THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

CXVIII. Rejoicing In God’s Deliverance, Psalm 118

B. Handling Swarming Foes

(Psalm 118:10-17)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

In recent years, we as a people have seemingly faced swarms of foes to our established, peaceful way of life:

(1) Relatives of past key presidents have expressed concern about it: (a) Michael Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan, in his op-ed, “Questions for our so-called journalists” (Republican-American, August 11, 2024, p. 11A) wrote, “The liberal journalists who control our mainstream media . . . (f)or the last four years . . . have tortured Trump in every way possible while protecting Biden and helping him hide his decline from the public.” (b) “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” a relative of President John F. Kennedy, in recently suspending his run for the presidency, said that the Democratic Party of which his family has long been a part “has now been transformed into the party of war, censorship” and “corruption,” and that it has “abandoned democracy – referring to the undemocratic coronation of Kamala Harris as well as lawfare to kick RFK off the ballot and throw Trump in jail. RFK” also condemned the party’s “censorship, . . . weaponization of federal agencies, and collusion with the left-wing media.” (Peter St. Onge, “What drove RFK Jr. from the Democratic Party,” Ibid., August 28, 2024, p. 7A)

(2) The Republican-American editorial, “Another enemy targeted” (Ibid., August 23, 2024, p. 6A) claimed that “progressives have spent at least eight years attempting to create a process, managed by politicians and intelligence agencies, that blocks the flow of information and otherwise intimidates political opponents into silence.”

(3) Such efforts have often been criticized as actions typical of “banana republics,” but parties from other hostile nations can and have infiltrated our nation’s progressive elite circles, partly explaining such functions: “Linda Sun, who held numerous posts in New York state government before rising to the rank of deputy chief of staff for (Democratic Gov. Kathy) Hochul, was arrested (September 3, 2024)” for “acting as an . . . agent of the Chinese government . . . Sun, at the request of Chinese officials, blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level officials in New York state, shaped New York governmental messaging to align with the priorities of the Chinese government and . . . is charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.” Sun also “worked in state government for about 15 years, holding posts in (Democratic Gov.) Cuomo’s administration,” and was “deputy commissioner for strategic business development” in “the New York Department of Labor.” Linda Sun and her husband Chris Hu used laundered funds to buy a $3.5 million Long Island home, a $1.9 million condominium in Hawaii, and luxury cars including a 2024 Ferrari according to the federal indictment that summed, “‘(T)he defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the (Chinese Communist Party).’” (Anthony Izaguirre, “Former aide to NY governor charged with being an agent of the Chinese government,” Ibid., September 4, 2024, p. 4B)

(4) Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York, in her piece, “Trump moves tech to the right” (Ibid., August 31, 2024, p. 6A) told how even several past woke supporters in the tech industry are parting with progressives. “Among . . . Silicon Valley heavyweights is Nicole Hanahan, who was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate,” and of Harris’ “economic plans, Shanahan warned – ‘particularly her flawed ideas about price caps on food’ – echo ‘the very policies that caused the famine my family suffered through in Mao’s Communist China.’” (Ibid.)

Need: So, we ask, “How does God want us to respond to seemingly relentless swarms of foes to our welfare?”

I. Psalm 118:10-17 likely describes the trials that the Hebrew people faced from surrounding Gentiles as they returned to Israel after the Babylonian Captivity. (H. C. Leupold, The Psalms, 1974, p. 814-816)

II. The psalmist’s approach was to express in the first person what the nation faced, for the welfare of INDIVIDUAL Hebrews was directly related to the welfare of their NATION.

III. Thus, the psalmist described the trials from relentless swarms of Gentiles he faced and overcame:

A. All the “Gentile nations” (goim, Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1079; R. B. Girdlestone, Syns. of the O. T., 1973, p. 256-257) had surrounded the psalmist, but in the name of the Lord he had cut them off, Psalm 118:10.

B. The psalmist intensified this statement, claiming that his foes had surrounded him on every side, that they had tried every possible realm to overcome him, but that in the Lord’s name, he had cut them off, Psalm 118:11.

C. His foes had even swarmed around him like bees, inflicting lots of pain, but the psalmist had cut them off in the Lord’s name so that they died out like thorns that make a sudden hot flame but soon die out, Psalm 118:12.

D. However, the psalmist’s Gentile foes at one time managed to push him back to where he was about to fall in defeat before then, but the Lord had even then helped him avoid defeat, Psalm 118:13.

E. The psalmist summed that the Lord was his “strength, power” (‘oz, B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 738-739; H. A. W., Theo. Wrdbk. of the O. T., 1980, vol. II, p. 659-660), and as a result of God’s use of that power to deliver him from his enemies, God also became his song of rejoicing and praise, Psalm 118:14.

F. God’s “right hand” (yamin, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., H. A. W., vol. I, p. 382-383), the hand of God’s all-powerful skill and strength [as most people are right-handed (Zon. Pict. Ency. Bib., vol. Three, p. 28)], had done mighty things, so God’s “right hand” (yamin again, Ibid., Kittel) was lifted high in honor, Psalm 118:15-16.

G. Consequently, the psalmist claimed that he would not die at the hands of his swarming Gentile enemies, but that he would live to proclaim what the Lord had done for him, Psalm 118:17.

Lesson: Hebrews who faced relentless swarms of Gentile enemies who nearly caused the Hebrews to suffer defeat were overcome by God’s deliverance as the Hebrews individually relied on the Lord as their omnipotent Deliverer.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) If facing seemingly relentless swarms of foes to our welfare, may we individually rely on the Lord as our omnipotent Deliverer for help.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and/or provide additional guidance . . .)

(1) The psalmist’s reference to his foes being like swarming bees (Psalm 118:12) may well recall Moses’ description of a defeat Israel faced when her disobedient people attacked the Amorites in southern Canaan in Numbers 14:40-45. Considering this event and what occurred after it offers a great lesson in accord with our sermon.

At the time, Israel’s people had failed to believe that God would give them victory over the giants in the Promised Land so God declared that Israel would stay in the wilderness until the older, faithless generation had died off before Israel’s younger generation could enter Canaan to conquer it, Numbers 13:31-14:39.

Some of the people grieved over this news, so they decided to attack the Amorites in Southern Canaan only to be defeated, Numbers 14:40-45. Moses later spoke of this event in Deuteronomy 1:41-46 KJV, telling Israel that the Amorites “chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you . . .”

However, in the next generation when Joshua led Israel to invade Canaan, Joshua 10:41 KJV states, “And Joshua smote them [the Amorites] from Kadesh-barnea [from where the people under Moses had first camped to go north in their failed attack (Numbers 14:40-43)] even unto Gaza [35 miles northwest of Arad where they had first attacked] and all the country of Goshen [45 miles north of Arad] . . . because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.” (Aharoni and Avi-Yonah, The MacMillan Bible Atlas, 1968, maps 51, 17, 18) What a difference obedience to God made versus disobedience: in disobedience they fled before the swarming Amorites who chased them like bees, but in obedience, Israel defeated the Amorites in southern Canaan in addition to the entire region around them!

(2) Scripture also offers personal advice on the issues of concern in our introduction: (a) I we read Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ “Communist Manifesto” (1848), we note that today’s progressives are trying to apply Marxist ideology to our society. At its core, Marxism violates the tenth commandment (“Thou shalt not covet”) and the eighth commandment (“Thou shalt not steal”) of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:17, 15), and Marxists will violate as many of the other commandments as they have opportunity to do to accomplish their goals. (b) In response, Proverbs 28:4 ESV asserts, “Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them,” and Proverbs 28:2 ESV states, “When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a “common man” (‘adam, Ibid., Kittel, p. 1189; Ibid., Girdlestone, p. 45-48) of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.” The way God wants us effectively to combat wicked Marxism is to rely on the Holy Spirit to obey His Word in our personal lives! (c) As for damages we incur due to Marxists, (+) God will meet our material needs if we heed His calling for us (Philippians 4:10-19) and (+) settle our hearts as we leave our anxieties with Him and do His will (Philippians 4:6-9). (+) God will also make us personally flourish even in hard times for the world around us if we reject evil ideologies, avoid evil actions, shun evil associations and delight in personal Bible study, Psalm 1:1-2. [Psalm 1:3 indicates that a believer who practices these things will be like a tree that has been literally “transplanted” (shatal, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1060) onto “channels of water” (palgey mayim), irrigation ditches in a garden, coming under the care of God the Gardener so that even in drought, his foliage will not “fall” (nabel, Ibid., p. 615). God will thus enable the believer who heeds Psalm 1:1-2 personally to flourish in spite of the trouble that exists around him!]

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. If facing relentless swarms of foes to our welfare, may we rely by faith on God as our Deliverer.