[Biblemat] S) PSALM 27

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my files.
Use to the glory of God.

PSALM 27

       In Psalm 27, David's emotions swing like a pendulum from
one extreme to the other as he goes from great heights of con-
fidene -- "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I
fear?" -- to anxious lows -- "O Lord...do not hide your face from
me."  These are the imploring words of an afflicted man; a man who is seeking 
deliverance form those whose desire is to "breath violence" against him.

       David's fear is not those who would destroy him; instead he
fears that the Lord will turn His face from him.  Because of this,
he pleads with God to hear his cry: "Do not hide Your face from
me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger...Do not leave me
nor forsake me..."  David knew his only hope for deliverance was through 
God's strength and faithfulness.  As he continued
to pray, his thoughts turned to learning the ways of the Lord.
"Teach me Your way, O Lord...lead me in a smooth path."  The
way of the Lord is to fear no one, to seek to dwell in His house,
and to wait on Him.  When we apply these lessons to life's troub-
les, then the Lord will make for us "a smooth path" upon which
to travel.

Teach Me, Lord...To Fear Not: -- In David's "threefold cord" of
praise -- "the Lord is my light ... my salvation...the strength of my
life"-- he confidently asked, "of whom shall I be afraid?"  With 
poise David could face his enemies when they came against him
.  When armies encamped against him and when war raged, David was guided by 
the Lord's light, relied upon the Lord's sal-
vation, and lived by the Lord's strength.  Because the Lord taug-
ht him to fear not, David could boldly say, "And now my head
shall be lifted up above my enemies."

       We may never have an army encamp against us, but surely
in the depths of our spiritual struggles we have felt the attacks
from the army of darkness through disappointments, temptat-
ions, sorrows, and doubts.  Standing strong in the face of oppos-
ition, we hold tightly to the "threefold cord that  is not quickly
broken" (Eccl. 4:12).  Through reliance on Him, we learn that He
is to be our light that guides our salvation, that promises our
strength, since we are weak and frail.  Only when these lessons
become ours can we say with David, "And now my head shall be lifted up above 
my enemies."

Teach Me, Lord...To Dwell In Your House: -- Of all the things that
David could have requested from God, he chose to make his re-
quest to "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
David loved to be in the presence of the Lord.  He wrote in Psa.
122:1, "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house
of the Lord!'"  InIn the house of the Lord it would be that David
could "Behold the beauty of the Lord," make inquiry of Him, and
be hidden from troubles.  David's desire was to leave life's diffic-
ulties and burdens behind and hide in the secret place of God's
house.

       There is a secret place reserved for us in God's presence.  It's a 
place of safety, a place where God meets us in secret, a
hiding place.  Through prayer we can go to God's house and 
seek His safety.  While our enemies search vainly for us, we can
rest.  As with David, seeking to dwell in the Lord's house through
prayer should be the priority of life.  Paul said, "pray without ceasing."  
We must learn that in times of trouble we must seek
this hiding place.  "Lord, teach us to pray."

Teach Me, Lord...To Wait: -- The summation of David's psalm is,
"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen
your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!"  The entire psalm is compos-
ed to bring the reader to this point.  Even when David's enemies
ran at him, he waited and they stumbled.  Even if an army en-
camped against him to war with him, he would wait confidently
without fear.  When his adversaries rose up against him, he wait-
ed and refused to lose heart.  Through it all he waited for the 
Lord to be his light, his salvation and his strength.

       When life seems its darkest, "wait on the Lord!"  When attacks come 
from every corner, "wait on the Lord!"  When we've lost the "smooth path" and 
don't know where to go, "wait
on the Lord!"  As we face struggles, don't lose heart, but believe
the promise that we "will see the goodness of the Lord in the
land of the living."  Knowing it is hard to wait, he writes, "Be of
good courage."

       Lord, hear us when we cry!  Have mercy upon us and ans-
wer us.  Teach us Your way and lead us in a smooth path.  You 
are our light, our salvation and the strength of our lives.  Like
David, we will not be afraid.   --- Clay Gentry in Biblical Insights,
Vol. 8, No. 1, Jan. 2008.   </HTML>
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