Psalm 27
Is there something that a Christian should be afraid of? If we think about it, we can remember David's example. When he was afraid of enemies, armies or wars, he wanted to be closer to God. He sought to be in the house of the Lord where he found peace and protection. Fear, dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger. Fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually a loss of courage.
David fought fear in several places. We can hear his fear when he cried out:
Don't hide your face from me
Don't be angry with me
Don't leave me alone
Teach me your way
Don't leave me the will of my enemies.
In these moments of anguish David sought to be closer to God. He spent time in contemplation and prayer. Look at what he said in this psalm:
Psalms 27: 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; who will I be afraid of? The Lord is the strength of my life; whom shall I fear? 2 When evildoers come to destroy me, my oppressors and enemies, they stumble and fall. 3 Even if an army encamps against me, not be frightened my heart will; and if war breaks out against me, I will still have confidence. 4 I ask one thing of the Lord, and I will seek it: that I may live in the House of the Lord every day of my life, to contemplate the beauty of the Lord and meditate in his temple.
The Lord is my light - Gen 1: 3 God said: Let there be light; and there was light. God is the source of the light. He is the creator of light. When we hide in it we hide in the light. Darkness brings fear, but light scares fear away. Because the Light is our God.
Salvation our God is also the source of our Salvation.
Romans 5: 8 But God proves his own love for us by the fact that Christ died for us, while we are still sinners.
Acts 4:12 And there is no salvation in any other; because under heaven there is no other name, given among men, by which it matters that we are saved.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life.
The Lord is our salvation! Jesus spoke once, Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and cannot kill the soul; rather, fear him who can cause both soul and body to perish in hell.
Application - Like David, it is enough to have an intimate relationship with God.
But David did not stop there. Look at the next sentence,
The Lord is the stronghold of my life - Where was David's stronghold?
It was the city of David or Jerusalem! But it is different here. David points out that his real stronghold was God.
Being God ... What did he mean? He explains himself in the next two verses.
2 When evildoers come to destroy me, my oppressors and enemies, they stumble and fall. 3 Even if an army encamps against me, not be frightened my heart will; and if war breaks out against me, I will still have confidence.
What would he have confidence in? In the fact that he was king? In your own power or in your strength? No, it is not! He had confidence in walking with God that he was experiencing in his life now. He, too, would have confidence in God because God had given him several victories in the past.
App - We can do the same thing. We can look back and see how God has helped us in various situations in life.
I ask one thing of the Lord, and I will seek it: that I may live in the House of the Lord every day of my life, to contemplate the beauty of the Lord and meditate in his temple.
App - I think I already asked that question, but if you could ask only one thing from the Lord, what would you ask for?
Would you really seek to live in the house of the Lord every day? Difficult isn't it? What was the meaning that David was trying to communicate here?
What does it mean to live in the house of the Lord? In David's day, where was the house of the Lord? Tabernacle. The Temple had not yet been built.
What was the Tabernacle? A large tent that was given to Moses to build 600 years earlier. It had an entrance area. A common area where people could come and present their offerings to God through the Levites.
Next was the royal tent, which was divided into two sections. The holy place and the most holy place. During Moses' time, God's presence was visible to the people because during the day there was a pillar of cloud and at night a pillar of fire.
The Ark of the Covenant was in the most holy place. The High Priest could only enter that place once a year, and with blood and cleansing of his body. It was on the Day of Atonement that the high priest made a sacrifice to God to cover the sins of the people.
How would the king, David, live in the house of God? It is interesting that David uses a common word for “house” which means, 1) house 1a) dwelling dwelling 1b) shelter or abode of animals 1c) human bodies (fig.).
David knew that he could not go and live in the Tabernacle, but he also knew that he did not have to do this to be in the house of God. Because God was with him. Later, in this same Psalm, notice how David affirms his confidence in God's presence with him.
Ps 27:10 For if my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will welcome me.
Jesus had a similar experience, not with the temple, but with an unbelieving family. Do you think you would be afraid if your family thought you were crazy and needed to be arrested? Jesus' family thought of doing just that with Jesus, the Christ. See Mark 3. In this chapter Jesus healed a crippled man, the crowds followed him to see the miracles and to hear his teachings. Where the crowds were, so were the Pharisees and scribes to attack him. He chose the 12 apostles and sent them and was accused by the teachers of healing people by the power of the devil.
But look at verse 21 - Mark 3:21 And when the relatives of Jesus heard this, they went out to arrest him; because they said: He's out of his mind.
They were ready to take Jesus away like crazy. Would that make you afraid?
Jesus trusted his father and, like David, Jesus knew that the Father would protect him until it was time to do his father's will on the cross. Even so, he was in the complete care of his father.
Some believe that when Jesus was on the cross and literally became sin for us, the Father turned his back on the Son. They took this idea from the words of Jesus Matthew 27:46 At about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lamá sabactâni? What do you mean: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Did the father leave his son at that moment? NO! No! Jesus in his humanity felt abandoned by his father. But the father never abandons his own. Psalm 23 is an excellent proof of that truth Psalm 23: 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no harm, because you are with me; your staff and your staff comfort me.
Another good proof of text would be Isaiah 41:10 do not fear, because I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I strengthen you, and I help you, and I support you with my faithful right hand.
So, should a Christian be afraid? We will have, therefore, we are human. However, take comfort in the fact that when fear comes, God will be with you. He is your strength and strength. He will keep you and help you.
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