Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

Psalm 36 – When the Wicked Attack (Part 4 of 4)

Introduction – When a child of God is attacked for obeying the Word of God, what he needs most is to know how it will all end. The finality of the experience becomes the result of whether he passes or fails the test of faith. It is not while he is enduring it that is the measure of a final grade from the LORD. A child of God could stumble during the trial but when he repents from the fall and is picked up by the LORD and remains faithful once more in his trust, he will not be measured yet. But when he fails and remains fallen at the end of the trial that is when he has failed the test.

David understood this well as seen from the final three verses of Psalm 36.

V. The LORD Protects (Psalm 36:10-12) – David cried to the LORD for His lovingkindness toward him to continue. David used the same word “lovingkindness” in verse 7. Now in conclusion, he asked God to continue His grace and mercies upon him with His lovingkindness. David knew that as long as he lived and witnessed faithfully for the LORD, his enemies would not stop their harassment and persecution. There was nothing that could help him better than the lovingkindness of the LORD. As mentioned before, the lovingkindness also has the idea of covenantal loyalty, mercy and pity. David knew that all the goodness of God in his life was based upon God’s mercy and pity toward him. It is not because David was good or lived a holy life that God blessed and protected him. It was all due to God’s lovingkindness and merciful pity. No one deserves the goodness and blessings of God in his life. The problem with many of us is that we think we do deserve God’s blessings. Perhaps that is why many of us murmur and complain when calamities fall upon us. We think that we deserve only “good” things and not “painful” things. Actually we deserve all things painful based upon the fact that we are totally depraved from the moment we are born into this world. We are born in sin and having committed many more sins, we are doomed to a deserving hell. Yet God saved us in Christ, by His grace and mercies. As sons and daughters of the most High God we must never forget that we still need God’s continuous lovingkindness all the days of our lives. Like David we need to know this and remember this truth well. If not for God's lovingkindness toward us we would be condemned and consumed. This is our cry because we truly know Him as our loving God.

Using synthetic parallelism, David also asked God to continue to deal righteously with him. God is a righteous God. He will always do what is right. There is a difference between “lovingkindness” and “righteousness.” “Lovingkindness” appeals to God’s sense of mercy and grace whereas “righteousness” appeals to God’s sense of doing all things right. God will not do anything wrong just to show compassion or lovingkindness. It has to be based upon the foundation of righteousness. Sinful man deals with one another based upon relationship all the time. Fathers show preferential treatment to their children who work in their company. How many times have we read of the sin of nepotism in government, and in business! David knew that he could not ask God for His lovingkindness when he had done wrong against his enemies and expected God to punish them. That would be wrong. Giving to His children His lovingkindness is the right thing to do but it must be done based upon righteousness. It cannot be based upon a relationship of parent and child regardless of right or wrong. David’s cry for continuous righteous dealing was based upon an “upright heart.” David’s heart had to be pure and good. David knew that the blessings of God are always conditioned upon the obedience of God’s people. This is clearly taught in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 where the blessings and curses of God upon Israel were conditioned upon obedience and disobedience respectively. We need God’s continuous protection upon us. But it is a protection that we do not deserve, for it is His lovingkindness which is based upon His righteousness that keeps us.

Verse 11 (synonymous parallelism) – In the shadow of God’s lovingkindness, David asks God to keep him safe from the “foot of pride.” What exactly is the meaning of the “foot of pride”? It refers to the proud kicking or trampling upon David. These proud ones are usually powerful people, even more powerful than kings at times. Men like Joab, David’s general, was so entrenched in his position that not even King David could remove him without causing a civil war or at least a rebellion in Israel! We know this because when Joab murdered Abner out of revenge and spite before Israel was a united kingdom under David, David could not do anything to Joab. He could only weep and distance himself from what Joab did. He wept bitterly for Abner. He could only get rid of Joab after his death as he told his son Solomon to kill Joab, regardless of Joab’s plea for mercy. Then there was Absalom, David’s son who took the kingdom away from David for a short time. What David was most concerned with was not fear for his life per se but that the witness of Christ was trampled upon by these proud men. When David’s service as king and his life as God’s witness are in danger of being destroyed because they attack him, David cried to God for intervention. He did not wish to fail the LORD. They were not just attacking David the man but the work of God in the man. This is what all the children of God must know and not forget. When we are under attack, it is not the person but the image of Christ and the work of Christ in us that come under attack. If we sin then the attackers have succeeded. If we stop doing the will of God in our lives, the attackers have succeeded. The end result is that the Name of Christ is maligned and defiled. The work of God is hindered! These evil proud men will use all ways and means at their disposal to bring God’s servants down. They will use the law, money, lawsuits, slander, and place stumbling blocks in our pathways to trip us into sinning against God. They will put the fear of man into us to push out the fear of God. They must not succeed. God's lovingkindness will sustain.

The synonymous parallelism drives home the point. David called the proud ones “wicked” in the second line. Instead of the foot he used the “hand.” It means the same thing. The purpose was to remove David. What did they want to remove David from? They wanted to remove David from the path of holiness and righteousness so that God would be angry with David. In other words, they wanted David to sin against his God! They wanted David to stop doing God's will, i.e. not be the king of Israel anymore! They cannot touch our salvation but they can definitely touch our life of holiness and testimony for Christ! We need to stay focused and lean on God’s lovingkindness to be victorious. David was confident that as long as he stayed focused on the LORD, the enemies would not succeed. Not only would they not succeed, they would be dealt with by the LORD according to His justice and righteousness. This is exactly what we see in the last verse of this psalm.

Verse 12 (synthetic parallelism) – David stated clearly that the LORD would deal with the proud and wicked ones. They would fall in God's time. Not one of them would escape Him. David described them as “the workers of iniquity.” Their deeds are called iniquities. They might have thought that what they did to men like David to be God’s work but God calls them iniquities. Anyone can claim that they are doing God’s desired work or will but the reality is that these are misguided notions that will ultimately condemn the person. Sincerity alone does not transform the will or work of sinful man into the work and will of God. The Bible is the guide. Not just the Bible but the proper understanding of the Bible that makes the difference between doing the work of God or not. The phrase “according to Scriptures” is crucial in this regards in determining the will of God. Otherwise whatever a man does is called iniquity, no matter how sincere he is in doing it. These “workers of iniquities” are not mere people who make mistakes or commit a sin here and there. The word “worker” refers to a person who systematically and habitually works iniquities. It is not a believer who sometimes may tell a lie out of fear but a person who consistently lies. Lying becomes a way of life. He does not steal sporadically but consistently. It is his habit. These sinners will fall. Their deeds will come to nought. They will not stand as the word “fall” means that they will be judged and condemned by the LORD in the day to come. Their works of iniquities will be the evidence that will condemn them. Finally they will be cast into hell when they die in their sin.

It is not a “fall” by accident. Using synthetic parallelism, David says that these workers of iniquities will be cast or push down. The one who pushes them down is God Himself. They think that they are mighty and untouchable because they hide in high places and surrounded by powerful men and guards and modern weapons. This was also the thinking of the Edomites who dwelt in their cities on high mountains carved into the rock walls. But the LORD “pushed” them down. They were destroyed by the LORD. There was nothing Edom could do about it. This is true of all sinners today no matter how safe and secure they think they are in their modern day “mountain top.” They will fall, for the LORD will push them down. When they fall, they will not rise again. God had already prophesied in Daniel 2 and 7 that all the kingdoms of man will be destroyed before the millennial kingdom of Christ begins its thousand year reign. These kingdoms of man will never rise again. They will be permanently destroyed, for at the end of the millennium this old earth and old heaven will vanish and be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth (see Revelation 20 and 21). These workers of iniquities will be crushed permanently by the LORD.

Conclusion – The wicked will always attack God’s faithful servants. The LORD will always preserve, provide and protect. God’s people must be encouraged to know that they have the LORD on their side. They must remain faithful and true to the LORD regardless of how the wicked attack. The wicked will not stop attacking as long as there are sinners to be saved by Christ on the earth. The god of this world the Devil will energise these wicked workers of iniquities. They will use the powers of the Devil and the world’s resources to hinder the work of God and attack God's faithful servants. God’s servants must trust in the LORD’s preservation, protection and provision always and not on self. This is the only way to obey and trust in Him in this world of sin and sinners. Amen.