Blog Archives
David in the Wilderness: Psalm 63 (part 10)
“And those men of ruin, who require my life,
they will go to the lowest parts of the earth.”
(Psalm 63:10 {Psalm 63:9 in English Bibles})
Thus, not only does David have the assurance that he may hide behind the strong hand of God for protection, like a small child with his or her parent, but that God will act against those that seek his harm. He says of those who seek his life, that God will send them to the lowest parts of the earth—the grave—Sheol—as a sign of his judgment against them. Even in referring to these men, he calls them “men of ruin”—not so much because they are seeking David’s ruin (which they are), but because by seeking the death of God’s anointed king, they are condemning themselves to judgment. Woe to those who oppose the chosen of God—woe to those who would seek to destroy God’s anointed children!
There is some discussion about the translation of the first clause of this verse. Many will translate it as “those who seek to ruin my life,” connecting the “ruin” with the work of these men and not the lives of these men. Yet, the Hebrew system of accent marks (a system designed to bind words together or to separate them) binds these first two words together into one unit—hence, “men of ruin.”
The principle, beloved, is clear. God will protect and preserve his own. Oh, how we so often fail to trust in that promise. Oh, how often we doubt God’s provision for us! And, loved ones, how often we neglect to remember that promise when we have a dispute with another believer. Oh, dear friends, let us never forget that the promises that God extends to us are the same promises that He extends to other born-again believers; there is no room for bickering and in-fighting in the house of God. Beloved, let there be peace.
David in the Wilderness: Psalm 63 (part 9)
“My soul cleaves behind you;
your right hand takes hold of me.”
(Psalm 63:9 {Psalm 63:8})
As David is reflecting on his dependence on God’s strong hand of defense, he switches to a different, but related metaphor. In the previous verse, he employs the imagery of being a chick under a mother eagle’s wings; here, the imagery is that of a timid child, clinging for protection to his father’s leg. He begins this verse with the language of his soul or his spirit clinging or cleaving to God, yet doing so from behind. Many of our English translations do not do a good job of bringing this out, but the Hebrew clearly suggests that the clinging is done as if he is coming up on God from the rear—just as a child hides behind their parent’s leg for protection when they perceive danger.
The next verse reflects the response of God to his action—God’s right hand takes hold of him. The Hebrew word that is used here is the term $m;t’ (tamak), which reflects the idea of grabbing hold of something firmly and not letting go. In addition, it is important to be reminded that the language of the right hand reflected the idea of strength and might—in other words, with God’s hand of power, he grabs hold of David to provide that protection. In addition, we need to understand that the idea of “soul” for the Hebrew reflected the idea of his whole life and the entirety of his being. Sometimes vp,n< (nephesh) is translated as “life” (Genesis 9:5) or even the idea of “personality” (Leviticus 26:30). In other words, David is not speaking only of spiritual matters in the context of this verse and the metaphor he is employing, but that of the entirety of his life.
Beloved, so often we like to imagine ourselves as being the strong hero pressing against the storms—you know the picture, the man in the cowboy had and duster bent down as he fights his way forward against the wind and driving rain. Yet, loved ones, this is not the Biblical model. There are no lone cowboys in the body of Christ and none of us can stand alone against the storms—if we try we will fail. The Biblical picture is that which David is painting for us here—we are children clinging for safety to our Father’s leg, and with his strong hand he leads us. Oh, what a contrast there is between the way we like to perceive ourselves and the way God perceives us. Oh, how much foolishness we engage in when we get that perception wrong. Beloved, cling to the leg of your heavenly Father—his strong hand will hold you during times of trouble.
The Preacher's Study 