Number 53

A PSALM FOR TODAY

This title has been given to Psalm 64 inasmuch as it describes conditions and situations that will exist immediately before God assumes sovereignty over mankind, before He deals directly and openly with all the workers of iniquity, and brings about a universal fear of Himself that shall bring great rejoicing from the righteous.

This Psalm is a prayer written by David as God gave him the words. We can rest assured that every God-inspired prayer recorded in the Bible will in due time be answered. All such prayers are in reality prophecies, and as such they will be fulfilled to the letter. It is useless to try to fit this Psalm into the life of David, to make it to have come out of one of his experiences, or to give it any connection with the past history of Israel. The student who is acquainted with both Old and New Testaments can hardly fail to see the close relationship of this Psalm with the conditions and predictions set forth in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. This explains why it can be called a Psalm for today. Both passages describe conditions just before the manifest kingdom of God becomes a reality, and both set forth an event that is a definite part of God’s assumption of sovereignty over mankind.

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: This Psalm opens with an urgent request for a hearing, an entirely proper procedure for one who would show due respect for the majesty of God. There are matters he would take up with Him, and the established method of communication is prayer. While prayer is important at all times, it takes on a new significance in times of peril and confusion such as that in which we now live. If ever men needed to maintain communication with God, it is in this period of time Paul calls the last days. All who believe should pray without ceasing. We ought always to pray and not to faint.

Preserve my life from fear of the enemy: His petition is direct and to the point, as all petitions should be. He desires preservation from that fear that would cause him to shape his actions and live out his life according to his fear of the enemy. Our lives should be molded by the Word of God. "It is written" should always be our reason for believing as we believe or doing as we do. Men will seek to have us do otherwise; but let us ever remember that our real warfare is not with men, but "against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness among the most exalted ones" (Eph. 6:12). We will be able to withstand these in this evil day only by taking to ourselves the whole armor of God.(See Eph. 6:11, 17.)

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked: A secret counsel is a conspiracy. There is today a conspiracy of evil men whose goal is to make everyone just as wicked as they themselves are. That they are enjoying enormous success cannot be denied. "Get with it; live it up; do your thing; everybody is doing it." These seem to be their battle cries. They have captured the schools, even the seminaries, and most churches. Partial victory will never satisfy them. The presence of righteous men disturbs their serenity. They seek, yea, demand complete conformity to their own evil ways and thoughts. They control the theatres, motion pictures, television, and radio. It is almost impossible not to be influenced by them.

From the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: One wonders if a more perfect and complete description of what we are seeing on every hand today could be put into words. Consider the twenty-one categories of ungodly men who shall rise up in the last days, and ask yourself if these are dominating the present scene (2 Tim. 3:1-8). There is a revolt of mankind against everything related to God. They refuse all laws that He has given; they reject all directives He has laid down. They would prevail over God.

Who whet their tongue like a sword: David had certainly seen his soldiers apply the whetstone to their swords in preparation for battle. He now uses this scene to describe the preparation of the minds of evil men as they go into battle against the Truth and men of the Truth. Slander and misrepresentation are often their chief weapons.

And bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: Their arrows are words that wound and cause pain. This corresponds to the "false accusers" spoken of in 2 Tim. 3:3. The words of the wicked are always bitter when they are directed against God or His people.

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: From the security of their positions among men of their own kind, they let fly their belittling, derogatory, and slanderous words against all who seek to live godly in Christ Jesus. Even that morality which one will learn if he reads the Word of God is now slandered as being nothing more than the "Puritan ethic."

Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not: They are anxious to hurl their slanders against the Truth and men of the Truth. They are sure of remaining concealed behind their facade of self-imputed righteousness. They do it without any fear whatever. This is especially true under God’s present administration of grace.

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: They not only encourage themselves, but also everyone else. The media is filled with articles, advertisements, commercials, programs, and pictures which do nothing but encourage men who are traveling the road of the wicked.

They commune of laying snares privily; They say, "Who shall see them?" To catch unsuspecting prey is the purpose of their schemes. They pride themselves in the fact that their snares are too well covered to be obvious to their victims. Thus, they are led along such paths as to take that drink which ends up making them a slave to alcohol, of placing that bet that makes them a compulsive gambler, of committing that small evil that may lead to a life of iniquity.

They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: This is certainly a present-day characteristic of a multitude of men. This is called "looking for the action," and cities which offer multiple forms of wickedness soon become tourist attractions and convention centers. The world is searched for new and exotic forms of wickedness.

Both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep: Wicked men are not shallow in their wickedness. They execute well-laid plans. Satan has seduced some of the best minds of mankind and turned them against God and His Truth. Their hearts are deep, but not too deep for God, Who knows the heart (Jer. 17:9.)

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow: The pronoun "them" refers to all the wicked ones that have been before us in previous statements. They have shot their arrows of slander and falsehood. They have gained many victories. Nothing has appeared to stop their advance. But, suddenly the whole matter is reversed. God goes into action to plead His own cause against the foolish men who reproach Him daily (Psa. 74:22). He shoots at all the wicked with an arrow. This is the arrow of truth — truth concerning Himself as to Who He is and what He is. This is a poetic description of one aspect of God’s assumption of authority over mankind. His lightnings will enlighten the world (Psa. 97:4). "The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isa.40: 5). "The righteous shall see it and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth" (Psa. 107:42).

The day will yet come when with dramatic suddenness every human being upon the earth will know Who Christ is and what Christ is in the sight of God. This is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. It is what the Corinthian saints were waiting for (1 Cor. 1:7).

The words "God shall shoot at them with an arrow" correspond to the statement in 2 Tim. 3:9, where, after a long description of evil men in the last days of God’s dispensation of grace, it is declared, "they shall proceed no further." The wicked will be stopped in their tracks when God turns on the light.

Suddenly shall they be wounded: God will not miss. None can hide from Him. All the wicked will be wounded by His Truth.

So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: They will give themselves a tongue-lashing. "How could we have been so blind; how could we have been so thoughtless; how could we have encouraged and practiced such great wickedness?" may well be their cry against themselves. They now stand face-to-face with the kingdom judgment. (See Issue No. 36.)

All that see them shall flee away: And while it is true that no righteous man will want to be identified with them in that day, yet, this is not what the Hebrew means. "All that see them will shake their heads" is an accurate rendering. This is the great sign of bewilderment at what men will see when the wicked turn their own tongues against themselves.

And all men shall fear: This is that universal awe, respect, and reverence toward God that comes with the divine assumption of sovereignty. It is a truth declared in many places. (See Isa. 59:19.)

And shall declare the work of God: The work that God has done and will be doing will be mankind’s chief interest, his main subject of conversation.

For they shall wisely consider of His doing: All His works and actions will be considered logically, not emotionally. One generation will celebrate His works to another, and declare His mighty acts. They will declare His greatness. All His works will praise Him and His saints will bless His Name. They shall speak of the glory of His government and talk of His power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His government. (See Psalm 145:3-12.)

The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in Him: Of course we will! We do now, but it will be more so then. We will join in when all the earth worships Him and sings to His Name (Psa. 66:4).

And all the upright in heart shall glory: Oh happy day! And I expect to be there because of another happy day that fixed my choice on Thee, my Savior and my God.

INDEX

Issue no. 053