AP

Psalm 14:6-7  You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!  When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

This Psalm of David is a particularly sad lament on the part of a godly King who is striving to encourage his people to put their trust in their Covenant LORD God and to align their lives to his revealed ways and truth.  Some are foolish enough even to try to convince themselves that he does not exist, so are free to live however they like with no accountability for their actions (verses 1-3).  They are creating an ‘every-man-for-himself’ culture with no thought for the underprivileged, marginalised and vulnerable (verses 3-4) and this is creating a dysfunctional society in which there is no hope or sense of purpose, making their only line of defence to attack all who are standing for God’s truth (verse 5).

Sadly, this sounds strangely familiar to us today as we face militant atheism!  But there is an even sadder reality from our perspective today: David was praying earnestly for the coming of the time when the Messiah would come to Zion from his royal line as promised, and set all things right, issuing in God’s great salvation.  And the sad thing is that when this Saviour did actually come out of Zion as promised and hoped for, instead of God’s people ‘rejoicing and being glad’ they rejected him and hung him to die on a cross of shame!

Nevertheless, we also know that this not the end of the story.  This crucified Messiah conquered death, rose again bodily, leaving his tomb empty, and will come back again to Zion to usher in the New Heaven and the New Earth where he will rule, and God’s people will be restored, where “[his] dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3b-4)  Then all his Chosen People, his Church, will rejoice and be glad!

Let us pray earnestly to this end from this renewed perspective, as David prayed from his perspective.  Our God is gracious.  “See him coming on the clouds of heaven, every eye behold him now; he’s the Living One, the First and Last who once was dead, but now he lives forever and ever.  Jesus is the Living One who died and came alive.  Jesus is Almighty Lord who was and is to come!” (Mark David Peterson).

– Bruce Christian