CHAPTER SIX

Part 1

GOD IS OUR DEFENSE

As the Psalmist David was being hunted like a rabbit in the wilderness, God was His only protection from the forces of King Saul, his angry, jealous father-in-law. David prayed: Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (Psalms 143:9). Notes in the margin of my Bible indicate that what the Psalmist is saying is this: “Hide me with thee.”  Pray that God Himself will stand between you and your enemies, and you will be kept securely beneath the shelter of His wings.  Those who have trusted Christ as Savior are spiritually hidden with Christ in God.

Once you have done taken all the practical steps God has shown you to do, and prayed to God in the power of the Spirit; once you have claimed in prayer the promises of the Word of God which are relevant to your situation, stand in complete rest and confidence that God will send His answer (Eph.6:13).

After God poured out His plagues upon the Egyptians and forced Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel go, Pharaoh changed his mind.  He wanted his slaves back.  Pharaoh chased the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea with his army, who were expertly armed and driving swift chariots.  The Israelites found themselves caught between the Red Sea (some scholars believe it was really the “Sea of Reeds”) and Pharaoh’s army. They could run no further. The Israelites were caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.  But God was their Rock Who delivered them and got them past the hard place.  He told Moses to stretch his rod over the waters.  Through Moses, God said to them, in Exodus 14:13-14: Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today; for the Egyptians, whom ye shall see today, ye shall see them again no more forever.  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

God’s salvation includes much more than being saved from sin and its eternal consequences.  God wants to save you from all the destructions of satan, as He did for the Israelites.  God wants to fight all your battles and be your Deliverer. Jesus instructs us to pray for God to deliver us from evil (Matt.6:13).

Psalms 106:8: Nevertheless he (God) saved them (the Israelites) for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.* * *God parted the waters to enable the Israelites to pass over to dry land.  But he brought those same waters down upon their Egyptian pursuers to drown them. God is well able to deal with bullies to humble and deter them. God can catch the bully in his own trap.

Psalms 7:15: He made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

Verse 16: His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall return upon his own pate (crown of the head).* * *If your oppressor is hard-hearted and will not listen to reason, and especially if he poses a danger to your safety, be sure to claim this promise from the Word of God!  Some people never come to repentance until the Lord chastises them through adversity.

Psalm 94:10: He that chastiseth the heathen, shall he not correct (discipline)? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall he not know?* * * Verse 13 declares that a pit will be dug for the wicked.

Verse 22: But the LORD is my defense; and my God is the Rock of my refuge.

Vers 23: And he shall bring upon them (the Psalmist’s enemies) their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.* * *You could pray that God will cut your enemy off from whatever gives him or her power to harm or threaten you.  You want them to come to Christ, but now it is very important that God humble them enough to take away their power over you.

Psalms 8:15: The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.* * *Pray that your enemy will be defeated by their own traps and unable to bother you anymore. 

Psalms 107:20: He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.* * *Stand upon every promise of protection written in God’s Word.  Believe that the Lord will save you from every destruction of the enemy and heal the damage already done in your life.

Prophetic Word:

Speak Out For Those Appointed to Die

Psalms 5:5-6; 11:5; Chapter 64;  Chapter 91; 102:20; Matt.14:3-4; I John 3:15

Why do My people continue to turn a blind eye to evil and injustice in their communities?  Christians confuse love with unlimited, unconditional  tolerance of even the most wicked people. About the only people Christians are willing to condemn as evil are other saints who dare to denounce the violent and the immoral.  John the Baptist was not afraid to let the wicked Herod Antipas know that his actions were immoral and that Herod stood in danger of eternal hellfire!  Yet My children who dare to speak up on behalf of victims against their oppressors are accused of being intolerant, unmerciful and unloving.

The devil is having a ball as he destroys precious lives I have created. It fills him with glee to watch evil flourish in communities where Christians are too scared to act as a preserving salt anymore.  The abused woman is rebuked for expressing a need to depart from her husband to protect the safety of herself and her own children.  The rights of school and workplace bullies are protected before the rights of their victims.  Any Christian who dares to wage a personal campaign against hate crimes is accused of "entangling himself in the affairs of this world" or pushing a left-wing "social gospel" which isn't on My agenda.   Surely, many suppose, Jesus expects the victims to always turn the other cheek and cheerfully take more and more hurt.

Many unconverted victims of bullying have taken their own lives because they could take it no more.  And where did they end up?  In hell.  Why? Because being a victim does not confer righteousness upon an individual, only faith in My shed blood.  There are many in hell today who might have been saved had someone bucked the trend and told those unfortunate, unpopular souls about Me. Such victims might have had a longer space to repent, but abusive bullies drove them to a desperate act which prematurely and PERMANENTLY closed their window of  opportunity to be saved. Driven to distraction by endless abuse, some social outcasts seek refuge in self-inflicted death, and go into a Christless eternity.

Am I unmerciful?  A thousand times, no! I am very merciful and only I know the degree of accountability to which each person can be held.  Some people are like tiny children in the way they perceive matters of right and wrong.  They honestly don't realize that what they're doing is wrong. Just like a small child will run out into the traffic to escape a mean dog running after him, a very frightened person might  do something rash because his fear has gained the mastery over him and his powers of reason have gone into meltdown from protracted emotional abuse.  If something happens to him because of the damage inflicted by the bully, who do you think I hold responsible?

Some suicide victims are so ill and confused they cannot be held to the same degree of accountability as those of sound mind.  I can reassure you that no one ends up in hell unless it is perfectly just that they go there. Some have called upon Me in their dying moments and I heard them and took them unto Myself to at last find the rest and peace they'd been so cruelly denied in life.  But death is no refuge. Death is a destroyer, not a friend. Death is the ultimate enemy.  Death is a defeat for those who prematurely end their own lives.  Death is the sad end of all a person's potential for receiving all I can impart to enable them to serve  Me in this earth. How merciful and gracious, that in perfect love I have made a wondrous Way of Salvation in Christ, that when your own appointed time for departure comes, the gates of heaven will  be opened to all you who have found refuge in Christ Jesus. But until I call you home, cherish the life I have given you as an opportunity to serve Me and glorify Me in this earth.

I say to all those who are cruelly oppressed, call upon My Name and I will surely deliver you.  Bullying not only kills, it drives some to hell to be tormented forever, far worse than they ever were in this life. Bullies bear a fearful burden of guilt in My sight.  They don’t deserve to be coddled with endless empathy and infinite patience.  Better a sharp rebuke than that they go unhindered on their way to that place of torment which never ends! It is wrong to believe that bullying is just a temporary vexation which soon passes.  Its effects can reach far beyond this life into eternity, for both the victim and the assailant.

Why are My people so swift to defend the unborn but so slow to protect vulnerable people who have already been born?  Both the unborn and the born must be cherished as unique creations from My hand. Speak out for those who are suffering cruelty, whether it be victims of outright physical violence, or on behalf of bullied kids who are daily being fed a slow drip of emotional poison in a school environment they are powerless to flee from.

ANY PERSON, YOUNG OR OLD, WHO DRIVES ANOTHER PERSON TO THEIR GRAVE THROUGH CRUELTY IS AUTOMATICALLY GUILTY OF MURDER IN MY SIGHT! Whoever entertains malice and spite toward another is kissing up to the spirit of murder which ministers death rather than life.  Bullies and abusive persons of any sort, whether they be workplace bullies, abusive  bosses or supervisors, cruel classmates, violent alcoholics or child abusers, need to be sternly but lovingly warned of the terrible judgment that awaits them in a devil’s hell.

When My people fail or refuse to speak out against evil, satan wins the war by default.  The legions of hell rejoice in an easy victory.

Many are wandering blindly in the Shadow of Death.  They flirt with death and seek escape in it because they can bear the torments of the wicked no longer. They long to die because they are too afraid to live.  Speak out on behalf of those who are appointed to death. Warn the wicked and defend the defenseless.

Commentary on Psalm 91

Psalms 91 is one of my very favorite chapters in the Bible.  Where I went to church, we even learned to sing it.

Psalms 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.* * *The only truly safe place to be in this world is to nestle beneath the wings of Almighty God.  Jesus said something comparable in Matthew 23:37 where he laments over Jerusalem and says that He had longed so much to protect them like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings to keep them safe.   Pray always that God will keep you safe and secure under the shadow of the Almighty.

Verse 2: I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in Him will I trust.* * *Take refuge in God’s love for you.  Only His opinion of you matters.  Let Him be your strength.  Ask Him to stand between you and your enemies and be your mighty fortress. 

Verse 3: Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare (trap) of the fowler (bird hunter) and from the noisome (harmful) pestilence (plague).* * *Claim God Almighty as your own personal Deliverer.  It isn’t a sin to want to be saved from danger. Even Jesus Himself escaped from enemies.  The Baby Jesus was protected from the wrath of King Herod (Matt.2:13-14). Jesus escaped an angry crowd who was about to shove Him off a cliff (Luke 4:29-30). Jesus was kept safe from harm until the time came for Him to die for our sins. Jesus is our perfect Example.  So why shouldn’t we also desire to escape from our enemies?

Verse 4: He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.* * *God wants to hide us under His wings like a mother hen.  When we know God’s truth and hold fast to it in faith, it shields our hearts from the fiery darts of the enemy.  Not only do we have the shield of God’s truth, but we have the truth as  “buckler”, which is a smaller shield  used to fend off blows in hand-to-hand combat.  Sometimes missiles are sent against us from a distance, and we need a big shield to fend them off.  But when the enemy gets “in your face”, skillful use of the Word of God, like a buckler shield,  can fend off the blows of satan.

Verse 5: Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; * * *Stand on this promise made by God Himself.  I have read accounts of angels of God guarding the homes of missionaries from attack.  Ask God to assign a 24-hour-a-day body guard of angels to watch over you. 

Verse 6: Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.* * *Those of us who belong to Christ have a right not to have our lives laid waste by the enemy’s destructions. 

Verse 7: A thousand shall fall by thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh (near) thee.* * *I didn’t make this promise, GOD did!  He is actually promising here, that even if people all around us are falling as victims, the danger won’t come near us!  Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you faith in your heart to claim this Scripture as your very own.  Remember, Jesus Himself did not fall into satan’s hands until the time came for Him to suffer for our sins. Surely the Father would never demand harder suffering of us than befell His own Son.

Verse 8: Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.* * *God promises here that you will live to see evildoers get what they deserve (let God take care of that).  God promises in Romans 12:19: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”

Verse 9: Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place);

Verse 10: There shall no evil befall thee (happen to you); neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.* * *Jesus Himself taught His disciples to pray this to the Father: Lead us not into temptation (hard testing) but deliver us from evil (Matt.6:13).  Abide in the presence of God through continual prayer and meditation on His Word and trust in His power to shield you.

Verse 11: For he shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.* * *Claim this promise from God.  Pray that wherever you go, His angels will not only watch over you, but will prepare your path by subduing all your enemies.

Verse 12: They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.* * *You can claim this verse not only when you’re walking somewhere, but in case there might be hazards out on the road when you’re driving.

Verse 13: Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder (poisonous snake): the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.* * *The lion, the adder (serpent), and the dragon are all used metaphorically in the Bible of satan (I Pet.5:8; Rev.12:3,9). By faith in God’s Word and confession the power of the blood of Jesus we can bruise him underfoot.  Wicked spirits controlling human enemies can be battled against in the spiritual realm.  As for physically fighting human bullies, leave that solely to God (unless you’re being attacked yourself and have no other choice than to use the MINIMUM required physical force (stomp on a toe or knee in the groin) to enable you to break free of the attacker(s) and run away. Chances are, if one of those cowards suffers, the others will be distracted by his yell of pain.   If you’re surrounded by a crowd of attackers, offer a silent prayer to God to temporarily blind or distract them so you can get away (see Gen.19:11). Carry a piercingly loud personal alarm, or SCREAM as loud as you can, in the ears of the attackers if they’re that close. Don’t’ mind looking like a “chicken” by running away!  Don’t hang around to argue with them to protect your dignity.  Just get away as fast as possible! They might laugh at you, but it’s better than a beating.

Especially for women who must often walk alone in dangerous areas, and anyone in actual physical danger, training in basic self-defense might be an option (many community centers offer self-defense seminars).  There is some controversy surrounding martial arts training, which is steeped in Far Eastern mysticism.

Verse 14: Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.* * *Those who set their love upon the God of Scripture and His Son Jesus can rightly claim this verse as their own. Trust God to set you in a high place of safety above the trouble and turmoil of this life.

Verse 15: He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him.* * *There is no guarantee you won’t be in trouble again if you trust God, but He will be wherever you are, even in the middle of a messy situation.  Joseph got sold to slave traders by his own brothers. God was even with Joseph in slavery, and in prison (Gen.39:3,31). And after Joseph unjustly suffered, God exalted Joseph to be the second highest ruler in Egypt (Gen.41:37-45). All because Joseph honored God even in his misery.

Verse 16: With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.* * *God is able to give us lives sufficiently long enough to fulfill our calling.  He is able to save us not only from sin and its penalty, but save us from the perils of the devil and his evil angels.

Some Thoughts on Psalm 94

Verse 1: O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew (show) thyself.* * *Here the Psalmist seems to be saying: “God, where ARE you?  Justice is needed here!  So show Yourself!”

Verse 2: Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud (arrogant).* * *Feeling immune from having to pay for sin makes sinners arrogant and eager to commit more crime.  The Psalmist pleads with the Judge of All the Earth to repay the arrogant sinner in kind for the evil he has done.

Verse 3: LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?* * *Many times I’ve asked God that question myself. Every news story I hear about bullies murderers boasting about how they got off lightly sounds like a victory for satan.  “Lord,” I plead, “hasten the day when judgment and justice will be done in this fallen world.  Surely the Judge of all the Earth shall do right (Gen.18:25).”

Verse 4: How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity (wickedness) boast themselves?* * *How long before God silences the boasts of the workers of darkness?  Come, Lord Jesus!

Verse 5: They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.* * *The Psalmist cries out to God because Israel is being abused by foreign enemies.

Verse 6: They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.* * *Cowardly oppressors prefer to attack the most vulnerable groups first because they like an easy victory.

Verse 7: Yet they say, the LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.* * *Bullies must know that SOMEONE created them, but they don’t think God notices what they’re doing because nothing stands in their way.  But all they’re doing is treasuring up (storing up) wrath to be poured out upon them by an angry Judge (Rom.2:5). Payday might be long in coming, but the more dirty deeds are recorded, the fatter the paycheck!

Verse 13 warns that a pit is being dug for the wicked by Almighty God.  I believe that God is able to trap the wicked in the here and now, but a far worse pit awaits them after death, the pit of hell. In Numbers 16:30-33 a living family is swallowed up alive into the pit as punishment for trying to start a rebellion against Moses.

The Psalmist asks who will rise up in his defense.  In verse 18 he declares that God’s mercy held him up when his foot slipped. God is his refuge and his defense against unjust judges (verse 22).

Verse 23: And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our GOD shall cut them off.* * *The Judge of All the Earth shall bring swift retribution upon lying wicked men.