PSALM THIRTY FIVE

IF GOD BE FOR US!?  
 
   This psalm has probably some reference to the incident recorded in 1
Samuel 24, when David spared Saul's life in the cave. David says to
Saul, "The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of
thee, but mine hand shall not be upon thee." David was so sure that God
was FOR him. 
   In this psalm David sings of the Lord as Advocate, the Lord as
Judge, and the Lord as Commander in Chief. He uses word pictures to
illustrate these ways in which God is for us. 
   In his opening line, David sings, "Plead my cause, O Lord!" and so
acknowledges the Lord as the one who will be his advocate. He puts his
case before God and is willing to leave the issue with Him. The phrase
could be paraphrased, "Fight my case for me!" How helpless we feel when
there is no-one to take up our case and plead our cause. But God is for
us - the Lord our Advocate. 
   David pleads his case at length, and then he acknowledges that the
Lord is Judge. God is judge of all the earth. He is known by the
judgments He executes. It is a great comfort to every believer that
there is a tribunal in heaven. The Lord, the judge, does not judge
between us now. When He rises to judge He will judge ALL. 
   David also recognises that the Lord is Commander in Chief. He cries,
"Stand up in my defence!" We are in a life or death struggle. Either
God's friends or His foes must be defeated. Warring on behalf of His
people, God takes up the Shield, Buckler and Sword. In Ephesians 4, the
Apostle designates the shield of Faith, and the buckler and sword of
Truth and Righteousness. This then is the armour of God. He fights the
battle for His saints. None can resist Him. He can succeed as well with
few as with many. David did not realise that God had already dealt with
Saul. But he left him in the hands of God, steadfastly refusing to take
the opportunity of slaying the king. If we believe that God is for us,
we can afford to leave every circumstance and problem of our lives in
His hands. 
   Let us rejoice in the fact that God is for us. It is so easy to
bemoan the fact that we have so many enemies. David sings, "All my
bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee"? Calvin comments on
this:- "But men in general praise God in such a manner that He scarcely
obtains the tenth part due to Him."  
Let our bones cry out - Praise God! He is for us! 



Copyright (c) 1995, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved.



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