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Psalm 86: A Token for Good


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Ben Zornes on

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Introduction: 

In this world, it is not possible to be a friend of God and not be in trouble with the world. Friendship with the world is enmity with God, James tells us (Jas. 4:4). It goes the other way also. Friendship with God means that you will be constantly and regularly at odds with the world. This provides you with material to pray about.

The Text: 

“Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: For I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee . . .” (Psalm 86:1–17).

Summary of the Text:

The text divides into three sections, with an expression of confidence or gratitude at the conclusion of each (vv. 7, 13, 17). This psalm is a prayer of David, with God being addressed directly with petitions throughout.
The petitioner is poor and needy, and asks God to bow down to hear (v. 1). He prays that God would deliver him with his innocence and trust in view (v. 2). God, be merciful, because the prayer is offered every day (v. 3). The soul is lifted up to God so that God might pour joy into it (v. 4). God is good and ready to forgive, and full of mercy to those who call upon Him (v. 5). God, please listen (v. 6). When the psalmist is in trouble, he will call upon God and God will answer (v. 7).
None of the other gods are like God at all, and their works are not like His (v. 8). The nations will all stream to Him, and will glorify His name (v. 9). God is great, and does wonderful things (v. 10). Teach me to obey; integrate my heart (v. 11). I will praise God with everything I have (v. 12). God’s mercy is great, and He has delivered me from the very worst place, the lowest hell (v. 13).
Here is my trouble—proud and violent men are after me (v. 14). By contrast, God is full and overflowing with compassion, grace, patience, and abundant mercy and truth (v. 15). God, give me strength—I was born in your house, the son of your handmaid (v. 16). Show me a token for good, so that those proud men who come after me might see that You are with me and be ashamed (v. 17).

The God Who Reveals Himself: 

In this psalm, David echoes in several places what Jehovah had declared to Moses when He passed by him at the second inscription of the Ten Commandments. “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Ex. 34:6).
All prayer carries within it an assumption of what God is like. Faithful prayer is that which echoes God’s self-revelation of what He is like.
All Nations Bow Down:

David is praying for his own deliverance. He looks forward to his rescue by God. But at the same time, he marks his deliverance in the context of a much larger deliverance. All nations that God made will come before Him and will acknowledge it (v. 9). The coming salvation will gather up much more than David, much more than Israel. The coming salvation encompasses all nations.

Charles Spurgeon commented on this verse this way: “Earth’s sun is to go down amid tenfold night if some of our prophetic brethren are to be believed. Not so do we expect, but we look for a day when the dwellers in all lands shall learn righteousness, shall trust in the Saviour, shall worship thee alone, O God, ‘and shall glorify thy name.’ The modern notion has greatly damped the zeal of the church for missions, and the sooner it is shown to be unscriptural the better for the cause of God.”

Proud Men Gather:    

Proud men are wolves and they hunt in packs. It looks as though it will all go their way. Violent men gather in their assemblies. They assume it will all be theirs because they do not take God into account. This is because proud men serve false gods, and yet among the gods there is none like our God. Their works of accusation and persecution are not like God’s works of triumph and deliverance.

A Token for Good:  

The prayer is not just for deliverance. The prayer is for a very public deliverance. David does not just want to be delivered from his enemies; he wants his enemies to see him being delivered. He wants them to see him getting away.
The token for good might be the deliverance itself. On the other hand, it might be a down payment on the deliverance, placed there in the middle of the troubles, in such a way as to make his enemies think uh oh to themselves. It could be either or both, and one commentator suggests that the token for good might be found earlier in v. 4. When the psalmist lifts up his soul to God, and God pours out His joy into it, that joy in the midst of the trial may be the token for good. A peace that passes all understanding, given in the midst of great trial, is something that can only be explained in terms of the presence of God.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7).

A Savior Who Loves:
So come back to what God revealed of Himself to Moses (and to David). Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, loves you and loves to deliver you. Assuming you are in Christ at all, God could not love you more than He does. He could not desire your well-being with greater intensity than He has. He could not have done more for you than He has done. Remember the cross, and remember the resurrection. Remember your forgiveness, your salvation, and your justification.

 

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Psalm 85: The Kiss of Salvation


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Ben Zornes on

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Introduction:
God puts sinners back together, and God in His mercy puts backsliders back together again. How He does this is truly remarkable, and as we enter into the spirit of this psalm we find ourselves right at the heart of the gospel.
The Text:
“Lord, thou hast been Favourable unto thy land: Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah . . .” (Ps. 85:1–13)

Summary of the Text:
The text divides this way. The first three verses recall the Lord’s mercies to Israel in time past (vv. 1-3). In the next section, the psalmist pleads with God concerning Israel’s current afflictions (vv. 4-7). He pauses in the next verse to resolve that he will hear what the Lord says (v. 8). And then, in the conclusion of the psalm, he rejoices in the salvation that is coming (vv. 9-13).
Lord, in the past You have released Jacob from her troubles (v. 1). At the center of this deliverance, You have forgiven them (v. 2). Because forgiveness was granted, then wrath was turned away (v. 3). The past faithfulness of God provides one of the very best present arguments with God. God, turn Your people away from their sin (v. 4). Why extend Your anger (v. 5)? We have had enough. If You revive Your people, then they will be able to rejoice in You (v. 6). Show us mercy, Lord. Grant us salvation (v. 7). The petition is submitted, and then the petitioner submits himself (v. 8). Fear God, and salvation is right at hand (v. 9). So is glory. Mercy and truth have met (v. 10), and righteousness and peace have kissed (v. 10). Truth grows out of the ground, and righteousness smiles down on us (v. 11). The Lord gives what is good, and the land will bear much increase (v. 12). Righteousness will then lead the way (v. 13).

The Deliverance Argument:
Considering how many times God inspired this argument to show up in Scripture, it must be an argument He really loves. The argument goes this way. God, why do You love delivering Your people in the way back history books? We believe those history books, but why do You seem so reluctant to deliver us in the same way?
The Marker of Joy:
When God revives His people, the indicator that this has happened is joy. Revive us again so that we may rejoice in you (v. 6). When David is forgiven, he looks forward to being restored to the joy of his salvation (Ps. 51:12). When we really love Jesus, not having seen Him, and when we have not seen Him but yet believe in Him, what happens? The result is that we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Pet. 1:8). When we pray for reformation and revival, we are not asking to be brought into a state of mild contentment. We are not seeking tepid complacency.

How Is This Possible?
An unrighteous man once came to the Prince of Peace, and identified Him to the soldiers by kissing Him. Unrighteousness kissed peace, and this led to the chain of events that culminated in righteousness and peace kissing each other.
We have four great attributes of God mentioned here, and the trick—in a sinful world—is how to get them all together. Mercy and peace appear to go well together. Righteousness and truth seem like natural companions. But how is it that mercy and truth have met together? How can righteousness and peace greet one another with a holy kiss? This is only possible in one place, and that place is the cross of wood upon which Jesus died.
Where do mercy and truth meet? They meet in the paths of the Lord, and the paths of the Lord are always related to the hill of Golgotha. “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies” (Ps. 25:10). We see the two as natural companions, but only because of the gospel. “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name” (Rom. 15:8–9).

This is a welding job that could not be accomplished by any other means than the vicarious, substitutionary death of Christ on the cross for sinners. When we look at that cross, we see the most incongruous elements fused together in a white hot deliverance. We see the love of God and the hatred of God, together as one. We see the mercy of God and the truth of God with joined hands. We see the righteousness of God and the peace of God embracing each other.

We see the unrighteousness of man and the righteousness of Christ. And then, in a glorious exchange, we see the unrighteousness of Christ on our behalf and the righteousness of wretches because of the purity of His life. It is all there. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Truth as a Thick Lawn:
When the Spirit of God has done His work, and the people of God are restored as they ought to be, what is the result? Truth grows out of the ground like it was grass (v. 11). Righteousness looks down from heaven on us and smiles. Think of the truth of God growing like the thickest of lawns, and all your little kids running barefoot on it. Think of God’s pleasure resting on you—but it is His righteousness pleasure resting on you.
The reason we tend to walk in trepidation and fear is that we want righteousness and peace to be friends somewhere other than in the vicarious death of Jesus. We want mercy and truth to get along somewhere other than in the blood of the covenant. But that is in no way possible.

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Psalm 84: No Good Thing Will He Withhold


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Ben Zornes on

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Introduction
This is a psalm of pilgrimage—worshipers of God afar off are longing to be where they can worship Him at the place where He has set His name. They yearn to be at the place of worship, at his tabernacle, and the spirit of worship drives them there.

The Text:
“How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God . . .” (Psalm 84:1–12).

Summary of the Text:
The tabernacles of the Lord are altogether lovely, and yet He is addressed as the Lord of hosts, the God of armies (v. 1). The worshiper, removed from the place of worship, is heartsick and faint, and yearns to be in the courts of God. He is truly homesick (v. 2). Even the lowly sparrows and swallows are privileged to dwell in the tabernacles of God (v. 3). Everyone who dwells there is blessed (v. 4). For verse five, consider the rendering of the ESV. “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion” (Ps. 84:5, ESV). Blessed is the pilgrim who is on his way to Zion. The valley of Baca was apparently a desolate place, but it was on the way to Zion, and generations of pilgrims had dug wells for themselves (v. 6). As they approach Zion, they are moving from strength to strength (v. 7). Their strength grows as they approach their goal. Lord God, hear. God of Jacob, listen (v. 8). God is invited to look upon the face of His anointed (lit. Messiah) (v. 9). One day in the courts of God is to be preferred to thousands outside (v. 10). And a lowly place with God is superior to the grandest heights the world could bestow on you (v. 10).  The Lord God is both grace and glory, sun and shield (v. 11). No good thing is withheld from those who walk uprightly (v. 11). The man who trusts in God is truly blessed (v. 12).

Milton’s Satan:
After his expulsion from Heaven, Milton’s Satan famously says that he would rather “reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” This is the photo negative of the sentiment expressed here in this psalm. The psalmist would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness—no matter how grand those tents of wickedness might be. This is striking, because this psalm comes from the sons of Korah, who were lowly porters in the house of God, and whose fathers had rebelled against Moses in the wilderness (1 Chron. 9:17-19). They had been humbled, and here is a glorious redemption. They now yearned for the lowest place—and were given the highest place of contributing to the praises of God’s people for virtually the entire history of redemption.

And returning for a moment to Milton’s Satan, we need to remember that his destiny is actually not to rule anything, not even in Hell. The devil is not the king of Hell—the Lord Jesus is the king of Hell. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). Hell is not the devil’s domain or realm; it is his punishment.

The Humility of the Small Birds:
Going lower than the sons of Korah, we find small birds in the tabernacle. The psalmist here notices sparrows and swallows nesting there. What can we gather from this? “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father” (Matt 10:29). The Lord assures us that we are worth more than many sparrows. And so what does that mean when we come to dwell in the presence of God? We are welcome there, just as the birds are welcome. The birds are not just privileged to be there—they are welcome to be there. And you are worth more than many of them. And also keep in mind that these lowly birds are welcome to bring up their young there. Are they to be allowed to nest in the tabernacles of God and you not be allowed to do so?

Sun and Shield:
God is our shield, which means that He is our protection (v. 9). But not only is He our protection, He is also our provision. He is our sun and shield (v. 11). What will He give you? He will give you grace and glory.  It is not difficult to associate the grace with the shield of protection, the protection we did not deserve, and the glory with the sun of provision. All your strength derives from the sun. Every bit of energy you have has been poured out upon you from 93 million miles away. What a wonderful picture of the one in whom we live and move and have our being.

No Good Thing:
Now the promise near the end of this psalm is quite a striking one. “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11). We have some trouble navigating this concept when it comes to answered prayer. This is because Scripture gives us two models for prayer, and they seem quite distinct. First, in the Garden, the Lord Jesus prayed that the cup of suffering would pass from Him, but He uttered this with a caveat. If it be your will . . . So obviously this is a lawful way to pray. But how many of us rush to this pattern because we want to use it as the all-purpose escape clause? Why do we use this to dispense with the other pattern for prayer? “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13–14).

As we meditate on this—and it calls for real meditation—we have to remember the central context of all this. That context is that God has determined that no good thing, as God defines “good thing,” will be withheld from the one who walks uprightly. And of course, the only way to walk uprightly is to walk in the Upright One. And that is done by faith alone.

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