One does not surrender. One has to go on.”
–Louis L’Amour (Flint)
“It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.”
–Psalm 18:32 (NKJV)
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I have one Bible in which Psalm 118 is referred to as a “Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy,” another “Thanksgiving for Victory,” and yet a third one, “A Call to Triumph.” Interesting, but they all fit. They all refer to a praise of some sort. God is to be praised–praised for His mercy, praised for the victory we have in our lives, praised when we triumph over a foe or habit.
10 — All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
11 — They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 — They surrounded me like bees; they were quenched like a fire of thorns; for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 — You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the LORD helped me.
14 — The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.
15 — The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tests of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 — The right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 — I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
18 — The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. (NJKV)
This is the sound of war or at least harassment. It is by enemies and there is also the scene that it may be struggles from within. Three times the psalmist says that he was surrounded. Perhaps you have seen actual combat, most reading this probably not. The foes come at you relentlessly; bullets firing at you seemingly from all sides. Or maybe the bees is a better analogy for your battle. Have you ever been chased by a swarm of bees or hornets? I remember my wife telling me a story of the time she visited, I think it was the Pittsburgh Zoo, and had a ball of cotton candy. It seemed like the bees decided that they might like to have at least a taste of that sugar and began to chase her. I’ve knocked down wasps nest and was chased, but they do not swarm like bees or hornets. It can be quite frightful. In this psalm it is shown that in the time of adversity there is a point where we must act. We work in this life, we fight through the battles that face in this life–in the name of the Lord. Why even Michael when he confronted Satan over the body of Moses, said, the Lord rebuke you.
“When you move forward into crises, a season of deep vulnerability or trial, the enemy wants you to think, ‘I’ll never survive this.'” (George Wood) When this happens it would do us good to remember, I was surrounded…the Lord helped me…the Lord is my strength and song…He is my salvation…the right hand of the Lord is lifted. Steven Lawson says, “God was his song, empowering him to overcome his own inner anxieties. God was his salvation, delivering him from his adversity.” Trust in the Lord–He will never let you down.
Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who fell overboard in the sea that was full of sharks. He yelled for help, but no one on the ship would venture to help the man. His cries grew desperate as the sharks swam closer, diving by him, brushing him as they swam by. Then, from the ship, there was a splash out towards the man. Someone had jumped in to rescue the man. Ignoring the sharks, the newcomer to the deep grabbed man by the collar then swam furiously towards the ship where there was now a ladder lowered to aid the man. That night they held a party to the hero. Toasts were made, smiles were all around, the captain came up to the hero and while shaking his hand asked if he had anything to say. The hero, looked sternly at the crowd, “I would just like to know who pushed me in?” Like this psalmist, the man was pushed “violently”. The man in the psalm was pushed that he might not live. We have those instances in life where we seemed pushed, but notice–the Lord helped him.
Triumph is easily seen in these verses. Not personal triumph, but victory because of the Lord. The Lord, He is omnipotent, and He will use His power to save His own. There are two things that could be taken from the 17th verse. One, the psalmist was not expected to live, but the Lord spared his death in order that he might proclaim God’s greatness. He was given extended life. Or, there could be something more. Some of the last words spoken by John Wycliffe while on his deathbed were, “I will not die, but I will live, and will again declare the evil deeds of the friars.” (Petersen) Wycliffe died, but his message and work lived on. Listen–we are all going to die, but what will you leave behind? The end of life is not halted by death. The trail we left behind is there for others to follow. Perhaps we should be carefully noting what kind of trail we are leaving. Will others be able to clearly see the trail to glory because of what we left behind?
“Shrink not, Christian, will you yield?
Will you quit the painful field?
Will you flee in danger’s hour?
Don’t you know your Captain’s power?
Oft in danger, oft in woe,
Onward, Christian, onward go.”
–H.K. White
—————————————–
I have one Bible in which Psalm 118 is referred to as a “Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy,” another “Thanksgiving for Victory,” and yet a third one, “A Call to Triumph.” Interesting, but they all fit. They all refer to a praise of some sort. God is to be praised–praised for His mercy, praised for the victory we have in our lives, praised when we triumph over a foe or habit.
10 — All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
11 — They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 — They surrounded me like bees; they were quenched like a fire of thorns; for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 — You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the LORD helped me.
14 — The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.
15 — The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tests of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 — The right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 — I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
18 — The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. (NJKV)
This is the sound of war or at least harassment. It is by enemies and there is also the scene that it may be struggles from within. Three times the psalmist says that he was surrounded. Perhaps you have seen actual combat, most reading this probably not. The foes come at you relentlessly; bullets firing at you seemingly from all sides. Or maybe the bees is a better analogy for your battle. Have you ever been chased by a swarm of bees or hornets? I remember my wife telling me a story of the time she visited, I think it was the Pittsburgh Zoo, and had a ball of cotton candy. It seemed like the bees decided that they might like to have at least a taste of that sugar and began to chase her. I’ve knocked down wasps nest and was chased, but they do not swarm like bees or hornets. It can be quite frightful. In this psalm it is shown that in the time of adversity there is a point where we must act. We work in this life, we fight through the battles that face in this life–in the name of the Lord. Why even Michael when he confronted Satan over the body of Moses, said, the Lord rebuke you.
“When you move forward into crises, a season of deep vulnerability or trial, the enemy wants you to think, ‘I’ll never survive this.'” (George Wood) When this happens it would do us good to remember, I was surrounded…the Lord helped me…the Lord is my strength and song…He is my salvation…the right hand of the Lord is lifted. Steven Lawson says, “God was his song, empowering him to overcome his own inner anxieties. God was his salvation, delivering him from his adversity.” Trust in the Lord–He will never let you down.
Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who fell overboard in the sea that was full of sharks. He yelled for help, but no one on the ship would venture to help the man. His cries grew desperate as the sharks swam closer, diving by him, brushing him as they swam by. Then, from the ship, there was a splash out towards the man. Someone had jumped in to rescue the man. Ignoring the sharks, the newcomer to the deep grabbed man by the collar then swam furiously towards the ship where there was now a ladder lowered to aid the man. That night they held a party to the hero. Toasts were made, smiles were all around, the captain came up to the hero and while shaking his hand asked if he had anything to say. The hero, looked sternly at the crowd, “I would just like to know who pushed me in?” Like this psalmist, the man was pushed “violently”. The man in the psalm was pushed that he might not live. We have those instances in life where we seemed pushed, but notice–the Lord helped him.
Triumph is easily seen in these verses. Not personal triumph, but victory because of the Lord. The Lord, He is omnipotent, and He will use His power to save His own. There are two things that could be taken from the 17th verse. One, the psalmist was not expected to live, but the Lord spared his death in order that he might proclaim God’s greatness. He was given extended life. Or, there could be something more. Some of the last words spoken by John Wycliffe while on his deathbed were, “I will not die, but I will live, and will again declare the evil deeds of the friars.” (Petersen) Wycliffe died, but his message and work lived on. Listen–we are all going to die, but what will you leave behind? The end of life is not halted by death. The trail we left behind is there for others to follow. Perhaps we should be carefully noting what kind of trail we are leaving. Will others be able to clearly see the trail to glory because of what we left behind?
“Shrink not, Christian, will you yield?
Will you quit the painful field?
Will you flee in danger’s hour?
Don’t you know your Captain’s power?
Oft in danger, oft in woe,
Onward, Christian, onward go.”
–H.K. White