"For Thou hast delivered my soul from death: Wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?" — Psalm 56:13
Here, if you will, we have first, the assurance of the saints. "Thou hast delivered my soul from death." Those who are assuredly born again are those who have first been made conscious that "… It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment [Heb. 9:27]." It is spiritual death that concerns them; not the death of the body, but the "death" of the soul, with the implication of being irretrievably separated from God for ever and ever. This, in fact, is the real "fear of death," and that of which the Holy Spirit convinces those who will become the heirs of eternal life. It is, in the language of the New Testament, the "second death."
Physical death is temporal; the second death is everlasting; thus the abounding joy of those who like the Psalmist here find divine deliverance from that awful bondage. For the Christian this joy is in the discovery subsequent to conviction of sin that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." If one's hope of deliverance rests upon any other foundation, that joy must be diminished by some measure of uncertainty. If hope rests upon good works, one can never be sure he has accrued enough good works. If it relies on religion, he can never be sure he has lit enough candles, said enough prayers, or fed enough homeless to satisfy the requirements of a holy God Who is "… of purer eyes than to behold evil, [and cannot] look on iniquity."
The assurance comes when we understand that Jesus paid our debt in full, and we are delivered through faith in Him alone. It is this deliverance Christ came into the world to provide, accomplishing it through His death on the cross and certifying it by His resurrection. Those who receive Him by faith can share the confidence of the psalmist "Thou hast delivered my soul from death," because it is a salvation that rests solely upon who He is and what He has done, not upon who we are nor on "works of righteousness which we have done." (See Titus 3:5-6)
When that salvation becomes a reality it brings with it a passion to "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing." The believer's apprehension is that he may disappoint or disgrace his Lord. Thus David prays, and prays rightly, "Wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling? Two things are implicit here; first, that we are prone to "falling," a fact every believer knows only too well. Second, that in order not to fall we need divine reinforcement. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jude penned this insightful benediction, "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen [Jude 24,25]." It is God's purpose and power to keep us 'on our feet' spiritually; it is our duty to petition Him for that very thing, as David does in this rhetorical question.
The petition arises, of course, from the believer's aspiration to live a life that glorifies God. David's desire is "that I may walk before God in the light of the living," and that should be yours and mine as well. The Holy Spirit urges the same upon us through the apostle Paul when He exhorts, "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. [I Thess. 4:1]." And there is no greater evidence of God's work of grace in our lives than a desire for holiness in that ordinary routine of life symbolized by the word "walk." We are instructed in Proverbs, "He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him [Prov. 14:2]." And the prophet Jeremiah cried perceptively, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing [Jer. 10:23-24]."
May our hearts rest in the assurance of His great and glorious salvation, aspire to "walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory", and appeal to His Holy Spirit in continual prayer to enable us to do so.
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
Here, if you will, we have first, the assurance of the saints. "Thou hast delivered my soul from death." Those who are assuredly born again are those who have first been made conscious that "… It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment [Heb. 9:27]." It is spiritual death that concerns them; not the death of the body, but the "death" of the soul, with the implication of being irretrievably separated from God for ever and ever. This, in fact, is the real "fear of death," and that of which the Holy Spirit convinces those who will become the heirs of eternal life. It is, in the language of the New Testament, the "second death."
Physical death is temporal; the second death is everlasting; thus the abounding joy of those who like the Psalmist here find divine deliverance from that awful bondage. For the Christian this joy is in the discovery subsequent to conviction of sin that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." If one's hope of deliverance rests upon any other foundation, that joy must be diminished by some measure of uncertainty. If hope rests upon good works, one can never be sure he has accrued enough good works. If it relies on religion, he can never be sure he has lit enough candles, said enough prayers, or fed enough homeless to satisfy the requirements of a holy God Who is "… of purer eyes than to behold evil, [and cannot] look on iniquity."
The assurance comes when we understand that Jesus paid our debt in full, and we are delivered through faith in Him alone. It is this deliverance Christ came into the world to provide, accomplishing it through His death on the cross and certifying it by His resurrection. Those who receive Him by faith can share the confidence of the psalmist "Thou hast delivered my soul from death," because it is a salvation that rests solely upon who He is and what He has done, not upon who we are nor on "works of righteousness which we have done." (See Titus 3:5-6)
When that salvation becomes a reality it brings with it a passion to "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing." The believer's apprehension is that he may disappoint or disgrace his Lord. Thus David prays, and prays rightly, "Wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling? Two things are implicit here; first, that we are prone to "falling," a fact every believer knows only too well. Second, that in order not to fall we need divine reinforcement. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jude penned this insightful benediction, "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen [Jude 24,25]." It is God's purpose and power to keep us 'on our feet' spiritually; it is our duty to petition Him for that very thing, as David does in this rhetorical question.
The petition arises, of course, from the believer's aspiration to live a life that glorifies God. David's desire is "that I may walk before God in the light of the living," and that should be yours and mine as well. The Holy Spirit urges the same upon us through the apostle Paul when He exhorts, "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. [I Thess. 4:1]." And there is no greater evidence of God's work of grace in our lives than a desire for holiness in that ordinary routine of life symbolized by the word "walk." We are instructed in Proverbs, "He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him [Prov. 14:2]." And the prophet Jeremiah cried perceptively, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing [Jer. 10:23-24]."
May our hearts rest in the assurance of His great and glorious salvation, aspire to "walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory", and appeal to His Holy Spirit in continual prayer to enable us to do so.
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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