Psalms 71:7
I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
Truth: When others think our life is a mysterious and complex wonder of curses, God remains our refuge to deliver us!!
In order to understand this one single verse from Psalm 71 we have to step back and view the entire Psalm first. Whoever wrote this worship song he has been following God since his youth (vv. 5, 17, "since my youth) and he is now old and gray (v. 9 and v. 18). Whatever was happening in his old age he recognizes that the present situation has him under duress and he is, as in the past, appealing to God for deliverance. This Psalm could have been written by David when Absalom, his son, ran him out of the kingdom and began to pursue him in the caves and hills of the country. It could have been written by Moses, in his old age as the nation of Israel continued to rebel against God. It could be song today by any number of Pastors who have served God faithfully over the years despite difficulty and trials. The phrase contained in the first line of the above verse is quite complexing. The writer has told us thus far (in the first six verses) that he has served God from his youth and that someone is being cruel to him. He has given us no indication of sin or despair in his life, other than this persecution. But, in this verse he refers to himself as a "portent" to many. The Hebrew word for "portent" is unusual and has, perhaps, duel meanings. Note what one commentator says about the word:
The Hebrew term behind portent (môpēt) is the same one used in the word pair familiar from the exodus story, “signs and wonders.” There is thus the sense that the speaker’s life is an inexplicable wonder to many. Most often the term denotes a wonder or portent of judgment, like those against the Egyptians (78:43; 135:9; Exod. 7:3; 11:9–10; Deut. 6:22; 34:11). This negative connotation is implied by the parallel line of our psalm: because many perceive the speaker’s life to be an omen of judgment, he contends, but you are my strong refuge. (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series - Old Testament Set (18 vols).
For some reason this writer was viewed by the world around him as cursed or judged by God. Perhaps we can think of the man Job, here. Job was afflicted and tormented by Satan for the purpose of showing God that Job would eventually curse God. And, although he never cursed God, Job did get to the point of questioning God's integrity. To his friends, however, Job was "a portent" ... a mystery and clouded by a possible judgment by God. They ridiculed and accused him, falsely, of deep sin. What the writer of the Psalm states to us is that no matter what others my think of our situation (and at times it looks like we might be being judged) God is still our refuge. The contrast of the second line to the first line indicates that the first line is to be viewed as bad and the second line is to be viewed as our relief and our joy. Despite how others view the difficulty in our lives, God IS our refuge. He knows the truth and the reasons for the difficulty in our lives and it is ONLY He who can rescue us and deliver us from that difficulty. We might be "a portent" to many, but to Him we are loved and therefore He IS our refuge ... our "strong" refuge.
No comments:
Post a Comment