SIH’s Think On These Things: Psalms 27:2

Psalms 27: [A Psalm] of David. The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?When the wicked, [even] mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this [will] I [be] confident. One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. Hear, O LORD, [when] I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.[When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Hide not thy face [far] from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.[I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

As we will see in our series, King David addresses many of the same issues that each and every one of us faces when we are in the midst of the most difficult, fearful situations of life. May the Lord honor this study in His Word, by granting to us the truths of this Psalm and their practical application to our life.  

EXPOSITION:

Psalms 27:2 - “When the wicked, [even] mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.”

David, in the midst of his fearful circumstances, took time to think back at how the Lord had protected him in times past. His description of the Lord’s intervention is very interesting indeed.   First of all, he clearly recalled the source of his past trial. He described those who opposed him as:

1. “the wicked” (one who causes spoil, or one who makes worthless, one who breaks) David recognized the danger he was in. He recognized that the intent of these men was to break him, render him useless to be used of God and no longer beneficial to those around him.  

2. “mine enemies” (one who places in a tight place, one who causes distress) David recognized how they would go about breaking him. They would try to trick him, “corner” him in a place where he could not find safety from them. He would be placed in a seeming unescapable situation.  

3. “my foes came upon me to eat my flesh” (one who is an enemy, one who is hates) David understood their true motive.  They hated David. This was perhaps from jealousy, or perhaps from his service to the Lord or some other reason.   The bottom line was that they were working to fulfill their own fleshly desires and to profit from David’s fall (much like a person kills and eats the flesh of an animal to satisfy their hunger)  

From these titles, we can see David had a great factual understanding of the situation he faced. He clearly understood the actual danger that he faced, the different pitfalls that awaited him, and the driving force behind the circumstance he was in. This is a great lesson for us all. We are to seek God’s face and ask Him to open our eyes to the genuine situation we are facing. We are to ask Him to not allow us to make unreasonable assumptions, nor exaggerate, nor understate the trial that we are facing.  

But David also recognized that, in the past, they had been defeated through the Lord’s intervention… “they stumbled and fell”.

In spite of their great desire to overcome David, the Lord’s intervention brought about the ultimate failure of his enemies.  David called these past victories to his remembrance to encourage and strengthen his heart in the midst of the life storm he was facing.  

APPLICATION:

Folks, when we are faced with difficult trials in our lives, let’s always seek the Lord’s clarity concerning it. As the Lord shows us the actual situation that we are facing, no matter how formidable our opposition may be, we re already overcomers through faith in Him… “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5)  

Also, let’s take a moment to encourage ourselves in the midst of the struggles of life by thinking back to our past trials and the gracious deliverances He has granted to us! ”He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD [is] gracious and full of compassion.” (Psalms 111:4)  

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