Morning Light – May 24th, 2016: God Defends His Anointed

Morning Light – May 24th, 2016
Today: [Psalms Twenty / Twenty-One] God Defends His Anointed. Chapters 20 and 21 of Psalms speak of God’s lovingkindness toward His anointed. You have to remember that the enemy is just after you. He is after the God in you. You are God’s anointed. You are a king and a priest in the kingdom. David understood that it was God’s mercy and not any virtue on his part that brought the protection and goodness of God over his life. Because he knew he was God’s anointed (as you are as well) David knew he would not be moved.
[Psa 20:1-9 KJV] 1 [[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. 4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. 5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up [our] banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. 6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. 9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
Verse one declares that God will hear you in the day of trouble. The word trouble here means “anguish, distress and tribulation” and specifically alludes to relationship trouble in a marriage. The mention of the God of Jacob means that there is a recognition of God coming through for you even in your Jacob nature. Jacob was Israel’s name before he wrestled with the angel. As Jacob he represents that part of us that has yet to manifest the character of God and the maturity of God. Many times when we pray we assume that God’s help and assistance will only come through for us on the basis of spiritual discipline and maturity. God realizes what we are made of and while He makes no excuse for sin and doesn’t choose sides in a dispute He nonetheless does not abandon you just because you have acted poorly in a situation. He is the God of Israel but He is also the God of Jacob and will have mercy on your in your circumstance.
When verse 2 says that God will send help out of Zion we must remember what Zion represents. The name Zion has a two-fold meaning. It is the “sun lit place” and the “parched place”. We complain many times about feeling dry spiritually but this is the season in your life when God is illuminating Himself to you and teaching you. Just because you are not experiencing emotional bliss and God’s manifest presence doesn’t mean He has withdrawn from you. God is teaching you.
When you are in trouble and in distress God’s first response is to bring you understanding of your situation drawn from the scriptures – so be ready to listen and willing to learn. Refrain from leveling blame and making excuses. Just get quiet and learn. Remember Adam and Eve. When they sinned they immediately had a relationship problem and started blaming each other. What was God doing? We tend to think when we disobey that God withdraws Himself. Is that what He did in the garden of Eden?
Gen. 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
Man’s response is to hide himself from God in times of disobedience. God’s response is to move toward you and not away from you. Be willing just to stand and wait and listen. This is the help that God sends (v. 2) from His sanctuary and the strength that comes from Zion.
Verse 3 says in the time of difficulty remember your offerings and burnt sacrifices. Difficult times are times to be consistent and sacrificial in your giving and not the other way around. Kitty and I tend to have an automatic response when we are going through a prolonged time of stress. We immediately go to the strength of giving and seeking opportunity to bless and be a blessing. In so doing v. 4 says that the desires of your heart will be fulfilled and your counsel from the Father will come to pass.
Verse 5 shows that we should rejoice and give praise in the midst of challenges and troubles. There is a time to express your lament to God but like David always follow up with praise and giving glory to God because you know He is going to come through for you. Why? Because as v. 6 states “God will save His anointed…” David knew God was acting in his life on the basis of the fact that he is the anointed king in Israel. You are also anointed and you are a king. The enemy isn’t just after you – he is after the anointing on you. God will defend you. God will bring you through. He will save His anointed.
[Psa 21:1-13 KJV] 1 [[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. 3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked life of thee, [and] thou gavest [it] him, [even] length of days for ever and ever. 5 His glory [is] great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. 6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance. 7 For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
Psalm 20 speaks of how God will save you because you are His anointed and Christ lives in your heart by faith. Psalm 21 opens with praise to God because of His kindness to the king. As kings and priests unto God we rejoice because God has granted us the desires of our heart. Always remember the context in which God is dealing with you. Yes you may have been a sinner – now saved by grace but you are also a king and priest unto God (Rev. 1:6; 5:10).
Verse 3 says that God puts a crown of gold on our heads and prevents us with His goodness. What does it mean “prevents us with His goodness”? Rom. 2:4 says that God’s goodness leads us to repentance. The message of the gospel is one that speaks of repentance. This is true but on what basis? Do we repent because bad things may happen if we don’t? It is true that things won’t go well for us when repentance is needed and neglected. The way of the transgressor is hard (Prov. 13:15). Many times we go through hardship and seldom consider this truth. Perhaps we are struggling because there is transgression in our lives. The children of Israel were defeated at Ai (Joshua ch. 7). You have to be willing to ask that question. God will answer you with His goodness and His mercy and prevent us with His goodness as David says.
V. 4 says that God will give the king (that includes you) length of day and that (v. 5) you will receive glory and honor. It is difficult to receive honor unless you see yourself for who you are in God. You are a king and a priest. You are a leader. Many fall into the error of false humility as a way of avoiding responsibility. If you are born again you are a king and a priest. You are a leader. You are one upon whom the blessing of God is resident. V. 6 says that God’s plan is for you to be most blessed and exceedingly glad. Your portion of blessing flows to you (v. 7) because of God’s mercy. It is through the mercy of God and nothing else that David understood that he would not be moved. Likewise you will not be moved because of God’s mercy not because you have somehow earned that right by something you have done on your own.
8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. 9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. 10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. 11 For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, [which] they are not able [to perform]. 12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, [when] thou shalt make ready [thine arrows] upon thy strings against the face of them. 13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: [so] will we sing and praise thy power.
V. 8 says that God will expose your enemies. Many times God does expose our enemies and we cover them back up. We don’t want to face the fact that there are those closer to us than we are comfortable who are not on our team. If you want to identify where Satan’s seat is look for that which is adverse in your life. Satan is the adversary and lurks where adversity manifests – sometimes in those you considered your allies and friends. It isn’t helpful to overlook and keep smiling and say nothing. Learn to identify and listen to God as v. 8 says God will expose those who hate and reject what God is doing in your life.
V. 9 says that God will turn up the heat on the lives of your enemies. In Gen. 12:3 we find the blessing of Abraham which accrues to you through Christ:
[Gen 12:3 KJV] 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Romans 4:13 tells us that faith makes us inheritors of the blessing of Abraham. When others trifle with us God will act to occupy them otherwise. What if two people who are walking with God begin to trifle and meddle with one another? God takes His hands off of both until one or the other repents.
V. 11 says that there will be times people will imagine and intend evil against you – but it will not be performed. It is not necessary or helpful for you to know what is going on in the enemy’s camp. Don’t worry about what people who reject you are saying or planning to do where you are concerned. To find out the enemy’s plans is simply to discover where failure is going to be visited on them. Trust in God. V. 12 says that God will make them turn their back and be removed from your life. Your focus is to simply give praise to God and trust in His strength to deliver and set you at liberty.