OUR CONFIDENCE
Psalm 7:10-17
INTRODUCTION
As we live our lives as Christians we will never please everyone. There will be family members who may not understand our Christian lifestyle and priorities. There will be people at work and in our neighborhoods who will not always react favorably to our decisions and our conversations. This is common to all of us. We learn to carefully chose what we say around these, love them anyway and go on about our lives.
Some will be puzzled as to our decisions. After all that probably are not Christians. They don’t understand Biblical values. Some will be irritated by our actions and values. They will get over it. But some will become our enemies. For some this may be too harsh a term, but it fits. They become a spiritual adversary, antagonist or competitor. And they bring grief to our life.
If not yet, such people will cross the path of every child of God someday.
In David’s life he did not ask of people to form a “I hate David” fan club. But many, in his life, became lifelong members. Among them were Saul, Absalom and Adonijah. And repeatedly, especially in the Psalms David declares not that he is Sinless, but that he is innocent of the charges brought against him. That can be one of the great hurts of life, when people slander us.
This Psalm expresses thought not much different from what David has said in preceding Psalms and will say many more times in those that follow.
THEME: WHEN WE FACE THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US:
I. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN GOD vs. 10
A. Our Protection Or Defence Depends On Him Alone
1. It rests upon God to defend us
NOTE: Truth, like oil, is ever above; no power of our enemies can drown it C. H. Spurgeon
2. Defence
NOTE: Term used for ‘shield’
a. After these things the word of the LOAD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1
b. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:16
NOTE: The only place ‘shield’ is found in the New Testament
c. For thou, LOAD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:12
B. The Upright In Heart
1. David does not try to prove that he is upright in heart
a. He knows he cannot prove it
b. He knows his own heart
c. He knows God knows his heart
2. Upright
a. Used over one hundred times in the Old Testament
b. Correct
c. Pleasing
d. Proper
e. Right
f. Righteous
g. Straight and level
h. Straight as opposed to crooked
3. Heart
a. Used over six hundred times in the Old Testament
b. Conscience
c. Emotions and passions
d. Mind / thinking / understanding
e. Moral character
f. Will
C. Why We Have The Ability To Suffer
1. We know God is in charge
2. We know God will take care of everything
T.S. WHEN WE FACE THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US:
I. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN GOD
II. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN HOW GOD WILL DEAL WITH THE UNGODLY vs. 11-13
A. God Judges The Righteous
1. Can also mean God does the righteous
a. We cry out for justice
b. God gives the justice
c. God vindicates our character
2. Judgeth
a. Avenge
b. Defend
c. Deliver
d. Punish
e. Vindicate
NOTE: God is never lukewarm when it comes to His children
B. God Is Angry With The Wicked Every Day vs. 11
NOTE: When He is silent He is still angry, and in His own time will stir up all His wrath, and rebuke in His hot displeasure
1. Angry
a. Not excitement
b. Not temporary passion
c. Not sudden emotion
d. It is the steady and uniform characteristic of His unchanging nature to be always opposed to the wicked, to all forms of sin
e. The wicked will find Him no more favorable to their character and course of life and style of life tomorrow than He is today
f. Neither time nor eternity will make any change
g. The same yesterday, today and forever
2. Wicked – Not all that are thought to be righteous, or think themselves to be so, are such
3. Every day
a. When God seems to favour them
b. When they are most secure and confident
NOTE: The best day that ever dawns on a sinner brings a curse with it C. H. Spurgeon
B. The Options Of The Wicked vs. 12
1. He, the wicked, will not turn
a. Repentance – change direction
b. Turn back from sinful, harmful acts
c. Turn back from rebelling
d. Turn back from evil
NOTE: God cannot be indifferent to the course we pursue
C. He Will ‘Whet’ His Sword
1. God will sharpen his sword
2. The word “sword” is found over four hundred times in the Bible
3. The sword is often mentioned as an instrument of vengeance
4. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19
5. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations … Revelation 19: 15
D. He Hath Bent His Bow, And Made It Ready
1. Literally, He has stepped on His bow
2. The ancient method of bending the large and heavy bow and stringing it
E. He Hath Also Prepared For Him The Instruments Of Death
1. God has aimed at the ungodly
a. Hebrew – ‘That man’
b. This is another step in advance of judgment
2. Not God will someday make arrangements
a. All the arrangements are already made
b. The sinner cannot escape
NOTE: We would say, God has the enemy in the cross hairs of His scope
3. Instruments of death
a. The unpleasantness of judgment
b. The extent of judgment
c. The fact of life vs. death
F. Ordained
1. He has made his arrows to be against
2. He has committed his arrows to be against
3. Ordain signifies the arrows are burning in anger
4. Burning arrows are more destructive than non – burning arrows
T.S. WHEN WE FACE THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US:
I. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN GOD
II. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN HOW GOD WILL DEAL WITH THE UNGODLY
III. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN THE LIMITATIONS OF THE UNGODLY vs. 14-16
A. The Punishment Of The Wicked From Another Angle vs. 14
1. The natural result of the actions of the wicked
2. The wicked falls into the trap laid for others
3. Travail with iniquity
a. Toward others
b. The accompanying pains and throes of child birth
c. The wicked person labors or struggles, even with great pain, to accomplish his purposes of iniquity
4. Travail
a. Bind
b. Corrupt
c. Destroy
d. Ruin
5. Iniquity
a. To exert oneself, usually in vain
b. Sorrow
c. Trouble
d. Vanity
e. Wickedness
6. Conceived
a. Found forty three times in the Old Testament
b. Every time it is found it refers to only two kinds of events
1) A woman conceiving a child; being pregnant
2) A wicked person conceiving sin
NOTE: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. James 1:15
7. Mischief
a. Misery
b. Pain
c. Sorrow
d. Toil
8. Brought forth falsehood
a. The birth is falsehood
b. Self deception
c. After all his efforts and pains, after having formed his scheme, and labored hard (as if in the pangs of child birth) all his efforts ends in abortion
d. All his plans are still born
e. While the sinner is bringing forth his bitter and malicious schemes to maturity, he will conceive and bring forth ruin to himself
B. The Fruit Of The Wicked vs. 15
1. Pit
a. An ancient method of trapping
b. Drive the prey toward the pit covered with brush and grass
c. They fall in
2. The law of reaping and sowing
CONCLUSION
WHEN WE FACE THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US:
I. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN GOD
II. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN HOW GOD WILL DEAL WITH THE UNGODLY
III. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN THE LIMITATIONS OF THE UNGODLY
Sermons And Lessons From The Old Testament 