A Study by Scott Sperling Psalm 27 Of David.   1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?   2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; Though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.   4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple. 5 For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; At His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.   7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of You, "Seek His face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. 9 Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. 11 Teach me Your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.     This is a psalm of faith. It begins with a statement of faith, that God is David's light, his salvation, and the stronghold of his life (vs. 1). David expands on these things by describing God as his light (vs. 2-3), his salvation (vs. 4-6), and the stronghold of his life (vs. 7- 14).   Psalm 27:1 - David’s Statement of Faith   1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?    David begins with a statement of faith: "The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" (vs. 1). That David begins with a statement of faith is somewhat unusual. In so many psalms, David begins in despair, and then ends in faith. In this psalm, however, despite the desparate situations that he faces, David maintains his faith throughout. David bases his faith on three aspects of God's relationship to him. As David says, the Lord is "my light", "my salvation", and "the stronghold of my life". David in the rest of this psalm expands on these three, but lets us note here how David personalizes these aspects of God's relationship to him. The Lord is "my light", and "my salvation", and "the stronghold of my life". God is gracious in that He desires us to appropriate Him for ourselves. To know that "God is light" (I John 1:5) is one thing; to say that the Lord is "my light" is quite another. To say "God is light" is a factual, intellectual statement coming from the mind. To say "the Lord is my light" is a statement that comes from the heart, based on a true relationship with God. The immediate result of David's appropriating for himself these aspects of God is courage. He says:  "Whom shall I fear?. . . Of whom shall I be afraid?"  (vs. 1). To have a close relationship with God, the Lord of the Universe, should inspire courage, after all, "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (I John 4:4). "Courage is both a duty of man, and a gift of God."[Footnote #4] Perfect faith drives out all fear. The extent to which we fear is the extent to which we fall short in faith.   Psalm 27:2-3 - The Lord as David’s Light 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; Though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.   John taught: "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5). David came to the same determination when he said: "The LORD is my light"  (vs. 1). This realization came from David's knowledge that God is holy and righteous. And since God is righteous, David knew that his evil enemies would not prevail in the end: "When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall" (vs. 2). The evil man may score a temporary victory, they may win a battle or two, but in the end, "they will stumble and fall." God will bring this about. He is righteous, and thus, will judge righteously. Their downfall may not come in this life. They may prosper until the day that they die. But at that time, they will face God in judgment, where the ledger will be made correct. The prosperity of the wicked in this life can be a great stumbling block. The psalmist's faith was tried in this way: "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Ps. 73:2-3). To overcome such doubts, we must realize that there is a big picture. We must realize by faith that, in the end, God will judge righteously, for "God is light". David realized this, and so was certain that his evil enemies would "stumble and fall". David realized that God is in control and will work everything to His purposes. So by faith, David could say: "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident" (vs. 3). David, through his faith that "the Lord is [his] light", made a resolution not to fear: "My heart will not fear". Only the peace of God that springs from faith could make such a resolution in the face of a besieging army.     Psalm 27:4-6 - The Lord as David’s Salvation 4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple. 5 For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; At His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.     The Lord is David's light, and then also his "salvation". While "salvation" from the troubles and afflictions of this world is an important work of God for the believer, David focusses first on the "salvation" of God from the grave, to be in God's presence throughout eternity. This is David's supreme desire, as he tells us: "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple" (vs. 4). No better prayer could ever be prayed. Strive to make this the prayer of your heart. Again note that this is David's supreme desire from the Lord: "One thing I ask." He sought more than anything else to "dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of [his] life." He sought most of all to be in God's presence. This is contrasted to Solomon who, when offered by God to ask for anything, asked for wisdom. While it was laudable that Solomon did not ask for worldly riches, I believe he would have done better to pray this prayer of David's, for late in his life, despite his wisdom, Solomon strayed from the presence of the Lord. We should all ask of ourselves: "What is my `one thing'?" Do I desire above all to "dwell in the house of the Lord", or am I more concerned with chasing after worldly riches and pleasures? Let's get focussed. "Divided aims tend to distraction, weakness, disappointment."[Footnote #5] Isn't this all we need: to "dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of [our] life"? We have asked for so much more trivial things "of the LORD". Let us get to the heart of the matter. Let us first ask God to plant this desire in our hearts above all others, so that we may pray this prayer together with David. God is not only our "salvation" unto eternity, but also here on earth. David testifies by faith: "For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock" (vs. 5). The salvation of God bursts out of David in praise: "Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD" (vs. 6). So, when David's enemies will have "stumbled" and "fallen", David will be "sing[ing] and mak[ing] music to the LORD". Note that David's praise is loud praise, consisting of "shouts of joy". Loud praise is permitted, even appropriate many times. Isn't the salvation of God worthy of "shouts of joy"? Surely, if a touchdown scored by the home team merits shouts of joy, then the magnificent salvation of God does too. Psalm 27:7-14 - The Lord as the Stronghold of David’s Life   7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of You, "Seek His face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. 9 Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. 11 Teach me Your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.   Finally, as David noted in verse 1, the Lord is the "stronghold of [his] life". In verses 7 through 14, David enumerates different ways that the Lord is "the stronghold of [his] life". First, the Lord is merciful in answering David's prayers: "Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of You, `Seek His face!' Your face, LORD, I will seek" (vs. 7-8). David speaks to the Lord saying: "Hear my voice when I call", and the Lord speaks back directly to him through his heart: "My heart says of You, `Seek His face!'" This is the work of the Holy Spirit: speaking to our hearts and urging us to a closer relationship with God. This is a demonstration of God's great mercy: that He would care about each of us personally, and speak directly to each of our hearts through His Spirit. Notice how David responds: "Your face, LORD, I will seek." Answer quickly the promptings of the Spirit! Don't delay in responding to the voice of your heart! Second, the Lord is the "stronghold of [David's] life"  in not forsaking him: "Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me" (vss. 9-10). By all rights, God would be perfectly justified in forsaking us for our sin. David fears this when He prays: "Do not turn Your servant away in anger." But God is merciful and faithful, and the "stronghold of [our lives]". He has promised: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:6). Even if everyone else forsakes us, even if our own "father and mother" forsake us, "the LORD will receive [us]."  He is our "stronghold" because He is the only thing in this world that we can truly depend on. Third, the Lord is the "stronghold of [David's] life" in protecting him from his enemies and leading him to safety: "Teach me Your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living" (vss. 11-13). The Lord teaches us His way in order to lead us safely through times of trouble. Note that implicit here is that the Lord does not cause us to avoid trouble, but rather leads us safely through the trouble. This is a mercy, though we may not see it as such at times. We would rather that He blast all trouble from our presence, so that we would never see it. He chooses to lead us through the trouble in order to strengthen us, in order to cause us to grow spiritually, in order to cause us to turn to Him and depend upon Him. There will come a time, after we have left this fallen world, when we will see no trouble as we "see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living". For now, though, we must depend on the Lord to teach us His way, and lead us in His straight path. David ends the psalm with an exhortation for us: "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD" (vs. 14). This is perhaps the most difficult command to carry out, to "wait for the LORD". We would much rather that God tell us to do something. But if we were commanded to do something to get out of our troubles, we would give ourselves all the credit. When we are brought to a helpless situation and told to "wait for the LORD", when deliverance does come, we know it has nothing to do with our abilities, but it is the work of the Lord. We praise You, Lord, for Your faithfulness. When we wait for You, You always come through. We praise You that You are our "light", our "salvation", and the "stronghold of our lives", though we deserve none of these things. Be glorified in our lives. Help us by Your Spirit to be Your faithful servants. In the name of Jesus, we pray these things, Amen. Footnotes:   4. William Plumer, Studies in the Book of Psalms, pg. 359. 5. Charles Spurgeon, A Treasury of David, Vol. II, pg. 2. ----------- Bibliography and Suggested Reading Alexander, Joseph Addison. The Psalms Translated and Explained.  Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1864.  Anonymous.  A Plain Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Philadelphia:  Henry Hooker and Co., 1857. Barnes, Albert.  Notes on the Book of Psalms.  New York:  Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871. Bonar, Andrew. Christ and His Church in the Book of Psalms.  New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860. Calvin, John.  A Commentary on the Book of Psalms.  3 Vols.  Oxford: D. A. Talboys, 1840. (Originally published in Latin in 1557).  Clarke, Adam. The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes.  Vol. III.  London:  William Tegg & Co., 1854.  (Originally published in 1831).  Cowles, Henry.  The Psalms with Notes, Critical, Explanatory and Practical.  New York:  D. Appleton & Co., 1872. Darby, John Nelson.  Practical Reflections on the Psalms.  London:  Robert L. Allan, 1870. Delitzsch, Franz.  Biblical Commentary on the Psalms. Edinburgh:  T & T Clark, 1892. (Originally published in 1860). Dickson, David. An Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, from Ps. 50 to Ps. 100. Cornhill, U.K.:  Ralph Smith, 1653.  Exell, Joseph S. and Henry Donald Spence-Jones, eds. The Pulpit Commentary. Vols. 17, 18, & 19. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1884.  Hengstenberg, F. W.  Commentary on the Psalms.  Edinburgh:  T & T Clark, 1864. Henry, Matthew.  An Exposition of All the Books of the Old and New Testament.  Vol. II.  London: W. Baynes, 1806. (Originally published in 1710). Horne, George. A Commentary on the Book of Psalms.  New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1854. Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David.  A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments.  Glasgow:  William Collins, Queen’s Printer, 1863. Kidner, Derek. Psalms (in 2 Vols.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008 (first published in 1975). Kirkpatrick, A. F. The Book of Psalms with Introduction and Notes – Books II and III (from The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). Cambridge, UK: University Press, 1895. Lange, John Peter, ed. and Philip Schaff, trans.  A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical.  New York:  Charles Scribner & Co., 1865.  Maclaren, Alexander. The Psalms (in 3 Vols., from The Expositor’s Bible, ed. by W. R. Nicoll). New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1901. Perowne, J. J. Stewart.  The Book of Psalms:  A New Translation with Explanatory Notes.  London:  George Bell & Sons, 1880. Plumer, William S.  Studies in the Book of Psalms.  Philadelphia:  J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872. Scott, Thomas. Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. III. London: James Nisbet, 1866. Spurgeon, Charles.  The Treasury of David.  6 Vols.  London: Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885. Tholuck, Augustus.  A Translation and Commentary of the Book of Psalms.  Philadelphia:  Martien, 1858. Trapp, John.  A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. Vol. II (Ezra to Psalms).  Edmonton, Canada: Still Waters Revival Books (www.PuritanDownloads.com). (Originally published c. 1660). VanGemeren, Willem A., (Gaebelein, Frank E., ed).  Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 5 – Psalms to Song of Songs.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1991. -------- Many of these books (those in public domain) can be downloaded free of charge from:  http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com