“Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies." — Psalm 108:12,13
Eliphaz the Temanite counseled Job, “…man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Later Job echoed the sentiment, saying, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not [Job 14:1-2].” The apostle Paul wrote on one occasion, “…we were troubled on every side” (II Cor. 7:5).
There are few, if any, on the planet who do not know the meaning and have not shared the experience of “trouble.” Trouble is “no respecter of persons.” The rich and the poor, the wise and the foolish, the strong and the weak, the saint and the sinner all have their portion of it.
The question is not whether you will have trouble, but rather, what will you do with it when it comes? Where will you go for help? The natural thing, and in fact the only recourse for the ‘natural man’ is to turn to our fellow man for help. And the more science and technology and other forms of human genius develop, the more confidence we are inclined to have in, and the more we tend to expect from, man. The doctor, the economist, the professional counsellor, the militia, the members of government; these are among those we expect to have answers to our problems. And, to be sure, in many of life’s skirmishes there is help for the immediate problem. But not always, and not forever.
The declaration of the Holy Spirit, through the Psalmist, is, “vain is the help of man.” And this emphasis is frequent in scripture. There is an alternate rendering of v. 12 that reads, “Give us help from the adversary.” That rendering identifies the root of our “troubles.” Through the apostle Peter the same Holy Spirit warns, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world [I Pet. 5:8-9].” Man may win a skirmish here and there, but against this adversary he will never win the war.
It is with that understanding that the psalmist addresses his appeal to the Lord and finds his confidence in Him. Adam’s sin surrendered his Divinely delegated authority to Satan, “the adversary,” who is now defined in scripture as “the god of this world.” As a result the whole race labors under the tyranny of an enemy of enormous power. It takes more than human resources to effectively withstand him.
David recognizes not only the real source and nature of the trouble, but the only real solution to the problem, when he declares, “Through GOD we shall do valiantly; for He it is that shall tread down our enemies.” Whether sickness or poverty or conflict or ‘natural disasters’ or any other “trouble,” all lead in the same direction, and the “last enemy” is death. Whatever success human genius may have in extricating us from particular troubles, it has no solution for this one, and it is both universal and insurmountable. And this ‘enemy’ God has already crushed under the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Consider:
“We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage [Heb. 2:9-15].”
“For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death [I Cor. 15:25-26].” And if the Savior has conquered this enemy, He can master any trouble that comes our way. When trouble comes, we may take advantage of whatever human resources are available, but we must never put our trust in them, nor in man. And when deliverance comes, we must ever render our praise and thanksgiving to God, for it is through Him that our victory comes, from here to eternity!
“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.” Ps. 108:5
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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