“When I said, My foot slippeth! Thy mercy, O LORD, held me up” (Ps. 94:18)!
Psalm 94 is a prayer of the Church for deliverance from her enemies. Our enemies are diverse and they are strong. But Christ is almighty. Sin is my greatest enemy. It is relentless. It opposes me every moment of every day. It is strange to find that my chief enemy is what I am by nature. Were it not for Christ, it would be my eternal ruin. And if it were not for God’s word, I could never admit it, nor would I have any reason to hope in spite of it. Yet certain and ultimate victory is exactly what God has promised and what Christ has accomplished in His triumph over my sin!
“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:2).
“Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away” (Ps. 65:3).
“He will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).
“This is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Rom. 11:27).
“The LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:16). (The Amalek of our flesh.)
"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:133).
“Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).
“24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Rom. 7:24-25).
You would think that this one enemy would be enough. But there are more. The world is our enemy. The world of antichrist religion and antichrist philosophy oppose and persecute Christ and His people throughout time. These two go arm in arm against Christ and His Church. They oppose with false gospels. And they oppose with physical persecutions. Once again, it is to Christ we flee by faith. His triumph is our victory. “In the world, you shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).
Then there is God’s own law! His law calls for God to curse me. Yes, the law is good. And, yes, I deserve the curse that it demands. Yet for all of the light in God's law that uncovers what I am, it offers no help to cover my guilt or enable me to keep one of its demands. Yet God has reconciled me to His justice in the propitiating blood of His Son (Gal. 3:13; 1 John 4:9-10; Rom. 3:24-25; Luke 18:13). Grace will and must prevail (Rom. 6:14)! Indeed, it is grace that has prevailed. Were it not for grace, I would not and could not see beauty in Christ, could not trust Him, could not know God, could not love Him (Rom. 6:17).
Death and the grave are my enemies too. Yet, because Christ took away the sting of sin, death cannot hurt my soul any more than a shadow can hurt my body (Ps. 23:4).
And the devil is my enemy. Were it not that I found grace in the eyes of the LORD in Christ (Eph. 1:2-4), he would murder me by tempting me to evil, then rising in accusation against me, using God’s law to make his case in the court of heaven (Matt. 6:13; John 8:4-5). But to His cross, Christ has nailed every accusation against me from God’s ordinances (Col. 2:13-15; Lk. 10:18; Jn. 12:31). By His death, Christ silenced all that would condemn me (John 8:11; Rom. 8:34-39). And now it is by faith in Him that every fiery dart of the devil is quenched, and that I actually overcome (Rev. 12:11; Matt. 4:4,7,10 - "It is written!").
Every believer cries by the Spirit of God to Christ in Psalm 94 for the destruction and deliverance from all of their enemies.
"17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. 19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul" (Ps. 94:17-19).
Our cry goes up to our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the fiercest part of the battle. When it seems that our enemy has overcome us in the battle and we are ready to fall, we cry out in our trouble to the Lord Jesus on His throne of grace, the only One who can save us, "My foot slippeth!" Like Peter ready to sink, we cry out, "Lord! Save me" (Matt. 14:30)! When we do, His word concerning Christ enters our thoughts and the multitude and glory of Christ's achievements and promises do then comfort and delight our souls (Ps. 94:19). In all of these, the trial of our faith works this patience of continuance in looking to Christ (James 1:2-4; Col. 1:21-23). Truly, "Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence!"
What a mercy, that God takes sides with sinners against our sin, against the world, against the curse of His law, against death and the grave and against the devil. It is now truly said, and will be sung throughout eternity, "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:7; 2 Cor. 1:10). “5 Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:5-6).
Psalm 94 is a prayer of the Church for deliverance from her enemies. Our enemies are diverse and they are strong. But Christ is almighty. Sin is my greatest enemy. It is relentless. It opposes me every moment of every day. It is strange to find that my chief enemy is what I am by nature. Were it not for Christ, it would be my eternal ruin. And if it were not for God’s word, I could never admit it, nor would I have any reason to hope in spite of it. Yet certain and ultimate victory is exactly what God has promised and what Christ has accomplished in His triumph over my sin!
“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:2).
“Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away” (Ps. 65:3).
“He will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).
“This is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Rom. 11:27).
“The LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:16). (The Amalek of our flesh.)
"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:133).
“Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).
“24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Rom. 7:24-25).
You would think that this one enemy would be enough. But there are more. The world is our enemy. The world of antichrist religion and antichrist philosophy oppose and persecute Christ and His people throughout time. These two go arm in arm against Christ and His Church. They oppose with false gospels. And they oppose with physical persecutions. Once again, it is to Christ we flee by faith. His triumph is our victory. “In the world, you shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).
Then there is God’s own law! His law calls for God to curse me. Yes, the law is good. And, yes, I deserve the curse that it demands. Yet for all of the light in God's law that uncovers what I am, it offers no help to cover my guilt or enable me to keep one of its demands. Yet God has reconciled me to His justice in the propitiating blood of His Son (Gal. 3:13; 1 John 4:9-10; Rom. 3:24-25; Luke 18:13). Grace will and must prevail (Rom. 6:14)! Indeed, it is grace that has prevailed. Were it not for grace, I would not and could not see beauty in Christ, could not trust Him, could not know God, could not love Him (Rom. 6:17).
Death and the grave are my enemies too. Yet, because Christ took away the sting of sin, death cannot hurt my soul any more than a shadow can hurt my body (Ps. 23:4).
And the devil is my enemy. Were it not that I found grace in the eyes of the LORD in Christ (Eph. 1:2-4), he would murder me by tempting me to evil, then rising in accusation against me, using God’s law to make his case in the court of heaven (Matt. 6:13; John 8:4-5). But to His cross, Christ has nailed every accusation against me from God’s ordinances (Col. 2:13-15; Lk. 10:18; Jn. 12:31). By His death, Christ silenced all that would condemn me (John 8:11; Rom. 8:34-39). And now it is by faith in Him that every fiery dart of the devil is quenched, and that I actually overcome (Rev. 12:11; Matt. 4:4,7,10 - "It is written!").
Every believer cries by the Spirit of God to Christ in Psalm 94 for the destruction and deliverance from all of their enemies.
"17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. 19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul" (Ps. 94:17-19).
Our cry goes up to our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the fiercest part of the battle. When it seems that our enemy has overcome us in the battle and we are ready to fall, we cry out in our trouble to the Lord Jesus on His throne of grace, the only One who can save us, "My foot slippeth!" Like Peter ready to sink, we cry out, "Lord! Save me" (Matt. 14:30)! When we do, His word concerning Christ enters our thoughts and the multitude and glory of Christ's achievements and promises do then comfort and delight our souls (Ps. 94:19). In all of these, the trial of our faith works this patience of continuance in looking to Christ (James 1:2-4; Col. 1:21-23). Truly, "Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence!"
What a mercy, that God takes sides with sinners against our sin, against the world, against the curse of His law, against death and the grave and against the devil. It is now truly said, and will be sung throughout eternity, "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:7; 2 Cor. 1:10). “5 Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:5-6).
Rick Warta
RSS Feed