PSALM 27 – A Psalm of David
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
Taking only slight liberty with the text, here’s another way at looking at verse one:
“[Since] the LORD is my light and my salvation, Whom shall I fear? [Answer:] The LORD!”
We naturally find comfort in light. When children are put to bed and they are alone, they often ask their parents to keep the door ajar or they enjoy having a night light to sweep awake the stark dark. Light illuminates and makes things clear so that we can see, and we learn most of what we know by what we see (which is why we place such value on our eyesight).
While we treasure the physical light by which we perceive this world, how much more precious is the Light of the LORD by which we spiritually “see the kingdom of GOD” (JOHN 3:3), that guides us when at times we feel lost or as we go along the path of righteousness (PSALM 119:105).
This is the Light of His Word shining in our hearts the glory and knowledge of GOD in the face of JESUS CHRIST (2 COR 4:6), that can reveal those things in us that are not godly and grants us the opportunity to repent (JAMES 1:22-24). That same light enables us to continue in the “perfect law of liberty” (JAMES 1:25).
It’s when we walk in the Light of the LORD that we have fellowship with Him and with one another (1 JOHN 1:7), and nothing of the darkness can creep up on you without you seeing it coming a mile (or so) away.
As children of GOD, we don’t have to be afraid of the dark because He is our light. We don’t have to fear any danger, because He is our salvation. In fact, it’s because of His salvation from sin, death, Judgment and eternal hell that we most certainly fear the LORD!
The phrase “fear not” and "be not afraid" is found in over 190 Bible verses, and in most cases, it’s the LORD encouraging His saints to not fear – the kind that rises up in the face of uncertainty, instability, trials and afflictions. But to have a fear of the LORD is to be holy, godly, and reverential. It’s that sort of fear that’s afraid of bruising His tender heart with our bristling, sharp, thorny, painful sins.
Strength can be an asset and a means of protection for ourselves, for our loved ones, and the defenseless. But if we rely too heavily in our own abilities and strengths – that poses a danger in itself. Such things are either born of pride or lead to pride, sometimes both!
Our strength is of the LORD, not ourselves. We look to Him to meet life’s challenges and by His enabling grace we are well able to meet them! “If GOD be for us, who can be against us?” (ROM 8:31). HEBREWS 11 explores the exploits of faith, and listed there are many gloriously victorious saints – but there are others listed there also who suffered but were nonetheless victorious!
HEBREWS 11:36-40
36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us (See MATT 5:12).
PSALM 27:2
When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
David’s wicked enemies were people, intent on his destruction (but he had Satan as his enemy also). They would have “eat[en] up [his] flesh” if they had been allowed to. But the LORD protected His anointed (PSA 105:15; 89:20).
People of this world count us as their enemies, but they cannot be ours – on the contrary, they are our mission field. We are called to love and pray for them (MATT 5:44)! That’s not to say we don’t have any enemies – Satan and his kingdom of darkness is one; the philosophies, allurements and ideals of this world-system are another, and our own flesh – our sin nature.
It’s our carnal, sinful flesh that would “eat up” our spiritual man, and it will if we let it! This is why we must live the crucified life (ROM 6:6; EPH 4:22; COL 3:8-17).
PSALM 27:3
Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, In this I will be confident.
David trusted in the Almighty GOD. In the face of his many adversaries, he looked to the sovereignty of GOD for protection, guidance, wisdom. The LORD was His Rock (PSA 28:1; 92:15; 94:22) and His shield (PSA 3:3; 28:7; 59:11).
When you consider the Almighty Power, Wisdom, Presence and Love of the LORD, most especially for His children, we ought to never be afraid, just as David said, “My heart shall not fear”. And I notice something about my walk with my Savior: the more that I know Him and His love, His presence, His wisdom and power, the more confident I become in His ability to take care of me, regardless of the situation.
In other words, MORE GOD. LESS FEAR/ANXIETY.
It’s easy to be bold in the faith when we are not yet in the situation. When the rubber meets the road, where our faith is not grown but tested. That’s when we see if our faith has grown sufficiently. David was in such situations when he had whole armies pursuing him with such tenacity, he had to hide out in caves with his faithful warrior friend!
Yet when it came right down to it, David was a fearless warrior because he knew he wasn’t on the battlefield alone. The LORD GOD accompanied Him and assured him of victory (2 SAM 22:47-51), just as He did with Joshua (JOSH 1:5-9).
It very much reminds me of a story I heard about General “Stonewall” Jackson:
A newspaper reporter asked him about his stance in the heat of battle: “Most Generals will issue orders from the rear, but you always stand at the front. Aren’t you ever afraid?”
Jackson replied quietly, “Good sir, I am as safe on the battlefield, by the grace of GOD, as I am sleeping in my bed at night.”
PSALM 27:4
One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: 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.
This was David’s passion, his fervent desire (his lifetime achievement as it were):
(1) To dwell in the House off the LORD ALL the days of his life. (2) To behold the beauty of the LORD. (3) To inquire in His temple.
1) How many of you saints are longing to go Home to Heaven? I find more and more of GOD’s people clinging less and less to earthly goals and objectives and clinging a lot more to “the Blessed Hope” – the Coming of the LORD to bring us Home (ISA 2:3) and dwell there “all the days of our [eternal] life”! Never to part from Him, ever again (1 THESS 4:17b)!
2) And once there, we will not be “seeing through a glass darkly” but face to Face (1 COR 13:12)! “I Can Only Imagine” how it’s going to be! To actually be in the physical presence of my LORD and Savior, My King and my BFF and experience the absolute fullness of His love and grace! To see His face, to see Him seeing me, to hear His voice speaking to me personally. It leaves me breathless and teary eyed when I think on it (like now!). The longing to be with Him is so intense, it’s actually kind of painful but accompanied with peacefulness – a “sweet piercing: as A.W. Tozer once put it!
3) To have that continual, steady, constant, faithful conversation with the LORD, One on one, where I speak and He responds, and He speaks and I respond. We have that now in the way of the Word of GOD (how He speaks to us) and in prayer (how we speak to Him), but again, then on that Day – Face to face (1 COR 1:9; PHIL 2:1; 3:10; 1 JOHN 1:7’ REV 1:5)!
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