Another way of understanding the contending parties in this psalm is to see the whole drama unfolding on a spiritual level. Those who love Christ and seek to follow his holy purpose in their lives come out of cover, so to speak, and expose themselves to the attacks of those who are Christ’s enemies. Generally speaking, you will get, spiritually, a rougher ride the more closely you follow the will of God. The apostle Peter writes: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13).
The enemies in the psalm “requite . . . evil for good” (verse 12) and they lay traps for the unwary, which is a pretty good metaphor for the entangling thoughts that lead us into temptation.
While we should not go to the extreme of imagining demons in every corner, we nevertheless should also avoid the opposite mistake of consigning all ideas of spiritual opposition to some kind of antiquated medieval rubbish bin. Temptation is real enough. Evil is real enough. We work for our own downfall if we are complacent about the reality of such things. The writer C. S. Lewis, famous on both sides of the Atlantic, develops this idea in his works. The devil, he says, is delighted when we are content to see him as a child’s bogeyman, a figure of fun: “Yes, go on believing that, then you will not be on guard when I choose to attack.”
The principal characteristics of evil are deceit, lying, and destructiveness. These are the “malicious witnesses” of the psalm (verse 11). Evil is essentially life-denying and uncreative. All it can do is break down and undermine. Indeed, many theologians have speculated about whether it has any “being” at all, which does not mean that it doesn’t exist but that, compared to life, God’s life, it’s like a kind of black hole that even frustrates the attempt of light to escape from it.
Nevertheless, one must not overstate its power. Christ has defeated evil and death for good and all and, in the context of the spiritual battle, is extremely active in our defense. The psalm speaks of God’s angels driving our opponents “like chaff before the wind” (verse 5). Angels, as majestic and terrifying beings of heavenly power, should not be confused with the pre-Raphaelite feathery fantasies of the artists. Remember, in the New Testament, whenever an angel turns up, people’s first response is generally to run for it!
Ultimately, the fate of evil is to destroy itself. The fate, also, of people who embrace evil is that they are destroyed by it. As the psalm says: “let the net which they hid ensnare them; / let them fall therein to ruin!” (verse 8). Human weakness and self-deception are one thing; but we must never lose sight of the reality of evil, even though, finally, evil is a snake that bites its own tail.
For Reflection
What do you think about spiritual opposition in your walk with Christ?
Prayer
Heavenly Lord, in Christ you have delivered me from the bonds of sin and evil. As your freed child, keep me faithful to your holy purpose. Amen.
Psalm 34
We may have the same problem with blessing the Lord at all times (verse 1) as we do when the apostle Paul tells us to “pray at all times” (Ephesians 6:18). Some have been dismayed at the thought of the exertion involved in constant intercessory prayer. Doesn’t a person have the right to a bit of sleep and the necessary duties of the body like rest and food? Of course, if we took Paul’s encouragement in this narrow sense then it would be a difficult thing to achieve. My feeling is that Paul was encouraging in us a continual mindfulness of God—recognizing and being grateful for the benefits that we receive at Christ’s hand, and committing, as we go through our days, the actions and events of life to God.
Similarly, when we “bless” the divine source of all things, we accord the honor and glory appropriate in a relationship between creation and Creator, child and heavenly Parent. It follows from this that sometimes we may not feel particularly joyful or peaceful when we are blessing God. We bless God through thick and thin; indeed the need for blessing God is probably more necessary in the “thick” times! If you are going through a time of hardship and suffering, it is the sign of the redeemed soul to still be seen turning your heart to God in praise and thanksgiving. Yes, it’s a paradox again; but apart from arguments about how our faith begins with a suffering Lord, there’s also the quite practical side of things. If we turn from our miseries and look toward God, we shall receive the grace of Christ’s comfort, which goes beyond merely human understanding.
This is what parts of this week’s psalm are about. In a way, the opening verses show where the writer’s faithfulness under suffering has brought him—to blessing. However, later in the psalm we get a bit of the narrative: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, / and saved him out of all his troubles” (verse 6).
It was obviously a time for the writer bedeviled by uncertainty and spiraling fears (verse 4). This, of course, is a familiar experience to any human being whether living in the Bronze Age or in the twenty-first century. Anxiety (and its more permanent form, stress) is one of the greatest challenges that the practical Christian disciple must face. You know how it goes: the “what ifs,” the endless repetitions in the mind of scenarios full of hurt and embarrassment that might never happen, the sleepless nights, and the physical signs of an unhappy soul in an unhappy body. The psalmist’s answer to this is for us to remember that the “angel of the LORD encamps / around those who fear him, and delivers them” (verse 7). I really like the use of that word encamps. The angel of the Lord doesn’t just come when there’s an emergency like the rescue squad. The angel sets up a defensive position around us with the intention of fighting with and for us against all adversities! What it boils down to is, how much do we trust the goodness of God? Don’t we believe, especially after what Christ has taught us, that we are infinitely precious to him? Do we think that even though it is Christ who has called us out onto the stormy waters of life that he will, at the last moment, cease to care and let us sink (Matthew 14:28-33)? Stop worrying and believe in the goodness of God!
This psalm, as is quite often the case, has two movements. We have already had an insight into the private narrative of the psalmist, what challenges he has faced and overcome. Springing from the experience of God’s mercy (which is the significance of the “taste and see that the LORD is good!” in verse 8), we hear a new voice in verse 11 onward. It is the voice of a teacher reminiscent of the tone of Proverbs. His opening question to his “sons” is, as they say, a “no-brainer.” Of course we desire life and wish to enjoy what happens in it! Well, there follows effectively an Old Testament anticipation of the gospel: the avoidance of evil and deceit, the doing of good, and peace sought in all things. Only Christ, at his coming, would give personality and substance to the pursuit of these divine virtues. He would become our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and the “good” that is within our grasp because of God’s forgiveness and grace.
For