Twenty-nine. That's the number that a newscaster recently reported of active war zones in the world today.[1] Twenty-nine! In my cushy, little, American world I just had no idea. I had no idea because I wasn't paying attention. My small spot of the world is fraught with some murders, thefts, domestic violence, drug dealing, prostitution, and such. But it is not leveled by the constant bombardment of bombs and air raid warnings. Nor do I live with the threat that every day my city could be invaded and flattened. But it could.
So, with that reality, it is important to come to terms with how we deal with such threats in a truly Biblical way. Psalm 27 is a good stepping off point. Psalm 27 is identified in the text as "Of David". So, taking that at face value, I read through 1 Samuel 18-22 to recognize again the familiarity that David had with warring enemies. He himself was a mighty warrior having slain thousands and leading thousands into battle. So, this psalm is not just a liturgical device used in Jewish religious services.[2] It is a reckoning of a warrior's source of life in the face of war. In this ancient account of conflict in Israel we can see how Saul, having divorced himself from the ways of the Lord, became David's arch enemy and hotly pursued him. I challenge you to read this passage in 1 Samuel closely and see how this conflict, as well as many other conflicts David was involved in, informed his writing of this psalm.
This psalm is for more than just the besieged warrior. It is also a guide for those who are not warriors and are subject to the brutality of warfare anywhere at any time. So, keeping in mind our brothers and sisters that are in these types of situations today, let's see what we can learn from God about how to live—truly live—in times of strife and threat.
The literary structure of Psalm 27 has been described by some as two separate Psalms—verses 1-6 and verses 7-14—that have been put together. Although this is contested by many scholars, a clear cohesion can be seen when we approach the Psalm as a process rather than a statement of theology. One scholar lays it out in this way: verses 1-6 is a statement of trust, verses 7-12 is an individual lament and verses 13-14 is the conclusion.[3] There is theology in it, of course, but I would like for us to see it as a way for the psalmist to "work out his salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). Let's use the idea of having to rush into a bunker during a time of war to guide our study today.
Imagine yourself in a grocery store and you suddenly get an alert over the loud-speaker and your cell phone that your area has incoming war planes. Then you hear the air raid sirens ramp up across the city. The manager of the grocery store announces that there is a bunker and if everyone would proceed as quickly as possible to the back of the store, they will be guided into that bunker. The microphone crackles off and you race with the other shoppers to a place of safety. Once you are settled into your tiny corner of that bunker, it seems the whole world shakes and roars and bombs drop above you. The lights flicker and go out. What would be your first thought of what you need? There are a variety of things that each of us could relate. For David it was the Lord.
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
David is the exemplar here, pointing all believers to the source of light and life and a way out of fear. That source is God. His first thought is to declare, in the face of impending doom and death, that his confidence is firmly grounded in the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. What a great example of a first response in dire circumstances! Peter C. Craigie writes that the Psalmist "expresses the absolute certainty that banishes fear, regardless of the dimensions of the threat."[4]
There are three terms that the Psalmist uses to describe God: light, salvation and stronghold. Light would be one of the practical things that anyone in a bunker would need. But here the Psalmist is doing more that just asking for the power to come back on. Here, he is declaring that God is light in the face of all spiritual and moral darkness. While God is the Creator of physical light, he is more so the author of all spiritual and moral light. So that even when the physical light is extinguished, God's light is always present. What a consolation!
The second characteristic of God is that he is salvation. Oh, what people under the duress of war long for is a savior—one who would wipe out the enemy, disarm them, diffuse their purposes, close down their resources, stop them in their tracks! While this is possible temporally, it is not always the case. We must stop and acknowledge that many believers die in wars and conflicts. Their physical survival is not the long-term reality in which they live. For those thriving with God as their Savior, they are enabled to endure great suffering, as the first Apostles and Christians did, and face death by violence or starvation with the great confidence that God has a salvation future for them in eternity well beyond the present suffering or pain. The psalmist declares this boldly. God is the one who saves ultimately!
The third characteristic of God is that he is the stronghold. Jim Edline writes: "A stronghold describes a location that soldiers sought in order to gain advantage in war. It might be a walled fortress or a rocky outcropping above the position of the enemy. From such a place, they could fight while remaining secure from attacks. The Lord was that kind of place for the psalmist and He can be for us as well.[5]" When faced with real fears and nearly overcome by panic, a believer in any sort of bunker can mentally and spiritually run to the stronghold of God's presence. Even when faced with extermination, torture and attempts to brainwash, a believer can be confident that no one can stop their prayers or beliefs in God.
Back in the bunker you can hear the pounding of feet and guns going off overhead. The enemy is drawing nearer and may discover you all! Verses 2-3 show a candid reality that the psalmist faced. And it comes in the form of a lament—a-passionate expression of grief or sorrow.
When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
There is no soft peddling of the power of the enemy here. This is not just a passing threat. This is real and could be physically fatal. There are some terrifying words in this passage: wicked (totally committed to evil), devour (consumed by lions or weapons), besiege (long-term warfare intended to starve and wear down resolve), war (the terrible effort to systematically destroy others). If it were not for the psalmist's confidence in God, these realities could lead someone to despair. But the psalmist has couched these words in others that fully contradict what could be and declares what will happen. Even though the wicked do these things, ultimately, they will stumble and fall. The Bible is full of promises and accounts of the fall of the wicked and God's judgment of the wicked. We need to lean into those passages when faced with such evil powers. Their end will come. In these verses it seems like the psalmist is speaking to himself and perhaps even out loud to those in the bunker with him. I may not see it, my children may not see it, but it will end! And in that reality, we can gain and hold onto our confidence in our Savior. This is a deliberate act of the human will to declare the truth in the face of onslaught. Speak the words! Encourage others! Take confidence and consolation!
The next movement in this psalm is another act of the will. It is the determination to seek God out in the midst of the trouble. He is not overcome by panic or fear, but rather deploys all of his resources to go directly to God for help. As Esther went to her king to plead for the lives her people, as Mary sat at Jesus' feet when everyone expected her to be helping (Luke 10:38-42), so the psalmist declares his determination in verses 4-6.
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Matthew Henry wrote: "[The Psalmist] longed to see an end of the wars in which he was now engaged, not that he might live at ease in his own palace, but that he might have leisure and liberty for a constant attendance in God's courts."[6] Oh, there is so much more available to us than just this broken life! If we would open ourselves up to those wonderful experiences of personal and corporate worship that bear us up in times of trouble. When we remember the glories of our God, we can long for more encounters with Him.
"The Temple was a place of refuge par excellence," wrote one commentator.[7] Indeed the Tabernacle and Temple had become a places of refuge for many. And yet the physical building of the Temple was destroyed much later. But what was not destroyed was the dwelling place of God Most High! Even after the destruction of the Temple, Hilkiah found the living Word of God hidden in a room in the rubble. (2 Kings 22) Both the presence of God and his Word will never fail or be destroyed. The beauty and holiness of God discovered in true worship cannot be diminished by any thing, person or circumstance. Jim Edlin wrote about the psalmist: "Rather than defeated, he felt 'exalted,' even joyful (v. 6). In the midst of his troubles, the psalmist could 'sing and make music to the Lord' (v. 6). A safe place can be a place of joy even on our most disquieting days."[8] I remember watching a recent news report where a young musician picked up her violin and played for those in their bunker. The music and the exaltation brought me to tears. Alex Varughese wrote of the psalmist: "The enemies who were a threat to his life were no longer his concern. My head will be exalted above the enemies: This conveys the idea of the psalmist’s victory over his enemies. The rest of this verse makes it clear that this victory would come from God. In response to God’s help, the psalmist pledged a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God with shouts of joy. Joy and happiness is the outcome for those who experience safety in the presence of God. The psalmist also promised to sing and make music to the Lord, thus, publicly demonstrating his gratitude to God in the setting of worship."[9]
The next thing that can happen in the bunker is that direct pleas to the Lord can be made. While others around us may launch into vicious diatribes against the enemy or be swallowed up in abject fear, believers can call out to the Lord! What a great example of this we find in verses 7-12.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
The Psalmist then launches into deep and specific prayers for help. He is sure to cover all of the bases asking for the forgiveness of his sins, declaring his humble position of being the one in need of help and needing more help, and acknowledging that even family cannot provide what he needs. What he needs is God's path, God's way, God's rescue. God is everything to him! Take this prayer and adopt it for yourself, believer or unbeliever. Declare to your Maker that you need Him above all other things. And He will answer you! Alex Varughese wrote, "In all these scenarios, the psalmist saw himself as a helpless and powerless victim of the wicked, powerful, and ruthless forces of darkness. However, he was confident that his enemies would not defeat him. Rather, they would stumble and fall, because God was his light, salvation, and stronghold. The confidence of the psalmist reflects not only his trust in the power of God over the power of his enemies, but also his inner state of mind . . . He was surrounded by oppressors, but he did not desire to respond to evil with evil. He wanted to walk in the path of righteous living, by following God’s teaching. Only with God’s instruction for proper conduct would he overcome the power of his oppressors.
"[10]
The final movement of the bunker psalm is most encouraging with truth-based declarations. Here the psalmist engages the human will and his confidence in the supremely trustworthy God. In verses 13-14 we read:
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
"I remain confident in the Lord," is a powerful statement to make in the face of daunting threat. I have heard this kind of spirit expressed from those dying of cancer or other terminal diseases. No less is this powerful in the time of war. That beautiful, powerful will that God has given to us is easy to deploy toward Him—if only we will.
We may be discouraged if we don't find the relief of this in our physical lifetime. Indeed, many religious leaders make promises in this vein that cannot be kept. So, what do we do in the bunker when we hear words that we will see God's work in the land of the living? Matthew Henry wrote, "This [The psalmist] hopes to see in the land of the living . . . that he should outlive his troubles and not perish under them. It is his comfort, not so much that he shall see the land of the living as that he shall see the goodness of God in it; for that is the comfort of all creature-comforts to a gracious soul."[11] I would like to take us to Daniel 3:16-18 where the ever-faithful young exiles declared their trust in the Lord in the face of certain death.
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
These young men were waiting on the Lord, as the psalmist was. Jim Edlin wrote about the phrase, “wait for the Lord” (v. 14). "The Hebrew word 'wait' suggests waiting in confident expectation, knowing that the goodness of God will prevail. One only needs to hold on till the Lord acts. In the meantime, the psalmist challenges himself to 'be strong' and not fear in the midst of a frightening world (v. 14). God is worth waiting for.[12] Those acts may be God's saving presence in the fire, or they may be in temporal and physical deliverance. Either way, God is doing his saving work as we turn to him. (Please read the whole story of these wonderful young men in Daniel 1 and 3!)
Alex Varughese puts a fine capstone on the commentary for this text. "In the Old Testament, waiting for God was not something passive, but rather a hopeful anticipation that God would respond to one’s prayer. Waiting is thus evidence of one’s active trust in God. Be strong and take heart is the psalmist’s exhortation to the faithful. The faith and hope of the psalmist is to serve as a model for others to follow when they experience trouble."[13]
Now we are left with following the many fine examples of what our faithful forebearers did in the face of great trouble. May we take the example of this wonderful Psalm to work through the distresses, fears and threats in our lives—whether we are trembling in a bunker or not. May we take hold of a profound sense of confidence in our Lord, work through issues of doubt, loneliness, and despair, and then return to courageous, optimistic trust in God.
Amen.
© M.R. Hyde
[1] https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/?category=us
[2] Jewish worshippers even today use this Psalm during the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) – the 10-day period of repentance and renewal during Jewish high holidays including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
[3] The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Englewood Hills, NJ, 1990, p. 530.
[4] Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1-50, Volume 19, Word Books, Waco, Texas, 1983, p. 231.
[5] Faith Connections Bible Study Guide: Winter Quarter 2022, The Foundry Publishing, Kansas City, MO, 2021.
[6] Unabridged Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Osnova digital version.
[7] Jerome, p. 530.
[8] Faith Connections.
[9] Illustrated Bible Life: Winter Quarter 2022, The Foundry Publishing, Kansas City, MO, 2021.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Matthew Henry
[12] Faith Connections.
[13] Illustrated Bible Life.
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