Against Tyrants in the Church
Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, correcting him in the manner in which a father chastises his child, and teachest him out of Thy law, giving him true understanding out of His eternal Word, v. 13. that Thou mayest give him, as a consequence of the saving knowledge thus gained, rest from the days of adversity, those of real evil, of being rejected from the face of the Lord, until the pit be digged for the wicked, until they receive their well-deserved punishment, the result being the relief of the faithful.
V. 14. For the Lord will not cast off His people, the believers being His in spite of the present oppression, neither will He forsake His inheritance, His Church.
V. 15. But judgment shall return unto righteousness, the latter being bound to be vindicated and set upright once more; and all the upright in heart shall follow it, eagerly hailing the restoration of right and justice after such a long period of oppression.
V. 16. Who will rise up for me, in behalf of the petitioner, taking his part, against the evil-doers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? This rhetorical question emphasizes the answer given in the next verse.
V. 17. Unless the Lord had been my Help, upholding and defending him in the midst of his troubles, my soul had almost dwelt in silence, namely, in that of death.
V. 18. When I said, in a complaint and prayer to tile Lord, My foot slippeth, when there was danger of his falling as a result of the enemy’s oppression, Thy mercy, O Lord, held me up, sustaining him in the midst of all dangers.
V. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, as worries and anxious cares multiply in his heart, Thy comforts delight my soul,reassuring and refreshing it for cheerfully enduring the afflictions of this life.
V. 20. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with Thee, the judgment-seat of destruction, the tribunal of wicked rulers being allied with God, their boast being that God Himself sanctioned their oppression, which frameth mischief by a law? by abusing the divine right for iniquitous procedure, by using the name and Word of God as a cloak for their oppression. It has often been the case that tyrants quoted the Bible in support of their attacks on the Church, trying to defend their unjust measures by appealing to Holy Writ.
V. 21. They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, planning his destruction, and condemn the innocent blood, laying the penalty of the law upon the believers with a show of right.
V. 22. But the Lord is my Defense, a Fortress against such attacks; and my God is the Rock of my refuge,protecting the believer against all enemies.
V. 23. And He shall bring upon them their own iniquity, paying them back in their own coin, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness, destroy them for all the evil done by them; yea, the Lord, our God, shall cut them off.
This psalm is clearly written for all periods of the Church’s history and will therefore give consolation to the believers whenever they are beset by difficulties and persecutions.