Exegetical Data
We
don't know what events in David's life correspond to this event. It
may be one of the episodes in his life recorded in the Scriptures, or
one of those that are not. The absence of such information, however,
does not subtract from the clarity and emotive power of the Psalm.
Lament
vs. Laud.
Although the Psalm as a whole is triumphal, yet David speaks with two
tones: confidence and desperation. He is desparate because of his
present circumstances and powerful enemies, but he is confident
because of God's covenant faithfulness.
Warfare
and Worship.
David places worship in contradistinction to politics as the channel
of power and to warfare as the means to victory. This begs the
questions, “What's really
going on, here? What's central to the scheme of things, that
determines how everything else plays out?”
DAVID'S
SITUATION
King
David describes his desperate situation vividly. Even though we can
only guess at the details regarding what's happening and who's
involved, the Psalm records enough for us to get David's message loud
and clear.
David's
enemies.
David describes them as evildoers, adversaries, enemies, and false
witnesses. "EVILDOER" (ra'a
in
Hebrew) indicates
one whose wants to tear down or destroy another. David goes further
and describes his enemies as BEASTS who want to devour his flesh.
"ADVERSARY" (tsawr)
indicates
one who presses another into a tight spot, one who applies extreme
pressure. "ENEMY" (awyab)
is
one who plainly and simply hates another. These are not only hostile
men, but verse
3
makes it clear that they are very POWERFUL MEN, able to wage war
against King David. They are also FALSE WITNESSES who hurl threats
and false accusations at David. In short, THESE MEN UTTERLY HATE
DAVID, AND ARE WIELDING ALL THE POWER AT THEIR DISPOSAL IN ORDER TO
BRING THE FULL WEIGHT OF THAT HATRED DOWN UPON HIM.
David
is betrayed.
Although not stated explicitly, verse
10
indicates that at least some of his enemies he had once considered
GOOD AND TRUSTED FRIENDS. Thus, in addition to the threat of physical
harm, David had to struggle with feelings of abandonment.
David
is guilty. The theme of guilt
does not dominate the Psalm, but it is a factor in David's struggle.
See verse 9.
David had to wonder whether God was DISCIPLINING HIM for his sins.
DAVID'S
SOLUTION
David
was in peril, and he was alone. Given the circumstances, we would
expect him to do either one of two things. Either he would forsake
hope, or he would harness all the human power available to him as
king of Israel in order to match his strength against that of his
enemies. But David's response catches us by surprise!
"God
has not abandoned me."
What is unsaid in the Psalm, but is clear from a NT perspective is
that God was testing David (cf. Jam
1)
to see where his TRUST lay. And so God thrust him into SPIRITUAL
BATTLE against the Enemy. Though the enemy hurled many darts of
discouragement, yet the man of God wielded the shield of FAITH well,
and few of those darts actually reached him. God's covenant love and
faithfulness were the answer to the doubts and fears that plagued
David.
"I
will seek the Lord."
The contrast between David and his enemies begs the question, WHERE
DOES REAL POWER LIE? For ungodly men, it lay in politicking and
military force. For David, power lay in God. David's logic was
simple: if God is for me, who can be against me? (cf. Rm
8:31)
Faithless people would say that this is a simplistic and escapist
solution to one's problems. Karl Marx said that religion was the
opiate of the masses, and countless people after him have echoed this
sentiment. But such men could never understand the motive of such
faith. This was not using God as a means to an end. GOD HIMSELF WAS
THE MOTIVE. Verses
4-6
can be summarized in three points. David's priority: WORSHIP. David's
expectation: DELIVERANCE. David's ambition: RICHER WORSHIP. In
summary, DAVID'S DESIRE WAS GOD, AND HIS CONFIDENCE LAY IN THE FACT
THAT NO ONE AND NOTHING COULD THWART THAT DESIRE.
DAVID'S
STEPS
Those
were David's convictions. But how did he act upon those convictions?
The answer should serve as an example for us.
Remembering.
See verse
2.
God had shown His faithfulness in the past. Recall the words of
Polycarp, the disciple of John the apostle, to the Roman Emperor. "I
have served the my Lord these seventy years, and never has He done me
any wrong. How can I then betray him?"
Praying.
Verses
7-11
record four petitions and two pronouncements that characterized
David's prayers in response to the crisis. He did not make the
mistake of equating the visible with and urgent.
Resigning.
When David said, "One thing have I asked from the Lord, that I
will seek after," he meant it! This lies at the heart of true
faith, and this sentiment is held in every believer's heart (cf. Rom
8:37-39, Jude 1:24-25). The problem is that we easily get distracted,
and so life is trial after trial orchestrated by the Lord to burn
away, as it were, all other peripheral pursuits.
Waiting.
David waited patiently for the Lord to come through. We don't know
whether God brought deliverance through means available to David
(such as an army), through remarkable providence, or through a
miracle. However God did it, though, we know He did it for David and
for His own glory.
Preaching.
D. Martin Lloyd- Jones once said that the solution to all of a
Christian's problems was to preach to oneself, rather than to listen
to oneself. This is exactly what David did. Psalm 27 is basically a
manifesto delivered by David to himself in the presence of God.
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