Saturday Meditations, 5/9/2020

Psalm 25

This psalm is written from a particular emotional and spiritual place. The writer is:
1. Concerned and sensing his guilt for sins from long ago – vs.7.
2. Feeling ‘desolate’ (literally – ‘alone’) and ‘needy.’(‘depressed’) – vs.16
3. Troubled in his heart – vs.17 – adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble.
4. Afflicted, in trouble – v.18 depression, i.e. misery afflicted (-ion), trouble.
5. Hated by enemies, cruel people who want to do him harm , v.19- violence; by implication, wrong, unjust gain, cruel (-ty), damage, false, injustice.

It is quite natural and normal for a person to reflect on sins when brought into a place of affliction and trouble. The saint naturally assumes that there is a possibility that any trouble may be the disciplining hand of God.

Let us look, now, at how he approaches the problem.

1 Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.

He goes immediately to his Lord and lifts up his soul. This tells us of the heart of the one who is writing. His first impulse is to seek the Lord in his difficulty. There is no other source of help for him and no one in whom he has any real hope.

Ashamed – ‘to be ashamed;’ also (by implication) ‘to be disappointed’

To be ashamed in this scenario is to have his enemies win. If his enemies win, he and his testimony are destroyed along with his capacity to serve God. This is the worst possible outcome that David can imagine.

But his trust is in the Lord.

3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

He knows that those whose hope is in the Lord will not be ultimately confounded. Those, however, who sin without excuse are another matter. We will see that he is earnestly attempting to make sure that he does
not fit in the second category.

4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesss; for they have been ever of old.

He knows that in order for him to be found righteous the Lord must help him, teach him, and lead him. He waits on the Lord for this instruction, waiting in prayer and in faith. He calls on the Lord to ‘remember’
though he knows that the Lord does not forget. God is faithful, he reminds himself.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.

Again, the Lord does not forget in any real way, but for those who seek Him, there is mercy and their sins are not remembered in the sense of judgment and discipline. But it is this agony of remembered sins that plagues him now in this time of trouble. Such is the working of the repentant soul.

8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

The Lord is faithful to teach sinners, those who are repentant (meek), and He will guide them in His way. The Lord is merciful to them.

11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

Notice that David does not claim that those who ‘keep His covenant and His testimonies’ are sinless. David is himself a man who has committed great iniquity. He freely acknowledges that before the Lord, but not in pride. Rather this is the confession of the repentant heart.

12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

This is the question of the psalm, like the question of 24:3.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

Those who are taught by the Lord, those who fear Him, shall receive the blessings of the Lord reserved for those who are His own. He shows them His secrets, the invisible things that are hidden from the unbelieving. His covenant is the covenant of redemption, the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The ‘net’ is the trap of the devil, the snare to catch him out of fellowship with the Lord and destroy him using wicked men. Only by keeping his eyes continually on the Lord does he have hope.

16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.

His own sins have put him in this place of danger, of being alone and distressed or depressed. His enemies are many, they hate him with profound hatred. The believer has such enemies among the armies of hell,
the evil spirits that conspire against him to wreck and destroy his life.

20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

His hope is in the Lord, not in his own righteousness, though he knows that repentance and holiness are his duty. His appeal to the Lord is to keep him in a state of faith and repentance that his enemies gain no advantage over him.

That scenario concerning which David was praying is a very real one for every believer. The remedy is always the same, to “lift up my heart to the Lord.”

— May 9, 2020