Psalms 64:1

The Bible says in Psalms 64:1, “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.” David asked God to preserve him from “fear of the enemy.” Notice the word “fear.” In reality we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Christians can be the bravest of all people because we can do what David did: trust in the Lord instead of letting our fears dominate us. If we put everything in Jesus’ hands through prayer and through trusting in Him, we know that God will act and only God’s will shall happen. God is the powerful One.

The Bible says in Psalms 64:2-6, “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:[3] Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:[4] That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.[5] They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?[6] They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.” In these verses David is describing the wicked. David was well aware of the wicked because they hated him without a cause. They opposed him whenever they could. They wanted to bring him down and see him fail. They even wanted to see him die. The wicked have “secret counsel.” What they are planning is not good, and therefore they make their plans in secret. They hide what they are really planning to do. One of their sins is “insurrection.” David was king. Citizens should be respectful and obedient to those in authority. Wicked people are in rebellion and will try to overthrow those who are currently in positions of leadership. Verse three tells us about one of the cruelest weapons that the wicked have: their “words.” The right words can accomplish a lot of good, but condemning, judging, critical, and lying words can accomplish a lot of pain and evil.

Notice that Psalm 64:3 says that the wicked use “bitter words.” One concept that lost people do not have in their makeup is forgiveness. If you do not learn about forgiveness, then you do not know how to forgive others. We are all sinners. That means that sometimes some people are going to sin against you. If you cannot forgive, then you will probably become bitter. Instead of helping others with good words, harsh and bitter words will be used to hurt others. This can even happen to Christians. That is why Christians are warned in Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”

In Psalm 63:4 David says that the wicked “shoot in secret at the perfect.” God calls believers “the perfect.” That is because we are perfect in God’s eyes through faith in Christ. But the wicked will look for any reason to attack us with their words. They will plan and scheme to do so. Fortunately, the Lord is in control, and He will guide our lives in spite of what the wicked do or say.

It also says in Psalm 63:4 four that the wicked “fear not.” They do not fear God and they do not fear the consequences of their actions. Too bad. If they had some fear, it would lead them to turn to Christ. But it says in verse five, “They encourage themselves in an evil matter.” They do this because they say to themselves, “Who shall see them?”

It will take a dramatic internal change indeed for the wicked to change their ways. David described the problem in verse six when he said, “both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.” What can possibly make them change? Arguing and debating will not change them. They certainly cannot be forced to change. What can change them? Jesus can change them. Jesus is the Light of the world. This is what the world needs to make it better: more people to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life. It says in Second Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The Bible says in Psalms 64:7-8, “But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.[8] So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.” God decides everyone’s destiny, including the wicked. God gives life and God takes it away when and where and why God chooses. Those who hate and attack the righteous will find that God has a recompense for them. When God shoots an arrow, He does not miss. The wicked may think that today will be like any other day, but it may be the day that “suddenly” their recompense shall come. God loves to turn the tables. It says in verse eight, “they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves.” God determines the final outcome of any endeavor, any action, and any speaking. God can take an evil purpose and turn it into a good result. That is the power of Almighty God.

The Bible says in Psalms 64:9-10, “And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.[10] The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.” God knows how to put the “fear” of God into people. That is what many people need in order to turn to Jesus for salvation. If people understand what they see around them, they will turn to God because they will see His hand in what takes place. They will “wisely consider of his doing.”

Psalm 64:10 talks about the happiness that believers have. This happiness that is available is one of the benefits of believing in Jesus. It says, “The righteous shall be glad in the LORD.” Notice that it says that we are “glad in the LORD.” We may not be glad about our circumstances or the way that people treat us, but we can always be glad in Jesus because of what we learn about Him and His great love for us and His great power. Make sure that you look to the right place for happiness: the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes it a lot easier to “trust in him” when we think about who He is and how much He loves us.

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