Psalm 32 (Christ the Redeemer)

INTRODUCTION

This Psalm is a cry for justice for the poor and helpless in the face of the arrogant violence of the wicked. But the justice of God and this prideful wickedness is a line that runs through our world and right down the middle of every human heart. And it is a line that is often hidden in the secret places of “good intentions.”

The Text: “Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?…” (Psalm 10:1-18)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The psalm begins with a plea in the form of a question of what the psalmist feels – it feels as if God is far away and ignoring the trouble he is facing (10:1). And the psalmist cries out, “why?” Of course, God is not actually far away or hiding, otherwise, how could David pray at all?

The first half of the psalm describes the trouble of the wicked as a continuous and arrogant hunting of the poor (10:2). This flows from the wicked man’s commitment to doing whatever he wants, not seeking the Lord, and all his thinking assumes there is no God (10:3-4). He ignores God’s judgments while appearing to prosper and without any fear of trouble (10:5-6). You can tell the wicked because his mouth is full of cursing, which multiplies lies, fraud, and misery as he sets ambushes, lurking like a lion for prey (10:7-9). And the result is the helpless are crushed, and the wicked think there is nothing to worry about (10:10-11).

The second half of the psalm renews the plea for God to arise and act (10:12). Since God actually has seen all of it (answering the initial cry), he asks why God seems to be allowing the wicked to get away with their taunts (10:13-14)? The psalm asks God to break their arms and bring them up on charges (10:15). Finally, the psalm ends in confidence, proclaiming that the Lord is king forever, and those who hate Him cannot remain (10:16); God hears the prayers of the afflicted, and therefore He will strengthen their hearts and do justice for the fatherless and helpless (10:17-18).

ARROGANT IGNORANCE

One of the marks of evil men is their arrogant ignorance. He persecutes the poor in his pride (Ps. 10:2, 4). Part of this pride is the denial of God’s existence and knowledge (Ps. 10:4, 11), but this often takes the form of a kind of “benevolent” pride. The unbelieving heart reasons that since there is no God, human beings and our programs and solutions are all we have. Religion is seen (at best) as a quaint superstition, and therefore, if we really want to help the poor, we have to “do” something but it cannot be a solution found in the Bible Ps. 10:5). This is his pride: he will not seek after God or God’s ways.

Therefore, often, in the name of helping the poor, the wicked are actually persecuting the poor. While there are some wicked who literally lurk in secret places to hunt down the helpless (e.g. human trafficking, terrorist attacks), a great deal of evil is perpetrated in the “secret places” of good intentions. In the name of “helping” the poor, the wicked load them with the chains of welfare. In the name of “helping” the poor, the wicked load them with medications to mask their follies. In the name of “helping” the poor, the wicked destroy their agency by blaming others and propping up their victimhood. These are often the “lurking places of the villages” (Ps. 10:8).

C.S. Lewis described this well: “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

This can happen in public policy, but this also happens in hearts and homes. C.S. Lewis again: “She’s the sort of woman who lives for others – you can always tell the others by their hunted expression.” It is perilously easy for Christians (of all people) to hide their wickedness in the secret places of what we consider our virtues. This can be a woman who has determined to “live for others” or “to be a servant of all” but refuses to allow God to define for her what that means. His judgments are out of her sight (Ps. 10:5). And in her pride she is actually persecuting everyone around her, all in the name of being helpful. And of course men can do this too.

LOOSE LIPS

The old saying is that “loose lips sink ships,” referring to the care that soldiers and citizens needed to have during certain wartime conflicts in order to protect the mission. But the principle stands: words are potent and powerful because we are made in the image of the Triune God who spoke the world into existence and whose Word became flesh.

The wicked man has a mouth full of cursing, but it doesn’t stop there: the cursing is friends with treachery, and the treachery lives right next door to oppression (Ps. 10:7). And under his tongue can be found trouble and misery (Ps. 10:7). James says that the tongue is like a flame thrower, that defiles the whole body and can set whole worlds ablaze (Js. 3:5-6). He says that these kinds of destructive words flow from hearts full of “bitter envy” (Js. 3:14). He also says that these words are often a counterfeit “wisdom” that is earthly, sensual, and devilish (Js. 3:15). But the wisdom that is from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruit, without partiality, and without hypocrisy (Js. 3:17).

CONCLUSION: WHY GOD HIDES

So we return the opening question: why does God let evil grow? Why does it seem that He is far off in times of trouble? At least one answer to that question is so that we will learn to pray, sing, worship, and think like this psalm. Like a faithful Father determined to grow His children up, God sometimes “leaves” us some space to grow up into this wisdom. Do you see evil for what it really is? Are you desperate for God to come down and break its evil arms and see it fade away? Do you see it out there in the world? Good. And now, do you see it in your own heart? And do you see that you are often the problem? And what you often think of as your virtue or your good traits need to die.

Now hear this: The Lord Jesus is King forever and ever, and He must reign until all of His enemies have been put beneath His feet. This includes the wicked machinations of globalists and jihadists, and this includes the plots and scams of your devilish flesh. Christ is King forever and ever. He will hear your cries, and He will always save.

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INTRODUCTION

This is a psalm of confident praise for the certain justice of God in the earth. The nations rage, the destroyers destroy, but the King is on His throne. He rebukes and destroys the wicked, and those who put their trust in His name will not be forgotten and will rejoice in His salvation. He does this in history, and He has appointed a day in which Jesus Christ will judge the world.

The Text: “To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works…” (Psalm 9:1-20)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

This psalm is for the chief musician upon “muthlabben,” which is an obscure Hebrew word. It may refer to a historic occasion or tune or instrument or something else. This is a psalm of David, and it begins with exuberant praise for what God has recently done and for all His marvelous works of deliverance in history (Ps. 9:1-2). God has maintained David’s cause and rebuked the wicked and brought their destructions to an end (Ps. 9:3-6). This is because God endures forever, and He ministers justice (Ps. 9:7-8). This justice is a refuge in times of trouble, for everyone who trusts in God (Ps. 9:9-10). This is why David sings praises to the Lord: God searches out the shedding of innocent blood and hears the cries of the humble (Ps. 9:11-12).

It is for all of this that David renews his cry for more mercy and deliverance (Ps. 9:13). One of the chief reasons is so that David can renew his praise (Ps. 9:14). David knows that God rules the world in such a way that the wicked fall into their own pits: a man reaps what he sows. And Christians really should meditate on that – Higgaion Selah (Ps. 9:15-16). The wicked are turned into Sheol, but those who look to the Lord will never be forgotten (Ps. 9:17-18). So David sings that the Lord would arise once more and judge the wicked, so everyone may fear the Lord and know they are mere men (Ps. 9:19-20).

POTENT PRAISE

We know that the “joy of the Lord is our strength,” but frequently this is a vague attempt to conjure up happy feelings instead of a robust joy rooted in the long list of God’s “marvelous works.” This is why Philippians 4 moves from fighting anxiety with grateful prayer right into “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things… and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9). The word for “think” means to count or calculate. You fight fear and anxiety by making lists of all of God’s marvelous works and praising Him for them, by meditating on them.

We were made to praise God, to be utterly devoted to Him, with our “whole heart” (Ps. 9:1). And here we see that praise is both the foundation and the end of the courageous Christian life: “That I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion” (Ps. 9:14). You stand on praise in order to stand against evil with the goal of more praise.

A WORD FOR THE WICKED

Psalm 9 is a confident prayer of defiance against the wicked in our land. “When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble” (Ps. 9:12). This certainly includes the blood and cries of the unborn in our land. Like the psalmist, we are grateful for the initial victory of Dobbs overturning Roe (this is certainly one of God’s more recent “marvelous works”), but we still cry out for justice in our land, asking God to arise and let not man prevail (Ps. 9:19).

There is a severe warning here for those continuing in these blood-thirsty ways: you will sink down into the pit you have made; your own feet will be caught in the net you have hid (Ps. 9:15). You who chop up little babies: you will be cut up by the work of your own hands (Ps. 9:16). And we may add to this: those who cause little ones to stumble with their sexual perversions, those who mutilate adolescent bodies, those who cover their families in violence through adultery and divorce (Mal. 2:16), as well as those who steal and plunder through unjust weights and measures, oppressive taxation, and unbiblical government regulations and programs. You are building your own gallows, and the Judge of all the earth will see you on them.

A WORD FOR HUSBANDS & FATHERS

This Psalm is a psalm of King David and it models a kind of leadership that all men must grow into, especially husbands and fathers. The central thing we see here is courageous praise. There’s a kind of empty confidence that is just bluster and doesn’t actually inspire confidence, but there is a kind of faithful confidence that encourages everyone. And the center of it is praise for what God has done, and the eyes of faith see that everything good has come from God’s presence (Ps. 9:1-3).

One kind of husband/father says, “everything will be fine” but points to nothing to reassure his family, and the implicit ground of that confidence is “I’ll figure something out/maybe we’ll get a lucky break.” But that really isn’t reassuring, especially if your attempts have not proven historically helpful. Another kind of husband/father just melts under the pressure and checks out: Netflix, social media doomscrolling, drinking, hunting. And that really destroys confidence. But the godly man praises God with His whole heart for all His marvelous works. The godly man says, “God has always been faithful. He has provided for us. He has heard our prayers. He has watched over us. He is with us. He is our refuge and strength. He will always remember us” (Ps. 9:9-10, 18). All blessed authority thrives under Christ.

A WORD FOR ALL CHRISTIANS

Not only must men lead in this, but all Christians are required to walk in this, even if your leaders falter or stumble. The Lord shall endure forever; His throne of judgment never takes a day off (Ps. 9:7). So, you sing praises to His name; you declare among the people His doings (Ps. 9:11). He brought Israel out of Egypt; He raised Jesus from the dead. And none of our lists of praise are long enough. Praise Him with your whole heart. And when you praise the Lord like this, you will walk in the confidence and joy of the Lord.

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INTRODUCTION

Psalm 8 is one of the great psalms of praise and wonder: marveling at the greatness of God’s creation and the greatness of His mindfulness of man. But the center of that mindfulness is Jesus Christ who has been given the name above all names, who has silenced sin and death. Everything has been put beneath His feet, and He will reign until His name is confessed as the greatest name in all the earth.

The Text: “TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN UPON GITTITH, A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!…” (Ps. 8:1-9).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The “Gittith” is probably a musical instrument or tune and is probably related in some way to the winepress in Gath. Because of this, it has historically been associated with a harvest festival. The Psalm opens and closes with an exuberant doxology of praise to the majesty and excellence of the name of God in all the earth (Ps. 8:1, 9). Between those two bookends there are a number of parallels: children taming enemies (8:2) and all the beasts, birds, and fish being tamed (8:7-8). You have the heavenly works of God’s fingers (8:3) and the dominion over the works of God’s hands (8:6). And at the center of the Psalm, there is the awe-inspired questions: What is man? Why do you care for him? And God has even crowned him with glory and honor (8:4-5).

A PROPHECY OF CHRIST

We’ve said that the psalms are all generally the songs of Christ, but some of them are directly Messianic and specific prophecies of Christ. Psalm 8 is one of those Psalms. We know this because the New Testament tells us: Hebrews specifically insists that Psalm 8 is prophesying Christ who, even though we do not yet see all things put under Him, “was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:8-9). Paul applies this Psalm to Jesus in 1 Cor. 15:27: “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet…” And again in Ephesians 1:21-22: speaking of the resurrection, it says that Christ has been seated at God’s right hand: “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And hath put all things under his feet…” Finally, Christ Himself appeals to this psalm when He clears the temple of the money changers and the children followed Him crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” When the chief priests and scribes objected, Jesus appealed to Psalm 8:2 and said it was talking about Him. We might add to all of this that it is the name of Jesus in particular that will be magnified in all the earth: every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:9-11).

This is a Psalm about the dominion of Jesus. He was born of a woman, and even His cries were the beginning of the defeat of all our enemies. He became a man, the son of man, and visited us in person because God remembered all His covenant promises. He was made a little lower than the angels in the incarnation in order to suffer and die for us. And He was raised from the dead and crowned with glory and honor, and all things have been put beneath His feet. All of creation belongs to Him: all nature, all kingdoms, all families, all nations, all people, all galaxies.

THE CHILD KINGDOM

There is a remarkable childlike theme throughout Scripture that began in the Garden of Eden. There is a childlike faith and curiosity and courage that God is determined to bless, and there is a devilish old fussiness that God is determined to destroy. Adam and Eve were meant to trust their Father, but they grasped for maturity and grew old and died. But God promised that the seed of the woman, a child, would crush the head of the seed of the serpent. And so the tension builds: Will Sarah have a son? Will Hannah conceive? And they do, and so does Ruth, and her great-grandson was a young shepherd boy who fought lions and bears and giants. But David was promised a son, who would be God’s own son, and Isaiah said that a virgin would conceive: unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given (Is. 7, 9). And a little child would come and tame the wolf to lie down with the lamb, and the leopard to lie down with the baby goat, and lions and calves would play together, and a nursing child would play with poisonous snakes (Is. 11:6-8).

Psalm 8 is about that Child King taming the enemies, the sons of the snake, the lions and giants that roar and taunt. And when John saw his vision of the incarnation, he saw the dragon hunting a woman giving birth to a man child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, “and her child was caught up unto God and to His throne” (Rev. 12:4-5). Jesus is the man child whose cries silence the enemy and the avenger. Jesus is the Child King caught up to God and His throne who rules all the nations.

APPLICATIONS: FAITH & WONDER

Hebrews says that faith does many different things: faith builds enormous ships, moves to strange lands and builds altars, conceives babies, offers impossible sacrifices, suffers afflictions, and sometimes faith goes to war and subdues kingdoms. It is trendy to overly spiritualize the obedience of faith on the one hand, and it is sometimes strongly tempting to overly carnalize the obedience of faith. Faith always wins, and sometimes it looks like winning and sometimes it doesn’t. Faith doesn’t look like the wisdom of carnal men, but faith really is wise. Faith obeys, works hard, studies hard, learns from mistakes, doesn’t give up, and faith wonders at the glory of it all.

Jesus says that what He is looking for is the faith of children. When His disciples asked Him who is the greatest in the Kingdom, Jesus set a little child in front of them and said, “verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3-4). The apostles were the first little children of the Kingdom (Lk. 10:21), but there have been many generations since: missionaries, businessmen, scientists, statesmen, soldiers, mothers, teachers, pastors, artists, and musicians.

Child-like faith and wonder are essential to Christian dominion. This is not a call for sentimentalism or mysticism. We need men and women who are strong and confident and full of wisdom and courage, but we need an army that knows that their greatest power is found in the fact that they are children of God.

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