PSALM 27: Psalm of David.

Preached at East street. Baptist church, Bedminster 23/11/03

Partially based of Spurgeon's exegesis

The psalms were the songs of prayer and praise of the Jews, they where often written at times of great trial and struggle. They are a heartfelt outpouring of a soul to God. Nothing is hidden between that soul and God. Every fear and worry is plain, every confidence and hope is clear. The Holy Spirit's prayers resonates with David prayer to allow us to grasp how high and deep and wide and long is the love of God for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I believe that today’s church needs to recapture some of this heartfelt prayer. No reservations, no embarrassment, no worrying about how we will look in front of others, no trying to conform to cultural patterns of behaviour, no one saying “we don’t pray like that in this church”, just simple trust, simple faith in Jesus, simple fellowship with God. And I believe the Lord, the Holy Spirit, the comforter who is like unto Jesus, He is the key to this kind of prayer. As the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 8, “we do not know how the pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groans that words cannot express.” While we see things from our own perspective, it is the Holy Spirit that searches the mind of God.

It is only He who can teach us the kind of prayers we should be praying, deep prayer that is in keeping with the will of God. For the Holy Spirit Himself groans for us and within us. This is a heartfelt yearning to be with God, He wants us to be found in God, He wants us to be wrapped up close to God in the midst of a dark and suffering world. And we know that “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” If we believe in Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit in some measure, but as Paul says in Ephesians 5:17-18,

“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”

Some of us are in danger of remembering the part about not getting drunk on wine but forgetting the “be filled with the Spirit”. Or as the Greek perfect tense says, “continue being filled with the Holy Spirit”. Some try and argue that they received everything of the Holy Spirit at conversion, this is they have got it all already! The famous non-conformist preacher Dr Martin-Lloyd Jones rightly asks “Got it all? Well, if you have “Got it all” I simply ask, in the name of God, why are you as you are? If you have “Got it all” why are you so unlike the New Testament Christians, Got it all! Got it at your conversion! Well, where is it, I ask?”

There is always more of God to receive, He is infinite. Please, you shouldn’t be threatened by this, for God loves us totally. Remember what our Lord Jesus has said on this matter in Luke 11:9-13, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door will be opened unto you … how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” God’s desire is to give us good things and his best blessing is the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s get back to Psalm 27 now

1. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2. When evildoers assail me, uttering slanders against me, my adversaries and foes, they shall stumble and fall.
3. Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation”. Note the personal interest; “my light, my salvation.” David is in no doubt that God is his God, that the Light of God is his light and his Salvation. It’s personal. A personal belief that the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob is also his God. Light and salvation seem always to linked in scripture. First God pours out his light, his fire, into our hearts, then our eyes are opened and we can see the darkness that we have been living in. We put our trust in God, confessing our sinful ways, we believe in Jesus. He forgives us our sins and declares that we shall live with him forever. Only in the light can we see things as they truly are. Only in the light can we see good from evil. Only in the light can we find the narrow path that leads to Salvation. The light of God shines in the darkness of our lives and that darkness cannot overcome the light, because light always drives out darkness.

After conversion, by the filling of the Holy Spirit, God can become our joy, our comfort, our guide, our teacher and in every sense He is our light. We may choose to live in the shadows at the edge of the light as Christians, but He has kindled a fire in our heart that can never be put out. God is not just a light from without but also by the Holy Spirit he is a light from within. What a wonder our God is, he has a desire to be shining in every part of our lives, the parts that are visible and the parts that are not visible. He is shining on the areas we are aware of and those that we are unaware of. How amazing is our God, He is with us in every situation of our lives. Though He is high and lifted up, the Lord of the Universe, He is also present within the being of our lives. He has plans for us, plans for good and not for evil. He has a desire for us to return to the beauty of His plan for our lives, for you and for me to return to the beauty of His plan.

David continues “Whom shall I fear?” Since we have been brought out of the darkness into the kingdom of light shall we still fear? If the creator God is for us who can be against us? Can the principalities and powers of this dark world overcome us? No “the Lord is the strength of my life.” God is the one who is dwelling with us and in us and He cannot be overcome. Do we believe this?

Yes, we live in a wicked world where we will have enemies. Some because we are Christians, maybe some because of our race and colour, maybe some because of our gender, maybe some because of our wealth and some because of our own foolish actions. Sometimes our enemies are so hungry to see our destruction that they would eat us up like a pack of dogs. Certainly the devil is such an enemy. He is like a roaring lion seeking those who he can devour. The devil can attack us from inside as well as outside. Fears can be generated in our own thoughts. We may think that we have not achieved anything in life. We may think that no one cares for us, certainly at times we may feel lonely and alone.

We may think that wealth would bring happiness. We may think that sexual relationships would give us what we are looking for. We get confused as to the purpose of life and start to inwardly become our own enemy. Failure can lead to emotional bruises that can start to reduce our trust in God. Negative, destructive thoughts produce a darkness that is doubt, self and fear. Every human being experiences the deserts of doubt and fear. But wherever you are today, Christ Jesus whispers in our ear, “Trust, trust me, find peace and rest in God alone, if you are frightened, here I am”.

God is the true strength of our lives. He is our strength. When we are weak He is strong. We must let go of our life, for unless a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies it remain but a single grain with no eternal life. He is our strength and we must accept that we need to come to him for help. He has a plan for our good, we are precious to him. He will cause our enemies to stumble and fall. The wicked shall perish. David is declaring the confidence of the believer.

Is there any here who fear Death, the last enemy? At times we all worry about dying. But I believe we can have freedom from fear of death. You see we know where we have come from and where we are going. “Before you where born, I dreamed of you” say God. The risen Lord’s love for us will carry us to glory. Jesus said that if you believe in him even though you die yet shall you live. We shall overcome, we have been promised and we shall see it.

4. One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
5. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, he will set me high upon a rock.
6. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

Verse 4, what a verse, this is the model for the Christian life. Listen to the order of the verse. First, a hunger for God above all else. David says “one thing”, he had a unity of purpose and desire. He is hungry and thirsty for God. Second, he seeks after God so that his hunger results in action. His love for God is not just with the lips. Third, having close communion with God all the days of our life. Let your “Yes” to God be yes for a whole lifetime. Fourth, contemplate the beauty of God. Did you know that God is beautiful and precious and lovely? Fifth, to be taught by God though inquiry into the things of God.

The Holy Spirit is our teacher, He reveals truth to us, He help us to understand scripture, He points us again and again back to Jesus. If you want a verse to meditate on try this one. Seek the Lord, spend time with Him, He will give you more than you can think of or imagine. Verse 5, “he shall hide me … in the day of trouble.”

Yes there are troubles in the Christian life, yes there are struggles and failures, yes we choose wrong directions and follow too much of our own ways, yes we will have enemies. But God shall protect us. When we have sought him, beheld his beauty, when we dwell with him in true closeness, when we have been taught by Him, we shall see that He has set our feet on a rock.

Verse 6, true joy comes when we have gone through the day of trouble and seen things as they really are. When we finally understand what God has done for us, when we understand his blessed protection, his mercies, his wonderful beauty. In the spiritual tabernacle of His presence we shall stand with our head lifted up without fear or worry. We will shout for joy and sing and make music in our hearts and be overwhelmed by the wonder of it all. Yes, let us worship God with our whole being. I believe that God wants us to love him as he loves us.


7. Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8. Thou hast said, "Seek ye my face." My heart says to thee, "Thy face, LORD, do I seek."
9. Hide not thy face from me. Turn not thy servant away in anger, thou who hast been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
10. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me up.
11. Teach me thy way, O LORD; and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.

At this point the theme of the psalm swings from sublime praise to prayer. Note that David’s prayer was an audible crying out to the Lord. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for wanting to be heard by men when they prayed, but a genuine believer wants to be heard by the Lord. Spurgeon said that “even in private prayer the voice is often profitable” He noticed that in private prayer distractions are common, when praying out aloud it is easier to remain focused on God.

David cries out, “Answer me.” Should we be satisfied with no answer in prayer? Is it enough to ask God and not enquire about the answer? So much of our prayer is asking for things without waiting for the answer. Of course the Lord is not bound to do what we want. Clearly, if we have a real desire for God we will wait for the reply from God, the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Verse 8 shows us that if we want God to listen to us we must be sure to listen to him. When we are truly His, His desires become our desires.

God has said to us that we must “seek his face” and David, the man of God, responses to God immediately from his heart “yes Lord, I will seek your face”. Verse 9 “Hide not you face from me” In the Old Testament God hid his face from the wicked. It was a pronouncement of judgement. We are what we are, sinners. We struggle with our sinful nature. We desire good but often do evil. We want to serve the Lord, but also would rather go our own way.

Does not God have a right to judge us, even believers? Some of us may feel that God is distant because of our sins. Some of us may not remember the last time we felt close to Him. Some of us may wonder whether God has forsaken us. But God is the God of our salvation. Remember that God loves us this much “that it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us”, taking on his shoulders our sins and the sins of the whole world.

Remember how God has helped you in the past and how God has saved you. God will not hide his face if we confess our sins and seek His face. Our father and mother may forsake us, our enemies may say untrue and cruel things against us, but the Lord will take us up in his arms and carry us to his heart. He will teach us his way and lead us on a level path. Do you want a level path in life? Obedience and a teachable spirit is the key to a life that is balanced and level. As the old hymn says, if you want to be happy in Jesus you must trust and obey, there is no other way.

13. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
14. Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD!

The good news about our God is that the goodness He has in store for us is not just for glory. We shall see the goodness of the Lord while we are yet alive. This is Christian Hope. Our trust in God is such that we have a sureness to see God’s blessing on this earth. And the scripture says we shall see it. Will anyone here give an amen to this? (wait) Wait on God. Wait at his door in prayer, Wait at his feet with humility when he teaches, wait at his table in devotional service, wait at the window with expectancy for His return. Be strong in the Lord, take courage. Let us wait on God.

Amen