Meditations on the Psalms

He Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thou-sand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."

There are numerous Scriptures that inspire a preacher with awe. He fears that he would detract from their beauty when attempting to explain them. This is how I feel about Psalm 91, as well as many other Scriptures.

This psalm describes the tranquillity of the godly man who is preserved by God from the perils that threaten him spiritually, physically, emotionally, ideologically and socially. In spite of their abundance and seriousness, they do not destroy the believer, although they do bother him sometimes. But all of them combined are nothing in comparison with the heavenly power and the divine love shown to the believer. Perils are numerous, but the divine care is by far greater. This compels the believer to say, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

The believer finds himself up against spiritual perils that threaten his relationship with God and try to destroy his morals. The apostle Peter describes our spiritual enemy, the devil, as walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Yet the Lord grants the believer victory over the devil and his soldiers, so that he might hear the encouraging words of the angel: " 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!'" (Zechariah 4:6,7). Then the believer will say in response, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). Besides, he will reiterate Christ's words: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven"(Luke 10:18). No matter how harsh the spiritual difficulty that the believer comes up against, it never frustrates him, but through the grace of God, it turns into a help that pushes him upward. It becomes a blessing for both himself and those around him, as was the case with Joseph when his brothers sold him into Egypt. Joseph said to them after he had risen to the top, "Do not therefore be grieved ... because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life ... to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God ... you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Genesis 45:4-8; 50:20).

The believer also comes up against physical perils; his enemies assault him either to hurt him or murder him, but he says, "Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident" (Psalms 27:3). Sickness takes him, but he knows that the Lord will heal him (Exodus 15:26). He may heal him through medication as it happened with Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:21), or through a miracle as was the case with Bartimaeus and many others (Mark 10:52). The Lord may also give him sufficient grace to endure his sickness the way He did with Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9). Believers will be in perfect health after they have gone to be with the Lord, where there will be no more sickness or pain (Revelation 21:4). The enemies, however, will fall and pay for their sin.

The believer also comes up against ideological perils; he may have doubt or be bewildered. He may dread the future, anticipate failure, or fear his enemies, so he cries out, "LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, 'There is no help for him in God'" (Psalms 3:1,2). God's grace holds him up; he exclaims, "But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head" (Psalms 3:3), and obeys Christ's command: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34).

The believer comes up against perils in his society. He may suffer persecution, get fired from his job, or be betrayed by those nearest to him. Yet he responds, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations, or distress, or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?" (Romans 8:35).

The difficulties that engulf the believer in all the stages of his life are numerous, and each life stage has its own temptations and troubles. But the divine promises hold him up in all of them, granting him victory over them. At such times in life his response to the Lord would be: "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust." If we love Him He will deliver us. The church today may be undergoing an experience like that of Israel in Egypt, but we will come out of it by the grace of God. We may go through an experience like the Babylonian captivity, but the Lord will certainly bring back our captivity. And when this happens we will return home without anything that may weaken our relationship with God, and the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former one. " 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts" (Haggai 2:9).

This psalm is made up of sixteen verses; the first half is a discourse about the believer's experiences with the Lord, and the second half is God's discourse for the believers.

The psalm includes the following:

• First: The psalmist's discourse of himself (verses 1,2)

• Second: The psalmist's discourse to his neighbour (verses 3-8)

• Third: God's discourse to the psalmist (verses 9-16)

	First: The Psalmist's Discourse about Himself

(verses 1,2)

1. A general rule: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty"(verse 1). These words are not catch phrases to set people's minds at ease, but rather truths and life experiences. Those who claimed that "religion is the opium for the nations" have given way and come to an end. But God's words are living and steadfast truths, experienced by the believers down the ages, and they will be there for them to experience and trust in until His kingdom comes. They are not a matter of the past, but are ever present as a daily reality. The psalmist says that he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The one who dwells is the one who lives peacefully, and abides under His shadow and protection. It is he whose life is in Christ, who has known what it means to live in victorious resurrection and to sit with Christ in the heavenly places (Philippians 1:21; 3:10; Ephesians 2:6).

   1. The believer dwells and abides:"He dwells" means that he takes up lodgings, and he abides (Heb.: spends the night) because as a member of the household he spends the night in the safety of his Father's house. After having been adopted by God he now dwells in the house of the Lord "forever" (Psalms 23:6). He dwells in sweet fellowship among the believers, and shuts his eyes to sleep in safety because a watchful eye guards him, the eye of the loving God. Therefore he exclaims, "I lay down and slept; I awoke for the Lord sustained me.... I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety" (Psalms 3:5; 4:8).

   2. The Lord is the Almighty and Most High:He is Most High above all that are high, who looks down from His heavens and sees all things; nothing is hidden from Him. Both past and future are present before Him, and He knows the need of the believer even before he asks (Matthew 6:8). He not only knows it but fulfils it. The Most High God is Lord of all the earth, the inhabitant of heaven, who looks down from heaven upon mankind to see "if there are any who understand, who seek God" (Psalms 14:2). "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). He is the Almighty to whom Jeremiah prayed, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You" (Jeremiah 32:17). Christ also said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27). To Him the triumphant believers shout, "Great and marvellous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!" (Revelation 15:3).

   3. The believer is covered and overshadowed:The Lord covers the believer with His own covering, giving him access to His shelter and protection. Thus no evil or enemies can approach him. He overshadows him so that no plague can come near him, nor troubles from people, nor from the unclean spirits. No troubles from his enemies who plot and scheme against him will harm him, nor his friends who may corner him with their useless pieces of advice! The world, for its part, tries to humiliate the believer, but humiliation cannot penetrate his soul, since his motto is: "In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock" (Psalms 27:5). "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalms 32:7). "The LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David" (Zechariah 12:8). "How precious is Your loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings" (Psalms 36:7). "The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand"(Psalms 121:5). Evil men try to harass the believer, but he does not get irritated, because the grace of the Lord drives away all irritation away from him, and so he overcomes. And his victory is the result of knowing that he does not deal with men, but with the Lord of men.

2. A personal experience (verse 2):

   1. The psalmist is a man of prayer: "I will say of the LORD"(verse 2a). The loving conversation and intellectual communication with God through prayer is the beginning of living by faith; it is also a public declaration for the glory of God that leads others to the way of faith and repentance. When a penitent sinner prays, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" (Luke 18:13) heaven's gates open wide to send the response immediately, justifying the penitent sinner. When Saul of Tarsus met the risen, living Christ, it was said of him, "Behold, he is praying"(Acts 9:11). Heaven continues to respond to the penitent sinner and the Lord says of him, "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear" (Isaiah 65:24). God's godly children are characterized by conversing with God continually, out of confidence and dependence, adopting the motto: "But I give myself to prayer" (Psalms 109:4).

   2. The psalmist has a personal relationship with God: "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God"(verse 2b). A refuge is a fortress built on a mountain, surrounded by high walls, making it difficult for an enemy to reach it or climb up to break into it. The Lord is truly a wall of fire around the believer and a strong tower to which the righteous run and are safe (Proverbs 18:10). In Him there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). The Lord is the great maker of heaven and earth, and yet He gives the believer a special place in His loving heart, so the godly person cannot help but call Him "my God." "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song of Solomon 2:16). "The God to whom I belong and whom I serve..." (Acts 27:23).

   3. The psalmist has a confident relationship with God: "In Him I will trust"(verse 2c). How great is the confidence of the believer who has come to know God and experience Him, who has been reassured of his belonging to Him and has begun to act on what he knew and experienced. This part "In Him I will trust" builds on the previous facts. To put it in other words: "Since You are my refuge, my fortress, and my God, I will trust in You, especially in times of need. You alone are worthy of trust and I feel secure with You." "The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned"(Psalms 34:22).

	Second: The Psalmist's Discourse to his Neighbour

(verses 3-8)

1. The psalmist tells his neighbour what God does: "Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler"(verses 3,4).

   1. "He shall deliver you": "From the snare of the fowler": A fowler is a hunter. The biggest hunter of all, who sets traps for the children of men, is the devil. He gathers around him an army of men whom he has deceived. The psalmist portrays them as follows: "Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, and plan deception all the day long"(Psalms 38:12). The apostle Paul told his disciple Timothy to humbly correct those who are opposed to him, "if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will"(2 Timothy 2:25,26). The devil assumes the role of a lion to carry out his evil purpose of taking people captive, and he roars to frighten the believers (1 Peter 5:8). Yet he is not a true lion. When the believer is within the Christ's pale, the unseen hunter cannot harm him. The devil cannot reach him or get to him, because he is protected by the Lord who keeps him. To him the word is fulfilled: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17). And he says with Ezra, "And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road"(Ezra 8:31). All the devil can do is suggest a rebellion against God's thoughts, because he cannot actually force anyone to practice evil. He cannot snatch the believer out of God's hand, as long as the believer himself is holding on to it. So let us be alert to refuse the devil's tempting suggestions and offers, in order not to get caught in the fowler's snare.

      "From the perilous pestilence":There are pestilences and diseases from which the Lord heals the believer, but the most perilous pestilence is that of sin, which corrupts man. It corrupts society, too, when sin becomes the norm and godliness becomes the exception! Truly "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:43).

   2. He will overshadow you: "He shall cover you with His feathers"(verse 4a). Those feathers are the soft, small coverts that cover the bases of the longer feathers under the wings. A little nestling cannot stand the roughness of big feathers, therefore God provided birds with coverts to cover their fledglings so that they would not to be hurt by the bigger feathers. How great is God's consideration, which does not discriminate between young and old. When somebody is hurting on the inside or the outside, He binds up his wounds with utmost love.

   3. He will give you shelter: "And under His wings you shall take refuge"(verse 4b,c). It is as if the Lord has great wings with which He protects the believer from the evils in the world, the hurtful sun of temptations, and the attack of the enemy. Boaz said to Ruth the Moabitess, "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge" (Ruth 2:12). A bigger bird may come and try to snatch away the small nestling, but the father or mother bird hurries and stretches out its wings to protect the young one. The eagle also teaches its young ones how to fly by using its great wings. "As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings" (Deuteronomy 32:11).

      The believer finds shelter in God's revealed truth, which is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Soldiers in the old days used to protect themselves with a big shield and a smaller shield, buckler. Shields were made of wicker, or of leather soaked in oil, to keep them from cracking, and were stretched over wooden frames, with handles on the inside. The soldier would carry the shield with his left arm to ward off the arrows, which would sink into the wooden frame. Soldiers often wrapped a burning piece of cloth round their arrows, and the shield protected the soldier carrying it from burning and bleeding. The soldier would pull the arrow out of his shield and redirect it toward his enemy; thus the arrow of the enemy will bounce back to him. The New Testament confirms that the shield which protects the believer is the shield of faith, believing in the divine truth, with which the believer quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16). The more often the enemy attacks us, the more frequently do we resort to God's revealed truth in the Bible, so that we may not lose our sound mind due to the attack, but rather obtain a sound mind from the truth of God. For "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

      Do you have any doubt in the Lord's love for us? Many times we pray and God does not grant us what we pray for, so we imagine that He does not hear. But the LORD says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Luke 11:9). And the psalmist says, "I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry"(Psalms 40:1). The Lord listens when we call upon Him; sometimes He hears our request and rejects it because it is not the best for us. At other times He may take time to answer us in order to grant us what we need at a better time. He may also grant us what we ask for. This is the truth that protects us from doubts. Christ said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). The truth is that God is love. This is what the prodigal son discovered. For on his way back to his father, he was afraid of being rejected by him. But he soon learned the truth about his father's love for him, and that he waited for his return every day. This freed him from all doubts concerning his father's acceptance of him. We, too, must be confident that the heavenly Father does not desire that the sinner remain in the Far Country; but return to Him and live. Therefore never despair of the love of your heavenly Father, because His heart is open wide for you. The father said about his prodigal son as he returned, "Let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:23,24). This is the truth that liberates from sin, fear and doubt.

2. The psalmist speaks to his neighbour about what a neighbour should do (verses 5-8):

   1. He must not fear: "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday"(verses 5,6). The eyes of the Lord watch the believer everywhere, by day and night, in the darkness and at noonday. The Jews used to divide the day into dawn and noon, sunset and midnight. So the psalmist reassured his fellow believer that he should not be afraid at any hour of the day from disease and pestilence that may come, or the enemy who might attack us by night. Sometimes all this together happens by day. Under all these circumstances there is no need to fear or fret. Let us ask of the LORD to fulfil to us His promise: "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught" (Proverbs 3:24-26). Some expositors stated that the night and darkness stand for the time of failure, and that daylight and noonday stand for the time of success. There are some perils that threaten us at the time of failure, causing us to collapse and fall under pressure. But the times of success may be more dangerous to our spiritual life, causing us to forget God and think that our success was due to our own intelligence. We may stray away from the Lord because we start to depend on money, friends, scholarly accomplishments or the influence of our families. We must not fear the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day. Let our prayer be: "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the LORD?' or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8,9).

   2. He will see the fall of the wicked: "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked"(verses 7,8). The psalmist makes it plain to every believer that he is distinguished and kept by the power of God for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:5). "Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him" (Malachi 3:18). The Lord has set apart the godly one for Himself, for at the time of the exodus water was turned into blood in all the land of Egypt except in the land of Goshen (Exodus 7:20), darkness swept over the land of idolaters, while the people of God had light in their homes (Exodus 10:21). Screams were heard in every house except in the houses of those who took shelter under the blood and the destroying angel passed over them (Exodus 12:23). The people of God crossed the Red Sea in peace, while thousands of the enemies were drowned in it (Exodus 14:30,31).

      So let us be alert and learn our lesson. Let us repent so that we might escape the destiny of the wicked who fall into the pit which they dug for others. Let us pray, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" that our sins might be forgiven and have the pledge of everlasting life as Job said, "Put down a pledge for me with Yourself" (Job 17:3). Let us have a trusting faith in God and His promises, so that we may become like Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh who said that the Lord will make good His promise to his people. Those two received their reward, while the dead corpses of all those who did not believe fell in the wilderness. Caleb and Joshua saw with their own eyes the punishment of the wicked who did not believe in the promise of their Lord (Numbers 14:36-38).

	Third: God's Discourse to the Psalmist

(verses 9-16)

1. The Lord promises the believer that His protection will continue: "Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling"(verses 9,10). The believer takes courage from the truth of the Lord's words with which he began the psalm, saying, "Because You have made...."The believer did not love God in word only, but in deed and in truth. He told the truth when he said, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."He told the truth when he encouraged his neighbour with the thought that thousands would fall around him, while no evil would befall him. The believer testified about his experience, and spoke with his neighbour about the goodness of the LORD, so in turn God testified about the believer that he was faithful and trusting. "Whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance"(Matthew 13:12). Therefore, the Lord confirmed His assurance to the believer that He would continue with him, and that no evil shall befall him personally, nor shall any plague come near his dwelling, namely his body, family, church or society. Christ entered the ship of the believer's life, therefore it could not sink regardless how strong the tempest or how high the billows may rise! Christ said, "Abide in Me, and I in you" (John 15:4). No harm would befall the branch that abides in the heavenly vine, and no plague would come near his house. If God allows a plague to afflict the believer, it is because "all things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28). The Lord will turn the plague that He has permitted to come near the home of the believer into a blessing that will make its foundation deeper and increase its stability and strength.

2. The LORD promises the believer an angelic service: "For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot"(verses 11-13). Angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). The believer seldom sees the angels with his physical eyes but they are there around him nonetheless. The angel opened Hagar's eyes to see the well of water in order to give Ishmael to drink and not die of thirst (Genesis 21:19). The angels reassured Jacob, the father of the Israelite tribes, as he was sleeping in the desert all alone (Genesis 28:12). The angel of the LORD came to Elijah in the desert with a cake and a cup of water. He drank and slept from the intense fatigue, and was later awakened by the angel in order to have yet another meal (1 Kings 19:4-8). Daniel said in the den of lions, "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths" (Daniel 6:22). The angel opened the prison gates for Peter, woke him up and let him out to freedom (Acts 12:7-10). The angels ministered to Christ after His triumph over of the three temptations of the devil in the desert (Matthew 4:11). The angels rejoice over a penitent sinner (Luke 15:10), as well as carry the soul of the believer to heaven (Luke 16:22), and in the last day they will be the harvesters of men's souls (Matthew 13:39). "The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalms 34:7). Even Satan knows of the angels' ministry to the believers; for Christ quoted verses 11 and 12 of our psalm when He was tempted to cast Himself down from the mountain, so that the angels might preserve Him, and that men might follow Him (Matthew 4:6).

   God's angels protect the believers from the obvious dangers which the psalmist points at using the figure of the lion and the young lion, as well as the hidden dangers such as the cobra and the snakes. The Bible describes Satan as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8) and the serpent of old (Revelation 12:9; 20:2) but "the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans 16:20). Let the believers rest assured, because the seed of the woman, who crushed the head of the serpent, will deliver them from both lions and snakes and give them the opportunity to tread on them. The word "tread on" has a military significance. A victorious leader used to put his foot on the neck of his defeated opponent, and that would be a declaration of the surrender of the defeated party and the triumph of the conqueror. And in Christ we can say, "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

   "For thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; on her sides shall you be carried, and be dandled on her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you'"(Isaiah 66:12,13).

3. The Lord promises the believer an intimate relationship (verses 14-16):

   1. The believer loves God and therefore He delivers him: "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him"(verse 14a). The believer sets his love upon the Lord because the Lord has set His love upon the believer. He simply loves the Lord because the Lord first loved him (1 John 4:19). "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins"(1 John 4:10). Moses said to the people of God, "The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day" (Deuteronomy 7:7; 10:15). And they say in response, "You shall surround me with songs of deliverance"(Psalms 32:7). King Darius told the truth as he said, "He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions" (Daniel 6:27). It was also the Lord Himself who delivered Joseph from Pharaoh's prison and set him up on the throne (Genesis 41:14; 41-44), and delivered David from the hand of Saul to give him kingship over His people (2 Samuel 1:4). And it was also the Lord who delivered Mordecai from the conspiracy of Haman (Esther 3-8).

   2. The believer knows God and therefore God sets him on high: "I will set him on high, because he has known My name"(verse 14b). Because of the divine revelation about the character of God and the work on the Holy Spirit in the heart, the believer knows the LORD in a personal way, and in doing so the statement is fulfilled in him: "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You" (Psalms 9:10). The believer goes on say, "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death ... Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me"(Philippians 3:10,12). At this point the LORD lifts up the believer, making him reach higher levels of holiness and nearness to God, so that his head might be lifted up above his enemies around him. "The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground" (Psalms 147:6). "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory" (1 Samuel 2:8).

   3. The believer calls upon God and He answers him: "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him"(verse 15a). The believer loves the Lord and speaks with Him in the intimate way a son would speak to his father, "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). God answers and grants him the blessings of both heaven and earth.

      1. He delivers him from trouble: "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him"(verse 15b). The LORD says, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me"(Psalms 50:15). And the believer answers, "But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill" (Psalms 3:3,4).

      2. He gives him a long life: "With long life I will satisfy him"(verse 16a). This is a fulfilment of the divine promises, "That you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days" (Deuteronomy 30:20). The inspired scholar said: "My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you ... Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honour" (Proverbs 3:1,2,16). This is unlike the situation of the wicked who will "fall at your side," whom the Lord will punish according to their wickedness (verses 7,8). By "long life" God does not mean many years, because one may have many long years but no fruit and no productivity. And on the other hand one may have few years that leave a blessed impact. Christ spent 33 years on earth, and the final three years of His public ministry were by far the richest. Let us use our days for the glory of God, and let us ask of Him to restore the years which the swarming locusts have devoured (Joel 2:25).

      3. He will show him His salvation: "And show him My salvation"(verse 16b). The psalmist asks for the Lord's salvation to His people from captivity, from war, from the enemies, from famine and from disease. The gospel, however, presents us with a deeper meaning of salvation, namely salvation from sin through the redemption of Christ who died for us on the cross. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"(John 3:16). "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you"(1 Peter 1:3,4). Christ's salvation is not confined to deliverance from sin; it is complete and comprehensive.

         Come, let us dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty, so that He might show us His salvation.

	Questions

1. In verse 2 the psalmist gives three descriptions to his personal relationship with God. What are these descriptions?

2. God does three things to the psalmist's neighbour. What are these three?

An Invitation to Praise on the Day of the Lord

1 A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; 2 To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, 3 On an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound. 4 For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. 5 O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. 6 A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this. 7 When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever. 8 But You, LORD, are on high forevermore. 9 For behold, Your enemies, O LORD, for behold, Your enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 10 But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. 11 My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; my ears hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me. 12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, 15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

This psalm is a praise for the Sabbath day, on which the psalmist praises the LORD, using all different types of stringed musical instruments (verse 3) to add more joy to his delightful praise. It is an optimistic psalm of joy, because it praises the Most High God (verse 1) who is on high forevermore (verse 8), who looks down from the height of the heavens and sees all the needs of the believer, and extends His great and loving hand to meet them all. It is also a praise to the just Lord who scatters all the workers of iniquity (verse 9) and grants the believer the spiritual fruit to "flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (verse 12). The believer also praises the LORD who watches the sinner, punishes him and cleanses the earth from his evil deeds, as well as shows mercy on those who receive His mercy, and cleanses them and prunes them to yield much and permanent fruit in all the stages of their lives. "They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing" (verse 14) and not fear old age because they will spend it with Christ who said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Let us join with the psalmist in praising God who created us in His image, according to His likeness, because man was created in the image of a Merciful One. But as man corrupted his beautiful image by his disobedience to God, God planned his redemption and the atonement of his sins to restore to him the first image, which sin disfigured. Every believer born of God testifies to this truth, since "through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned... For if by the one man's offence death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:12,17). Then they will proclaim that the LORD is just, without iniquity, and tell that He is the rock of the believer on Whom he rests and in Whom he finds protection (verse 15).

Let us join the psalmist in praise on the day of the LORD, on which the people of old celebrated the consummation of the act of creation, and on which Christians celebrate the consummation of the act of redemption by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. For Christ was crucified on Friday, and rose from the dead on Sunday, "For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation" (Isaiah 12:2).

The psalm includes the following:

• First: The righteous praises God (verses 1-7)

• Second: The righteous rejoices in God (verses 8-15)

	First: The Righteous Person Praises God

(verses 1-7)

The commencement of Psalm 92 is similar to that of Psalm 33, in describing the beauty of singing to the Lord with accompaniment of instruments.

1. Description of singing (verses 1-3):

   1. Singing is a duty: "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High"(verse 1). The Lord is God, who created us, He is also the Lord of all the earth. He is the Most High above everyone who is exalted in all the earth. He holds everything under control, and is the one invested with full authority and power. Therefore He alone is worthy of our singing to Him, "For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful" (Psalms 147:1). So let's praise Him at all times, because He takes care of us and provides for our needs. Let our motto be: "What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD" (Psalms 116:12,13).

      Singing is also good for the believer for when he sings he is relieved of his pains. In the midst of troubles try to thank God, and you'll find out that you have been revived. Say, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" (Psalms 103:2). Martin Luther used to say, "Come, lets us sing a psalm to drive away the demons" because the spirit of praise, thanksgiving, and joy disperses despair, grief and frustration. Then we shall say, "Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing" (Psalms 126:2). Through praise we rise above the troubles of the world and focus on the Lord, the King of the kingdom, for He is our heavenly Father Who showers us with blessings, and out of the eater brings something to eat, and out of the strong something sweet (Judges 14:14). He encourages us, saying, "Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them"(Isaiah 3:10). Let us try thanksgiving and praise, and not focus our thoughts on the troubles that face us, because He will grant us victory over them and their aftermath. Then that our souls will fill with thanksgiving to the King of kings, and everyone around us will hear "The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous" (Psalms 118:15). How lovely it is to hear the voices of the triumphant believers as they sing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Revelation 15:3). Moses sang as he led the people of God to political freedom, but the song of the Lamb is the song of spiritual freedom and the taking away of the sin of the world.

      Singing is great because it is the language of nature, as it praises God: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalms 19:1). And as we gaze into the fields we say, "The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing" (Psalms 65:13).

      Praise is good because it is the language of angels. How lovely the praises were that filled the skies above the earth right before the birth of Christ, which were concluded by the great song, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"(Luke 2:14). And how lovely was the song of the angels which Isaiah the prophet heard, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:3).

   2. Singing is a testimony: "To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night"(verse 2). In the morning as well as in the evening the psalmist declares to all those around him the mercy and faithfulness of God, and his declaration is made through singing and thanksgiving. At the beginning of every day and at the end of it he testifies to God's faithfulness. The mosaic Law demanded the offering of a sacrifice to the Lord in the morning and the offing of another one in the evening (Exodus 29:38,39). The psalmist said, "As for me, I will call upon God, and the LORD shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice" (Psalms 55:16,17). In the morning he sings to declare God's mercy which preserved him in peace throughout the night because "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalms 30:5). "His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness"(Lamentations 3:22,23). And in the evening he sings to declare that the faithful God walked with him throughout the day.

   3. Singing is delightful: "On an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp"(verse 3). The psalmist sings his psalm with delight accompanied by musical instruments, joining all God's creation in singing and praising God. For the trees of the woods shall rejoice (1 Chronicles 16:33), the morning stars together, and all the sons of God (Job 38:7), as well the valleys sing (Psalms 65:13). The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing (Isaiah 55:12). In the Book of Revelation one reads of the singing of the 144 thousand believers upon whose foreheads the name of the Lord is written. They will play on their harps and sing a new song before the throne (Revelation 14:1-5). Musical instruments will accompany the singing to add beauty to it. There will be harps, ten stringed lyres, which were the best musical instruments in the time of the psalmist. But even if there aren't any instruments to play, the believers will sing hymns and spiritual songs in their hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19). In this praise there is similarity as well as newness: "Sing to Him a new song; play skilfully with a shout of joy" (Psalms 33:3).

2. Two motives to singing (verses 4-7):

   1. To thank the Creator: "For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep"(verses 4,5). The Lord's works are ever increasing in magnitude. They continue to help man and work for the good of mankind at large. They are all holy. How great are His works and how delightful are they to the believer - in creation, in redemption and in daily providence. Let us meditate on nature and its beauty, the mountains and their magnificence, the seas and the magnitude, and together with these let us meditate on the lilies of the fields with their splendid colours and unique leaves. They were all wisely created! Meditate also on His works in the atonement, the redemption and forgiveness. Ponder over how He clothed our first parents after they were stripped naked by disobedience and unable to cover themselves, and how He redeemed Isaac the son of Abraham by His great sacrifice, which foreshadowed Christ, who was to redeem mankind. Only in the cross of Christ do we see mercy and truth, as the psalmist said, "Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed"(Psalms 85:10). Likewise, meditate on his unique providence as He feeds the birds and clothes the flowers! His providence encompasses everything. How lovely are Christ's words: "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17). The living Lord is at work among us; He works miracles without end, because our needs continue and because He does not change, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). But it is strange that there are those who deny the occurrence of miracles today. It seems that they have become self-sufficient, complacent, satisfied with their scientific and material capabilities which are supposed to solve every problem. Or perhaps they believe that God is no more willing to work miracles. The truth is that scientific progress has revealed to man the scope of his ignorance, and any true scientist is a humble man. God still loves mankind and will continue to do so. He wants to lend them a hand at all times.

   2. To stay away from foolishness: "A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this. When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever"(verses 6,7). Man is senseless and foolish unless he looks up to learn from God. A wise man is the man who asks God to teach him, instruct him and train him (Psalm 25), and hears the LORD saying to him, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Psalms 32:8). After the LORD had opened the eyes of the psalmist to the truth, he refused to walk in the ways of the wicked, even if he saw them prospering in the affairs of this world, because of pride and posterity will soon fade away. They are like grass that grows quickly but dries even quicker. "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb" (Psalms 37:1,2). It is quite odd that the wicked who are intelligent in the matters of the world are foolish in the matters of God, for they are not aware of the miracles of creation, redemption and providence. They assume that their wealth is an outcome of their own intelligence and perseverance, forgetting the grace of God that saves from sin. Although it is available to them, they do not enjoy it, because they deny it or reject it. "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" (Psalms 14:1). It is true that "whoever believes in Him should not perish" (John 3:16) but those who refuse must perish, their memory must be blotted out from the earth, and hell must be their final home. They are like chaff carried away by the wind, no matter how lush and prosperous they may seem (Psalm 1:4). The wicked are grass (verse 7) but the believer is a palm tree and cedar (verse 12). So which do you want to be?

	Second: The Righteous Person Rejoices in God

(verses 8-15)

In this part of the psalm the psalmist expresses his joy in the Lord's justice, for He punishes the sinner for his wickedness. The righteous may seem to be harsh on the wicked, but the truth is that the wicked incurred that wickedness on himself. As to the righteous, he must rejoice in the blessings of His loving God who justified him.

1. The righteous rejoices in God's justice which punishes the sinner: "But You, LORD, are on high forevermore. For behold, Your enemies, O LORD, for behold, Your enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered"(verses 8,9). In these two verses the psalmist speaks to his high and uplifted LORD, who sees all things and nothing is hidden from Him, and who must reward each and every one according to their work (Matthew 16:27). The psalmist uses two adjectives to describe the sinners; he calls them "the enemies of the Lord", and "workers of iniquity". Can someone dare antagonise the Lord, as exalted and eternal as He is? He must have lost all good sense, because "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). The apostle Paul explains to us the cause of such folly when he says, "...whose minds the god of this age (the devil) has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them"(2 Corinthians 4:4). Their antagonism to the Lord is not caused by the Lord's vague revelation of Himself to them, but because Satan has blinded their hearts and minds. God sent them prophet and apostles, and even Christ came to them as a Saviour, yet "although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21). Christ said to the people of Jerusalem who rejected Him, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate" (Matthew 23:37,38). Those who work iniquity fulfil Satan's will, and they're the sons of the devil. They must pay the price for their deviation and receive the recompense of their evils, "For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation" (Isaiah 51:8).

2. The righteous rejoices in God's justice which rewards the believer (verses 10-15):

   1. God grants him victory over his enemies: "But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; my ears hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me"(verses 10,11). The horn is a symbol of strength. A wild ox uses it to attack its enemy, and to incapacitate that enemy. Likewise, the Lord gives the believer invincible power to be always victorious. It makes him stand safe and says, "All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted"(Psalm 75:10). The Lord gives the believer "fresh oil" for anointment. This oil is extracted from olives. The LORD anoints the believer with it to honour and refresh him. This is a symbol of the divine grace with which the Lord anoints us every day. When you feel weary and spiritually dry, go into your room, shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly by a real refreshment (Matthew 6:6).

      Spiritual dryness makes our spiritual muscles stiffen, causing us to be defeated by the little temptations. But the anointing of the Holy Spirit gives us the power to face the temptations of life triumphantly. For that reason, let us ask the Lord for "fresh oil" because Christ said, "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24). Again He said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses" (Acts 1:8).

      The wicked spy on the believer in order to accuse him or attack him. They spy because they don't have the courage to confront. They're weak and powerless compared with his moral strength. They must be punished and the eyes of the believer must see, and his ears must hear of the disaster that waits for them. He does not avenge himself on them, but he sees and hears that the Lord, the just God, has done it. "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves...for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace" (Exodus 14:14). "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

   2. God plants him in His house: "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God"(verses 12,13). The believer loves the house of the LORD and wants to dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalms 23:6). The psalmist must have been thinking of a palm tree and a cedar planted in the court of the temple. As he saw them day by day, he saw himself in them.

      Palm trees and cedars are evergreens, even when water around them is scarce and the climate is harsh. The palm tree will grow even in the heart of the desert, and the cedar will rise up even on the mountains in midst of snow. They both grow slowly, but they rise up straight, and their roots go so deep in the ground. Likewise the believer; he does not grown quickly because he takes root and grounds himself deep below the surface, in order to rise up high and bear fruit. This will only take place through prayer, studying the word, meditation and applying what he knows to his daily life. This requires time, effort, courage, perseverance and continuity according to the commandment: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). The believer is like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper (Psalms 1:1-4; cf. Jeremiah 17:7,8).

      Palm trees and cedars are perennials: The palm tree lives over a hundred years, and the cedar lives over a thousand years. But since they were planted in the court of the Temple, they received a greater blessing for being in that holy place, and better care so that they could live even longer. This is the case also with the believer who lives in the secret place of the Most High. You look for the wicked and cannot find them, but the believer enjoys the breadth and the depth of life. His memory in his lifetime and after his death is blessed (Romans 10:7).

      Both palm trees and cedars are beneficial and fruitful: From the palm tree we get dates, which are rich in benefits. Likewise the believer is a good tree that bears good fruit (Matthew 7:17). The children of Israel rested in the desert in Elim, where they found twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees (Exodus 15:27). Palm tree fronds were also used in celebrating the Feast of Tabernacle (Leviticus 23:40) and were used by the people of Jerusalem to welcome Christ in his triumphant entrance to Jerusalem (John 12:13). Deborah the judge used to sit under a tree which was called "palm tree of Deborah" (Judges 4:5). As to cedar wood, it was used in the ritual purification (Leviticus 14:4), in building magnificent houses like the palace of King David (2 Samuel 5:11), the palace of King Solomon (1 Kings 7:2) and the temple of Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:4). Cedar wood has a fragrant smell, and the ancients used to extract from it a kind of turpentine to preserve parchments and clothes. In much the same way the believer serves as the basic element in beautifying his society and preserving it from corruption; for he is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13,14).

   3. God makes him bear fruit in old age: "They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing"(verse 14). The promise is fulfilled to them: "The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness" (Romans 16:31). And the prayer is answered: "Now also when I am old and grey headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come" (Psalms 71:18). And God will say, "Even to your old age, I am He, and even to grey hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you" (Isaiah 46:4). The older the believer grows, the fresher and more flourishing he becomes, because he recalls the works which he has accomplished and says with Christ, "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4). He also hopes that in the future he will accomplish better than all that he has done in the past. The fruit is not confined to a certain phase in one's life, because it is the result of the sap of grace that flows in the believer. It is God at work in him. As the believer grows weaker, the Lord renews his strength, "Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Let us aspire to more spiritual fruit the older we get, so that we can grow spiritually and our love for the LORD increases. Thus we become more obedient and will be like a palm tree and a cedar, as well as a green olive tree in the house of the Lord (Psalms 52:8). Let us anoint ourselves with a fresh oil, the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20,27).

   4. God makes him testify to Himself: "To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him"(verse 15). God grants the believer the high honour of testifying to Him, making him a preacher of His truth, to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9). The upright God gives those who believe in him uprightness and a right relationship with Himself, in order to testify to the Lord that He is the unchangeable rock of ages, who is a refuge for the sinner in whom they can hide and be protected. The Lord is faithful not to leave His righteous ones even when they leave Him; He still restores them.

      A certain young men opened his heart to Christ and accepted him as his Saviour and lived for many years loving the Lord with all his heart. The Lord honoured him so much that he became a successful businessman. Yet after his success, he was so absorbed in his business that he forgot all about God for almost forty years. And suddenly he was struck by a sickness that required him to lie down on his back for forty days. The only thing he could do was to look up! He said, "How much I thank God because He loves me and visited me after all that long time I was far away from Him. I forgot Him for forty years, but He caused me to lie down my back for forty days in order to lift up my eyes towards Him and remember my love for Him. He has honoured me through my sickness far more than He did through my success in my business."

   Let us thank the Lord and rejoice in Him, and proclaim that He is upright. For this would make us fresh and flourishing in our spiritual lives.

	Questions

1. Mention two things that motivate us to praise God.

2. The righteous is happy with his Lord. Mention two reasons for this happiness.

The Lord Shall Reign

1 The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. 4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea. 5 Your testimonies are very sure; holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever.

This psalm is an introduction to six psalms (95-100) that focus on praising God the King. Each psalm of these six begins with joyful praise, shouting and singing to God and declaring that He is the King who reigns from everlasting to everlasting. Moses said in his song after crossing the Red Sea that God "shall reign forever and ever" (Exodus 15:18), and Samuel said to the Israelites, "the LORD your God was your king" (1 Samuel 12:12). When the seventh angel blows the horn, the twenty-four elders who represent both the people of the Old and New Testaments will shout, "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned" (Revelation 11:17). John, the writer of Revelation said, "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" (Revelation 19:6).

To human beings, who have but a limited vision, it seems that things have run out of the hand of the Lord King, as was the case when His people of old went astray. At that time He set King Nebuchadnezzar against them for seventy years. This set some people asking, "How can the Lord possibly allow His people to be delivered into the hand of their enemies? Has the enemy become so much stronger than God's power to protect His people?" But the truth is that God the great King allows the people whom He created to form an opposition party, if they want. Yet, He still keeps everything under control. When the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity were completed, the Lord brought His people back to their homeland. The prophet Daniel said, "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." (Daniel 9:1-3). At the appointed time, the people returned to their homeland, repenting of their idol worship, never to go back to it again. They shouted, "The LORD reigns!"

The psalm contains the following:

• First: The King of Kings (verses 1,2)

• Second: Enemies resist the King (verses 3,4)

• Third: The triumph of the King's word (verse 5)

	First: The King of Kings

(verses 1,2)

1. The Lord is King: "The LORD reigns"(verse 1a). This is a fact that manifests itself in the works that God performs all around us, making us pray, "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever"(Matthew 6:13). Some expositors claim that the psalmist's statement that "the LORD reigns" means that God created the angels, the cosmos, nature and mankind, then rested on the seventh day. After this He sat on His throne as King, subjecting all angels and nature under Him, making all mankind fulfil His will, whether willingly or not. Others have said that such a statement means that God created the world, but that "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us'" (Psalms 2:2,3). But He shall break them with a rod of iron; He shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel (Psalms 2:9). "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25). For the casual spectator, it may seem that the Lord's opponents have managed to suspend His dominion, that the wicked have ruled over the world, and that the Lord has lost control of the cosmos. Therefore they cry out along with Isaiah, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD! Awake as in the ancient days... Are You not the One who dried up the sea? That made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over?" (Isaiah 51:9,10). In response, the Lord steadies the faith of the week, establishes their feet, and removes the scales that cover their eyes, in order to see that He is King. They shout out loud, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7). Salvation consists in the fact that "the LORD reigns,"and that now He has returned His people from the Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple, and offer Him their worship in it according to the law of Moses.

   Going through such an experience, when the devil oppresses us, anxiety defeats us or doubts overcome us. we cry out to God and He answers our prayers, delivers us and lifts us up. We shout with the psalmist, "The LORD reigns" and say with King David, "Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all" (1 Chronicles 29:10-12). How beatiful was King Jehosaphat's prayer: "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?" (2 Chronicles 20:6). Knowing this and believing it we rejoice with the Arab poet who said:

   I have been worried and sad. I have been worried and sad. I was chagrined and lost in darkness. But God illuminated me and dawned upon me. So, I knelt to pray. My soul found rest at the gates of God.

2. The King's majesty: "He is clothed with majesty"(verse 1b). Majesty is glory, greatness and high status. God put on majesty as a garment to fight the enemies of His people. "For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head"(Isaiah 59:17). He did not put on an appearance of majesty, but majesty itself as a unique and peculiar garment! The leader of singers calls us to sing: "Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet" (Psalms 47:1-3). When we see the children of the Kingdom suffering from persecution, we must pluck up courage because the Lord has put on majesty. Christ came to us in absolute humility and was born in a manger, but He put on majesty. Angels sang His praises at the time of His birth. Wise Men from far lands came to bow down before Him after seeing His star in the east. Simeon the elder carried Him in his arms with joy, saying, "For my eyes have seen Your salvation" (Luke 2:30). He is God's salvation, even when He put on a poor appearance "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9). He was lifted up on the cross to die, and ascended to heaven, from which He will come back to the earth as Judge of the living and the dead.

3. The King's power: "He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved"(verse 1c,d). Once again the psalmist compares God's power with a unique and peculiar garment. He is the One "Who established the mountains by His strength, being clothed with power"(Psalms 65:6). How great is the One who girded Himself with power for the love of His people. Love is power in the greatness of its service, whereas oppression is power in the impotence of its tyranny. On the eve of the Last Supper, Christ took the towel with which He was girded, poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel (John 13:5). He established their hearts in love, humility and service. He girdled Himself with justice, which is permanent power, as opposed to injustice, which is only a temporary power. "For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity" (Psalms 98:9). The Lord put on power as a garment, and the earth was established according to the laws which He had set up "O LORD God of hosts... the heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them" (Psalms 89:8-12). The Lord put on power to establish the moral laws. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way" (Psalms 37:23), for the rule of "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap"(Galatians 6:7) has no exceptions. Everyone who defies the divine laws hurts himself. The Lord said to Saul of Tarsus, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 9:5). Goads are the sharp points of the plough. When an ox does not like pulling the plough anymore, it kicks against the goads, hurting only itself. But the goads remain intact to continue tilling the soil.

4. The King's everlasting existence: "Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting"(verse 2). With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8). It is He who said, "'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'"(Revelation 1:8). Since time immemorial He has taken care of His people and saved them, and numbered even the very hairs of their heads (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7). "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27). The Israelites will never forget the event of the exodus. The Jewish year begins with the Passover, when they got their freedom from Pharaoh. In the same way our new life in the faith begins with our second birth when Jesus Christ enters our hearts to change us and deliver us from the wages of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), and from the oppression of sin, because whoever commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34). God provided for our redemption even before He established the world, and Christ, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself on our behalf (Hebrews 9:14). And when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, the Virgin Mary (Galatians 4:4). Truly "known to God from eternity are all His works" (Acts 15:18). So, let us rejoice and be glad because we are the children of the King who has reigned since time immemorial. He is "the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:17).

	Second: Enemies Resist the King

(verses 3,4)

1. Enemies resist: "The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves"(verse 3). The Land of Israel lay between three countries that formed two major powers, Babylon and Assyria in the North, and Egypt in the South. If the people of the North fought those in the South, or if the people of the South fought those of the North, always the Israelite would be crushed on both sides! Here the psalmist lifts up the matter of his enemies to the Lord, as Hezekiah did when he spread out the letter from his enemy (Isaiah 37:14). The psalmist describes the enemies as floods beating against the banks, without ever hurting them. He says to the Lord, "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them" (Psalms 89:9), and the prophet says, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19). The Scriptures compare the two major powers to rushing rivers wanting to overwhelm the land, but to no avail. The Bible says that Assyria is like the Euphrates (Isaiah 8:7,8), and Egypt like the Nile (Jeremiah 46:7,8). But this resistance is futile because the Lord defends His people, just as Christ commanded the winds to calm down and the waves to subside (Matthew 8:26).

2. Resistance is crushed: "The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea."(verse 4). Resistance makes a very loud noise, but the Lord on high is mighty, and His word is final. The prophet Isaiah describes the mighty king of Assyria in the North as being the servant and messenger of the Lord who fulfils His purposes. He says, "Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them the waters of the River, strong and mighty; the king of Assyria and all his glory; He will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks. He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over, He will reach up to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel."(Isaiah 8:7,8). The prophet Jeremiah describes the pride of the king of Egypt by saying, "Who is this coming up like a flood, whose waters move like the rivers? Egypt rises up like a flood, and its waters move like the rivers; and he says, 'I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants'" (Jeremiah 46:7,8). And from the terror of the enemy's danger the prophet shouts, "Woe to the multitude of many people who make a noise like the roar of the seas, and to the rushing of nations that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; but God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, and be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who rob us" (Isaiah 17:12-14). Then shouts the prophet again with the psalmist, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High" (Psalms 46:1-4). Yes, they roar and are troubled, but the victory is the Lord's, who granted victory to Moses and His people over Pharaoh, for which Moses raised his voice to sing this song of triumph: "The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; they sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces" (Exodus 15:2-6).