But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
The Daily Psalms are given with the intention to encourage Christians to read and meditate on these scriptures in order to grow in their faith and relationship with God. They are released every Tuesday and Thursday for the following week on all major Podcast platforms. May the Lord bless you as you ponder His Word.
Presented by Michael Mullen
Walking down a dark alley in a large city, suddenly you become aware of the presence of an enemy. Six men have stepped out of the shadows and they now surround you. At this point, you definitely sense an ominous threat to your safety and well-being. The typical reaction most men experience under such circumstances is called the “fight or flight syndrome.” But what is the underlying emotion in such cases? Fear, fight, and flight are typically rooted in self-preservation. While this is a factor in the response, it is not the primary factor. David’s primary interest is that God be glorified in the destruction of His enemies. His attitude in this psalm is similar to his reaction to Goliath who had the gall to oppose the armies of the living God! No godly man can witness the acts of wicked men without being filled with holy anger and the desire for God to act in righteous judgment. These are the sentiments of the Psalmist in this psalm.
His reaction is also rooted in relationship. Take, for example, the town bully who chases a little boy through the neighborhood, fully intending to inflict serious bodily harm. As the little boy rounds the corner into his own yard, he runs into His father and jumps into His arms. Since the son is in relationship with the father, any offense the bully would pay to the son would constitute an equal offense to the father as well.
David is the victim of an unjust and cruel warfare. It would be one thing if he had committed an act worthy of death, such as killing someone in cold blood. But David maintains his innocence against these charges. Certainly, unwarranted accusations are not uncommon for those righteous men that lead in the public arena, especially in civil government. When you take a stand for what is right, the opposition (that is, those who despise the law of God) will try to discredit you by twisting your words or by implicating you with some wrongdoing.
David pleads for the destruction of the nations that oppose God, and he asks God to withhold all mercy from the “wicked transgressors.” Overcome by his zeal for justice, is David giving way to hyperbolic language? You may remember from Psalm 51 that David counted himself as a transgressor, so he cannot be asking God to withhold mercy from everyone that has transgressed the law of God. Yet with these words he still maintains a strong sense of antithesis between those that are in covenant with God and those that are outside of the covenant. For those that remain in a stated position of rebellion against God, David prays for God’s retributive justice.
There is a kingdom of Satan and this kingdom is filled with those who oppose God and refuse to repent. They are destructive and act often with impunity. Speaking of kings and rulers who act in rebellion to God, David compares them with dogs that act ferocious with grandiose barks and fierce snarls, but are quite easily overcome. Using language similar to that found in Psalms 2 and 52, David reminds us that God laughs in the face of these proud, rebellious powers. At any time, without a moment’s notice, He may choose to destroy them.
Maybe our praying is too soft. Maybe when we see the wickedness of our age, we dismiss it. But there will come a time when God will make all things right. That should be a focus of our praying. There are things that are utterly wicked that are not so far from us. The starving child, the abused woman, the victimized man are all people whom we should cover in our prayer, and seek to shelter with our actions. That is to act righteously. That is to be like Christ. And for those institutions or strongholds with in society that cater to lust and greed, that encourage violence and abuse, we should ask God to tear them down, even as he protects us from them.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Lord God Almighty,
You know us better than we know ourselves,
And so we come to you in humbleness,
To forgive us of our selfishness,
and come and cleanse our people of their wickedness.
Deal with the nations that oppose you
With a stern hand,
Breaking them down to a humble place where they might repent.
Until then. Be our fortress.
Protect us from all who would seek
to attack us for your names sake.
Be our shelter.
Be our fortress.
In Jesus Holy name do we pray this.
Amen.