before he was anointed”

You must remember however that David had been anointed three times:

In his father’s house (1 Sam 16)

Over Judah at Hebron (2 Sam 2:4)

Over all Israel (2 Sam. 5:3)

Whenever the time was there are implications in the Psalm that suggest, the Psalm was composed when David was being pursued by enemies.

Wiersbe suggests it was probably written when he was exiled from home and being hunted by King Saul and his men.

The psalmist does reveal that he is in great danger from violent and evil doers (Psalm 27:2) who were lying about him (Psalm 27:12) and wanting to kill him.

One preacher, used the analogy of a “flashback” to make his point that this was David’s earlier life from an older perspective.

Whatever the reasons behind why Psalm 27 was written The Psalm is an indicator of where we are today

Did you catch how the first half of the psalm is full of faith. Its as if it soars above the thundering threatening clouds on the wings of an eagle.

And then in the second half, we take an about-face and we find it is characterized by fearfulness and dread.

David, the shepherd-king, is in the midst of a psalm that swings like a pendulum between bold confidence and desperate pleading.

Rod Matoon titled Psalm 27 “Floating Between Faith and Fear”

Maclaren talks about the the first part being the major key, the second in the minor key.

As I pointed out, In the early verses, he declares, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”

Yet by verse 12, he’s pleading not to be delivered into the hands of his enemies.

And then, like a man sputtering and gasping for breath in stormy waters, verse 13 emerges: “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

Treasures from Treasured Psalms, Volume 1 Chapter 10: Floating between Faith and Fear (Psalms 27)

The fact that David was torn between calm and consternation, confidence in God, and crying out for help, demonstrates that we are not spiritual failures when we have these feelings too.

I. THE REALITY OF FAINTING

"I had fainted..."

We dare not pretend that faith makes us immune to despair.

Even David, a man after God’s own heart, staggered under the pressure.

To “faint” means to lose courage, to lose breath, to be spiritually suffocated.

The attacks of life—betrayal, waiting, fear, injustice—can drain the soul of its strength.

How many of us have been there? At the edge of breakdown? The edge of surrender?

There is a fascinating Hebrew literary device used in this passage called an elliptical

An elliptical refers to words or phrases normally omitted in a sentence or paragraph when the sense is perfectly clear without them. But due to language rules and barriers what is an elliptical in one language may have to be expressed in another.

For instance, in our text Psalm 27:13

Psalm 27:13 KJV 1900

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed To see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

In most KJV texts the phrase “I had fainted” is italicised”

The translators have done this because David uses an elliptical in the Hebrew language.

There is no verb or main clause after the conditional: no “then this would have happened.”

In English, a smoother translation might be: “If I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living…” But that “then…”—the conclusion—is never stated.

This is David on the brink. The ellipsis—the unfinished sentence—creates a dramatic pause, a silence that cries out louder than words. It's as if David couldn't bring himself to speak the dreadful outcome. He chokes on the alternative. What might have happened had he not believed? We can fill in the blanks, and we do:

I would’ve fallen apart.

I would’ve lost hope.

I would’ve been swallowed by despair.

We sometimes say things like, “I shudder to think what would have happened if...”

David’s honesty reminds us: Even the saints stagger. And yet...

II. THE STRENGTH OF FAITH "…unless I had believed…"

Here is the pivot—the point of reversal. David does not say, “unless I had seen.” He does not attribute his endurance to a change in his circumstances or a sudden turn of fortune. No—he says, “unless I had believed.” Belief was his stronghold; faith was the thread that held him fast.

This is not a generic belief in God, but belief unto something—belief unto seeing the goodness of God. It is one thing to acknowledge God exists; it is another to trust that His goodness will appear even when nothing presently suggests it. David’s faith did not wait for sight—it created the conditions to see.

Faith, as Hebrews tells us, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is the posture of the heart that says: “Though I cannot trace Him, I will trust Him.” Faith reaches into the shadows and draws out light. Faith is not passive resignation—it is active confidence in the character of God.

III. THE NATURE OF GOD’S GOODNESS “…to see the goodness of the Lord…”

And what is this goodness? It is not defined by worldly success or earthly comfort. The goodness of the Lord is His covenant mercy, His loyal love—ḥesed in the Hebrew—that sustains His people through trial, not around it.

Joseph saw that goodness, not in Pharaoh’s palace, but in the pit and the prison. What man meant for evil, God bent for good. Corrie ten Boom bore witness to that goodness behind barbed wire, where the light of Christ still shone in the valley of death. Our brothers and sisters in the Black church, pressed under injustice, lifted voices in faith—“We’ve come this far by faith”—because they saw something deeper than circumstance: they saw God's faithful presence.

God’s goodness is not always the removal of suffering—it is His nearness within it. It is the fireproof companionship in the furnace, the angel in the lion’s den, the manna in the wilderness. It is not always what we want, but it is always what we need: His sustaining presence, His protecting hand, His perfect provision.

IV. IN THIS LIFE, NOW “…in the land of the living.”

Do not rush past this final phrase—here lies the full scope of David’s hope. He does not merely hope for a distant heaven or some future deliverance beyond the grave. He confesses confidence in God’s goodness in this life—right here, right now, in the land of the living.

Yes, heaven is our ultimate hope. Yes, we long for the day when every tear is wiped away. But the God of eternity is also the God of the present. He does not wait to begin His work of redemption—He is at work even now. The same hand that will one day raise us in glory is the hand that upholds us in our present affliction.

David’s faith affirms not only God’s final victory, but His immediate activity. The God who rules in heaven walks with us on earth. The God who promises glory tomorrow offers grace today. He is the God who bottles our tears—not just removes them.

So we wait—but not in despair. We believe—but not without reason. We hope—not in wishful thinking, but in the God who reveals His goodness in the land of the living.

Based on the authority of the Word of God, "you will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." That's real-time living. God's time is full of His goodness.

Stan Toler - God is Never Late He’s seldom early, He’s Always Right on Time.