THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

XXVII. A Lesson In Confidence In God To Dispel The Fear Of People

(Psalm 27:1-14)

I. Introduction

A. Proverbs 29:25 states, "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

B. Psalm 27:1-14 is an expansion of the truth of this verse, and since a number of people today greatly struggle with a fear of people in general or a fear of specific folk, we view this psalm for its insight and application:

II. A Lesson In Confidence In God To Dispel The Fear Of People, Psalm 27:1-14.

A. Part of verse one in this psalm comprises the introductory notes in the English Bible (Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 996), so we stay with the numbering system in the English Bible for clarity for this lesson.

B. We thus translate Psalm 27:1-14 as follows:

1. "Jahweh is my Light ('or, Ibid.; here fig. for "life," H. A. W., Theol. Wrdbk. O. T., 1980, v. I, p. 25-26), and My Salvation; of whom shall I fear? Jahweh is the Refuge of my life, whom shall I dread?" Psa. 27:1.

2. "When the evildoers approached me, to eat up my flesh [like wild beasts], my adversaries and my enemies, it was they (emphatic pronoun) who stumbled and fell," Psalm 27:2.

3. "Though an armed host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should arise against me, in this [the verse 1 claim; J. A. Alexander, The Psalms, 1975, p. 121] I will be confident," Psalm 27:3.

4. "One thing have I asked of Jahweh, that will I seek after -- to dwell in the house of Jahweh all my life, to behold the pleasantness (no'am, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 653) of Jahweh and to inquire in His temple," Psa. 27:4.

5. "For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of calamity; in the hiding place of His tabernacle He will hide me; upon a rock cliff (sur, Ibid., p. 849) He will set me on high [unreachable to foes]," Psalm 27:5.

6. "And now will my head be lifted [fig. of safety and confidence, H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms, 1974, p. 237) above my enemies around about me, and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, and I will make music to Jahweh," Psalm 27:6.

7. "Hearken, O Jahweh! With my voice will I call, and have mercy on me and answer me," Psalm 27:7.

8. "To you, O my heart, He (God) has said, 'Seek ye my face'; Thy face, O Jahweh, will I seek," Psalm 27:8.

9. "Do not hide Your face from me [in a lack of favor, Num. 6:24-26]; turn not your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not reject me and do not forsake me, O God of my salvation," Psalm 27:9.

10. "For my Father and my Mother [fig. of closest associates] have forsaken ('azab, Ibid., p. 736-737) me, but Jahweh will 'gather [me]-to-the company-of-others; herd; care-for' ('asap, Ibid., p. 62-63) me," Psa. 27:10.

11. "Teach me Your way, O Jahweh, and lead me in a level path because of my sinister watchers (shorer, Ibid., p. 1004) [foes who watch me to find fault with and/or to destroy me]," Psalm 27:11.

12. "Do not give me [over] to the will of my foes; for false witnesses and he who puffs out wrongful violence are risen up against me," Psalm 27:12.

13. "If I had not believed to look upon the wholesome goodness of Jahweh in the land of the living -- [an aposiopesis follows, a sudden breaking off of the sentence, conveying here a result so unthinkably awful that it is appropriately not stated, Ibid.]," Psalm 27:13.

14. "Wait on Jahweh! Be strong and let your heart exhibit stout assurance ('ames, Ibid., p. 54-55) [in His deliverance in the matter], and wait on Jawheh," Psalm 27:14.

C. David supplied important truths toward dealing with a fear of people (as follows):

1. When one makes the Lord His refuge in every way (v. 1), he need not fear any single party or even a host of parties who are even gathered against him to wage conflict against him for his demise (v. 2-3).

2. Even if one's most reliable human associates abandon him (v. 10a), the believer can count on God to take whatever steps are needed to help him in his shock of being forsaken, and to care for his welfare (v. 10b).

3. However, one must fight the urge to be impatient by faithfully looking to God in prayer (v. 4, 8a, 8b) in hope that He will act in time (v. 13-14), confidently trusting God that will certainly help (v. 14).

Lesson: To handle his fear of people, David viewed God as his Refuge, enabling him to handle any and all foes with their worst assaults -- even abandonment by close associates with God's care and supply of new associates. Yet, he testified that to gain this victory, one must always prayerfully trust God and confidently wait for His help.

Application: May we handle a fear of people by making God our All-Sufficient Refuge like David did.