Clinging to the Name (Through the Psalms) Psalm 54

Welcome to through the song a weekend ministry of the truthful overtime will study all 150 Psalms with pastor Don Greene from Cruz Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were glad you're with us is over the Psalms that as we join our teacher in the truthful well the you you might not realize this, we don't really plan our hymns around the text we kinda prepare our hymns a few weeks in advance and then let the text fall where it may. It's always amazing to me as I know the kind of the background of the process how that works out and how the Lord providentially brings everything to fit together in the hymns reinforce the text we preach on even though we don't specifically plan it that way.

That's certainly true tonight with the song that we just saying great is thy faithfulness is a perfect way to frame our approach to Psalm 54 because it is a prayer of David where he is reaching out to God and asking for God's help in the midst of severe opposition in his life and is laying hold of the name of God laying hold of the faithfulness of God and appealing to God.

On that basis to help him in the midst of betrayal by men you know, we all go through life we all know something sooner or later about being betrayed by men. Spouses betray one another. Some of you have felt that awful staying in your life, family members or a boss betrays you or a friend that you thought was close and someone that you could trust suddenly turns on you and the pain of that is very, very great, isn't it very difficult to realize that the trust in a relationship has been broken will Psalm 54 is a text that is good for you. If you are in the midst of that or if you've tasted that that bitter thing in your in your mouth. In the course of life. It is a wonderful song to restore your heart. If you have felt the sting of opposition that comes to you without cause, and so once again tonight. As we come to God's word. We come to a book that understands us, we come to a book, we come to a song that speaks to us in life, and as it were, puts its arm around us and comforts us with a sense that the people of God have been down that same road before and realize that God's word anticipates that and helps us in the midst of it and so if you're feeling the sting of such things tonight as you come with us. I trust that this Psalm will be a great encouragement to you. For those of you made that are visiting haven't been with us very often in the past or you know what maybe joining us over the lifestream and aren't aware of the course of our pulpit ministry for the past couple of years I would say we have been trying to systematically work our way through the songs we started at Psalm one and then went to Psalm two and three and you get the idea of how that goes.

And tonight we are now at Psalm 54 looking forward to another 96 weeks. At times, getting away from is just another 96 weeks of studying the songs together, one per night is why they were doing that Psalm 54.

The inscription gives us a sense of the historical occasion of which this under the circumstances under which David wrote this Psalm it says it's a mass school of David when the zip fights came and said to Saul is not David hiding himself among us.

That's inscription sets the time. For this song in the time before David became king of Israel, and you may recall from reading the Old Testament over the course of your over your time that that King Saul distrusted David in such a way that he wanted to kill him and often hunted David down looking to find him so that he could kill him because he had come to hate him and David spent a good period of time fleeing from Saul and trying to hide from him so that he would not be met with that fate now during one of those times of hiding actually twice the zip fights people from the region and Judah told Saul where David was hiding.

They betrayed his location so that Saul would know where to find them.

They were hoping to gain favor with the King and they were more than happy to hand David over to him in order to gain an advantage if you look in your Bible turned back to the left to first Samuel chapter 23 just to give you a brief taste of the of what were looking at here.

First Samuel 23. In verses 19 and 20. You read about this first Samuel 23 verses 19 and 20.

You can see Scripture fitting together in this way, it says, then the zip fights came up to Saul at Gibby us saying is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at horseradish on the hill of how Kyla which is on the south of just Simon now then oh King come down according all the to all the desire of your soul to do in our part shall be to surrender him into the King's hand, humanly speaking, David's life was in danger wicked people who had favor with the king were arrayed against him and were seeking to hand him over so that he might be slaughtered at the hands of a hostile king.

The betrayal was quite great and the threat to David was immediate.

Look over at first Samuel 26 verse one where again we see the zip fights came to Saul at Gibby us saying is not David hiding on the hill of how Kyla which is before just Simon. So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziff having with him 3000 chosen men of Israel to search for David in the wilderness of Ziv, no. Look, this is a this is a time of great peril to David. He is in tremendous danger. There is no one there is no one with authority, humanly speaking, that he can turn to for protection and the that the thing of this this is that the David had not wronged Saul, he did not wronged the zip fights they were arrayed against him and wanted him dead. They had the power to do that and they hated him without a cause, much as our Lord Jesus was hated without a cause without reason people hated him.

Well beloved, just wanting to kinda keep this close and personal. Tonight, if you know something about being hated without a cause you know something about people turning against you without reason you have a friend in Christ you have a friend in the Scriptures you have a friend in Psalm 54 the comes and says, as a war that this text understands and from that, David. From that position of vulnerability. That position of danger praise out to God and we see the text of that in Psalm 54 and with brevity. This is a short Psalm only seven verses in our English text and yet with depth. David exemplifies a spiritual response that you can lay hold of in all manner of human affliction. This particularly deals with betrayal as the Psalms grouped around the Psalm 5410 to deal with that theme, but what you're going to find is is that there is a pattern of prayer here in the song. There is a model there even more. There are principles about the nature of God for you to lay hold of and for your soul to find strength and comfort in the midst of it all.

Speaking these are principles that are available to those who belong to the true God, to those of you who have put your faith in Christ. This is your heritage.

This is your birthright.

This is what belongs to you. This is in your spiritual vault in order to draw upon, and to, as it were suspended to the good of your soul. So let's go back now to Psalm 54 with that with that background in mind. With that encouragement that gives us a sense of anticipation that what we sighing in the him great is thy faithfulness is now going to unfold itself before us in the text of the trustworthy word of God and in this solvent. Psalm 54 David frames his prayer. Things like this are so obvious when the pointed out to you so easy to overlook. Sometimes if you don't know to look for them.

David frames his prayer with a literary technique that we call includes Io at the $0.25 word that I like and we often refer to the Scripture often uses. It simply means that that a larger portion of Scripture is framed by a by the same word or by the same phrase and so you see it at the start and you see it at the beginning and it frames the tax that lies in between and gathers it all up so that you understand that that the whole text is flowing from a single theme from a single idea and what is that theme what is that perspective of this entire Psalm, although it's sweet to see Lucas verse one where David prays save me. Oh God by your name that's all I want you to see right now by your name and then when you drop down to verse six after he's gone through his prayer after his promise to give thanks to God. He says in verse six he says willingly. I will sacrifice to you I will give thanks to your name, old Lord, for it is good. What does that mean for our understanding tonight. The fact that it starts with your name and basically ends with your name, it means that it means that this whole song is an appeal to the name of God, and I think that these little markers like that in the text are so helpful because it gives you something very specific and tangible to grab hold of and say okay I see the engine that is driving this song I see what's giving power to this, so long as it's being unfolded before me. This isn't simply a random collection of seven verses there is one thing that is driving what David is doing in the song that theme in Psalm 54 is the name of God say yeah I got a name my name is Steve, my name is George or my name is Susan, whatever it may be what's that got to do with anything. Well, as we said in times gone by when it comes to studying the nature of God when it comes to studying Scripture. When Scripture speaks of the name of God is doing more than giving us the term by which God is identified. The name signifies far more than what were use to you know in our modern way of using names you call me Don. I call you George and you know we don't really think that much about it. That's just what we call each other because that's what our parents chose to name is some number of years ago, but in Scripture.

It's a different story, particularly when you refer to the name of God, watch the pivot here the name of God signifies the totality of his character is a representative term for all that God is not simply what we say to him that the term by which we address him when we pray this is a term that is invoking the entire character of God, look over at Exodus chapter 3 you can see this in a couple of familiar passages that will look at just to give you a sense David is praying is an Old Testament saint. He's praying with the knowledge of the writings of Moses. In his mind and what to the writings of Moses say about the name of God and and what perspective does it give to us about it while it's very powerful in Exodus chapter 3 verse 13 you'll remember that God had appeared to Moses in a in a burning bush and had made himself known in the sands Moses back to the people of Israel so that they would know that God had spoken in chapter 3 verse 13. Look at the text with me.

Moses said to God, behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you. Now they may say to me what is his name what shall I say to them, and God declares to him, the great name of Yahweh's God said to Moses in verse 14. I am who I am and he said thus you shall say to the sons of Israel. I am has sent me to you.

Notice the connection. Moses says God what do I tell them your name is and he says you tell them that I am who I am and name that is derived from the Hebrew verb to be.

I am God is self existent.

He is who he is he that is his name and and and the name speaks to the fact to the being of God. It speaks to the fact that God exists by virtue of his own nature and power. God is not derivative of someone else. He had as we studied in our systematic theology series back in the fall. He had no beginning.

He has always been, and he will always be. He exists out of his own power he needs nothing from anyone because he has always existed.

He always will exist and he exists out of his own very power is dependent on no one. God says I am who I am and beloved God rewards important here. God will always thus exist unchanged. God is who he is. He has always been who he is, he will always be who he is and he never changes. That is all bound up in the name of God and who he is and so so when we talk about approaching the name of God when we call it.

Think about praying to the name of God and appealing to the name of God. Part of what we are doing is we're appealing to the supreme being in the universe, who has no parallels and no challengers to his authority.

We are appealing to unthinkable unmeasurable greatness in the being of God what his name tells us he is who he is. I am who I am, God says, and this is who he always will be. Do you realize that when God revealed himself to Moses and said I am who I am back 1400 years before the time of Christ. 3500 years in round numbers from this time 400 years go by and David is praying to the name and 2000 years go by and Christ appears and manifests God in human flesh I should say a thousand years go by 2000 years ago. From our perspective and now 2000 years later here we are millennia are passing by, which is enough to make you feel kinda small in the process isn't just a think like that but you realize that when we think about God when we think biblically about God. When we pray to God that he is the exact same today as he was 3500 years ago, when David prayed and why you're not the same as you were this morning we change from hour to hour, don't we, God never changes. And so when we's understand something about the immutable unchanging nature of the self existent God. We realize that we are entering into an eternal majestic realm and we appeal to his name out of our puny earthly circumstances, we appeal to something that is transcendent when we appeal to his name. Now is God in the progress of revelation, made himself known further to Moses.

He further disclosed. On another occasion the further significance of his name. Look over at Exodus chapter 33. These are really these are really important texts. Exodus 3 Exodus 33 Exodus 34 that we will also look at in a moment, but all were doing here beloved as we study Scripture together tonight. All were doing here is worse.

Letting Scripture interprets Scripture what does the name of God, mean as we read Psalm 54 we look at what other scriptures say about the name of God what God himself has said about his own name so that we have a proper understanding when we study Psalm 54 and realize what it is a David is doing when he appeals to that great name. Psalm 33 verse 18 Moses actually started verse 17.

At the start of the paragraph there.

The Lord said to Moses, Lord, REFERRING to the Hebrew name Yahweh.

It's a translation of that Hebrew name Yahweh when it's like that. The Lord said to Moses, I will also do this thing of which he was spoken for. You have found favor in my side and I have known you by name. Then Moses said, I pray you show me your glory and God said to him, I myself will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim what the name of the Lord before you and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion and so God says to Moses he says I will I will display my glory to you and I will do it by making my name known to you and in just a few short verses down in chapter 34 verse six God does exactly that in verse five of chapter 34 of Exodus, the Lord passed by in front of Moses actually verse violence are skipped verse six Exodus 34 verse five the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord and then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed okay here's what's going on. God says I will show you my name and this is what he did when he made his name known.

This is what he said. What did he say about his name Lord passed five or six in front of him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.

Yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations. In verse eight Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship when God made his name known to Moses.

It was like a ray of pure white light hitting a prism and then shattering as it were using a metaphor here shattering into multiple colors which displayed different attributes of his character. His name is the sum of the attributes which he eternally possesses and sewing, making his name known to Moses, God declares his attributes to Moses and what are those attributes in verse six look at it again with me attributes of compassion and grace, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness, a word that means loyal love and truth and he's a God of of lovingkindness, merciful to forgive, iniquity, transgression and sin, and yet is also a God of holiness, a God of justice who does not leave unrepented iniquity unpunished. God says this is who I am.

This is what my name is let me tell you who I am God says I am. I am a compassionate, gracious, holy, loving kindness, God, my people.

That's what the name of God represents. So who was God to David as he called upon his name Christian in the midst of your struggles and sorrows that this day in particular maybe us especially brought to you today. Who is this God that you appeal to you when you pray to him in this hour when you pray to him and go home at night in the midst of whatever's happening.

Who is this God is a God of loyal love to you is a God of faithful kindness God of mercy, God of power, a God who also deals righteously with the guilty. He's a God who watch this is a God who never abandons his people do you know God like that. Do you realize when we talk about who God is, that were talking about someone who is a real person with real attributes that can be known and can be trusted. When we pray to God were calling on a person by name and whose name represents things that we can depend upon that we can trust that we can know beloved that you can that you can bank your lifelong this is. This is who God is.

This is who are Lord Jesus manifested to us in human flesh and of whom the New Testament speaks says that that he is in very nature God that all the fullness of deity dwells in him who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is Yahweh in human flesh. He is this is this great son of God who has the great essence of God, and shares all of his attributes imperfection eternally without end without change without diminishment loyal strong is loving, compassionate whose gracious.

You need someone like that in your life today midst of your sorrows midst of your struggles someone to call upon is what we have in Psalm 54 we have a pattern of what that looks like it's as though I use the phrase engine earlier. It's as though someone is handed the hand of the key to you and said here's the key to your spiritual life. Turn it on and go go back to Psalm 54. Now, with that perspective in mind and that with all of that lengthy introduction will now be able to go through the text fairly quickly. Beloved.

What you see in Psalm 54 is you see David clinging to the name calling upon the name clinging to it as his only hope as his source of strength as his hope of protection when there is nothing else earthly to help him have you been in that position.

You know what that's like, you know, and that in those times where as some people said you don't know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you've got, you know something about that. Had you been in a period of life like that where there is no human authority to appeal to her to help you were friends. Maybe they're well-meaning but they can't they can't bail you out. They can't they can answer your problem for you, and things are piling up in opposition rises and what do you do and you have nowhere to go to.

It seems like beloved, if you're in that kind of position. Psalm 54 tells you what to do. Psalm 54 shows you the way and gives you confidence of the response of God out of his loyal love and faithfulness to his people. Psalm 54 teaches us how to walk with God. It tells us how to know God. We love God's word for it. As a result you break this down into two or three sections were gonna break it down into two simple sections here this evening and first of all going to see is David is clinging to the name. First of all, what does he do as he clings to the names he calls upon the name.

Point number one in your outline here this evening, he makes an appeal to God. He makes an appeal to God, and you could almost hear David grown as the Psalm opens, he says save meal God by your name and vindicate me by your power, hear my prayer, O God, give ear to the words of my mouth. David is appealing to God as the Psalm opens in these first two verses. He hasn't said yet what is troubling him.

He is simply watch this he simply invoking the name of God as he begins his prayer. He says God I know who you are by name. I know you as as Yahweh. I know you as this God of lovingkindness and faithfulness and power and love and mercy to your people think that aspect of your character of God to the totality of who you are. I apply myself here in the song's very profound incident. He's not. He's not simply crying out in desperation. His prayer is rooted in a true knowledge of God and so knowing that God is a God of deliverances to his people, God of loyal love to his people.

David knowing that he belongs to this God.

He asks for deliverance and he asks for justice as he prays here, look at in verse one with me, save me.

Oh God deliver me.

In other words, I am in distress and I am under threat.

God save me, deliver me, help me in my earthly circumstances, because I have no one else to appeal to. I have nowhere else to turn in beloved look, we all understand it, those of us and walked with God for any length of time at all. We all know how discomforting that is what and what a hard situation that is to be in when all of your resources are spent and you don't know where your next paycheck is coming from. When friends have turned against you when other things have gone wrong and there is nowhere else to go.

We all know that the miserable sense of uncomfortable feeling that that brings. Realizing that there is no deliverance at hand that we can see nothing else we can trust in nothing else we can turn to beloved what I hope the Psalm shows you is is that that kind of situation in your life God has given you in that time, a great spiritual opportunity.

He is laid before you, not material relief. He is laid before you a great spiritual opportunity to trust him to know him and to take him at his word and add his name and say God I have nowhere else to turn to. I stand alone here. God help me, no one else can. No one else will.

He says vindicate me by your name.

God give me justice in the context of what we saw God these wicked people who later in the song of CR are godless apostate people are just out to get me. I have no one to protect me, God, you help me. In essence, in these first two verses if we could summarize them.

David is saying God pay attention and act and help me do what is right. God, your God of justice. I know that to be true. You see the injustice of this situation, God vindicate me judge my cause and help me and show me to be in the right and give me relief that I can produce on my own, vigorous, strong prayer in verse three, having made that appeal, he proceeds to state the reason for why it is that he is praying.

On this occasion. In verse three he says no you might stop between verses two and three and say David why are you praying this way.

What's the matter, what's on David's mind.

What is the occasion of this prayer.

Verse three answers it. He says for strangers have risen against me and violent men have sought my life. They have not set God before them. God, these men don't even know me and thereafter me there violent in their godless.

There is no internal restraint on their heart that would cause them to hold back. There is no mercy in them. They are violent wicked people and they are out to get me and God. I have nowhere else to turn. Save me, deliver me, help me and God pay attention and do something quick there wicked conduct shows that they were not following Yahweh. They were not considering the demands of Scripture on their lives know in a restraint. All that stood between them and the destruction of David was an opportunity and so David calls out to God and says God I puled to your name.

Appeal to the fullness of who you are. Help me in this situation.

Pretty simple prayer, really. In one sense there's no real complicated theology or complicated Hebrew behind our English text.

Here you can see this you can relate to it. You can implement it tonight when you kneel down beside your bed there at the end of verse three over little bit, probably toward the right hand margin of your Bible. See the word cell award the calls for contemplation says let's stop and meditate here for just a moment. Also acts as a break between the sections of the Psalm stop there for just a minute say what's happened in these first three verses what's the simple thing that we can say about this text that's happened here's what's happened.

A man who knows God, and who trusts God has appealed to God.

God, I know you by name, God, I'm in distress. I appeal to your name as my basis for help so many things are wrapped up in that you know there's no there's no David is out beyond his human resources has no resources of his own to help calls out to God and appeals to his name, not to David's own merit as he does this in that sense even gives us a picture of of what the.

The initial cry of repentance and saving faith looks like God. I have no spiritual resources of my own. I have no merit of my own I come before you as a broken center was broken your law violated and now guilt is upon the God I appeal to your name for salvation. God, I appeal to the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and risen for sinners. I look outside of myself and I appeal to who you are. I appeal to the promise of Christ who says come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

See this this appeal is so simple. It is so basic is the basic cry of initial salvation. Now those who would hear the gospel.

It's the same helpless cry that the child of God makes in his distress, God my father, I appeal to who you are is my hope here and you know you know something, beloved, think about it. I just want you to think about your God here I want you to think about who it is that you know in Christ and in what he is like and surpassing value of knowing him, especially in those times of betrayal and rejection and all that junk.

Isn't it precious that when no earthly ear can hear you. Isn't it precious that perhaps in those times were no earthly hand will be extended to help you. Isn't it precious when you've gone through those betrayals of which we spoke at the beginning of the message is precious to know that you can go to the God who is known by his name, the God of surpassing power, the supreme one in the universe and know that his ear will hear your prayer that he will bend down as it were, and condescend to your need and receive you sympathetically. Human sympathy by comparison is nothing that all of a sudden you're on the euro on the wings of Eagles appealing to the name of God, you're soaring in the hydrates say men may despise me man may reject me, but God receives me, God hears my prayer. God is faithful to me.

Hallelujah Ryan and the clouds say to yourself because of who God is and the sympathy of the one true God is infinitely more valuable than the sympathy of a million people on earth and I love him for that. Don't you that's who he is, by name, so David appeals to the name of God, knowing that God will hear him when he prays because of who God is, is known by his name will secondly having prayed. What does David then do as the Psalm unfolds see his affirmation of trust is affirmation of trust kind of see David's response as he prays this is part of the exercise of your faith that you go through in the midst of those times of distress. Beloved in this is this text. Spiritual work is one thing to know about the name of God and to be able to recite his attributes. It's another thing is we sat on Sunday just Sunday just 60 hours ago, when we are preaching on Proverbs 3 about trusting God.

Not leaning on your own understanding. Proverbs 3, five and six. You can get the message of probably copies of it on the way out of your visiting with us would love for you to take all those CDs if you wanted to, but part of trust. Part of this responsive calling on and clinging to the name of God is affirming that you believe there is significance and having done so.

David here in Psalm 54 works out the implications of the name of God for his situation. Look at verse four and notice the first person singular pronouns.

I love always love pointing things like this out to you. Verse four behold he calls attention to it with with power with us with a striking sense.

Behold God vindicate me, God, and deliver me.

These men have not set you before them, behold, God is my helper, the Lord is the sustainer of my soul. And that word my is critical beloved. This is where it moves from theory to personal possession in your life. Everything is at stake in the way that you think about God in the way that he walk with him. Everything is at stake with how you see and respond to the kinds of things are right here in verse four. This word my is critical because David personally appropriates the character of God to the situation. See beloved. It's not just that, in general, God is a kind and merciful God, and that out there someplace in the heavens is a good God who reigns that's not it doesn't go far enough. It's not just that God helps and sustains people in general. That's not it. That's not the call on your heart to stop their short of the gates of glory so to speak. Hello no no no no no no no no no no no no no no that's not it. What you have to see from Scripture what you have to appropriate in your heart is this is the confidence the trust that says that God is my God. This God who is made known by his name this God belongs to me. He helps me he sustains me and all of a sudden you send it into a high and mighty Fortress who is your God when you're starting to think like that. This God of great loyal love is my God, and that means that in the midst of my distress what's going to happen. My God will show and manifest his loyalty to me, come what may.

All of us are all the sudden you are, you have surrounded yourself like in a in a shield of an impenetrable loyal love of God that surrounds your life and defines the nature of your existence, come what may. And so, perhaps with weak and feeble knees you bend down and you call on this God your God if you not simply ask for help. That's part of it. Yes, David did that in the first three verses, but you go further in advance and say God I know that you will help me. I know that you will sustain me.

Not because I see how the circumstances can work out because frankly hi I don't see that it all.

I have no idea how this works out for good of God. But I don't need to know that because I know you and that's enough so David declares to the praise and glory of God. He declares for those who would read his words later God is my helper. Look at verse four. The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. What does that mean it has consequences for those who are wickedly sinfully arrayed against David God will recompense the evil to my photos verse five says God destroy them in your faithfulness at the stunning verses in it destroy them in your faithfulness while is it right for David to pray that way destroy then well beloved, think about it this way. Part of the name of God, as we saw in Exodus chapter 34 is God said by my name, I will by no means clear the guilty God of justice.

Know what when we pray for God to be a just God, we appeal to one of his unchangeable attributes. When God displaces just since you know what is consequences to evildoers seated in Revelation 11.

For example, in the New Testament that God will destroy the wicked and the truth of Scripture is that unrepentant men will face God in justice and in wrath serious stuff people say will be a David I'm not sure David should prayed that way. Listen, listen, if God is a God of justice, then don't we have a privilege, or prerogative.

Don't even have a responsibility to appeal for justice and if justice is exercised. Beloved, there will be consequences for evildoers and limit writers of the really important what David is doing and what he is not doing here. We won't take the time to look at it as you read the life of David.

During the course of Saul pursuing him on at least two different occasions. He had the opportunity to slay Saul and refused to do so. He he could have killed Saul because Saul was unaware of David's presence. He could've struck him down and that would've been the end of it, but he didn't do it what to set say about David. What does it say about the nature of this prayer. It says that David refused to take matters into his own hands.

He left room for the vengeance of God left room for the wrath of God in Scripture speaks about in Romans chapter 12. He did not take matters into his own hands, but East but he brought the matter before God and laid it before the name of God and said God, I just ask you to act according to your name and I will leave it with you. I will not take revenge on my own. What he saying is, is God there evil is going to boomerang on them. What those men who were pursuing David sent out in human malice and threw it out like an Aussie boomerang fish come back on energize, not simply by the human motivations and started the process but energized by divine retribution on guilty people who have no regard for the law of God. And so when David prays destroy them in your faithfulness.

Beloved, he is not wickedly longing for personal revenge here is asking God to vindicate his character. When God vindicates his character. There are consequences to it. For those who oppose him is no sin in his heart is appealing to God's unchanging name for urgently needed protection of the God of justice and righteousness as well as a God of grace and mercy and so David here as he affirms his trust in God the things that he says here in verse five is affirmation of trust leads him to anticipate the fall of his enemies, God, this cannot come out well for them because your justice guarantees. It and, therefore, father, work out your justice according to your will and I will trust you and I will keep hands off until you act and not take matters into my own hand is shown by the way he refused to lift his hand against Saul so David is confident that God will deal with his enemies your mice your my sustainer you'll help me, you will recompense the evil to my photos. I will come through this threat safe on the other side. He says he goes one step further with his affirmation of trust having set. Notice notice this David's affirming that before it happens. David doesn't withhold his expression of trust until he sees how it works out God I know who holds the future.

That's all I need to know to know that this comes out well for me.

It's an affirmation of trust in the name of God and as we bring this to a close. Here in just a couple of minutes now David goes one step further in the remainder of the Psalm having having pledges confidence and deliverance. He says once that deliverance comes, I'm going to do something God verse six he says willingly. I will sacrifice to you I will give thanks to your name. Oh Lord, for it is good God.

When you deliver me. Not if, when you deliver me to give you thanks and makes an allusion to the free will offerings were part of the Levitical system to help facilitate a godly walk among Old Testament saints, God, I will common willingly give a free will offering in which I declare for all to see my gratitude for the deliverance that you've given me God. I will thank you when you deliver me and notice one more time. The object of his thanks there in verse six I'll give thanks to your name or give thanks to all that you are and so these things are so precious Arthur David clings to the name and trouble and he gives thanks to the name for deliverance from the trouble all in this one song. It is a different aspect of response to the one unchanging God who is good in trouble. I cling to the name and say, on the basis of your name save may, on the basis of your name which is the source of your motivation to deliver me.

I give thanks to your name. I give thanks to all that you are never one of us who know Christ in this room should be able to flash back and say God I remember times where you delivered me in the spirit of this moment.

Oh God, I give thanks to your name for what you did in the past. Even as I trust you for the deliverance that I need here tonight trust and thanks appeal and affirmation.

The outcome is so certain that David can identify it in the past tense. In verse seven verse seven with me. He says I will end at the end of verse six. He says all give thanks to your name. Oh Lord, for it is good and then he expands on it and he says for cause. For this reason you're good because you have delivered me from all trouble in my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies. It's interesting that it it's it stated in the past tense. There, but it's not that it's happened already. What he saying is, is a God, your deliverance is so certain your help to me is so sure because of your name that even though I haven't experienced it in time. Yet I can speak of it as a past tense event because it is that certain to occur. Your help is so certain in the future that it it's as though it is already happened and therefore I give thanks to you, appealing to that great name in trouble affirming our trust for it, knowing certain answer. The God's character will give beloved take your sorrows take your betrayals take the uncertainties to the name and cling to it tonight.

Oh God. God, we magnify your great and holy name we know you to be the God of loving kindness, the God of compassion, the God of mercy. We know that for sure because we have experienced salvation in Christ, and we love you and we thank you for it and you saved us to make us your people and to be our God through good and bad through praise and will report their strength and weakness, joy and sorrow, riches and poverty are our God, through it all and so we love your name and father. Tonight we appeal to your name. On behalf of those who have felt sorrow hit them today we ask for your mercy to display itself in their lives into comfort and encourage the to be their strength and weakness father before we see the outcome before we see the answer. Like David, we give you thanks thank you for delivering us from all of our distresses for saving our soul out of all of its sins and for making sure our steps going forward guaranteed by your name. Oh God, we love you for it.

You are who you are, the transcendent, unchanging, invisible, infinite, immutable God independent in your power, and yet swift to bring mercy to the one who calls upon you in the name of Christ. We do that tonight. Lord we call upon you through the name of Christ and thank you that in that name. The name above all names, the king of all kings, the Lord of lords in that name secure.

Bless you for all the craftsmen over and thank you for joining us for through the Psalms, a weekly ministry of the truth. Pulpit and if you have the opportunity.

We would love to invite you to join us on Sundays at 9 AM Eastern and Tuesdays 7 PM Eastern bar live stream from truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can find the link@thetruthpulpit.com thanks God, and friend. Be sure to join us each weekend as we continue through the sons with pastor Don Greene. You can find church information God's complete sermon, library and other helpful materials@thetruthful.com this message is copyrighted by Don Greene. All rights reserved