Be Strong And Courageous, For The Lord Is With You (Psalm 27)
This morning’s sermon was about faithfulness to the Lord in an increasingly dark world. Interestingly, or I should probably say, “providentially”, this evening’s sermon follows along many of the same thought lines. The call to courage and faithfulness this morning was buttressed by the fact of Christ’s coming. The idea was that we were called to live courageous and faithful lives amid the darkness because we know that Christ is coming again and is bringing a glorious peace. Here the call to be courageous is because the Lord is with us and for us and will, in the end, pour out His goodness upon us. The message tonight is that you are to be strong and courageous, for the Lord is with you.
It may seem repetitious, but as I look around and consider the world we live in, the call to courage is needed. It is not easy, and will be increasingly difficult to live faithfully in this world. The courage and faithfulness we are called to in Isaiah 8-9 and here in Psalm 27 are necessary for us to think on today. And the inducement to courage here in Psalm 27 is something that we will need to hear over and over. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is with You.
This psalm was probably written during the ordeal with Absalom. It could have also been written when David was on the run from Saul, but it seems far more likely that this was during his exile from Jerusalem after being run out by his son. This is evident because the one thing he asks for and pleads with God for is to be able to worship the Lord in His house. Here, David desires nothing more than to be back in the presence of the Lord. But evil surrounds him on every side, and he needs the Lord to get him back to that place. And the lesson we see in this psalm is that when evil assails us and darkness seems to surround us we are to be strong and courageous, for the Lord is with us.
The Lord Is With me, Who Can Stand Against Me (Psalm 27:1-6)
The first thing that one notices when taking a long look at this psalm is that about half of it is concerned with this one topic, God is on his side so he will not fail. He goes so far as to say that he has no fear because God is on his side (Psalm 27:1).
David declared that the Lord was His light, which would be His direction and joy. The Lord leads Him, guides Him, directs Him. And it is in the Lord that His joy is found.
He also declared that the Lord was His salvation. He understood that He was a sinner in need of a savior, for the sacrifices in the temple revealed that to Him over and over. Because we live on this side of the cross, we understand that this salvation he was thankful for is much fuller than he knew. God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross on behalf of sinners. He rose from the grave three days later. And all those who turn from ruling their lives and trust in the Savior will be united with Him and have everlasting life. David’s salvation was much greater than he realized, but he also had been saved time and time again physically in battle and chosen to be king.
David’s fear of the Lord also meant that He was not afraid of the world. God is on his side. When that is the case, who is there to fear?
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:29-31 ESV)
This confidence was so much a part of his life that when he was surrounded by evildoers, he knew that it was them that would fall and when an army encamped against him he was confident and without fear (Psalm 27:4-5). This is complete confidence in the Lord, no matter what came his way.
Now David made his plea known to the Lord. This right here is the desire of his heart. David wanted to be in the house of the Lord once again, worshipping the Lord. As has already been discussed, this was likely during the ordeal with his son, Absalom. David has been removed from his home, from his comforts, from his family, and his greatest desire is to worship in the House of the Lord once again. This statement speaks volumes about his love for the Lord and love for the worship of the Lord. This was the desire of his heart because he understood that the Lord was there for him, cared for him, and was his shelter (Psalm 27:5).
David also knew that there was only one way this was going to happen. This would only happen if the Lord gave him the victory and brought him back to that place where he could “sing and make melody to the Lord” (Psalm 27:6 ESV).
Think about the areas of your life that you find the greatest of struggles. Consider the great fears that seem to loom over you. Where is your hope and help to be found?
Is there a situation looming over you right now that brings you terror? Fear is not something that we can help at times, but we do need to recalibrate and get to a place where we say that the Lord is with us and we need not be afraid.
Are you afraid to make certain decisions in your life because it will ostracize you? Or just make you look weird. This might be sharing your faith at work. It might be foregoing certain creaturely comforts so that you can honor the Lord with the way you use your money or your giving. Sometimes keeping up with the Jones’s means that we fear what they think of us more than we fear the Lord.
When we fear the Lord and trust that He is on our side we gain a different perspective on the troubles of this world.
Lord, Be with Me, I Have Been Forsaken By Others Because I Follow You (Psalm 27:7-12)
David seemed to indicate that his faithfulness to the Lord had gotten him into this predicament he is in (Psalm 27:7-8). This does seem odd, because we can look over David’s life and see that the episode with Absalom came as a result of David’s sin with Bathsheba. But we also know that David repented of his sin and returned to the Lord and he likely felt blindsided by what was taking place at this time. He knew he was forgiven. He had returned to the Lord in repentance and faith. And he was living a life characterized by seeking the Lord.
He felt forsaken by close family, his father and mother (Psalm 27:10). I am not aware of a time in his life when his father and mother were not on his side. Something may have happened that I am not aware of, or this could be people that he looked at as mentors and bestowed this title on. But whatever the case may be, he was abandoned by people who were close to him because of his faithfulness to the Lord.
But David did not shrink away. He dove further in. And he wanted the Lord to teach him and lead him through this time of deep struggle. He asked the Lord to place his feet on the “level path”, which would be the path of righteousness and the place of firm footing. And again he prayed for victory, so that he could fulfill his heart’s desire (Psalm 27:4).
When something happens to us because we are different than the rest of our family or those close to us it can be painful and difficult. When everyone has turned our back on us because we have turned our face toward Christ, life can be very hard. When the decisions that you make run counter to the lives of those closest to you, things can get tough. But again, David does not shrink away, and neither should we.
In that moment, we plead with the Lord to give us help and aid. We pray for him to teach us how to live and respond. And we ask him to give us the victory and bring us to Himself.
Lord, I Will Be Courageous As I Trust In You (Psalm 27:13-14)
At the end of the Psalm David will proceed on. And if we consider the context, this is probably warfare that we are talking about. He would proceed to move toward being back in Jerusalem and worshipping the Lord in His temple. And he believed that the Lord was going to give him is heart’s desire, in this life.
It must be understood at this point that the promises given to King David are not always ours to claim. Therefore, it may be wrong for you to believe that you will receive the “goodness of the LORD” in this life (Psalm 27:13). That may have to wait for the life to come. For instance, a person dying in a hospital should not claim this as a promise from the Lord. However, the Christian does know that they will “look upon the goodness of the LORD”, but it may not be until after we die. So, whether it be in this life or the one to come, we know that we shall “look upon the goodness of the LORD”.
What comes next is a call to courage. David has already stated that the Lord is with him, and he has no fear. His desire is to worship the Lord in the temple. And he will proceed to take the temple. Then we read, “wait for the LORD”. He will now wait for the LORD.
Waiting for the Lord is not something passive. It is not sitting around and waiting for something to occur. It is trusting the Lord and doing what is right when it seems as if the Lord is absent. He is committing to do what he knows is right, even if it feels as if God is not entirely present right now. In that feeling of absence, we are called to “be strong, let our “heart take courage”, and “wait for the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).
We are called to be strong and courageous. We are called to do what is right, even when it is incredibly difficult. We are to be courageous and trust the Lord.
We spoke of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley this morning. I would like to finish their story as it brings an excellent illustration of the sermon this evening as well.
The platform was made. It had a post in the middle and the two men would be tied up to it on each side. Hugh Latimer was either 68 or 80 years old (I’m not sure how well they kept up with birthdays), but Ridley was much younger. And they were both stripped down to their undergarments, with wood and kindling overflowing the ground below the platform.
Nicholas Ridley had something weighing deeply upon him. It was the welfare of his sister and some poor men that he gave a home to. Something was going on and she needed to be cared for and so did these men. A man named Lord Williams was there and he apparently had the ability to arrange for all of them and so Nicholas Ridley made one last effort to provide care for these people.
“Then Ridley spoke to Lord Williams, saying, “My lord, I must be a suitor in the behalf of several worthy men, and especially in the cause of my poor sister. I have made application to the queen in their behalf. I beseech your lordship to be a mediator to her grace for them. There is nothing in all the world that troubles my conscience, I praise God, this only excepted. While I was bishop of London, I gave some poor men places under me. Now I hear that the new bishop will not give the places to them, but, contrary to all law and conscience, has taken from them their livings, and will not suffer them to enjoy them. I beseech you, my lord, be a mediator for them; you shall do a good deed, and God will reward you.”
The only response to this appeal was a lighted torch, which had been made ready, and was now brought and laid down at Ridley’s feet. Then said Latimer: “Be of good courage, brother Ridley, and play the man: for we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”[1]
The two men were burned at the stake. And the two of them, who had died with great courage, went to be with the Lord.
The cruelest of deaths was on the horizon. The agony and torment of being burned alive was what faced both of them and they trusted that they would soon be with the Lord. Therefore, they faced it bravely. “Be of good courage…play the man” could be a phrase we say for any number of things that happen in our lives.
Conclusion
I don’t know what the future holds. Things are happening now that I never imagined would take place. Juhana Pohjola is a small Finnish pastor who is facing trial for hate speech because he said many of the things that I have said in our series on the Book of Genesis concerning sex and gender. That has already been attempted in Houston Texas, will it make its way here? “I don’t know, be of good courage and play the man. God is with you, be strong and courageous.”
How long before churches are shut down under the guise of some national crisis? What if global warming is used as the reason? I can see it. They would discuss how much energy could be saved if churches were closed on Sunday and since it is categorized as an emergency, and we apparently let anything pass during an emergency, there are policemen guarding the door like in Canada over Covid. “I don’t know, be of good courage and play the man. God is with you, be strong and courageous.”
Because the Lord is the stronghold of our lives, we have reason for courage.
R. Dwain Minor
[1] John Foxe, “Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World”, Barbour and Company, 1985, Pp. 484.