(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
When a problem arises, it is consoling to know that someone is watching out for you.
Some psalms include a superscription before the first verse that identifies the author, like Ps 90: "A Prayer of Moses, the man of God." Other psalms give details about the occasion for their composition, like Ps 92: "A song for the Sabbath day." Many psalms, though, include no such information, and the reader must search for clues that reveal the author's situation and state of mind as he writes. Ps 94 is an example of the latter. There is no superscription, no indication who wrote it. As one reads the psalm itself, however, it becomes clear that the faithful among God's people are experiencing persecution from unrighteous elements, either inside or outside the land, and the author wants to know how long the Lord will let this go on before He intervenes.1
* L. The Foremost Consolation2
...which enjoys...
There is a woman Linda and I met in Bible College, a devout believer who married another believer, had three kids, and was very involved in church ministry. We had been in touch on and off over the years, and I knew that they struggled financially. Recently, we got in contact again and, in response to my general query about how things were going for them, she explained the family's current status.
That uncertainty is close to what the psalmist experienced, and he may also have said, "I don't know what God is up to." If you have ever been in a difficult predicament, facing circumstances beyond your control, it might not shake your faith, but it might make you wonder, "What is God up to?" Know that others of God's people, also facing circumstances beyond their control, have asked the same question. The psalmist, based on his experience, offers this agreement from v. 19.
Notice that he does not ignore or deny what he feels at that moment. So it is with you when your situation is troubling, you need not ignore the obvious and act as if nothing is wrong but, like the psalmist, you must not let your troubles undermine your faith. On the contrary, it is precisely during such times of anxiety that your faith can and must shine brightly. It is also during such times that...
The psalmist does not indicate that relief came to him immediately. Quite the contrary, he is waiting even as he writes. He is confident, however, that God will act, and he closes the psalm with this assertion about the fate of his persecutors.
The character who demonstrates this principle, that comfort can replace confusion, is one we have considered in our Sabbath afternoon Bible study: Job. He certainly suffered, and for no apparent reason, at least not to him or to those around him. Consequently, his situation was confusing to him.6 Despite that confusion, though, Job remained committed to God and, eventually, his confusion, although never replaced by clarity from God, did eventually give way to comfort from God.7
So it may be with you. You will not know the reason for every unpleasant event that befalls you, and not knowing may be confusing as well as distressing. Nevertheless, if you remain committed to God, confident of His good intentions for you, He will replace your confusion, if not with clarity, at least with comfort, the certainty that He has your best interests at heart.8
The author of Ps 94 is dealing with the emotions of a very stressful situation, the details of which are not entirely clear. What is clear is the way he copes with it, by allowing The Foremost Consolation to bring him the peace of God. It does not remove the problem, but it does recognize the One who can comfort you despite the problem and who can bring joy to your soul.9
Having considered The Foremost Consolation, we will look next at The Foremost Constitution, which is the pact of God, in Jer 31:33-34.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
The young man came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!" Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?" The young man answered, "I couldn't tell...but I got the license number."When a problem arises, it is consoling to know that someone is watching out for you. Only God, however, offers The Foremost Consolation.
Some psalms include a superscription before the first verse that identifies the author, like Ps 90: "A Prayer of Moses, the man of God." Other psalms give details about the occasion for their composition, like Ps 92: "A song for the Sabbath day." Many psalms, though, include no such information, and the reader must search for clues that reveal the author's situation and state of mind as he writes. Ps 94 is an example of the latter. There is no superscription, no indication who wrote it. As one reads the psalm itself, however, it becomes clear that the faithful among God's people are experiencing persecution from unrighteous elements, either inside or outside the land, and the author wants to know how long the Lord will let this go on before He intervenes.1
Ps 94:3 How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant?While the psalmist wants God to get involved in relieving the peoples' plight, he also mocks those who doubt God's commitment to His people.
Ps 94:7 They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed."He affirms that commitment, though, in very assertive terms.
Ps 94:14 ...the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.Still, it is one thing to know God and another thing to need God, which is where many of the faithful are, as unrighteous men seem to have the upper hand.
Ps 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?The psalmist recounts how he was at the brink of despair, and only God's intervention kept him from going over the edge.
Ps 94:17 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.He then describes what the struggle was like for him, a struggle that is similar to what others go through as they deal with the emotions of very stressful situations and how, in the midst distress, he received...
* L. The Foremost Consolation2
...which enjoys...
- The peace of God (Ps 94:19)
Ps 94:19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.Life has ups and downs for everyone. Most of the difficulties we encounter are relatively minor, but some are serious, involving our health or our family or our finances, and they weigh heavily on us, in part, because we do not know how they will develop or how they will end. That uncertainty evokes in us anxiety, unease, worry about the future. Such apprehension affects even those who know God well.
There is a woman Linda and I met in Bible College, a devout believer who married another believer, had three kids, and was very involved in church ministry. We had been in touch on and off over the years, and I knew that they struggled financially. Recently, we got in contact again and, in response to my general query about how things were going for them, she explained the family's current status.
- Her husband lost his job, employment for which he had not been paid in several months.
- He had a lead on another job, but that business was relocating, and the employer was not in any hurry to hire new people.
- They had fallen behind in their mortgage payments, and the bank, rather than considering any alternatives—and there were alternatives—rushed to foreclose on their home and evicted them.
- Homeless at that point, the family—two adults and three teenagers—moved to a different state to live with her aging mother.
- The bills continue to mount, while the prospect of relief does not.
That uncertainty is close to what the psalmist experienced, and he may also have said, "I don't know what God is up to." If you have ever been in a difficult predicament, facing circumstances beyond your control, it might not shake your faith, but it might make you wonder, "What is God up to?" Know that others of God's people, also facing circumstances beyond their control, have asked the same question. The psalmist, based on his experience, offers this agreement from v. 19.
1. Your situation may be most confusing.His situation certainly was: oppression from his enemies with no relief in sight, while God, so it seemed, remained unconcerned and uninvolved. It is no wonder that he said, "anxiety was great within me" (more literally, "in the multitude of my thoughts" (ASV) or "My troubles were always on my mind."3
Notice that he does not ignore or deny what he feels at that moment. So it is with you when your situation is troubling, you need not ignore the obvious and act as if nothing is wrong but, like the psalmist, you must not let your troubles undermine your faith. On the contrary, it is precisely during such times of anxiety that your faith can and must shine brightly. It is also during such times that...
2. Your sovereign will be most comforting.As the psalmist said to God, "your consolation brought joy to my soul." The Hebrew word the author uses here is plural—"consolations"—which matches "the multitude of my thoughts" earlier in the verse. In other words, God provides comfort repeatedly,4 as often as necessary to counter whatever doubts may arise, and proportionally, the right amount for whatever the need may be.
The psalmist does not indicate that relief came to him immediately. Quite the contrary, he is waiting even as he writes. He is confident, however, that God will act, and he closes the psalm with this assertion about the fate of his persecutors.
Ps 94:23 He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness....In other words—and take note of this—the psalmist expresses confidence in God before his deliverance by God. That is the epitome of faith, as the author of Hebrews says...5
Heb 11:1 ...faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not [yet] see.There may be times when you cannot explain what is happening to you or why it is happening. You try to do what is right, but somehow it turns out wrong. You are confused, and confusion may not give way to clarity, but if you remain committed to God, confusion will give way to comfort, which will enable you also to express confidence in God even before your deliverance by God.
The character who demonstrates this principle, that comfort can replace confusion, is one we have considered in our Sabbath afternoon Bible study: Job. He certainly suffered, and for no apparent reason, at least not to him or to those around him. Consequently, his situation was confusing to him.6 Despite that confusion, though, Job remained committed to God and, eventually, his confusion, although never replaced by clarity from God, did eventually give way to comfort from God.7
So it may be with you. You will not know the reason for every unpleasant event that befalls you, and not knowing may be confusing as well as distressing. Nevertheless, if you remain committed to God, confident of His good intentions for you, He will replace your confusion, if not with clarity, at least with comfort, the certainty that He has your best interests at heart.8
The author of Ps 94 is dealing with the emotions of a very stressful situation, the details of which are not entirely clear. What is clear is the way he copes with it, by allowing The Foremost Consolation to bring him the peace of God. It does not remove the problem, but it does recognize the One who can comfort you despite the problem and who can bring joy to your soul.9
Having considered The Foremost Consolation, we will look next at The Foremost Constitution, which is the pact of God, in Jer 31:33-34.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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