Psalms 92

Psalms 92:1

Rejoice in God

After the praise, David suddenly becomes aware, as it were, as a thought in retrospect, oh yes, the enemies are still there, but they are unimportant. If you have seen God, then you become aware of the greatness of God and the pettiness of your enemies.

David knows he has enemies (Psalms 63:9). The contrast indicated by the word “but” shows that his enemies have no part in Who God is to him and what he has in God. They are after him to destroy that. They want to take away from him his fellowship with God. In this they will not succeed. On the contrary, they will “go into the depths of the earth”. He is close to God; they will be rejected far from God.

Their fate is that they will be “delivered over to the power of the sword” (Psalms 63:10). They have used the sword to bring down others and therefore will themselves be brought down by the sword, i.e. killed (Revelation 13:10). After that, they will “be a prey for foxes”. The Hebrew word sualim can be translated as both “foxes” and “jackals”. Jackals are true scavengers; foxes are casual scavengers. That the enemies are prey for these animals means that they are not buried, which is a huge disgrace (cf. Isaiah 66:24). The disgrace will be even greater when the unholy foxes will feast on their dead bodies (cf. Revelation 19:17-18; 21).

In contrast, the king will “rejoice in God” (Psalms 63:11). David knows that he will ultimately rejoice in God because God will give back to him the throne from which he was expelled. God is his source of rejoicing. Those who rejoice in God will acknowledge His authority and exaltation above all. He will consecrate himself to Him and serve Him alone. He expresses this by swearing by Him.

He who swears by God involves Him in all his intentions in the acknowledgment of His authority (Deuteronomy 6:13; cf. Genesis 42:15-16) and “will glory”. To glory means to boast in God, to honor and magnify Him for the help He has given in carrying out the intentions.

Liars also boast, but they speak lies. These are the people who have spread lies about God’s king. Their mouths will be stopped forever. This will be the fate of the antichrist and all his followers who have spread lies about the Christ of God. “Their part [will be] in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8).

Psalms 92:3

Introduction

This psalm is a continuation of the line we follow from Psalms 61. It deals with the faithful remnant’s exercises of faith, their troubles and tribulations by enemies outside and within, and God’s answer to their prayer and complaint.

The psalmist – and prophetically the faithful remnant – is still threatened by evildoers and those who do injustice (Psalms 64:2). They are constantly attacking him. Then God intervenes by the appearance of Christ (Psalms 64:7). As a result, the whole earth will fear God and the faithful will rejoice (Psalms 64:9-10).

Historically, the psalm is difficult to trace back to an event in David’s life. Because of the order of the psalms, it is probably in the time of Absalom’s rebellion. In any case, as a prophet, David is writing about the prayer of the remnant in their distress and its answer through the appearance of Christ. After the appearance of Christ, it is appropriate that the name “LORD”, Yahweh, is used again (Psalms 64:10) instead of the “God”, Elohim, characteristic for the second book of psalms.

The core of this psalm is the pride and perceived success of the wicked evildoers. But “pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). They laid on their arrow and began to shoot (Psalms 64:3-4). At that moment God hits them with an arrow (Psalms 64:7). Then it will be the end of their story, over and out.

Prayer for Preservation

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 64:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

David explicitly asks God to hear his voice when he complains (Psalms 64:1b). That is, he speaks aloud to God. It is not a ‘groaning’ of pain, but ‘complaining’ in the sense of ‘putting into words’ his problem. He complains because he is struggling as a result of the enemy’s threat to his life.

Dread is literally ‘fear’. He knows that the enemy is capable of killing him, but he also knows that God is capable of preserving him. Therefore, he asks God to preserve him. There is no one else to whom he can or would appeal. Only God can provide the preservation he needs against the advancing enemy.

He asks God for preservation by hiding him from the secret counsel devised against him by evildoers (Psalms 64:2; cf. Jeremiah 36:26). The evildoers counsel in the deepest secret. David is aware of this through his dealings with God. If He hides him, they will not be able to carry out their counsel.

In the same way, satan’s thoughts “are not unknown to us” (2 Corinthians 2:10b-11). We know how he operates and do not need to be surprised by him. God has provided us with His armor to put it on (Ephesians 6:14-18). Then we are hidden from the attacks of the enemy, and the fiery arrows he shoots at us cannot hit us. God’s Word and trust in Him can keep us from satan carrying out his secret counsel against us.

David is not besieged by just one enemy, but there is “the tumult of those who do iniquity”. In addition to the nature of the enmity, the hatred that the enemy has, the number of enemies is also impressive. Nor do they come at him quietly, but as a ‘tumultuous’ mob. It is an uncontrolled outburst of enmity. The entire crowd is made up of people “who do iniquity”. A more threatening situation can hardly be imagined. Only God has the power to stop this riotous mob in their evil intent.

Psalms 92:4

Introduction

This psalm is a continuation of the line we follow from Psalms 61. It deals with the faithful remnant’s exercises of faith, their troubles and tribulations by enemies outside and within, and God’s answer to their prayer and complaint.

The psalmist – and prophetically the faithful remnant – is still threatened by evildoers and those who do injustice (Psalms 64:2). They are constantly attacking him. Then God intervenes by the appearance of Christ (Psalms 64:7). As a result, the whole earth will fear God and the faithful will rejoice (Psalms 64:9-10).

Historically, the psalm is difficult to trace back to an event in David’s life. Because of the order of the psalms, it is probably in the time of Absalom’s rebellion. In any case, as a prophet, David is writing about the prayer of the remnant in their distress and its answer through the appearance of Christ. After the appearance of Christ, it is appropriate that the name “LORD”, Yahweh, is used again (Psalms 64:10) instead of the “God”, Elohim, characteristic for the second book of psalms.

The core of this psalm is the pride and perceived success of the wicked evildoers. But “pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). They laid on their arrow and began to shoot (Psalms 64:3-4). At that moment God hits them with an arrow (Psalms 64:7). Then it will be the end of their story, over and out.

Prayer for Preservation

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 64:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

David explicitly asks God to hear his voice when he complains (Psalms 64:1b). That is, he speaks aloud to God. It is not a ‘groaning’ of pain, but ‘complaining’ in the sense of ‘putting into words’ his problem. He complains because he is struggling as a result of the enemy’s threat to his life.

Dread is literally ‘fear’. He knows that the enemy is capable of killing him, but he also knows that God is capable of preserving him. Therefore, he asks God to preserve him. There is no one else to whom he can or would appeal. Only God can provide the preservation he needs against the advancing enemy.

He asks God for preservation by hiding him from the secret counsel devised against him by evildoers (Psalms 64:2; cf. Jeremiah 36:26). The evildoers counsel in the deepest secret. David is aware of this through his dealings with God. If He hides him, they will not be able to carry out their counsel.

In the same way, satan’s thoughts “are not unknown to us” (2 Corinthians 2:10b-11). We know how he operates and do not need to be surprised by him. God has provided us with His armor to put it on (Ephesians 6:14-18). Then we are hidden from the attacks of the enemy, and the fiery arrows he shoots at us cannot hit us. God’s Word and trust in Him can keep us from satan carrying out his secret counsel against us.

David is not besieged by just one enemy, but there is “the tumult of those who do iniquity”. In addition to the nature of the enmity, the hatred that the enemy has, the number of enemies is also impressive. Nor do they come at him quietly, but as a ‘tumultuous’ mob. It is an uncontrolled outburst of enmity. The entire crowd is made up of people “who do iniquity”. A more threatening situation can hardly be imagined. Only God has the power to stop this riotous mob in their evil intent.

Psalms 92:5

The Work of the Enemy

In these verses David substantiates his complaint. He tells God in detail how the rioting mob proceeds to put him to death. He begins with the lethal effect of their speaking (Psalms 64:3). Before they actually kill him, they first conduct a smear campaign against him to kill him spiritually. Then he no longer has the strength to resist physically. He compares the words of the enemies to a sword and an arrow (cf. Proverbs 25:18). They are weapons that destroy and pierce.

He compares the tongue to a sword (cf. Psalms 55:21; Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7). Their tongue is sharpened like a sword. The words they speak are sharp and cut deep into his soul. Their speech, all of what they say, is like a poisonous arrow that penetrates deep into the body. Their arrow is dipped in bitterness. They bend their bows to shoot their arrow, aim accurately at the target, and then shoot it.

So many people are bitter at believers because they point them to the will of God whereas they don’t want to know about that at all. God is blamed for all affliction, while they ignore the fact that they themselves are to blame for the affliction they are in. They shoot their bitter words like arrows at the believers, and therefore at God and Christ. This is what the believing remnant will experience in the end time.

These arrows were shot at the Lord Jesus. He has experienced the hate of the world because He “testified of it that its deeds are evil” (John 7:7b). Such an arrow they use when they say to Him: “We were not born of fornication” (John 8:41), alluding in veiled terms to the fact that He was. Another arrow is when they say to Him: “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (John 8:48b).

Think also of the trick questions they asked the Lord Jesus, the accusations of Him before the high priest and before Pilate, and finally the libel words when He hung on the cross. These bitter arrows they shot at the Lord. These arrows are all the more painful because they have been fired not only by the unbelieving world, but especially by the religious world. It can also happen to believers that these bitter arrows are shot by fellow Christians. These arrows penetrate extra deeply.

The Jewish remnant will especially have to deal with the arrows coming from the antichrist and his followers. The beast of the restored Roman Empire, the united Europe, and the hostile nations surrounding them and to which they have fled will not fail to do so either. All will fire these arrows at them.

These perpetrators of iniquity also act in a sneaky manner. They “shoot from concealment” (Psalms 64:4). They are in darkness. There they feel secure. Their ambush is an excellent position to shoot “at the blameless”. They do so “suddenly”, without any fear of God or men present in them. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18; Psalms 36:1b).

The cause for which they are making a stand is “an evil purpose” (Psalms 64:5), which is how David intermediately assesses their plans and their execution. He knows that they agree “laying snares secretly”. Thus the enemies encourage each other to carry out their unjust deeds. In doing so, they are so audacious and short-sighted as to assume that no one will see their traps. Above all, they believe that God does not see them: “He has hidden His face; He will never see it” (Psalms 10:11b). They think they can sin without being discovered.

They “devise injustices” (Psalms 64:6) in order to find something they can use against him to achieve their criminal ends. For this they exert themselves to the utmost. They have devised the perfect crime, which they are convinced will not be discovered and will definitely succeed. With David it is the conspiracy of Absalom. With the remnant, it is the antichrist’s plan to wipe them out (Revelation 13:15). With the Lord Jesus, it is the conspiracy to kill Him (John 11:53).

It doesn’t matter where it comes from, as long as it works for their benefit. Even if it comes from the “the inward thought and the heart” of the most depraved person, it will be accepted with devilish delight if it can render their plan feasible. The heart is a deep abyss full of iniquity.

Literally it says: “Yea, the inward part of a man and the heart is deep.” It means something like: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The wicked and criminal heart of man is extremely creative and resourceful. But one thing is forgotten and that is that he is dealing with a God of Whom it is said: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

Psalms 92:6

The Work of the Enemy

In these verses David substantiates his complaint. He tells God in detail how the rioting mob proceeds to put him to death. He begins with the lethal effect of their speaking (Psalms 64:3). Before they actually kill him, they first conduct a smear campaign against him to kill him spiritually. Then he no longer has the strength to resist physically. He compares the words of the enemies to a sword and an arrow (cf. Proverbs 25:18). They are weapons that destroy and pierce.

He compares the tongue to a sword (cf. Psalms 55:21; Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7). Their tongue is sharpened like a sword. The words they speak are sharp and cut deep into his soul. Their speech, all of what they say, is like a poisonous arrow that penetrates deep into the body. Their arrow is dipped in bitterness. They bend their bows to shoot their arrow, aim accurately at the target, and then shoot it.

So many people are bitter at believers because they point them to the will of God whereas they don’t want to know about that at all. God is blamed for all affliction, while they ignore the fact that they themselves are to blame for the affliction they are in. They shoot their bitter words like arrows at the believers, and therefore at God and Christ. This is what the believing remnant will experience in the end time.

These arrows were shot at the Lord Jesus. He has experienced the hate of the world because He “testified of it that its deeds are evil” (John 7:7b). Such an arrow they use when they say to Him: “We were not born of fornication” (John 8:41), alluding in veiled terms to the fact that He was. Another arrow is when they say to Him: “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (John 8:48b).

Think also of the trick questions they asked the Lord Jesus, the accusations of Him before the high priest and before Pilate, and finally the libel words when He hung on the cross. These bitter arrows they shot at the Lord. These arrows are all the more painful because they have been fired not only by the unbelieving world, but especially by the religious world. It can also happen to believers that these bitter arrows are shot by fellow Christians. These arrows penetrate extra deeply.

The Jewish remnant will especially have to deal with the arrows coming from the antichrist and his followers. The beast of the restored Roman Empire, the united Europe, and the hostile nations surrounding them and to which they have fled will not fail to do so either. All will fire these arrows at them.

These perpetrators of iniquity also act in a sneaky manner. They “shoot from concealment” (Psalms 64:4). They are in darkness. There they feel secure. Their ambush is an excellent position to shoot “at the blameless”. They do so “suddenly”, without any fear of God or men present in them. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18; Psalms 36:1b).

The cause for which they are making a stand is “an evil purpose” (Psalms 64:5), which is how David intermediately assesses their plans and their execution. He knows that they agree “laying snares secretly”. Thus the enemies encourage each other to carry out their unjust deeds. In doing so, they are so audacious and short-sighted as to assume that no one will see their traps. Above all, they believe that God does not see them: “He has hidden His face; He will never see it” (Psalms 10:11b). They think they can sin without being discovered.

They “devise injustices” (Psalms 64:6) in order to find something they can use against him to achieve their criminal ends. For this they exert themselves to the utmost. They have devised the perfect crime, which they are convinced will not be discovered and will definitely succeed. With David it is the conspiracy of Absalom. With the remnant, it is the antichrist’s plan to wipe them out (Revelation 13:15). With the Lord Jesus, it is the conspiracy to kill Him (John 11:53).

It doesn’t matter where it comes from, as long as it works for their benefit. Even if it comes from the “the inward thought and the heart” of the most depraved person, it will be accepted with devilish delight if it can render their plan feasible. The heart is a deep abyss full of iniquity.

Literally it says: “Yea, the inward part of a man and the heart is deep.” It means something like: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The wicked and criminal heart of man is extremely creative and resourceful. But one thing is forgotten and that is that he is dealing with a God of Whom it is said: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

Psalms 92:7

The Work of the Enemy

In these verses David substantiates his complaint. He tells God in detail how the rioting mob proceeds to put him to death. He begins with the lethal effect of their speaking (Psalms 64:3). Before they actually kill him, they first conduct a smear campaign against him to kill him spiritually. Then he no longer has the strength to resist physically. He compares the words of the enemies to a sword and an arrow (cf. Proverbs 25:18). They are weapons that destroy and pierce.

He compares the tongue to a sword (cf. Psalms 55:21; Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7). Their tongue is sharpened like a sword. The words they speak are sharp and cut deep into his soul. Their speech, all of what they say, is like a poisonous arrow that penetrates deep into the body. Their arrow is dipped in bitterness. They bend their bows to shoot their arrow, aim accurately at the target, and then shoot it.

So many people are bitter at believers because they point them to the will of God whereas they don’t want to know about that at all. God is blamed for all affliction, while they ignore the fact that they themselves are to blame for the affliction they are in. They shoot their bitter words like arrows at the believers, and therefore at God and Christ. This is what the believing remnant will experience in the end time.

These arrows were shot at the Lord Jesus. He has experienced the hate of the world because He “testified of it that its deeds are evil” (John 7:7b). Such an arrow they use when they say to Him: “We were not born of fornication” (John 8:41), alluding in veiled terms to the fact that He was. Another arrow is when they say to Him: “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (John 8:48b).

Think also of the trick questions they asked the Lord Jesus, the accusations of Him before the high priest and before Pilate, and finally the libel words when He hung on the cross. These bitter arrows they shot at the Lord. These arrows are all the more painful because they have been fired not only by the unbelieving world, but especially by the religious world. It can also happen to believers that these bitter arrows are shot by fellow Christians. These arrows penetrate extra deeply.

The Jewish remnant will especially have to deal with the arrows coming from the antichrist and his followers. The beast of the restored Roman Empire, the united Europe, and the hostile nations surrounding them and to which they have fled will not fail to do so either. All will fire these arrows at them.

These perpetrators of iniquity also act in a sneaky manner. They “shoot from concealment” (Psalms 64:4). They are in darkness. There they feel secure. Their ambush is an excellent position to shoot “at the blameless”. They do so “suddenly”, without any fear of God or men present in them. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18; Psalms 36:1b).

The cause for which they are making a stand is “an evil purpose” (Psalms 64:5), which is how David intermediately assesses their plans and their execution. He knows that they agree “laying snares secretly”. Thus the enemies encourage each other to carry out their unjust deeds. In doing so, they are so audacious and short-sighted as to assume that no one will see their traps. Above all, they believe that God does not see them: “He has hidden His face; He will never see it” (Psalms 10:11b). They think they can sin without being discovered.

They “devise injustices” (Psalms 64:6) in order to find something they can use against him to achieve their criminal ends. For this they exert themselves to the utmost. They have devised the perfect crime, which they are convinced will not be discovered and will definitely succeed. With David it is the conspiracy of Absalom. With the remnant, it is the antichrist’s plan to wipe them out (Revelation 13:15). With the Lord Jesus, it is the conspiracy to kill Him (John 11:53).

It doesn’t matter where it comes from, as long as it works for their benefit. Even if it comes from the “the inward thought and the heart” of the most depraved person, it will be accepted with devilish delight if it can render their plan feasible. The heart is a deep abyss full of iniquity.

Literally it says: “Yea, the inward part of a man and the heart is deep.” It means something like: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The wicked and criminal heart of man is extremely creative and resourceful. But one thing is forgotten and that is that he is dealing with a God of Whom it is said: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

Psalms 92:8

The Work of the Enemy

In these verses David substantiates his complaint. He tells God in detail how the rioting mob proceeds to put him to death. He begins with the lethal effect of their speaking (Psalms 64:3). Before they actually kill him, they first conduct a smear campaign against him to kill him spiritually. Then he no longer has the strength to resist physically. He compares the words of the enemies to a sword and an arrow (cf. Proverbs 25:18). They are weapons that destroy and pierce.

He compares the tongue to a sword (cf. Psalms 55:21; Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7). Their tongue is sharpened like a sword. The words they speak are sharp and cut deep into his soul. Their speech, all of what they say, is like a poisonous arrow that penetrates deep into the body. Their arrow is dipped in bitterness. They bend their bows to shoot their arrow, aim accurately at the target, and then shoot it.

So many people are bitter at believers because they point them to the will of God whereas they don’t want to know about that at all. God is blamed for all affliction, while they ignore the fact that they themselves are to blame for the affliction they are in. They shoot their bitter words like arrows at the believers, and therefore at God and Christ. This is what the believing remnant will experience in the end time.

These arrows were shot at the Lord Jesus. He has experienced the hate of the world because He “testified of it that its deeds are evil” (John 7:7b). Such an arrow they use when they say to Him: “We were not born of fornication” (John 8:41), alluding in veiled terms to the fact that He was. Another arrow is when they say to Him: “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (John 8:48b).

Think also of the trick questions they asked the Lord Jesus, the accusations of Him before the high priest and before Pilate, and finally the libel words when He hung on the cross. These bitter arrows they shot at the Lord. These arrows are all the more painful because they have been fired not only by the unbelieving world, but especially by the religious world. It can also happen to believers that these bitter arrows are shot by fellow Christians. These arrows penetrate extra deeply.

The Jewish remnant will especially have to deal with the arrows coming from the antichrist and his followers. The beast of the restored Roman Empire, the united Europe, and the hostile nations surrounding them and to which they have fled will not fail to do so either. All will fire these arrows at them.

These perpetrators of iniquity also act in a sneaky manner. They “shoot from concealment” (Psalms 64:4). They are in darkness. There they feel secure. Their ambush is an excellent position to shoot “at the blameless”. They do so “suddenly”, without any fear of God or men present in them. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18; Psalms 36:1b).

The cause for which they are making a stand is “an evil purpose” (Psalms 64:5), which is how David intermediately assesses their plans and their execution. He knows that they agree “laying snares secretly”. Thus the enemies encourage each other to carry out their unjust deeds. In doing so, they are so audacious and short-sighted as to assume that no one will see their traps. Above all, they believe that God does not see them: “He has hidden His face; He will never see it” (Psalms 10:11b). They think they can sin without being discovered.

They “devise injustices” (Psalms 64:6) in order to find something they can use against him to achieve their criminal ends. For this they exert themselves to the utmost. They have devised the perfect crime, which they are convinced will not be discovered and will definitely succeed. With David it is the conspiracy of Absalom. With the remnant, it is the antichrist’s plan to wipe them out (Revelation 13:15). With the Lord Jesus, it is the conspiracy to kill Him (John 11:53).

It doesn’t matter where it comes from, as long as it works for their benefit. Even if it comes from the “the inward thought and the heart” of the most depraved person, it will be accepted with devilish delight if it can render their plan feasible. The heart is a deep abyss full of iniquity.

Literally it says: “Yea, the inward part of a man and the heart is deep.” It means something like: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The wicked and criminal heart of man is extremely creative and resourceful. But one thing is forgotten and that is that he is dealing with a God of Whom it is said: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

Psalms 92:9

Judgment on the Enemy

As suddenly as they thought to strike the righteous (Psalms 64:4), as suddenly God strikes them (Psalms 64:7). God comes to David’s aid by a sudden act of judgment on the enemies. They used an arrow to shoot at the upright (Psalms 64:3); God also uses an arrow to shoot at the wicked.

The arrow of the enemy was their bitter word; the arrow of God is His decision to send the Son (Psalms 2:7). The Son is the Word; His weapon is the word from His mouth (Revelation 19:15). That arrow will wound them with wounds that will silence them forever. Then every mouth will be stopped (Romans 3:19).

Their tongue, which is the weapon by which they attack the God-fearing (Psalms 64:3), will be the instrument by which they will stumble (Psalms 64:8). The word they use against the remnant will return to them like a boomerang, as the Lord Jesus says in a parable: “By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave” (Luke 19:22).

That is, God will expose them as liars and will judge them according to the lies they have proclaimed about His anointed. They will be judged according to the words they have spoken (Matthew 12:37b). God’s judgment comes on “all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These are grumblers, finding fault” (Jude 1:15b-16). These are the embittered people who blame God for their affliction.

When God stands up for His own, all men, friend and foe, will fear (Psalms 64:9). His judgment on evil awakens in all people awe of Him Who has all power and is righteous in His judgment. It has always seemed that God paid no attention to the needs of His own and that evil could continue undisturbed. But then it turns out that God only waited for the right time to judge the evil in His holy righteousness and to deliver His own from the evil one. He maintains His righteousness and will make that clear to everyone in His own time.

It is the great victory for faith and to the glorification of God when God is trusted to be in control of everything, while He seems to be absent. Then when God actually acts, it will cause all those who fear to proclaim God’s work. God’s work is the judgment that He has exercised. [There is a play on words here: God’s work (Psalms 64:9) will nullify the workers (those who do) of iniquity (Psalms 64:2).] They will declare and consider “what He has done” (cf. 1 Peter 2:12).

Psalms 92:10

Judgment on the Enemy

As suddenly as they thought to strike the righteous (Psalms 64:4), as suddenly God strikes them (Psalms 64:7). God comes to David’s aid by a sudden act of judgment on the enemies. They used an arrow to shoot at the upright (Psalms 64:3); God also uses an arrow to shoot at the wicked.

The arrow of the enemy was their bitter word; the arrow of God is His decision to send the Son (Psalms 2:7). The Son is the Word; His weapon is the word from His mouth (Revelation 19:15). That arrow will wound them with wounds that will silence them forever. Then every mouth will be stopped (Romans 3:19).

Their tongue, which is the weapon by which they attack the God-fearing (Psalms 64:3), will be the instrument by which they will stumble (Psalms 64:8). The word they use against the remnant will return to them like a boomerang, as the Lord Jesus says in a parable: “By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave” (Luke 19:22).

That is, God will expose them as liars and will judge them according to the lies they have proclaimed about His anointed. They will be judged according to the words they have spoken (Matthew 12:37b). God’s judgment comes on “all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These are grumblers, finding fault” (Jude 1:15b-16). These are the embittered people who blame God for their affliction.

When God stands up for His own, all men, friend and foe, will fear (Psalms 64:9). His judgment on evil awakens in all people awe of Him Who has all power and is righteous in His judgment. It has always seemed that God paid no attention to the needs of His own and that evil could continue undisturbed. But then it turns out that God only waited for the right time to judge the evil in His holy righteousness and to deliver His own from the evil one. He maintains His righteousness and will make that clear to everyone in His own time.

It is the great victory for faith and to the glorification of God when God is trusted to be in control of everything, while He seems to be absent. Then when God actually acts, it will cause all those who fear to proclaim God’s work. God’s work is the judgment that He has exercised. [There is a play on words here: God’s work (Psalms 64:9) will nullify the workers (those who do) of iniquity (Psalms 64:2).] They will declare and consider “what He has done” (cf. 1 Peter 2:12).

Psalms 92:11

Judgment on the Enemy

As suddenly as they thought to strike the righteous (Psalms 64:4), as suddenly God strikes them (Psalms 64:7). God comes to David’s aid by a sudden act of judgment on the enemies. They used an arrow to shoot at the upright (Psalms 64:3); God also uses an arrow to shoot at the wicked.

The arrow of the enemy was their bitter word; the arrow of God is His decision to send the Son (Psalms 2:7). The Son is the Word; His weapon is the word from His mouth (Revelation 19:15). That arrow will wound them with wounds that will silence them forever. Then every mouth will be stopped (Romans 3:19).

Their tongue, which is the weapon by which they attack the God-fearing (Psalms 64:3), will be the instrument by which they will stumble (Psalms 64:8). The word they use against the remnant will return to them like a boomerang, as the Lord Jesus says in a parable: “By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave” (Luke 19:22).

That is, God will expose them as liars and will judge them according to the lies they have proclaimed about His anointed. They will be judged according to the words they have spoken (Matthew 12:37b). God’s judgment comes on “all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These are grumblers, finding fault” (Jude 1:15b-16). These are the embittered people who blame God for their affliction.

When God stands up for His own, all men, friend and foe, will fear (Psalms 64:9). His judgment on evil awakens in all people awe of Him Who has all power and is righteous in His judgment. It has always seemed that God paid no attention to the needs of His own and that evil could continue undisturbed. But then it turns out that God only waited for the right time to judge the evil in His holy righteousness and to deliver His own from the evil one. He maintains His righteousness and will make that clear to everyone in His own time.

It is the great victory for faith and to the glorification of God when God is trusted to be in control of everything, while He seems to be absent. Then when God actually acts, it will cause all those who fear to proclaim God’s work. God’s work is the judgment that He has exercised. [There is a play on words here: God’s work (Psalms 64:9) will nullify the workers (those who do) of iniquity (Psalms 64:2).] They will declare and consider “what He has done” (cf. 1 Peter 2:12).

Psalms 92:12

Joy

When judgment has come upon the enemies, “the righteous man will be glad in the LORD”, for He has taken care of him (cf. Revelation 19:1-4). The verb form is such that you can say: The righteous man will be glad in the LORD because judgment has come upon the enemies. Then it is also an encouragement to believers who are still in the midst of the tribulation. After all, when judgment has come on the enemies, you no longer need to take refuge, because the danger is no longer there. Therefore, it is not only a joy after the fact, but a joy that is independent of the trial and that precedes salvation.

It is also possible to translate this way: “Let the righteous man be glad in the LORD.” Then it is a call, despite the fact that the enemies are still there. In this regard, Paul and Silas in prison are a wonderful example of this. They are glad in the Lord before salvation came (Acts 16:19-26).

When God judges evil, this causes gladness in the righteous, who have suffered greatly at the sight of all the injustice that apparently could be done undisturbed. Then it will be said that there is a God Who does justice on earth (Psalms 58:11). It is a new exhortation to resort to Him, for He stands up for His own and judges those who would do harm to His own.

“All the upright in heart will glory” that they have such a God as God. The God Who is righteous is completely reliable in all His features. In Him we can put our hope, with Him we are safe, through Him we will reach the goal of our life’s journey: we will be with Him. Of all this we can be sure because He is righteous. Therefore we glory in God (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

‘To glory’ is equivalent to ‘to be glad’. This indicates that their lamentation song (Psalms 64:1b) will turn into a song of praise. The next two psalms display a song of praise.

Psalms 92:14

Introduction

Prophetically, the psalm speaks of the “period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times” (Acts 3:21). This psalm has to do with the fulfillment of the day of atonement (Psalms 65:2) and the Feast of Ingathering, or the Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16). Once every fifty years is the year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:10-13). This year of jubilee is announced on the day of atonement, which is a preparation for the Feast of Booths. The year of jubilee is prophetically the period of the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21).

Psalms 65 and Psalms 66 are the songs of thanksgiving that the upright will sing. They spoke of this in the last verse of the previous psalm (Psalms 64:10).

Song of Praise for God’s Goodness

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 65:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

This psalm is called “a song”. The lamenting (Psalms 64:2) has ended and the singing has begun. It is similar to the people of Israel singing the song of salvation after their deliverance from Egypt, the first song we hear in the Bible (Exodus 15:1).

Psalms 65 is the first psalm in a row of four psalms so named (Psalms 65:1; Psalms 66:1; Psalms 67:1; Psalms 68:1). Like a psalm, a song is an expression of gratitude for experienced goodness. We might call it a song of praise.

The psalm begins with “praise” (Psalms 65:1b). However, it is a praise in “silence”. The reason is that injustice still reigns on earth. Also, the remnant itself does not yet know the forgiveness of their iniquities. Before the day of atonement, there is – in the Jewish tradition – a period of ten days of humbling oneself. Those ten days begin on the Feast of the blowing of the Trumpets, which is the Jewish secular New Year’s Day, and last until the day of atonement, which is particularly marked by humility. During that period of humiliation, the people must contemplate their own situation before they, represented by the high priest, will meet with God.

The “silence” is the rest and trust in God of the remnant that we have seen and discussed before (Psalms 62:1b; 5). We can read it in such a way that the peace and trust in God sound like a song of praise to God! It can also be read as the ‘silence’ of worship. Not a silence of emptiness, but a silence filled with Him, making words inadequate.

It is, however, a song of praise “before You, … in Zion, O God”. Faith turns to God, Who dwells in Zion (Psalms 78:68b; Psalms 132:13-14). The remnant, though still suffering from oppression and persecution, looks forward to the time when they will be able to perform the vow they have made. Their vow is that they will praise God when He delivers them from their tribulation. They trust that He will rise up and judge their oppressors.

With them is the deep conviction that God hears the prayer they have prayed (Psalms 65:2). He is ‘the Hearer of prayer’. How often have we experienced it ourselves that God has answered prayer. The remnant knows that He will deliver them. Then not only will they go to Him, but “all men”, literally “all flesh”, that is all people (Isaiah 40:5; Joel 2:28; cf. Revelation 15:4), will come to Him. This will happen in the realm of peace (Isaiah 2:2-3). Then every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11; Isaiah 45:23). It extends even beyond the realm of peace. It is about all creation, which includes the dead beneath the earth. They will bow their knee when they stand before the great white throne after the realm of peace and will be judged.

Before this can occur, something else must happen. The remnant must first be delivered from the burden of their iniquities that weighs upon them (Psalms 65:3). The God-fearing acknowledges that those iniquities have prevailed over him. We also hear the Lord Jesus speak here when He bears on the cross as the substitutionary sacrifice the sins for all those who believe in Him. On this basis the sinner can confess his sins and receive reconciliation.

The God-fearing speaks in the singular, “against me”. There is no question of him hiding behind a general confession, as we sometimes hear, ‘all men are sinners’. With a sincere confession someone speaks only about himself: ‘I have sinned.’ Then someone sees only his own sins. He sees himself in the light of God.

However, when he speaks of the forgiveness of transgressions, he speaks in the plural, “our transgressions”. He knows himself to be associated with all who share in the forgiveness. That is the believing remnant here. He also knows that forgiveness is not the result of his prayer, or of the sacrifices he has made, but that forgiveness is the work of God alone. “You” therefore has the emphasis.

Prophetically, we see in the singular “against me” and “You” that it is about the Lord Jesus as the atoning sacrifice, as the guilt offering of Isaiah 53 (Isaiah 53:6). The plural “our transgressions” is about the remnant. Here is fulfilled what we read in Daniel 9, that transgression is finished, sin is ended, and iniquity is atoned (Daniel 9:24; cf. Zechariah 13:1).

Forgiveness is the part of each one whom God “chooses”. The election concerns the election of those who may draw near to God. They may dwell in God’s courts; they are chosen to be priests. No one takes for himself the honor of being a priest, but one is called (chosen) by God, as is Aaron (Hebrews 5:4-5; Exodus 28:1; Numbers 16:5). Aaron and his children sinned with the golden calf. By taking refuge behind the blood of the day of atonement, they were chosen by God to be priests, to be able to draw near to God.

He who is forgiven is so because he has been chosen by God for it (cf. John 15:16). Therefore, he will not be able to boast of that. What he will do is recognize that he is “blessed” (Psalms 65:4; cf. Psalms 1:1; Psalms 32:1-2; Psalms 41:2). Those who partake of God’s forgiveness and election are thrilled and delighted. He cannot help but praise and give thanks to God for His great mercy that He has bestowed upon him. There was only a right to hell. Now he is forgiven by God by virtue of His election. Everything is grace.

It is a tremendous blessing to be delivered from the burden and penalty of sin and forgiven by God, but it does not stop there. There are many other blessings attached to forgiveness and election. When God gives, He gives according to the riches of His grace. Whoever is elected by God, He “brings near” to Him. Such a person may come to Him, enter into His presence.

This drawing near to God is also not limited to visiting Him now and then. Whoever is chosen by God and whom He causes to draw near, “may dwell in Your courts”. By “courts” we can think of the dwellings of the priests (cf. 1 Samuel 3:3; 2 Chronicles 4:9; Psalms 23:6b; Psalms 84:10). A priest may dwell in God’s presence to praise and give thanks to Him day and night for His great grace. This is the privilege of all who know the God of Zion as their God.

All who are in this privileged position “will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house”. “The goodness” corresponds to dwelling in God’s courts, which means enjoying His nearness and fellowship. This is also expressed by the fact that “the goodness” is represented as “the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple”, which is reminiscent of the offerings that, as peace offerings, form the basis of fellowship with God at His altar. The peace offering is a fellowship offering, of which first God, second the priests, and finally the offerors, enjoy their portion at the meal at His altar.

In God’s house the blessings are piled high. Those who dwell there may eat of them to satisfaction. This involves enjoying all blessings in fellowship with God. God Himself is the goodness of “Your holy temple”. In His temple He enthrones and reveals His righteousness. Everything in His temple is holy; what is in it is there for Him and speaks of Him. That is what the God-fearing may feed on. He does this by looking to the Giver through the blessing. Then he sees Who God is in His love and His holiness. This is the true food of the believer.

Israel receives all these blessings on earth and temporarily, while for the church these blessings are heavenly and eternal. Israel receives the fullness of them in the realm of peace, while we already possess the fullness of them now. We do not approach in an earthly temple, but we form “the household of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:15) for all eternity. We have access to the Father and are of God’s household now and forever (Ephesians 2:18-22).

The priests may dwell in the courts of an earthly temple. We will be in the Father’s house forever (John 14:1-3). There we will have fellowship with the Father and the Son and with each other for all eternity through eternal life, which we are already experiencing (1 John 1:3-4). We are children of God now and forever by virtue of our personal election by God adopted as sons to Himself through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-7).

Psalms 92:15

Introduction

Prophetically, the psalm speaks of the “period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times” (Acts 3:21). This psalm has to do with the fulfillment of the day of atonement (Psalms 65:2) and the Feast of Ingathering, or the Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16). Once every fifty years is the year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:10-13). This year of jubilee is announced on the day of atonement, which is a preparation for the Feast of Booths. The year of jubilee is prophetically the period of the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21).

Psalms 65 and Psalms 66 are the songs of thanksgiving that the upright will sing. They spoke of this in the last verse of the previous psalm (Psalms 64:10).

Song of Praise for God’s Goodness

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 65:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

This psalm is called “a song”. The lamenting (Psalms 64:2) has ended and the singing has begun. It is similar to the people of Israel singing the song of salvation after their deliverance from Egypt, the first song we hear in the Bible (Exodus 15:1).

Psalms 65 is the first psalm in a row of four psalms so named (Psalms 65:1; Psalms 66:1; Psalms 67:1; Psalms 68:1). Like a psalm, a song is an expression of gratitude for experienced goodness. We might call it a song of praise.

The psalm begins with “praise” (Psalms 65:1b). However, it is a praise in “silence”. The reason is that injustice still reigns on earth. Also, the remnant itself does not yet know the forgiveness of their iniquities. Before the day of atonement, there is – in the Jewish tradition – a period of ten days of humbling oneself. Those ten days begin on the Feast of the blowing of the Trumpets, which is the Jewish secular New Year’s Day, and last until the day of atonement, which is particularly marked by humility. During that period of humiliation, the people must contemplate their own situation before they, represented by the high priest, will meet with God.

The “silence” is the rest and trust in God of the remnant that we have seen and discussed before (Psalms 62:1b; 5). We can read it in such a way that the peace and trust in God sound like a song of praise to God! It can also be read as the ‘silence’ of worship. Not a silence of emptiness, but a silence filled with Him, making words inadequate.

It is, however, a song of praise “before You, … in Zion, O God”. Faith turns to God, Who dwells in Zion (Psalms 78:68b; Psalms 132:13-14). The remnant, though still suffering from oppression and persecution, looks forward to the time when they will be able to perform the vow they have made. Their vow is that they will praise God when He delivers them from their tribulation. They trust that He will rise up and judge their oppressors.

With them is the deep conviction that God hears the prayer they have prayed (Psalms 65:2). He is ‘the Hearer of prayer’. How often have we experienced it ourselves that God has answered prayer. The remnant knows that He will deliver them. Then not only will they go to Him, but “all men”, literally “all flesh”, that is all people (Isaiah 40:5; Joel 2:28; cf. Revelation 15:4), will come to Him. This will happen in the realm of peace (Isaiah 2:2-3). Then every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11; Isaiah 45:23). It extends even beyond the realm of peace. It is about all creation, which includes the dead beneath the earth. They will bow their knee when they stand before the great white throne after the realm of peace and will be judged.

Before this can occur, something else must happen. The remnant must first be delivered from the burden of their iniquities that weighs upon them (Psalms 65:3). The God-fearing acknowledges that those iniquities have prevailed over him. We also hear the Lord Jesus speak here when He bears on the cross as the substitutionary sacrifice the sins for all those who believe in Him. On this basis the sinner can confess his sins and receive reconciliation.

The God-fearing speaks in the singular, “against me”. There is no question of him hiding behind a general confession, as we sometimes hear, ‘all men are sinners’. With a sincere confession someone speaks only about himself: ‘I have sinned.’ Then someone sees only his own sins. He sees himself in the light of God.

However, when he speaks of the forgiveness of transgressions, he speaks in the plural, “our transgressions”. He knows himself to be associated with all who share in the forgiveness. That is the believing remnant here. He also knows that forgiveness is not the result of his prayer, or of the sacrifices he has made, but that forgiveness is the work of God alone. “You” therefore has the emphasis.

Prophetically, we see in the singular “against me” and “You” that it is about the Lord Jesus as the atoning sacrifice, as the guilt offering of Isaiah 53 (Isaiah 53:6). The plural “our transgressions” is about the remnant. Here is fulfilled what we read in Daniel 9, that transgression is finished, sin is ended, and iniquity is atoned (Daniel 9:24; cf. Zechariah 13:1).

Forgiveness is the part of each one whom God “chooses”. The election concerns the election of those who may draw near to God. They may dwell in God’s courts; they are chosen to be priests. No one takes for himself the honor of being a priest, but one is called (chosen) by God, as is Aaron (Hebrews 5:4-5; Exodus 28:1; Numbers 16:5). Aaron and his children sinned with the golden calf. By taking refuge behind the blood of the day of atonement, they were chosen by God to be priests, to be able to draw near to God.

He who is forgiven is so because he has been chosen by God for it (cf. John 15:16). Therefore, he will not be able to boast of that. What he will do is recognize that he is “blessed” (Psalms 65:4; cf. Psalms 1:1; Psalms 32:1-2; Psalms 41:2). Those who partake of God’s forgiveness and election are thrilled and delighted. He cannot help but praise and give thanks to God for His great mercy that He has bestowed upon him. There was only a right to hell. Now he is forgiven by God by virtue of His election. Everything is grace.

It is a tremendous blessing to be delivered from the burden and penalty of sin and forgiven by God, but it does not stop there. There are many other blessings attached to forgiveness and election. When God gives, He gives according to the riches of His grace. Whoever is elected by God, He “brings near” to Him. Such a person may come to Him, enter into His presence.

This drawing near to God is also not limited to visiting Him now and then. Whoever is chosen by God and whom He causes to draw near, “may dwell in Your courts”. By “courts” we can think of the dwellings of the priests (cf. 1 Samuel 3:3; 2 Chronicles 4:9; Psalms 23:6b; Psalms 84:10). A priest may dwell in God’s presence to praise and give thanks to Him day and night for His great grace. This is the privilege of all who know the God of Zion as their God.

All who are in this privileged position “will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house”. “The goodness” corresponds to dwelling in God’s courts, which means enjoying His nearness and fellowship. This is also expressed by the fact that “the goodness” is represented as “the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple”, which is reminiscent of the offerings that, as peace offerings, form the basis of fellowship with God at His altar. The peace offering is a fellowship offering, of which first God, second the priests, and finally the offerors, enjoy their portion at the meal at His altar.

In God’s house the blessings are piled high. Those who dwell there may eat of them to satisfaction. This involves enjoying all blessings in fellowship with God. God Himself is the goodness of “Your holy temple”. In His temple He enthrones and reveals His righteousness. Everything in His temple is holy; what is in it is there for Him and speaks of Him. That is what the God-fearing may feed on. He does this by looking to the Giver through the blessing. Then he sees Who God is in His love and His holiness. This is the true food of the believer.

Israel receives all these blessings on earth and temporarily, while for the church these blessings are heavenly and eternal. Israel receives the fullness of them in the realm of peace, while we already possess the fullness of them now. We do not approach in an earthly temple, but we form “the household of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:15) for all eternity. We have access to the Father and are of God’s household now and forever (Ephesians 2:18-22).

The priests may dwell in the courts of an earthly temple. We will be in the Father’s house forever (John 14:1-3). There we will have fellowship with the Father and the Son and with each other for all eternity through eternal life, which we are already experiencing (1 John 1:3-4). We are children of God now and forever by virtue of our personal election by God adopted as sons to Himself through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-7).