November 16
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SAVE MY SOUL FROM THE SWORD
But You, LORD, do not be far away;
You who are my help, hurry to my assistance.
20 Save my soul from the sword,
My only life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him;
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
24 For He has not despised nor scorned the suffering of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from him;
But when he cried to Him for help, He heard. – Psalm 22:19-24
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According to a commentary, verse 19 is the request of Psalm 22:11 is repeated her. David seemed to believe that he could endure anything if he enjoyed the conscious presence of God. His plea is not focused on the change of his situation, but on the presence of God in the crisis. How many of us focus on God’s presence when we are in trouble and trials? We automatically want to change or solve the problem, don’t we?
In verse 22, David declares how he will praise the Lord in the whole assembly and his trust and his knowledge of God’s character is reflected in the following verse 23. He admonishes all of God’s people to continue to give the Lord all the praise and give Him all the respect and adulation that only Him alone is worthy of.
In verse 20, he asks deliverance from the sword. According to Horne’s commentary, “The wrath of God was the ‘sword,’ which took vengeance on all men…it was the ‘flaming sword,’ which kept men out of paradise.”
In verse 24, David repeats his trust in the Lord and how much he knows His faithful God. He looks forward for deliverance because He knows that God will never turn His back on His own people. How many believers focus on the promises of God and His faithful character which leads us to a hopeful perspective in life? Why is it so easy for humans to dwell on the negative instead of the promises of God?
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REFLECTION
• Why must we remember fear the Lord always?