Quiet Earth Soldiers of Christ

PSALM 25

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

T o Thee, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in Thee I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for Thee will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Thy ways, O LORD; Teach me Thy paths.
5 Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou are the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, Thy compassion and Thy lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Thy lovingkindness remember me, For Thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
11 For Thy name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
13 His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant.

15 My eyes are continually toward the LORD, For He will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.
19 Look upon my enemies, for they are many, And they hate me with violent hatred.
20 Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in Thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for Thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all his troubles.

This is a beautiful Psalm that is a prayer for protection, guidance and pardon. It is written in a rather unique style in that David, whom the Psalm is attributed to, switches subject matters rather abruptly. The Psalm goes from praise and a request for vengeance (vv.1-3) to supplication (vv.3,4) to requesting forgiveness (vv.6,7) to proclaiming the benefits of the LORD (vv.8-15) to a lament (vv.16-19) to a request for guidance (vv. 20,21). This style may be due to the afflictions and agonizing the Psalmist was suffering (v.16).
The word "ashamed" in vv.2,3 and 20 comes from the Original Hebrew verb "xwb" transliterated "Buwsh". This refers to embarrassment:
"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." - Genesis 2:25.
"Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. " - Psalm 40:14.
"Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel." - Psalm 69:6.
"The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness." - Jeremiah 22:22.
"The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. " - Hosea 4:19.
"Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. " - Micah 3:7.
In verse 3 we read: "Indeed, none of those who wait for Thee will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed." (v.3).
The fact that the David knew his prayer here would be answered points to the divine inspiration of the Psalm, penned by David, but inspired from God. God is true to His words and we see this evidenced in related verses elsewhere in the Psalms, see Psalm 37:9; 40:1 and 119:158.
In vv.12ff some of the positive advantages of loving and obeying God are emphasized. The fact that "He will pluck my feet out of the net" (v.15) should not be overlooked. Obedience to God's Word is the key to freeing our hearts for goodness and the doorway to heaven and obedience comes only through the Word of God through which the Holy Spirit works in redemption and sanctification of the sinner, see John 1:1; 6:63; Romans 10:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:14 and Hebrews 5:9.
On And his descendants will inherit the land.,, (v.13b), see Matthew 5:5.
Evidence of Christian salvation is a continual, ongoing desire for doing God's will and in turn the results of doing God's will are spiritual blessings such as salvation, regeneration, forgiveness, justification, sanctification, perseverance, glorification and an eternal home in heaven.

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