"Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head…That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." —Psalm 83:1-2,18
There are times and circumstances in the Christian life when God seems to be silent, unresponsive, inert; perhaps even far away. At such times the believer may feel , if not abandoned, at least neglected and helpless, like a forgotten child desperately in need of his parent’s attention. David frequently reflects this feeling of isolation, when his, or Israel’s enemies seem to have the upper hand, and God’s intervention is not immediately forthcoming.
Job, under quite different circumstances, expressed the same tone of despair. “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him [Job. 23:8,9].” Under such circumstances faith, however perplexed, perseveres and continues to prevail upon the Lord. The apostle Paul remarks in a certain place, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;… [II Cor 4:8-9].” David continues to lift his concerns to the heart of God. Spurgeon observes, "How entirely the psalmist looks to God; he asks not for "a leader bold and brave," or for any form of human force, but casts his burden upon the Lord, being well assured that his eternal power and Godhead could meet every difficulty of the case.” So David cries, “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.” He will continue to pray until the answer comes.
No less important to observe here than the Psalmist’s perseverance, is the cause that prompts it. It is not his, nor even Israel’s plight that constitutes the ground of his plea, but the glory of God. If you read the whole Psalm, you will note that it is another imprecatory Psalm. That is, David calls for the judgment of God upon Israel’s enemies. Note, in fact, the severity of his language: “So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame…Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: (vss. 15-17).”
Such a prayer, uttered in our own self interest, would be completely out of character for the New Testament believer, who is instructed, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust [Matt. 5:43-45].” Even in the face of hostility and persecution, such a prayer is justified only when we recognize and are truly concerned not with our own welfare, but with God’s honor. And, it is not always easy for us to make that distinction. Sometimes the Christian is despised because of his own foolishness. But when he is despised because of his connection with the God of the bible, everything shifts to a different foundation. When believers are hated “for His name’s sake,” then it is not really the believer who is being attacked, but God himself, and the conflict shifts to a whole new ground. We have a preview of such a situation in the last days:
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child [Rev. 12:9-13].”
When Satan cannot reach God, His strategy is to employ his minions to attack His children in an effort to discredit His name. Then, it may be, the imprecatory prayer is legitimate, but it is not justified simply in our own defense. The writer concludes, in the last verse of this Psalm, “That men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, are the most high over all the earth.” This should be the driving motive in all our prayers. Essentially, they should be not about us, but about Him, and not for our comfort or convenience, but for His glory. May God give us wisdom to “[Pray] always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints [Eph. 6:18].”
For the honor of HIS name,
"Pastor" Frasier
Job, under quite different circumstances, expressed the same tone of despair. “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him [Job. 23:8,9].” Under such circumstances faith, however perplexed, perseveres and continues to prevail upon the Lord. The apostle Paul remarks in a certain place, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;… [II Cor 4:8-9].” David continues to lift his concerns to the heart of God. Spurgeon observes, "How entirely the psalmist looks to God; he asks not for "a leader bold and brave," or for any form of human force, but casts his burden upon the Lord, being well assured that his eternal power and Godhead could meet every difficulty of the case.” So David cries, “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.” He will continue to pray until the answer comes.
No less important to observe here than the Psalmist’s perseverance, is the cause that prompts it. It is not his, nor even Israel’s plight that constitutes the ground of his plea, but the glory of God. If you read the whole Psalm, you will note that it is another imprecatory Psalm. That is, David calls for the judgment of God upon Israel’s enemies. Note, in fact, the severity of his language: “So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame…Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: (vss. 15-17).”
Such a prayer, uttered in our own self interest, would be completely out of character for the New Testament believer, who is instructed, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust [Matt. 5:43-45].” Even in the face of hostility and persecution, such a prayer is justified only when we recognize and are truly concerned not with our own welfare, but with God’s honor. And, it is not always easy for us to make that distinction. Sometimes the Christian is despised because of his own foolishness. But when he is despised because of his connection with the God of the bible, everything shifts to a different foundation. When believers are hated “for His name’s sake,” then it is not really the believer who is being attacked, but God himself, and the conflict shifts to a whole new ground. We have a preview of such a situation in the last days:
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child [Rev. 12:9-13].”
When Satan cannot reach God, His strategy is to employ his minions to attack His children in an effort to discredit His name. Then, it may be, the imprecatory prayer is legitimate, but it is not justified simply in our own defense. The writer concludes, in the last verse of this Psalm, “That men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, are the most high over all the earth.” This should be the driving motive in all our prayers. Essentially, they should be not about us, but about Him, and not for our comfort or convenience, but for His glory. May God give us wisdom to “[Pray] always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints [Eph. 6:18].”
For the honor of HIS name,
"Pastor" Frasier
1 comment:
Thoughts from the passage
1. Pray as a warrior, fiercely, against the devils schemes and the world's injustices (abortion, euthanasia, slavery, exploitation, abusive rulers)
2. Pray for God to speak in the midst of the noise of the battle (spiritual, physical, economical, emotional, persecution)
3. Pray for our motivation in pray to be God's glory (Do all to the Glory of God - 1 cor 10:31)
4. Pray for protection from the crafty schemes of the devil. (Ps 121)
5. Pray continually awaiting God's answer.
6. Remember we pray to the Lord Sabaoth, the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
Ben Patterson's book God's Prayer Book. Has some excellent thoughts on this passage as well. (pgs 204-208)
Post a Comment