Psalm 18:25-29

Psalm 18:25-29

With the good Thou wilt show Thyself good,
With a perfect man Thou wilt show thyself perfect.
With the pure Thou wilt show Thyself pure,
And with the perverse Thou wilt show Thyself froward.
For THOU savest the afflicted people,
And bringest down high looks.
For Thou givest light to my lamp,
Jehovah my God maketh my darkness to be bright.
For by Thee I can rush against a troop;
And by my God I can leap over a wall.

God is good, perfect, and pure to those who are good, perfect and pure. Remember from the previous passage that it’s not that we have to be perfect in our own strength, but that God sees us that way when we become His children, so it is to His children that these promises apply. But what is He to those who do not belong to Him? He does not yield, He does not comply with their needs or wants; He gives them up to follow their own perverse way until it brings them to destruction. God abandons them to their own devices. But His own people, in the midst of their affliction, will be saved by Jehovah Himself. It seems we have a choice: to be abandoned by God or saved by God.

What is my lamp? What is the light in my lamp? The parallel passage in II Samuel 22 uses a bit stronger language: "You are my lamp, O Lord.." So He doesn’t just light the lamp, He IS the lamp, the light of my life. When we speak of dark times in our lives, we mean the hard and difficult times. When God is for me, I can make it through those dark times because He lights my way. He gives meaning and guidance through the dark times, just as the lamp gives vision and clarity to the dark path. Without God I am left alone in the darkness.

God has assured me that He will be good to me; He has not promised there will be no affliction, but that He will save me and light my way through my affliction. And then He says that not only will I make it through the darkness, but I will rush against the enemy force, even climbing over their embankments to get at them. He will enable me to take the offensive. I don’t have to run away from the enemy, I don’t have to just defend myself against my enemy, but I can rush in and go on the attack. You can’t win a battle if all you do is block. You have to do something to take the enemy out so he will stop attacking you. The power to do that is in Jehovah God. As someone who has battled powerlessness, helplessness and fear, this gives me great hope. I know that I cannot win the battle on my own; but I am not on my own. I have God - His love, His light, His strength, and His power. And this is the power that created the universe! That is more awesome than I can convey in words!

God, make your strength and power known in my life! Light the battlefield of my life with Your lamp; attack the enemy through me. Lord, I want to be wholly Yours!

Rebecca A Givens, 11/16/07