Christ Church

Doug Wilson

Psalm 146: Put Not Your Trust in Princes

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INTRODUCTION

On the one hand, people have every reason to not put their trust in princes. The princes let them down over and over, again and again. You would think that people would stop doing that. Every promised wave of reforms is promising to fix all the problems that were caused by the previous wave of reforms. We are like that woman in the gospels—the more the doctors treated her, the more the problems continued (Luke 8:43). But the reason we keep resorting to these “princes” is that we assume, in our faithlessness, that we have no other options. We must either trust in this prince or that one, musn’t we? And the answer presented by this psalm is a clarion no.  

THE TEXT

“Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: Which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: Which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: The Lord loveth the righteous: The Lord preserveth the strangers; He relieveth the fatherless and widow: But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.” (Psalm 146). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

We have here another glorious psalm of praise. Praise the Lord, O my soul (v. 1). As long as I am above ground, I will continue to sing praises to God (v. 2). The next sentiment seems like a lurch, but it really is not. If you are God-centered as you ought to be, you will not look to men, or to the princes of men, for your help and aid (v. 3). When you trust in man, what is your object? You are trusting in someone who is going to stop breathing sometime, and then go into the ground. All his thoughts go with him (v. 4). By way of contrast, the one who has the help of the God of Jacob, who hopes in the Lord his God, he is the happy man (v. 5). You are trusting in the one who made heaven, earth, and everything the sea contains (v. 6), and not in someone who is going to decompose somewhere in the earth or sea. He is the truth forever. This Creator God is active in human affairs—he executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, and sets prisoners free (v. 7). He opens the eyes of the blind, He raised up those who are weighed down, and He loves the righteous (v. 8). He protects aliens, and He relieves orphans and widows (v. 9). But He comes up to the wicked and flips them upside down (v. 9). He is the one who will reign forever (v. 10)—your God, O you people of God, forever and ever. Praise Him (v. 10).  

WHILE I LIVE

The psalmist promises to praise the living God as long as he has any breath. And we know that when the breathing stops, the singing will improve, and go on forever. 

When we go to a concert, a moment comes when we are almost about to start, and the orchestra starts tuning up. Someone strikes an A, and the musicians begin noodling around with that A. It is not a song exactly, but it is very pleasant, and it is full of promise. The concert is about to start. All our praises in this earth are nothing more than the orchestra tuning up, adjusting their instruments. As long as God gives you the instrument you have, and you have any breath remaining, then continue with the preparation. “Tune my heart to sing thy grace.”

HALLWAY OF HALLELUJAHS

“Praise the Lord” here in v. 1 is hallelujah. We are now in a long hallway of hallelujahs, extending all the way out of the book of Psalms and into eternity. This is a stretch of true praise, indicating that the Psalms, like human history itself, is a comedy. It ends with a wedding. It ends with everything resolved. It ends on a high note, and the psalms of imprecation, and desperation, and penitence, are all behind us now. A time is coming when the judge of the whole earth will do right (Gen. 18:25), and He will set everything to rights. This means that absolutely everything is going to come into focus. Nothing will be disjointed, and we will finally be given the complete perspective. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). 

JESUS AS OUR GREAT JEHOVAH

What is said here about Jehovah God is all fulfilled in the life of Christ. Jesus is Jehovah (Joel 2:32; Rom. 10:13). He make “heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is” (John 1: 3; Col. 1: 16; Heb. 1:2). He “keepeth truth forever” (John 14:6). He executes “judgment for the oppressed” (Luke 20:47). He gives “food to the hungry” (Matt. 14:19). He sets prisoners free (Luke 4:18). The Lord opens the eyes of the blind (John 9:32). He raises up those who “are bowed down” (Luke 13:16). The Lord “loveth the righteous” (John 13:23). Jesus preserves the stranger (Mark 7:26). He relieves “the fatherless and widow” (Luke 7:12). The way of the wicked . . . well, He flips their tables upside down (Matt. 21:12). He, the Lord Jesus, will “reign forever” (Rev. 11:15). 

MESSIAH THE PRINCE

Charles de Gaulle once said that graveyards are filled with indispensable men. One time Alexander the Great saw Diogenes the Cynic looking carefully at a heap of bones. Asked what he was doing, Diogenes said that he was looking for the bones of Alexander’s father, but he could distinguish them from the bones of a slave. Princes are but men, and they go into the ground just like everybody else. There are times when they want to help, but their armies and navies still come to nothing. They are but the shadow of smoke. And you should also budget for the fact that they are fickle. Why do princes and rich men act like a weather vane on a gusty day? Because they are “powerful” and they can. But that also comes to nothing.

There is one Prince, however, who is not in this position at all. He died once for all, and rose, and so death no longer has dominion over Him (Rom. 6:9). Not only that, He is not fickle at all. He is the same—yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). He is Messiah the Prince (Dan. 9:25).

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Psalm 145: What the Righteous Love to Talk About

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INTRODUCTION

The nature and character of God is of course worthy of all praise and adoration. But we are finite, and sinful on top of that, and so we cannot even begin to praise Him as He deserves to be praised. Nevertheless, the effort must be made. As forgiven sinners, how on earth are we going to declare His worth? What are we going to do? Shout? Stand on a chair?

One of the ways that Scripture assigns to us is the method of declaring His works—the mighty works that He accomplished down here where we live. This is something we can do, and David shows us the way.

THE TEXT

“I will extol thee, my God, O king; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: And I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness . . . And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever” (Psalm 145:1–21). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

As we begin to work our way through this psalm, take note of all the verbs that the psalmist promises. Over and over, up through the seventh verse, this is what the psalmist does. He extols God, and blesses His name (v. 1). He blesses His name every day, and is going to praise Him forever (v. 2). The magnitude of the task is recognized—God is greatly to be praised because His greatness is unfathomable. Following David’s example, one generation will praise God to the next, declaring His mighty acts (v. 4). David returns to the task, speaking of the glorious honor of His majesty . . . and His works (v. 5). Others will speak of the might of His terrible acts, and David will declare His greatness (v. 6).  Men will recount their memories of God’s great goodness, and will sing about His righteousness (v. 7).

What is this God like? Gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and He has great mercy (v. 8). God is good to all, and His tender mercies are the arch over our lives (v. 9). His works turn around and praise Him, and His saints echo that praise (v. 10). They, as David did earlier, will speak of God’s glory, and talk about His power (v. 11). This is instructive; men learn about His mighty acts and His glorious majesty (v. 12). His kingdom is forever; His dominion is forever (v. 13). 

But He does more than throw galaxies around, and make volcanos blow up. He operates at our nano-level as well. He upholds those who fall, and raises up those who are stooped over (v. 14). This is why we little ones look to Him, like baby birds in a nest (v. 15). We all had breakfast this morning because God opened His hand (v. 16). Same thing with real baby birds (v. 16). Always remember that God is good, all the time (v. 17). If someone calls out to Him in truth, they can be assured that God is right there (v. 18). Do you fear Him? He will fulfill your desire, hear your cry, and save you (v. 19). God preserves those who love Him and destroys the wicked (v. 20). So don’t be wicked. All of this caused David to speak God’s praises (v. 21), and he issues the invitation to all flesh to bless His name forever and ever (v. 21).

THE NATURAL DUTY OF PRAISE

It is a commonplace that our mouths are filled with the same thing that fills our hearts. The voice is the overflow valve for the heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34). This is speaking of the ungodly, but the principles works in both directions. The godly speak about what they love too. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: And the Lord hearkened, and heard it, And a book of remembrance was written before him For them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi 3:16). 

THE GENEROSITY OF GOD

God is a generous God. The picture of God opening His hand conjures up the image of someone going out to feed the chickens, spreading the feed by the handful. He is not stingy. He gives with an open hand. God is good to all (v. 9). If you are struggling, if you are beaten down, if you have been worked over . . . God sees you and stoops to lift you up (v. 14). He knows your desires, top to bottom, front to back, side to side, and He is the God who will both sanctify and fulfill those desires. 

THE GOD WHO IS NIGH

And this brings us to the realization that God is good—all the time God is good. But it is equally true that sin is bad—all the time sin is bad. And because we live in a fallen world, we have to deal with the impact of sin, our own and that of others. We have to deal with stupidity, our own and that of others. We have to deal with wickedness. And remember that God preserves those who love Him, and He destroys the wicked (v. 20). And this hard sentiment is expressed in a psalm of praise. Remember that the only passage where alleluia occurs in the New Testament is when the saints of God are observing the smoke of Babylon the great going up forever and ever (Rev. 19:3). 

So God is good all the time, and sin is bad all the time. But the goodness of God overarches and outranks everything else, including the wickedness that He is engaged in destroying. So when you are in trouble, and you are crying out to Him, remember the promise of the psalm. God is nigh. This is not the same as to say that it has to feel like He is nigh, but our task is to walk in the truth of His Word. And so don’t doubt in the dark what you knew in the light.

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Why We Worship On Sunday (CCD)

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INTRODUCTION

With a handful of exceptions, Christians are overwhelmingly united in their willingness to worship God on the first day of the week. After all, we have been doing this for two thousand years, and we are rarely questioned about it. Why not just go with the flow? The answer to that question is that we should want to be deliberate Christians in everything we offer up to God. We never want to be guilty of the “will worship” that Paul condemns in Col. 2:23. We are constrained to offer to God what He requires of us, and not anything else. So why do we worship on the first day of the week? Why didn’t the Church remain with the seventh-day Sabbath of the Jews?

 THE TEXT

“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:1–2). 

SUMARY OF THE TEXT

Paul is reminding the Corinthians about his directives for how they are to gather up the collection for the saints in Jerusalem. He is doing with them just as he did with the saints in churches throughout Galatia (v. 1). The Corinthians were to take up their collection in same fashion as did the Galatians. But how was that? The first thing to note is that Paul was authoritatively requiring them to do it in a particular way. On the first day of the week, everyone was to set aside a particular amount, as God had blessed him. This had to have been a collection at church because otherwise the problem that Paul was trying to avoid (“no gatherings when I come”) would not have been avoided at all. But thing about this passage that should interest us is how Paul describes Sunday. Many modern translations simply say “first day of the week,” but this is misleading. The phrase literally is mian sabbatou—“first [day] Sabbath.”

WHAT IS THE WORD FOR WEEK?

In Greek, the usual word for week is hebdomas. The common rendering of mian sabbatou as “first day of the week” appears to be taking “sabbath” as a synecdoche, taking the part for the whole—as in, “many hands make light work.” But this seems strained to me, especially considering the fact that the gospel writers appear to be using the phrase to point to something really significant about the importance of the resurrection.

Here are some literal renderings [Kayser]: “Now after the Sabbath, as the first [day] Sabbath began to dawn” (Matt. 28:1). “Now when the Sabbath was past . . .  very early in the morning, on the first [day] Sabbath, they came to the tomb” (Mark 16:1-2, 9). “Now on the first [day] Sabbath, at early dawn, they came to the tomb” (Luke 24:1). “Now on the first [day] Sabbath Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early” (John 20:1).

We worship God the Father in the authority of the resurrected Son in the power of His Spirit, and we do this on the first day of the week. And yet, a very common greeting that we use is happy Sabbath, and we call our preparatory meals Sabbath meals. This is no extension from our theology. The New Testament repeatedly calls the first day of the week a Sabbath. It is God’s way of marking how He made all things new in the resurrection of Christ (Rev. 1:10; 21:5). Sunday really is a Sabbath. 

 AND SO CHRIST RESTED

Read through Hebrews 4 very carefully. We should take care not to fail to enter God’s rest in the way the Israelites in the wilderness failed to enter it. Faith is the way to enter (Heb. 4:1-3). God’s works were finished at the foundation of the world, and then He rested. But then, centuries after that, He said that faithless ones would never enter His rest, in just the same way that faithless Israelites had not entered His rest (vv. 3-5). This means that coming into His rest is still an open invitation—“it remains for some to enter.” So God in His mercy has again appointed a certain day, calling it Today. Do not harden your hearts as His voice comes to you Today (vv. 6-7). If Joshua had accomplished this through the invasion of Canaan, God would never have spoken of another day after that (v. 8). And this is why . . .

“There remaineth therefore a rest (sabbatismos) to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9–10).

Who is being referred to here with the pronouns of v. 10? It cannot be referring to some discouraged Pharisee, finally giving up on his vain works, and then entering into a holy rest. That is nothing at all like God creating the world and then resting—and that is the explicit comparison that is made. So what is like that? Just as God created the world in six days and then rested, so also Christ recreated heaven and earth in three days and nights, and then He entered His rest. And that is why Christians still have a sabbath-rest, which is on our first-day Sabbath. 

Let us therefore labor to enter into that resurrection-rest (v. 11). Let us not fail to enter into resurrection-Sunday rest the way the Jews fell short in the wilderness. Why is that? The eighth day, the first day of the week, the first day Sabbath, is the glorious Today. Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.   

FROM THE BEGINNING

The Epistle of Barnabas (c. 100 AD) says this: “You see how he says, ‘The present Sabbaths are not acceptable to me, but the Sabbath which I have made in which, when I have rested from all things, I will make the beginning of the eighth day which is the beginning of another world.’ Wherefore we Christians keep the eighth day for joy, on which also Jesus arose from the dead.”

In the first giving of the Ten Commandments, the reason for sabbath observance was the creation of the world in six days and rest on the seventh (Ex. 20:11). In the second giving of the Ten Commandments, the reason given has been changed. It was now because of the Exodus from Egypt (Dt. 5:15). In the third giving of the Ten Commandments, we are reminded that the resurrection of Christ changed absolutely everything (Rom. 13:9-10; 14:9). This is because Christ is all. Christ is our creation-rest. Christ is our Exodus-rest. Christ is our resurrection-rest. And this means that Christ is the foundation stone for every successive first-day Sabbath. 

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Psalm 144: Genuine Health and Wealth

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INTRODUCTION

This psalm overlaps a good deal with what David prayed in Psalm 18, as well as in 2 Samuel 22, near the end of his life. His life had been a long series of battles and conflicts, and he certainly knew the truth of what he was expressing here. This is a psalm of jubilation, rejoicing in the sort of prosperity that the deliverances of Jehovah can bring to a people. It begins with war, but concludes with the harvest of true peace.

THE TEXT

“A Psalm of David. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; My shield, and he in whom I trust; Who subdueth my people under me. Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: His days are as a shadow that passeth away . . . Happy is that people, that is in such a case: Yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

David was a man of war, and he blessed the name of Yahweh, the one who had taught him how to fight (v. 1). In battle, the Lord was both his strength and his instructor. God Himself was his goodness, and his fortress—high tower, deliverer, and shield (v. 2). The word for fortress is masada, and it is possible the place called Masada is in view. Why would the infinite God condescend to deal with man, who is a trifle (v. 3)? Man’s lifespan is like that of a mayfly, with an average life span of a day (v. 4). The plea is for God to bend the heavens and come down (v. 5). David wants God to answer with volcanoes, lightning storms, emptying the divine quiver (v. 6). David then prays for his Fortress God to undertake for him (v. 7), saving him from the strangers. All men are vanity, but these adversaries speak vanity (v. 8), and they lie with great dexterity (v. 8). David anticipates the resulting victory, and he promises to praise God with a new song (v. 9). God even gives salvation to kings, and so He delivers David (v. 10). He prays for deliverance again, and repeats his point about how they speak vanity, and lies are their right-hand weapon (v. 11). What will the peace that follows this victory be like? Our sons will be strong and sturdy, like well-rooted plants (v. 12), and that our daughters might be the sort of cornerstones you would find in a palace (v. 12). In short, that our sons would be strong and brave, and that our daughters would crucial and beautiful. His anticipation continues—that our storehouses might be full (v. 13), that our flocks would be abundant (v. 13), and that our oxen would be strong (v. 14). The crime rate would be low—no burglaries, no need to flee in a refugee column (v. 14). Under godly rule, the people rejoice and there is no complaining in the streets (v. 14). Such people would be happy (v. 15) . . . but then he catches and corrects himself. Such people are happy provided God is their Lord (v. 15). 

DON’T WASTE YOUR BATTLES

The psalmist routinely assumes that God, when He intervenes in human affairs, does so in order to take sides. There is a division in the human race between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Remember the antithesis. Always remember the antithesis (Gen. 3:15). You have enemies. We all have enemies. And God instructs to fight them, and to fight them in the way that He leads. He provides the strength to fight, and He teaches the techniques of fighting.

This is one of the reasons we are to sing psalms. The psalms are filled with enemies, and in our music we are learning how to deal with them. The hymnody of the last few centuries is distinguished by its singular lack of enemies.  

THE GREATNESS OF GOD, THE BREATH THAT IS MAN

When man, who is vanity itself, speaks of the greatness of God, he is doing so because God has placed eternity in his heart (Ecc. 3:11). But when man, who is vanity itself, takes up a lie in his right hand, he starts to speak vanity, which he has no business doing (vv. 8,11). 

God is infinitely high, but we learn in Scripture that He is also infinitely condescending.

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). 

God dwells in two places. He inhabits eternity—He dwells in that high and holy place. That is one. But He also dwells in the hearts of the lowly. Men cease to be vanity when they acknowledge that they are vanity, and confess the greatness of Almighty God. 

When a mayfly puffs himself up in his own conceits, imagining himself to be the next Alexander or Bonaparte, it is clear that he has no scriptural map of the cosmos, and he has no x on that map indicating his actual position, and the actual state of affairs. Man is scarcely a breath . . . and yet, created in the image of God. And yet, the prayer of v. 5 was answered. Bow the heavens and come down, which is exactly what He did in the Incarnation. 

DEUTERONOMIC BLESSINGS

And this brings us to a subject that is guaranteed to make the pietist’s left eye twitch. It is easy for pietism to say that the simplistic “health and wealth” gospel is a heresy, which it is. But it is equally true that the masochistic “sorrow and borrow” gospel is also a heresy. The former assumes that we are just so many swine, happy when the trough is full. The latter assumes that we are just emaciated swine, who ought to be happy with the occasional acorn.

Balance, always balance. Not Epicureanism, and not Gnosticism. What is the fruit here of learning how to fight with God the instructor? What is the fruit of adoring the greatness of the Almighty? What happens when vain men repent of speaking vanities? The answer is that God exalts them, and this is not limited to the spiritual plane. I call these Deuteronomic blessings. Take care that when the blessings multiply that you do not forget the Lord your God (Dt. 8:7-14). Remember the conclusion of this psalm—provided that God is their covenanted Jehovah. 

Remember Him . . . in the name of Christ, remember Him.

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Psalm 143: When Sinners Withstand the Wicked

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INTRODUCTION

This psalm is offered up to God in a time of great distress. We do not know if it is from the time of Saul’s persecution, or from Absalom’s rebellion, or from some other time. Regardless, the need is pressing and great, and David is presenting his prayers to God with great urgency.

THE TEXT

“A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: For in thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath smitten my life down to the ground; He hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: Hide not thy face from me, Lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; For in thee do I trust: Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; For I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: For thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, And destroy all them that afflict my soul: For I am thy servant” (Psalm 143). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The psalm is from the pen of David. He begins with the plea that his prayers and supplications be heard (v. 1). He makes the request on the strength of God’s faithfulness, God’s righteousness (v. 1). David is taking a stand against his persecuting enemies, but he well knows that if God wanted to get him, he could not be justified (v. 2). The enemy is persecuting his soul, and has struck his life to the ground. He has been made to dwell in darkness, like a long-dead carcass (v. 3). David’s spirit is overwhelmed; his heart is desolate (v. 4). It was not always this way. David remembers when times were better. He thinks about that. Why could not God do that again? (v. 5). So he stretches out his hands to God, pleading with Him (v. 6). His soul is like cracked earth, parched and dry (v. 6). Pause and reflect. Selah. David urges God to hurry up because he can feel his spirit failing. He does not want to go down to the pit (v. 7). He prays for a hesed-deliverance, and wants to walk uprightly (v. 8). He hides in God, seeking deliverance from God (v. 9). He prays that God teach him to do God’s will, which is distinct from merely knowing it (v. 10). That will is necessarily good because God’s Spirit is good (v. 10). He prays that God would enliven him. And the basis of the prayer to deliver his soul from trouble is for the Lord’s name’s sake (v. 11), for His righteousness’ sake (v. 11). He concludes the prayer with the desire that God (in His mercy) cut off David’s enemies, destroying all those who afflict his soul (v. 12). For David is His servant (v. 12). 

MY SERVANT DAVID

This psalm concludes with David entering his final plea—“for I am thy servant.” To be a servant of God is a great honor, and like all such honors, it is not one for us to take upon ourselves. We do not get to appoint ourselves to this station, even if outsiders consider it to be a lowly station. And David certainly does not take such an honor upon himself.

When David wanted to build the Temple, and Nathan the prophet comes back to countermand what he had earlier approved, this is how that passage begins. “And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, thus saith the Lord, shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?” (2 Samuel 7:4–5, cf. 8). The Lord tells David no regarding the Temple, but then gives him a staggering promise instead. Someone descended from David will reign on the throne of David forever (v. 13). It is after this that David dares to call himself God’s servant (vv. 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29), and he does so again and again.

BEFORE MAN, BEFORE GOD

The basic plea of this psalm is for God to defend. But there is an interesting comment made right near the beginning. “And enter not into judgment with thy servant: For in thy sight shall no man living be justified” (Psalm 143:2). He is asking God to defend, and here he asks that God not attack.

There is righteousness before men, and there is righteousness before God. It is possible for a man to claim righteousness over against other men. The charges and accusations they make are false. They are liars. “False witnesses did rise up; They laid to my charge things that I knew not” (Psalm 35:11). At the same time, in a different respect, what would happen if God took over the prosecution? “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (Psalm 130:3). 

This is the set up when sinners are used by God to withstand the wicked. Those of us who are involved in the controversies of the day should recognize that if our enemies knew just a fraction of what God knows about us, it would be all over. But they don’t, and He’s not telling. 

RIGHTEOUS FORGIVENESS

Why is He not telling? There is something very strange in this psalm. David is praying for deliverance here, and in the first verse, he is asking for it on the basis of God’s faithfulness, God’s righteousness. He is not asking for mercy, but rather righteousness. How can a sinner ask for anything remotely connected with righteousness? And he does it again in v. 11—“for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.”

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

This is a great mystery, and the only possible solution to it is found in the blood of Christ’s cross. That is the only place where you could ever find a righteous forgiveness. God intends to be just and the one who justifies (Rom. 3:26).  

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