#DailyDevotion The LORD Will Vindicate You Ultimately
Psalm 36 11Don’t let the feet of proud men step on me or the hand of the wicked throw me down. 12Then those who do wrong will fall, pushed down never to get up.
Ok, well Keil & Delitzsch have verse ten along with these verses, “Keep on being kind to those who know You and show yourself righteous to those whose heart is right.” David has prayed this psalm asking for deliverance from those who wanted to cause him harm. Having prayed through his situation, he calls the LORD to continue doing those things which are according to His good nature and name towards himself and those who know and love Him.
He prays to the LORD to not let the feet of proud men step on him. He feels already at the bottom of the barrel. He knows the wicked kick a man when he is down. He is seeking the LORD’s protection against this.
While weak and standing, he also petitions the LORD not to allow the wicked to throw him down by their hands. People who are evil take advantage of those who are in a weakened state. David appears to think he is at the end of his rope dealing with these people who oppose him.
But God is often there, or we realize His presence, when things are at their worst. We have given up all other hope. There is nothing in us we can depend upon. There are no other resources we can call upon for help. I think God allows us to get to this place because we are only giving lip service to Him when we ask for help. We are still looking for other means, other gods/idols/created things to rescue us. He does not want His deliverance to be confused with those things so we trust in them instead of Him. Trusting in other things, people, places, and organizations will only bring about our harm and not out good.
Of course, if we look to Christ and His last days, we may well wonder, where is God? Where is His victory and His deliverance? Jesus is abandoned, betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, beaten and crucified to die. He is dead and buried. He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” We often don’t see the plan of God. We too may be called to join Christ and not see our or our loved one’s deliverance in this life. We and they go to join Christ in the grave. It looks as if God has not answered our prayers.
It is in this moment, his eyes are open and he sees this last verse coming to pass as good as done. While our translation here has “then”, many translate it “there.” In either case with the eyes of faith he sees his enemies come to a justified end. Our enemies, like his enemies, like Jesus’ enemies who did not repent, will be cast down low. They are pushed down never to get up. Satan, the beasts, Death, all who serve them will be cast into the Lake of Fire, never to harm us again.
Easter morning we see Jesus’ faith in His Father vindicated. He is raised from the dead, never to die again. He ascends to the right hand of the Father to rule all creation. He rules over all with an iron rod. So too, we who put our trust in Jesus shall be raised to eternal life on the Last Day. We will be called to rule with Him. We will see the end of those who did not repent of their wicked ways and we will rejoice in God our Savior.
Heavenly Father, grant us perseverance in faith, so when it looks like you have abandoned us, we may know with the eyes of faith You are still with us. You will rescue and deliver us from all evil and we will enter Your eternal inheritance You have prepared for us. In Jesus’ name we pray.