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Psalm 58: Before the Pot Heats Up

Joe Harby on November 7, 2010

Introduction

We should note again that God’s hymnbook, the psalter, is just full of enemies. Our modern hymnbooks very rarely encounter anything like that. A central part of the reason is that we have worked out a truce with the devil. We don’t have to deal with him attacking us, for we have agreed not to attack him. If we really were to attack him, we would have tumults to sing about soon enough.

The Text

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.
“Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? . . .” (Ps. 58:1-11)

Summary of the Text

The psalm can be divided into three sections. In the first, the ungodly enemy is indicted (vv. 1-5). In the second, a just judgment from God is sought (vv. 6-8). In the last, David sees the answer to his prayer by faith (vv. 9-11). David begins by challenging the majority. What the whole congregation knows is not necessarily so (v. 1). The heart of man is an underground forge, in which violence and wickedness is crafted (v. 2). Wickedness begins in the womb; evil men rejoice when they are born—so that they can start learning how to lie (v. 3). Their lies are not harmless, but rather full of venom (v. 4). External tricks and charms will not restrain them (v. 5). They will not be reasoned with, and so David asks God to bust out their teeth (v. 6). Let them be like water running into parched earth (v. 7). Shatter their weapons, O Lord (v. 7). Let them melt like a slug in the sun (v. 8). Let them come to nothing, like an abortion (v. 8). David then exults in the approaching answer to his prayer. Before the cauldron of the wicked heats up, the whirlwind of God shall take them away alive (v. 9). The righteous man does not flinch when he sees this—he rejoices to walk over the battle field after the victory (v. 10). What is the conclusion? Surely the righteous are reward (v. 11), and surely there is a God who judges in the earth (v. 11).

Black-Robed Malice

This psalm provides a strong contrast between the judgments of men (v. 1) and the judgments of God (v. 11). Does man judge uprightly? No. Does God? Yes. What do men speak from their heart of hearts? Lies. What does God speak from His heart of hearts? The truth.

So let us begin with the curse. These are not private slanders that David is dealing with. These are lies parading as righteous judgments in the congregation. These are appalling untruths uttered from behind the bench, with the acclaim of the sons of men. For just one example among far too many, the men who voted to establish Roe v. Wade were Harry Blackmun, William Brennan, Warren Burger, William Douglas, Thurgood Marshall, Lewis Powell and Potter Stewart. All of these men have gone out of this life to settle their accounts with God. They don’t have a black robe anymore and, even if they did, a robe will protect no man if it is soaked with the blood any innocents other than Jesus (Rev. 7:14. What would any of those men give now to revisit that damnable vote?

Now, when the Lord judges, what will He judge? He will judge the pretence of righteousness (v. 1). He will judge the hidden forge of malice (v. 2). He will judge the lies involved, including convoluted reasoning learned in order to pass the bar (v. 3). He will judge the poison (v. 4). He will judge the refusal to listen (v. 5). How will He judge? He will break out their teeth (v. 6), shatter their weapons (v. 7), cause them to melt away (vv. 7-8), and bring them to an abortive end (v. 8). God judges before their pot heats up (v. 9). Every unconverted man is an abortion—not able to grow up to the restored image of God in Christ.

No Endless Discussions

Truth is determined by what God says, not by what the general consensus is. Justice is determined by how God would judge a case, not by what we might think while groping our way. When we hear the phrase final judgment (which we do too rarely), we sometimes rush to the judgment side of it. But we really need to remember that it is final. Everything gets settled.

Early Morning Lies

Whenever you get up early in the morning for a trip, by the end of the day, you will have been able to go a long way. So when you rise early in your life to tell lies, by the time you are done, you have traveled long down that road. But here is the hard truth—this is the human dilemma. As Paul reminds us in Romans 3, no one seeks after truth. But God be praised, the truth seeks after us. That is grace.

Afraid of Victory

The liberal is one who doesn’t feel up to taking up his own side in anything. If this is at all accurate, many so-called conservatives are actually liberals. We have been far more affected by the spirit of the age than most of us know. If we hear anyone pray to the Lord, “Break out their teeth, O Lord, and don’t leave them with any,” our first reaction is to rush to the cautionary warning that they probably don’t know what spirit they are of (Luke 9:55). Okay, so maybe they don’t. But do we know what spirit we are of ? Like so many castrated roosters, we greet the morning sun like Knox, and Luther, and Huss, but we are just a cluster of capons for all that. Never confound personal desire to retaliate, which is prohibited to us, with in God’s vengeance (v. 10).

Two Things to Keep in Mind

We are told in Scripture that the man who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of the one who diligently seeks Him (Heb. 11:6). We find the same kind of thing here in this psalm. A man should be able to say two things about God. First, that there is a God who judges in the earth, and second, that He brings with Him a reward for the righteous.

Psalm 57: In The Shadow Of Thy Wings

Joe Harby on October 24, 2010

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Introduction

We are in a stretch of the psalms which record David’s trials before coming to the promised throne. This psalm is a cry of faith from a very beleaguered and dark time. Since the reference is simply to “the cave,” this is probably the time when David and his six hundred men hid in the cave (1 Sam. 24:1-22), and David cut off the hem of Saul’s robe.

The Text

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.
“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast . . .” (Ps. 57:1-11).

Summary of the Text

The inscription of this psalm locates it at the time when David hid from Saul in the cave. The psalm divides into two main sections—the first being prayer (vv. 1-6) and the second praise (vv. 7-11). In the first part of the psalm, he is deep in the cave, and at v. 7 he comes to the mouth of the cave and stands in the sunlight. He begins with a repeated cry for mercy (v. 1). He does not hide in the cave alone, but under the shadow of God’s wings (v. 1). David cries out, and does so in complete faith (v. 2). God is the one who performs “all things.” He shows his confidence (v. 3), knowing that God will send deliverance from heaven. God sends forth salvation, mercy, and truth. The devil has sharp teeth, as also his servants (v. 4). Whatever happens, David wants God to be exalted
and glorified (v. 5). Caught in a trap, David prays that God be glorified above heaven and earth. David mentions the trap prepared for him, and declares that he knows that his adversaries will fall in it themselves (v. 6). Saul pursued David, but David managed—more than once—to catch Saul. The prayer is offered, and David knows it is heard. He turns at this point in the psalm to praise the Lord. Where does his praise begin? He says “my heart is fixed” (v. 7). That is where praise begins. What is necessary to praise God rightly? Three times David exhorts himself to wake up (v. 8). David resolves not to limit his praise service to the back of the save, but rather to sing among all nations (v. 9), a thing which he has successfully done. His mercy is great, and his truth ascends to the sky (v. 10). Our praise of Him should do its level best to match that (v. 11).

Shadows and Shadows

Like a cloud overhead, David is dealing with various calamities. He is under the shadow of those calamities. When under this kind of shadow, he seeks out the shadow of God’s wings. There are two likely images here—like a chick in danger seeks out refuge under the wings of the mother hen, so we seek out God’s protection. Jesus used this image (Matt. 23:37). And because of the close association with the cry for mercy, remember that the mercy seat, the great mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, was covered over with wings—the wings of the cherubim. In that place we recognize that our troubles are temporal, and our safety is eternal.

Where Praise Begins

For David, his praise begins in the cave. God wants us to grow in our tests and trials by rejoicing before they are over. Always and for everything giving thanks . . . (Eph. 5:20). We praise God for the sunlight while we are still in the cave. We praise God for deliverance while we are still on the run. We praise God for the resurrection before we have died. We live and we die in faith. Praise and worship are not built on the foundation of sentiments; they are built on the bedrock of trust and faith.

A Fixed Heart

The right worship of God begins with resolve. Remembering what we have just said, it has to be a resolve to trust, a resolve to believe. Not only that, but it also has to contain a recognition that resolve is not something we are able to gin up on our own, but is rather the gift of God. So David says that his heart is fixed. Therefore he will sing and give praise. He emphasizes this, saying twice that his heart is fixed. The New Testament tells us a very similar thing about our praise. Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:15). Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 15:18). This applies to praise and thanks as well as to sins.

Make the World

David tells his glory to wake up. He tells his musical instruments to wake up. And in a striking figure, he tells the dawn to wake up—he is up before the dawn, ready to use the day for praising God. Sluggishness is not a fit condition for praising God. Psalters and hymnals were not made so that we might have something to mumble into. Music should be skillful. Music should be robust. Music should be loud.

The Nations Praise

David wants his praise to extend vertically—he says this twice. This psalm is full of important repetitions. He wants God to be exalted and glorified above the heavens and earth (vv. 5, 11). But he also insists that God be glorified extensively, horizontally, in the presence of all the nations (v.9). Praise extends laterally, and not just vertically. This is a very common theme in the psalms (e.g. Ps. 18:49), one which the apostle Paul notes (Rom. 15:9). How will David do this? Well, we are Gentiles, we are living on the other side of the world from David and his cave, and we are living thousands of years later. What are we doing? We are rejoicing, together with David, and we are using his compositions, his praises, in order to do it. We are those nations, we are the fruit of David’s faith.

Under the Shadow of Thy Wings

A crisis reveals where a man’s faith is. When something threatens, where do we turn. When a hawk appears, no one needs to train chicks how to run for the mother hen’s wings. They know what to do. In the same way, a crisis reveals where a man believes his savior to be. Where does he turn? What name does he cry out? What temple does he go to? What wings does he seek shelter under?

Psalm 56: I Know God is for Me

Christ Church on October 17, 2010

Introduction

The troubles that David went through on the way to his promised throne were many. But this meant that before he assumed the rule of God’s people, he had seen that many answers to prayer, that many deliverances. David was not dropped on his throne from Heaven, rather he was delivered out of tribulation, as he ascended to that throne.

The Text

To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.
“Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me . . .” (Ps. 56:1-13 ).

Summary of the Text

This psalm is another one from the time when David was on the run, beset by a persecuting king of Israel, and threatened by the Philistine enemy. He had been anointed, and knew the promise, but he also knew the threat. He cries out for mercy, for men would swallow him (v. 1). If they could, they would swallow him every day (v. 2), and there are many of them. The last part of v. 2 is probably a missed translation—it means his enemies fight from the high places. David’s basic response is a godly reflex response—when he fears, he trusts (v. 3). This kind of trust leads inexorably to praise (v. 4). The people who are against him will snatch at any excuse to accuse him. They twist his words out of all recognition (v. 5). Whenever the wolf is talking with the lamb, anything the lamb says will be used as a compelling reason to have him for lunch. The conversation always seems to take that turn. These malicious men study David, in order to take him down (v. 6). David asks God to intervene (v. 7). God knows what David has gone through—He collects David’s tears in a bottle, He enters every one of them in His register (v. 8). David knows that his prayer will be answered, for he knows that “God is for me” (v. 9). The only appropriate response to this is praise (v. 10). There is no reason to fear what men can cook up (vv. 4, 11). To promise the payment of vows is a biblical thing to do—provided you pay them (v. 12). The payment of a vow is only right, because God delivered David, and he walks in the light of the living (v. 13).

The Malice of These Men

The malice of these men is remarkable. They know they are being unfair. Because they hate, part of their delight comes from being unfair. They know that the pain they inflict will hurt, but they also know that the pain they inflict for no good reason will hurt more. Because they are haters, this is part of their satisfaction. Note. They twist words. All their thoughts concentrate on how to turn anything to evil. They mark steps, but in a way completely different from the way God does it. They want to trip, they want to ensnare. They love ambush, they delight in gotcha. When they accuse us of malice and hatred, they know better.

The Tendermercies of God

God knows every last step that David took in the course of his wanderings. He knows how many steps were taken when David was on one side of the mountain, and his pursuers were on the other. He not only knew of all David’s tears, but He also treasured those tears (v. 8), collecting them all in a bottle. He counted them all, entering each one of them in His register, in His book. So the God who will wipe away every tear is not going to do so by abrasively telling us to “get some perspective, wouldja?” (Rev. 7:17 ; Rev. 21:4 ). Rather, the God who wipes away every tear is the same God who collected them all, cataloging them. God’s knowledge of every hair on your head is not told to us so that we would marvel at His mathematical abilities, but rather so that we would marvel at His care for us (Matt. 10:30 ).

Fear and Trust

We have seen that courage is not the absence of fear. It is doing the right thing despite your fears. In order for this to happen, this basic reflex must be there. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” And if it is not too small to frighten you, it is not too small to entrust to God. There is no threshold between small and large fears where we should start trusting God. Remember that the God you are trusting is the same God who counts every tear. Cast all your anxieties on Him for He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7 ). Be anxious for nothing, because God is willing for His peace to rest upon you (Phil. 4:6-7 ). These are fantastic promises—we would have to say “unbelievable promises,” except that the Spirit of God works in us to enable us to believe them. Does He not?

I Know God is for Me

Now here is an astonishing statement of David’s faith (v. 9), and it is same kind of faith that we are called to. Remember, we are told that we are to sing the psalms (Eph. 5:19 ; Col. 3:16 ), and among other things this means that are to be schooled by the psalter in how to pray, and we are to learn how to trust God in the same way that David did. This is our hymnbook, and we are supposed to be shaped by what we sing.

But there are striking epistemological issues in this—all of which must be resolved by faith. Think about this: “this I know; for God is for me.” The issues are not resolved by abstract principles, or logical syllogisms in the sky, but by faith. Now David had his enemies, and he had the kind of enemies who would twist his words, including the words of this psalm. “Who are you to say that we are the ones who are evil? Haven’t you ever heard of Prov. 18:17 ? What about our side of the story?”

In this world, the dividing line between right and wrong, between good and evil, is actually, at the foundational level, the line between faith and unbelief. We are invited to believe that God is “for us,” and we are invited to draw this conclusion, not by peering into His secret counsels (Dt. 29:29 ), but rather by looking to the gracious terms of His covenant with us. And this is done by means of looking to Christ. Christ is our law, Christ is our promise, Christ is our grace. Look to Him and conclude that “God is for me.”

Psalm 55: Mischief In The Midst Of It

Joe Harby on October 10, 2010

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Introduction

In all of Scripture, David was one of God’s most favored servants. He was also one of the most tested and tried of all His servants, and there is a connection between the two conditions. It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of heaven, we are told, and this does not mean that we are carried to glory on a litter covered with rose petals. It means something else entirely.

The Text

“Give ear to my prayer, O God; And hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise . . .” (Ps. 55:1-23 ).

Summary of the Text

We are not told the circumstances of this psalm, but from the description, it may have been after the revolt of Absalom, and the treachery of Ahithophel. The psalmist begins by pleading with God to really hear him (vv. 1-2). His complaint concerns the slanders of his enemies (v. 3). The slander and the malice behind it have not left him unaffected; he is really shaken (vv. 4-5). If he had the means to fly away from it all, he would fly straight to the wilderness (vv. 6-8). He then asks God to intervene, and overthrow them and their impudent plots (vv. 9-11). David would have been able to handle it if an enemy had done this, but this was a treachery that struck really close to home (vv. 12-14). David prays for God’s judgment to fall upon this treachery (v. 15). As for David, he will trust in God (v. 16-19). His foes are the way they are because they do not fear God (v. 19). This lack of fear for God results in a life of treacherous flattery (v. 20-21). David turns to exhort himself (and others) to trust in God (v. 22). The sovereign God is God over traitors as well as everything else. The distinction between the one who betrays and the one who trusts is a sharp distinction (v. 23).

Arguing the Case With God

There is a vast difference between complaining about God, which is terrible, and complaining to God, which He welcomes. We should all know what happens to those who murmur, complain, moan, and grumble. Their bodies are scattered over the desert. But the alternative to this is not Stoicism. David here “makes a noise” (v. 2). Lay out your case. Reason it through. Don’t pray like you were a block of wood. If you do, then you will get answers to prayer of a kind that would satisfy a block of wood. The Psalms teach us to sing, and to pray, and to argue rightly. The faithful servant in prayer does not want to “say the right words.” He wants an audience. He wants his prayers to be heard. Your goal should be to learn how to offer prayers that cannot be refused. As John Bunyan put it, it is better that your heart be without words than that your words be without heart.

Courage and Fear

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is doing what you are called to do, despite your fears. This psalm is clearly messianic in its direction and intent. David had his Ahithophel and Christ had His Judas, both of whom ended by hanging themselves. Both David and Jesus dealt with treachery. And both dealt with fear. Here David speaks of trembling, fear and horror (vv. 4-5). The Lord Jesus sweat drops of blood in His anguish (Luke 22:44 ). The Lord Jesus did not confront the cross with passive indifference, but rather with obedience, which is a very different thing. Jesus faced the effective work of His traitor with strong crying and tears (Heb. 5:7 ), but He faced it.

Buttered and Battered

In the words of Spurgeon, David was buttered with flattery and battered with malice, and from the same source. You butter something up when you want to devour it. This man who had betrayed David was smooth in his words, as smooth as butter, but war was in his heart (v. 21). His speech was softer than oil, but at the same time that same speech was a drawn sword (v. 21). This was someone who had been close to David, who had worshipped together with him (v. 14). David says He could have handled it if it had been someone who was supposed to be hostile. Never forget that Judas was dear to Jesus.

When you are reading the story of Scripture, and you are reading the story of the Church, and you are reading the story of your life, remember that treachery is archetypical. A servant is not greater than his master. Something can be a kink in the story without being a kink in the Story. God uses traitors to advance His kingdom. After all, He used a traitor to save the entire world (Acts 4: 27-28 ).

In Broad Daylight

David, who was king in the city, nonetheless saw evil taking root in the city. He wanted God to act in order to destroy their machinations, for he had seen violence and strife in the city (v. 9). Mischief is in the midst of it; sorrow is in the midst of it (v. 10). David knows this because they go about on the walls “day and night.” This indicates two things. One is that their plotting is ceaseless—they tirelessly work toward their corrupt ends. It also indicates that they are willing to advance their agenda in broad daylight. They cook up some mischief, and then come out onto the Capitol steps and hold a news conference to brag about it. Someone with David’s insight can see what they are doing, but for most people they offer one thing for public consumption, and behind closed doors you find the “wickedness,” the “deceit,” and the “guile” (p. 11).

God Will Judge

When the judgment of God falls, the wicked will be destroyed (v. 9). They will fall, suddenly, under the force of one blow. They will fall backward, down into death and Sheol (v. 15), for wickedness is in their dwelling, and in their midst. The schemers and climbers and plotters and all such progressives, are climbing up a rock face, an endless climb with no top, and Hell below them. There will come a time when they cannot hold on, and must let go. And they will fall backward, and take their place among the helwaru, to use an old Anglo Saxon word. Contrary to popular opinion, Hell is not a travesty of justice; Hell is nothing but justice. All the excuses, all the smooth words, all the rationalizations, all the slanders, will burn away in an instant, and nothing will be left but the justice of it.

Mischief in the Midst of It

We are not supposed to over-engineer our understanding of the city. We call upon our leaders to confess that Jesus is Lord, and to govern as though He is Lord. We confess that there is no alternative to this that can result in salvation for us, and for our people. There is no salvation without a Savior. But in order to be blessed by this Savior, we must call upon Him. We do not get to be like an embarrassed teenager who wants a ride to school in the family car, but who does not want to be seen with the family car. Well, which way do you want it?

We rest upon God alone. He will deliver us. As has been forcefully pointed out, God can intervene with means, with various means, and apart from means. Absalom was hanged without a rope, and Ahithophel was hanged with one.

Psalm 54: According To His Truth

Joe Harby on September 26, 2010

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Introduction

The background to this psalm is found in 1 Samuel 23, and it is a testimony to David’s faithfulness to God in the midst of much unfaithfulness to him. David had delivered Keilah from the Philistines, but the Lord told David that they would turn him over to Saul. He then went to the wilderness of Kiph, but the Kiphim went to Saul the tyrant and promised to turn David over to him. Saul, true to form, felt like he’s the one who needed compassion (1 Sam. 23:21). The one exception to all this treachery was Jonathan. In this background chapter, he makes a wonderful covenant with David—Saul, the tyrant, fathered one of the noblest sons in all of Scripture (1 Sam. 23:16). But when most men are treacherous, and when many men are flakes, God remains God.

The Text

“To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?

Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth. I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies” (Ps. 54:1-7).

Summary of the Text

When the Kiphim volunteered to turn David over to Saul, David cries out to God, asking for salvation by the name of God (v. 1), and he requests that he be judged by the strength of God (v. 1). He then urges God to listen (v. 2). David says that his problem is two-fold—strangers have volunteered to take up the conflict with David (v. 3), and oppressors are trying to get him (v. 3). The Ziphim are the strangers, who should have had no problem with David, and the oppressors are Saul and his forces. Both are motivated by a functional atheism—they have not set God before them (v. 3). We then find a selah—Spurgeon says that David is out of breath with indignation. David then says that God is with him; the Lord is also with those who encourage David (v. 4), which would have to include Jonathan. David knows the shape that this help will take—God will reward evil to David’s enemies, and will cut them off in His truth (v. 5). David knows this will happen, and he promises to pay his sacrificial vows when it does (v. 6). He will praise God’s name (v. 6), the name by which he was saved (v. 1). David claims his deliverance by faith (v. 7), and he foresees his God-given victory over his enemies (v. 7).

More on Atheism

We considered the realities of functional atheism in the previous psalm, but we see that same kind of atheism at work here. David says that strangers have risen up, and oppressors have pursued, because “they have not set God before them.” But what does Saul say when the Ziphim come to him? He puts a pious varnish over it. “And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me” (1 Sam. 23:21). Saul pronounces this blessing in the name of Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel.

We have noted this characteristic of Saul before—trying to murder others while expecting everybody to feel sorry for him. But this kind of thing is often a function of retroactive justification. If one man wrongs another, he is frequently not of a mind to say to himself, “Yes, I did a vile thing without any good reason.” The human heart is a self-justification factory, manufacturing reasons by the quarter ton.

Most of those reasons are of a very poor quality indeed, and have a very tenuous relationship to any kind of orderly chronology. So one man wrongs another, and then goes hunting around in the past (anything earlier than his sin) for retroactively perceived grievances, things that were perfectly fine with him at the time. This is the way the world works, but it must not be the way that you work.

Judgment Is Real

Now David is not being petty or vindictive. As with the imprecatory psalms, the whole point is to turn a grotesque situation over to God, who is the one who sees all things perfectly. We can know the main outlines, but we still turn it over to God. While the bulk of this psalm is David asking to receive help, in one place he makes a direct statement about what God will do to those who are persecuting him. So it is not turned over to God in a spirit of agnosticism; the situation is turned over to God with particular requests attached. David here says that God will “reward evil” to David’s enemies. David has a particular request that God “cut them off.” He wants God to do this in God’s truth, and according to God’s judgments, but he nonetheless wants God to do it. Someone has ably defined a liberal as someone who won’t take up his own side in a fight. If that is the case, the spirit of liberalism is pervasive in the modern church—even including ostensibly conservative churches.

The Troublesome Issue of Works

God will not not judge the world in the aggregate. He will not judge by the gross ton. His judgments will involve glasses of cold water that some people gave and other people didn’t (Mark 9:41). His judgments will include every idle word that some people spoke and some people didn’t (Matt. 12:36). God will render to every man according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6). The apostle Paul also says of false teachers that their “end shall be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:15). He also asked that Alexander be rewarded “according to his works” (2 Tim. 4:14). “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Pet. 1:17).

Now in line with all the Reformation, we hold that the dividing line between the sheep and goats is a line drawn by the electing good pleasure of God, and is not according to works. But once the Lord’s infinite wisdom has drawn that line, the punishments and the rewards that are apportioned to the reprobate and the elect respectively most certainly are in line with how we have lived our lives. The scriptural testimony to this reality is abundant. And so it is crucial that we turn to Christ, knowing that His mercies endure forever.