Psalm Friday

Psalm Friday

The Tent of the LordPsalm 27

* Pray. Ask God to give you an open heart and mind to learn new truths from His Word. Read Psalm 27 through three times. Record any thoughts or questions you have in your journal. If a verse stands out to you, write it on an index card and begin committing it to memory.

Psalm 27. A Psalm of David. A Psalm that is characterized by lamenting and extolling; warfare and worship. Scholars are divided as to the exact event that inspired David to pen these beautiful words. Some believe the event to have been when David was in exile hiding from King Saul because Saul was out to kill him. Others believe the event to have been when Abishai rescued him from being slain by the mighty giant Ishbibenob. Whatever the reason for David penning these words, David once again expresses the confident trust he had in his Savior.

"1) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? 2) When evildoers
came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled
and fell. 3) Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war
arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. 4) One thing I have
asked from the LORD, that I shall 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 meditate
in His temple. 5) For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His
tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up
on a rock. 6) And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and
I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the
LORD."

Psalm 27:1-6, NASB

David never coward from the opposition that arose around him; instead he raised his eyes in faith to the God whom he knew would safely deliver him. The Lord was everything David needed to stand strong against his enemies. As the darkness of the enemy drew closer and closer around David, the Lord was the light that shone through. As the enemy raised their swords against David; the Lord stood as his shield, protecting him from a blow that was sure to bring death.

If one were to look back over the life of David, she would see time after time after time, the enemy's of David seeking to do harm to him and the kingdom of Israel. I've often asked the question, how could David have such a confident faith in the Lord if someone were always out to hurt him and at times go so far as to try to kill him? I believe the answer lies in David's private commitment to the Lord. When no one else was looking, David was enjoying sweet fellowship with the Lord, seeking the Lord's will for his life and allowing the Lord to mold him and shape him into the man he was born to be. David knew that the most important aspect of his life wasn't how he would rule over Israel or how he would conquer other kingdoms; instead, David knew the most important facet of his life to be those parts that only God could see. What David did in the private places with the Lord was the what made him a man after God's own heart.

The temple had not yet been built so the dwelling place of the Lord was nothing more than a tent. Although the place where David met with the Lord was a structure made of poles that were draped with some type of clothe, God's presence filled every nook and cranny of that place. David entered into God's tent with exuberant joy because he was entering into the presence of his Lord.

In the ancient Near East, when a visitor entered into the tent of his host, the host became personally responsible for the visitor's protection and provision; the fragile walls of the tent became a mighty fortress that would keep safe it's inhabitants. As David entered the tent of the Lord, that tent became a fortress that would keep David safe from those who sought his life. David, as the visitor, would experience God's saving protection and would never go without anything he would need.

David's confident trust in the Lord to keep him safe and provide for his every need, allowed him to enter into His presence not pleading for protection and crying out for more of this or more of that, but rather this confident trust gave him the freedom to worship the Lord and behold His magnificent beauty. David was able to sit and meditate on the goodness of God and not fret about the enemies who desired to harm him. He was able to walk away from his times of worship feeling the rock under his feet and seeing above and beyond the enemy to the victory God had prepared (Warren W. Wiersbe).

Just like David, there is an enemy who seeks to destroy us. It is an enemy who desires to steal our joy and divert our attention. An enemy who seeks to destroy our homes and render us ineffective for God's kingdom. It's an enemy who tries to control your mind and ruin your self image through barbie doll images and fade diets. This enemy wants so much for you to believe that you are nothing, that you are worthless, that no one will ever love you because you are such a bad person. This enemy, my friends, is out for blood- he is diligently seeking whom he may devour.

What do we do? How to do we fight the enemy? We march ourselves into the very presence of God and allow Him to be our strength. We praise Him in all things. We focus our thoughts on Him and not on the one who seeks to destroy. We abide in Him. When the enemy comes against you, run as hard as you can to the place where God is and allow Him to be your shield.