Refuge in God

Psalm 118 is fast becoming a favorite of mine. With so many to choose from, that’s a bit like saying that I like one brand of chocolate over another. Chocolate just tastes good, period. Psalms refresh the soul, period. Well, that might be too simple. What I mean is that the Psalms give us a great look at how God’s people viewed Him then, how they reverently worshiped Him, how we can go to Him in good times and bad, and how we can tell Him anything, ANYTHING (since He already knows it anyway). He’s the same God today as He was then, and we can certainly use the Psalms to better understand Him, and only good in our lives can come from knowing Him better.

We know the familiar “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His lovingkindness (mercy) is everlasting (endures forever).” And a few days ago I touched on the familiar verse “This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” And rather than just take the highlight verses, I love to see what surrounds them in the text. New Testament authors quote this psalm on several occasions, too.

David writes several psalms in the midst of trouble, struggle, and strife. We know very well that David had an amazing heart for God. Just as well, we know he also sinned and well, acted human, too. For most believers, seeking God seriously results from “push coming to shove”. David went to God when things got tough, sure, and he also went to Him in times of rest, peace, and comfort.

This psalm seems to capture a little of each of that, though primarily, David is recalling crying out to God in distress, and God hearing and answering Him. His question “What can man do to me?” is so profound, so very true, and such thinking should be foundational in the Christian’s life. The question follows the statement “The LORD is for me; I will not fear.” Together, they sum up the source of our daily support. There is nothing or nobody stronger than God. What do I really have to fear?

But today, I was kind of “camped” in verses 7 – 9. I realize David was surrounded militarily as various times, and these verses lead into that. And he is also looking back on the situation, and is able to generalize a bit more. Keep in mind that some of David’s key enemies referred to in some psalms are not just Philistines, but rather those in his inner circle of friends or even family. Being rejected and attacked by such people certainly caused much distress in David’s life.

David knows where to turn for help and never-failing assurance in such times. He goes to the Lord, of course. He looked around him and saw people helping him; he credits God for putting those people around him as a way of showing that the Lord was “for him” (verse 7a). The verse is completed with mention of those who hated David, and how he looked on them “in satisfaction”, or some translations use “in triumph”. David knew that he could look on people who hated him in a way that reflected satisfaction, a sort of inner peace, because God had already given him people to help him. He could not dwell on those who hated him, as he could personally do nothing to change the hatred.

So often are we presented with a choice: take refuge in God, or trust man. Before we make it seem like a simple choice, we just saw how God gave people to David, to let him know that He was for him, and He can do that for us, too. We have no reason to think otherwise. But if I take God out of the equation, I am left to trust and follow man, or people, and it is no surprise that God directs us to Him, where we can find refuge, safety in the midst of storms and trouble we like to call “life”. Same goes for rulers (verse 9 uses “princes”). We have leaders, rulers, and even human government was instituted by God. And still I must constantly verify how such rulers want to steer society away from God, and I am not to choose obeying them over obeying God. Again recall “…better to take refuge in the Lord.”

SO WHAT?

So, we may not have enemies wanting to actually kill us, as with David. Yet we probably all know people we trusted, family members, friends, other Christians and their testimonies, who have positioned themselves against us, such that it could be hatred toward us.

So will I respond in a way that reflects the King, or in a way that will satisfy my flesh, my own desires? Or will I trust in God, find refuge in Him, and look on those who hate me in satisfaction, knowing that there are those who God has put around me, to show how He is for me. David was able to take satisfaction in that reality.

So, let’s keep reading Psalm 118, and keep pulling some great lessons from that sacred text. And let’s be careful in how we treat others, so they do not think we show hatred toward them. We always have to check our own motives first.