The Psalms in a Season of Persecution (Part 2)
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1 O Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me
or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you.
Rule over them from on high;
8 let the Lord judge the peoples.
Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 O righteous God,
who searches minds and hearts,
bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure.
10 My shield is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.
14 He who is pregnant with evil
and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
15 He who digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit he has made.
16 The trouble he causes recoils on himself;
his violence comes down on his own head.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Introduction
Introduction
Two weeks ago in our evening service, we considered together “The Psalms in a Season of Persecution.” I mentioned in that message that although we as Christians here in South Africa are, for the most part, not facing persecution, at least not anything severe, we are always to be preparing ourselves for the fact that persecution may come. Indeed, we have been warned as Christians that we will face persecution in this world, to some extent or another.
In our previous sermon on this topic, we looked together at Psalm 11. From that Psalm, we considered that our primary response, our first response in fact in the face of persecution, is to look to God, and to place our trust in Him. We are to exercise a humble dependence upon God in such times.
We are not to become overwhelmed with fear in the moment of persecution. While their are certainly times that wisdom would call us to flee from persecution, that should not be our first response. Rather, our first response is to look to God who is Almighty in the heavens, and to put our trust in Him!
This evening we will be considering this subject further, but from a slightly different perspective. And the perspective that we are going to be considering is the cry that we can offer up to God in seasons of persecution, calling upon God to bring justice and to defend our cause.
The Psalm that we will look at in this regard is Psalm 7. The Psalms in which the Psalmist calls out for the just wrath and judgment of God are sometimes referred to as imprecatory Psalms. They often contain some strong words that are extremely difficult for us as Christians to know what to do with. As those who believe that we are to “turn the other cheek,” to “love our enemies, and do good to those who persecute us,” how are we supposed to use, or deal with these Psalms? Do they even have a part to play in the life of the Christian, and in the life of the church?
As we study this Psalm very briefly this evening, I hope to show that these Psalms certainly are a part of the Christian life, the life of the church, and that when used rightly, they are a great source of consolation and encouragement to the Christian.
With that in mind, let us consider this Psalm briefly. We begin by noting...
1. Cush’s Accusation of Guilt (Title-v.2)
1. Cush’s Accusation of Guilt (Title-v.2)
In the title of the Psalm, we note that this is a Psalm of David, that he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
Now, we don’t know the details of this man named Cush. We don’t know the specific details in terms of how he was afflicting David, or seeking to cause harm to David, but the fact of the matter is that this man was in some way a leader of at least a group of people that were pursuing David.
The fact that Cush was a Benjamite is probably helpful in us understanding why he was being pursued. King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, and David himself faced various points of opposition from the tribe of Benjamin.
You recall the man Shimei, who was from the tribe of Benjamin, and he came out cursing David as David fled from Saul.
There is also the account of Sheba, the Benjamite, that led a revolt against David after Saul had been put to death, and David was going to take his place as the King of Israel.
And so clearly there was some level of hostility against David. And here we find this hostility in the man named Cush, also from the tribe of Benjamin.
David’s cry to God is the first thing that we find in the Psalm itself. Verses 1-2 read...
1 O Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
David confesses before God (as we saw was appropriate in our previous study) that his confidence and refuge is God. He knows that salvation comes from God, and God is the only one that may deliver him.
But notice the extent of the affliction that he is faced with. Their are those (plural) who are pursuing David. There are those who are seeking to take his life. David’s concern here is that these men will literally tear David apart.
The exact nature of the accusations against David will be picked up a little later on. But in summary, it seems that he was being accused by these people of doing evil to those who were at peace with him, and of robbing his enemies.
But the fact is that there are verbal accusations being made against David. They are maligning him, accusing him falsely. They are literally seeking to have his life destroyed.
We must keep in mind that in that day, particularly with David as the King of Israel (if he was indeed king at the time of writing this Psalm) it was vital that David uphold justice and righteousness. If he himself was a man lacking in integrity, it could lead to the entire kingdom being undermined.
The accusations of slander against David were serious!
But notice further from the text…
2. David’s Plea of Innocence (vv.3-5, 8)
2. David’s Plea of Innocence (vv.3-5, 8)
We find that David seeks to come before God and bring a plea of innocense. It’s important that we consider this carefully. Note his words in verses 3-5…
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me
or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust. Selah
We clearly see that David was convinced that the accusations that were being brought against him were misplaced, and completely unjust. He had not actually commited the acts of which he was being accused.
Now, this is an important thing to remember. Because often in the Psalms, we read of David or other Psalmists crying out and declaring their innocense. Even more than this, they actually call out to God on the basis of their righteousness. Even David does this in this present Psalm. Read verse 8 with me…
8 let the Lord judge the peoples.
Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.
With our knowledge of the Scriptures - both Old and New Testament - we ask ourselves, how can any person ask God to vindicate them based on their righteousness. We’ll go on to quote Romans 3:23...
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
But as we consider the Psalm, we must not think that they are crying out based on a perfect personal righteousness. It was David himself who would declare that surely he was sinful from birth (Psalm 51:5). David was not being inconsistent. Rather, what he is appealing to in the present instance is the fact that he has no guilt in terms of the accusations being leveled against him. He is innocent in this sense.
In a sense, this is a scene from a court of law, where a party is declaring his innocense on the charges that are being brought against him.
What we must also note from this context, however, is that David is not taking matters into his own hands, seeking to bring justice himself. Rather, he submits himself to God, and calls upon God to deal with those who are accusing him falsely.
This is extremely important example for us. David lived much of his life in this manner. King Saul was seeking to kill him, and on two occassions, he had opportunity to take matters into his own hands, and put Saul to death; once while Saul was relieving himself in a cave (1 Samuel 24:3-4), and another time while Saul lay fast asleep in the midst of his camp (1 Samuel 26:12).
But the principle of not taking vengeance is certainly one that Christians are called to.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Even in the OT however, there were calls for those people of God to not take revenge, or to seek vengeance.
22 Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”
Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
Now, I understand that there are all kinds of implications involved in this. I understand also that there are times where the protection of life is called for, and it is our Christian responsibility to protect and defend life. I’m not going to open up that ethically complex can of worms… at least not this evening. Maybe sometime in the future.
But for the purposes of our study this evening, I do want to draw our attention to the fact that for the most part, Christians are called to endure persecution and suffering while entrusting themselves into the hands of God who judges justly.
Jesus himself was persecuted and suffered at the hands of those who were unjust. Christ himself was led to the cross, and called his followers to follow him on the road of self-denial.
20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
The weight of the evidence is that, under most circumstances, we must be very slow to enact what we deem to be a measure of justice in the face of Christian persecution.
Why? Because we set an example for Christ in the face of such persecution when we endure that persecution without retaliation, and instead, entrust ourselves in to the care of God.
Now, this is what David does. He calls out to God, and seeks God’s intervention in the face of persecution, not taking matters into his own hands.
But notice further from our passage...
3. David’s Cry for Justice (vv.6-9)
3. David’s Cry for Justice (vv.6-9)
David doesn’t just cry out for God to save him, and offer up weak and pithy prayers. And David doesn’t exclude the idea of justice, just because he isn’t taking matters into his own hands. In fact, his prayers are worded strongly. Notice his cries in verse 6…
6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries,
And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.
The cry of David is a cry for God to arise in his own anger, and to enact righteous judgment against those that were acting contrary to that which is right and true. Cush, along with those that were following him, were engaging in sinful slander, attacks and accusations against David, and he’s crying out to God that he would deal with these men!
The wording in this Psalm is clear enough.
But there are other Psalms that bring out this call to God in far stronger language. One of the most clear of these in Psalm 58.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
tear out, O Lord, the fangs of the lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted.
8 Like a slug melting away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.
10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
This is strong language, and in a sense, we recoil from such language because we’re afraid that this is somehow unloving and wrong.
But there is a place for this in our lives, dear Christians. And I think it’s important that we understand the right place of these imprecatory prayers.
We need to keep in mind that God is indeed a God of justice, and he desires both mercy and justice in this world. God’s righteousness demands a measuring out of justice against those who are wicked and evil.
We need to recognise that when we as Christians pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we are in part calling upon God to bring His justice into this world. While there is certainly salvation for those in Christ, there is also judgment to come upon all those who are not in Christ.
But we also need to see that such Psalms are not limited to the Old Testament, but are found also in the New Testament.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
Those who have been martyred for the faith cry out to God that he would bring final justice! Their blood must be avenged, and indeed it shall be for all who refuse to come to Christ.
Dear friends, let us be sure that where there is persecution and hatred, lies and all evil promulgated against the church, it is right and fitting, with a humble attitude, to cry out to God and ask him to bring justice.
Paul Carter suggests one of the reasons that we are perhaps so afraid to pray such prayers. He writes:
It may be that our current dissatisfaction with the imprecatory psalms owes largely to the fact that we struggle, thankfully, to identify any real enemies or adversaries in our lives. We’ve never been surrounded by foes who seek our destruction. Our words are not daily twisted and contorted. We are not on the run, living in a cave, one step ahead of those who want to kill us.
We are at home – perhaps too at home – in our largely peaceful, prosperous and accommodating culture and so we feel no particular attachment to these desperate and bloody psalms.
Yet I imagine they seem a little more comprehensible to Christians hiding from the authorities in mainline China.
I imagine they flow right off the tongue in the labour camps of North Korea.
I imagine they bring comfort, hope and resolve in the basement of Evin prison in Tehran. [Should Christians “Unhitch” from the Imprecatory Psalms? - The Gospel Coalition | Canada]
Notice, coming back to our text, what David goes on to write...
7 Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You,
And over them return on high.
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
Notice the heart of David. His deep desire is that God’s people would surround him in worship, and that God would bring final justice. His desire is that those that are engaging in wickedness would be brought to a stop. His desire is that there would no longer be such wickedness and injustice at the hands of sinful men, but rather that righteousness would prevail.
This is the heart of us as the people of God. We desire righteousness and justice in a world that is filled with injustice. Our souls long for this, because by nature, as those created in the image of Almighty God, we are those who understand justice, and as those who are in Christ, we understand true justice and morality as set forthy by God.
Notice with me, fourthly…
4. David’s Expression of Confidence (vv.10-17)
4. David’s Expression of Confidence (vv.10-17)
David is confident that God will indeed intervene, and do that which is right. His confidence is in the fact that God is just, and he will enact righteous judgment in his time.
In verse 10-11 David writes…
10 My shield is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.
Now let me just say, I heard this passage preached by one pastors who belaboured the point that we are all sinners, implying that God’s wrath is against us. And I understand what he was trying to say, but I don’t think his words quite fitted the context of the Psalm.
Yes, we are wicked. Yes, we are sinners. But we are the redeemed of God, and we are those clothed in the righteousness of Christ. If you have not repented of your sin and trusted in Christ as Saviour, living for him, then yes, God’s wrath is against you, and is being stored up against you every day. I urge you to repent. But as those who are in Christ, we rest secure in the righteousness of Christ.
We certainly are reminded in these times that God is a just and a righteous and a holy God. If anything, this leads us to deep humility. We don’t call out to God these imprecatory Psalms out of a place of prideful self-righteousness. Rather, we are reminded that God is indeed holy and just. And we will seek to live righteousness and justice to His glory.
But we should humbly cry out for the justice of God to be brought about.
Notice what David says next…
Psalm 7:12 (NIV84)
12 If he [speaking about the unjust / unrighteous man] does not relent,
he [that is God] will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.
The righteous wrath of God is being prepared against those in rebellion against Him. But notice that little phrase by David. “If he does not repent/ relent....” It is always our desire that the one persecuting comes to repentance and turns from their ways. David desired this. This was not a malicious, destroy at all costs desire in his heart.
But if persecution is to come our way, and those who engage in persecution do not refrain, we must rest in the secure knowledge that our God stands ready as that great warrior that none can defeat!
14 He who is pregnant with evil
and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
15 He who digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit he has made.
16 The trouble he causes recoils on himself;
his violence comes down on his own head.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Ultimately, David places his trust and confidence in God. David is able to give thanks to the Lord, and even to sing his praises, even though he suffers in the midst of persecution.
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
In summary and conclusion..
In a time of persecution, David once again demonstrates to us that it is appropriate to express our confidence in God. He indeed is our strength and our refuge. He is our ever present help in trouble. He is the one that will act on our behalf.
Next, we see that David is careful that he is not acting according to the manner in which he is accused. Scripture is very clear, that if we suffer for doing wrong, then it is of no value to us. If we suffer because we are acting corruptly, or we are failing to order our lives according to the will of God, and are instead living in a manner contrary to the Word, then we should not expect God to come to our defense in such a time. In fact, it is probable that we need humble ourselves and repent of our sin before God.
But further to that, in times of severe persecution, we may cry out to God. Yes, we may even, in deep humility, call out to God and ask him to bring justice to those that are acting maliciously against us in order to destroy us.
Just one comment on that… we must do that with humility. There are many fiery characters that perceive that just about everyone around them is an enemy to them. We truly speak here of those who hate God and Christ, and are opposed to Him, and are acting in opposition to those seeking to live in obedience to God.
And then we express our confidence and our hope in God. We rest int he knowledge that he is indeed the righteous judge, and he will defend us and keep us. He is the one to hold us in his hands.
One final thought in closing. Christ is ultimately the one that can most properly pray the imprecatory Psalms. It is Christ himself that looks forward to true justice being carried out! Even in his life, Christ prayed the imprecatory Psalms. Let us be sure that a day will come when those who have rejected Christ, will themselves face Christ, and they will be brought low before Him.
Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Be encouraged dear brothers and sisters, that although persecution may come, we serve a victorious Saviour.
Let us continue to serve Him with confidence and great resolve!