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Commentary on Psalms 94 verses 12–23
The psalmist, having denounced tribulation to those that trouble God's people, here assures those that are troubled of rest. See Th2 1:6, Th2 1:7. He speaks comfort to suffering saints from God's promises and his own experience.
I. From God's promises, which are such as not only save them from being miserable, but secure a happiness to them (Psa 94:12): Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest. Here he looks above the instruments of trouble, and eyes the hand of God, which gives it another name and puts quite another color upon it. The enemies break in pieces God's people (Psa 94:5); they aim at no less; but the truth of the matter is that God by them chastens his people, as the father the son in whom he delights, and the persecutors are only the rod he makes use of. Howbeit they mean not so, neither doth their heart think so, Isa 10:5-7. Now it is here promised,
1.That God's people shall get good by their sufferings. When he chastens them he will teach them, and blessed is the man who is thus taken under a divine discipline, for none teaches like God. Note, (1.) The afflictions of the saints are fatherly chastenings, designed for their instruction, reformation, and improvement. (2.) When the teachings of the word and Spirit go along with the rebukes of Providence they then both manifest men to be blessed and help to make them so; for then they are marks of adoption and means of sanctification. When we are chastened we must pray to be taught, and look into the law as the best expositor of Providence. It is not the chastening itself that does good, but the teaching that goes along with it and is the exposition of it.
2.That they shall see through their sufferings (Psa 94:13): That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity. Note, (1.) There is a rest remaining for the people of God after the days of their adversity, which, though they may be many and long, shall be numbered and finished in due time, and shall not last always. He that sends the trouble will send the rest, that he may comfort them according to the time that he has afflicted them. (2.) God therefore teaches his people by their troubles, that he may prepare them for deliverance, and so give them rest from their troubles, that, being reformed, they may be relieved, and that the affliction, having done its work, may be removed.
3.That they shall see the ruin of those that are the instruments of their sufferings, which is the matter of a promise, not as gratifying any passion of theirs, but as redounding to the glory of God: Until the pit is digged (or rather while the pit is digging) for the wicked, God is ordering peace for them at the same time that he is ordaining his arrows against the persecutors.
4.That, though they may be cast down, yet certainly they shall not be cast off, Psa 94:14. Let God's suffering people assure themselves of this, that, whatever their friends do, God will not cast them off, nor throw them out of his covenant or out of his care; he will not forsake them, because they are his inheritance, which he will not quit his title to nor suffer himself to be disseised of. St. Paul comforted himself with this, Rom 11:1.
5.That, bad as things are, they shall mend, and, though they are now out of course, yet they shall return to their due and ancient channel (Psa 94:15): Judgment shall return unto righteousness; the seeming disorders of Providence (for real ones there never were) shall be rectified. God's judgment, that is, his government, looks sometimes as if it were at a distance from righteousness, while the wicked prosper, and the best men meet with the worst usage; but it shall return to righteousness again, either in this world or at the furthest in the judgment of the great day, which will set all to-rights. Then all the upright in heart shall be after it; they shall follow it with their praises, and with entire satisfaction; they shall return to a prosperous and flourishing condition, and shine forth out of obscurity; they shall accommodate themselves to the dispensations of divine Providence, and with suitable affections attend all its motions. They shall walk after the Lord, Hos 11:10. Dr. Hammond thinks this was most eminently fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem first, and afterwards of heathen Rome, the crucifiers of Christ and persecutors of Christians, and the rest which the churches had thereby. Then judgment returned even to righteousness, to mercy and goodness, and favour to God's people, who then were as much countenanced as before they had been trampled on.
II. From his own experiences and observations.
1.He and his friends had been oppressed by cruel and imperious men, that had power in their hands and abused it by abusing all good people with it. They were themselves evil-doers and workers of iniquity (Psa 94:16); they abandoned themselves to all manner of impiety and immorality, and then their throne was a throne of iniquity, Psa 94:20. Their dignity served to put a reputation upon sin, and their authority was employed to support it, and to bring about their wicked designs. It is a pity that ever a throne, which should be a terror to evil-doers and a protection and praise to those that do well, should be the seat and shelter of iniquity. That is a throne of iniquity which by the policy of its council frames mischief, and by its sovereignty enacts it and turns it into a law. Iniquity is daring enough even when human laws are against it, which often prove too weak to give an effectual check to it; but how insolent, how mischievous, is it when it is backed by a law! Iniquity is not the better, but much the worse, for being enacted by law; nor will it excuse those that practise it to say that they did but do as they were bidden. These workers of iniquity, having framed mischief by a law, take care to see the law executed; for they gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, who dare not keep the statutes of Omri nor the law of the house of Ahab; and they condemn the innocent blood for violating their decrees. See an instance in Daniel's enemies; they framed mischief by a law when the obtained an impious edict against prayer (Dan 6:7), and, when Daniel would not obey it, they assembled together against him (Psa 94:11) and condemned his innocent blood to the lions. The best benefactors of mankind have often been thus treated, under colour of law and justice, as the worst of malefactors.
2.The oppression they were under bore very hard upon them, and oppressed their spirits too. Let not suffering saints despair, though, when they are persecuted, they find themselves perplexed and cast down; it was so with the psalmist here: His soul had almost dwelt in silence (Psa 94:17); he was at his wits' end, and knew not what to say or do; he was, in his own apprehensions, at his life's end, ready to drop into the grave, that land of silence. St. Paul, in a like case, received a sentence of death within himself, Co2 1:8, Co2 1:9. He said, "My foot slippeth (Psa 94:18); I am going irretrievably; there is no remedy; I must fall. I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul. My hope fails me; I do not find such firm footing for my faith as I have sometimes found." Psa 73:2. He had a multitude of perplexed entangled thoughts within him concerning the case he was in and the construction to be made of it, and concerning the course he should take and what was likely to be the issue of it.
3.In this distress they sought for help, and succour, and some relief. (1.) They looked about for it and were disappointed (Psa 94:16): "Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Have I any friend who, in love to me, will appear for me? Has justice any friend who, in a pious indignation at unrighteousness, will plead my injured cause?" He looked, but there was none to save, there was none to uphold. Note, When on the side of the oppressors there is power it is no marvel if the oppressed have no comforter, none that dare own them, or speak a good word for them, Ecc 4:1. When St. Paul was brought before Nero's throne of iniquity no man stood by him, Ti2 4:16. (2.) They looked up for it, Psa 94:20. They humbly expostulate with God: "Lord, shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee? Wilt thou countenance and support these tyrants in their wickedness? We know thou wilt not." A throne has fellowship with God when it is a throne of justice and answers the end of the erecting of it; for by him kings reign, and when they reign for him their judgments are his, and he owns them as his ministers, and whoever resist them, or rise up against them, shall receive to themselves damnation; but, when it becomes a throne of iniquity, it has no longer fellowship with God. Far be it from the just and holy God that he should be the patron of unrighteousness, even in princes and those that sit in thrones, yea, though they be the thrones of the house of David.
4.They found succour and relief in God, and in him only. When other friends failed, in him they had a faithful and powerful friend; and it is recommended to all God's suffering saints to trust in him. (1.) God helps at a dead lift (Psa 94:17): "When I had almost dwelt in silence, then the Lord was my help, kept me alive, kept me in heart; and unless I had made him my help, by putting my trust in him and expecting relief from him, I could never have kept possession of my own soul; but living by faith in him has kept my head above water, has given me breath, and something to say." (2.) God's goodness is the great support of sinking spirits (Psa 94:18): "When I said, My foot slips into sin, into ruin, into despair, then thy mercy, O Lord! held me up, kept me from falling, and defeated the design of those who consulted to cast me down from my excellency," Psa 62:4. We are beholden not only to God's power, but to his pity, for spiritual supports: Thy mercy, the gifts of thy mercy and my hope in thy mercy, held me up. God's right hand sustains his people when they look on their right hand and on their left and there is none to uphold; and we are then prepared for his gracious supports when we are sensible of our own weakness and inability to stand by our own strength, and come to God, to acknowledge it, and to tell him how our foot slips. (3.) Divine consolations are the effectual relief of troubled spirits (Psa 94:19): "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, which are noisy like a multitude, crowding and jostling one another like a multitude, and very unruly and ungovernable, in the multitude of my sorrowful, solicitous, timorous thoughts, thy comforts delight my soul; and they are never more delightful than when they come in so seasonably to silence my unquiet thoughts and keep my mind easy." The world's comforts give but little delight to the soul when it is hurried with melancholy thoughts; they are songs to a heavy heart. But God's comforts will reach the soul, and not the fancy only, and will bring with them that peace and that pleasure which the smiles of the world cannot give and which the frowns of the world cannot take away.
5.God is, and will be, as a righteous Judge, the patron and protector of right and the punisher and avenger of wrong; this the psalmist had both the assurance of and the experience of. (1.) He will give redress to the injured (Psa 94:22): "When none else will, nor can, nor dare, shelter me, the Lord is my defence, to preserve me from the evil of my troubles, from sinking under them and being ruined by them; and he is the rock of my refuge, in the clefts of which I may take shelter, and on the top of which I may set my feet, to be out of the reach of danger." God is his people's refuge, to whom they may flee, in whom they are safe and may be secure; he is the rock of their refuge, so strong, so firm, impregnable, immovable, as a rock: natural fastnesses sometimes exceed artificial fortifications. (2.) He will reckon with the injurious (Psa 94:23): He shall render to them their own iniquity; he shall deal with them according to their deserts, and that very mischief which they did and designed against God's people shall be brought upon themselves: it follows, He shall cut them off in their wickedness. A man cannot be more miserable than his own wickedness will make him if God visit it upon him: it will cut him in the remembrance of it; it will cut him off in the recompence of it. This the psalm concludes with the triumphant assurance of: Yea, the Lord our God, who takes our part and owns us for his, shall cut them off from any fellowship with him, and so shall make them completely miserable and their pomp and power shall stand them in no stead.
"If I said, My foot has slipt; Your mercy, O Lord, held me up" [Psalm 94:18]. See how God loves confession. Your foot has slipt, and you say not, my foot has slipt; but you say you are firm, when you are slipping. The moment you begin to slip or waver, confess thou that slip, that you may not bewail your total fall; that He may help, so that your soul be not in hell. God loves confession, loves humility. You have slipped, as a man; God helps you, nevertheless: yet say, "My foot has slipt." Why do you slip, and yet sayest, I am firm? "When I said, My foot has slipt, Your mercy, O Lord, has held me up." Just as Peter presumed, but not in strength of his own. The Lord was seen to walk upon the sea, trampling on the heads of all the proud in this life. In walking upon the foaming waves, He figured His own course when He tramples on the heads of the proud. The Church too does trample upon them: for Peter is the Church Herself. Nevertheless, Peter dared not by himself walk upon the waters; but what said he? "Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto You on the water." [Matthew 14:28] He in His own power, Peter by His order; "bid me," he says, "come unto You." He answered, "Come." For the Church also tramples on the heads of the proud; but since it is the Church, and has human weakness, that these words might be fulfilled, "If I said, My foot has slipt," Peter tottered on the sea, and cried out, "Lord, save me!" [Matthew 14:30] and so what is here put, "If I said, My foot has slipt," is put there, "Lord, I perish." And what is here, "Your mercy, O Lord, has held me up," is there put, "And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, saying, O thou of little faith, wherefore did you doubt?" [Matthew 14:31] It is wonderful how God proves men: our very dangers render Him who rescues us sweeter unto us. For see what follows: because he said, "If I said, My foot has slipt, Your mercy, O Lord, has held me up." The Lord has become especially sweet unto him, in rescuing him from danger; and thus speaking of this very sweetness of the Lord, he exclaims and says, "O Lord, in the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart, Your comforts have refreshed my soul" [Psalm 94:19]. Many sorrows, but many consolations: bitter wounds, and sweet remedies.
This, then, is the way now in which one living according to Christ acts in regard to his flesh when he struggles against his evil lustfulness. He restrains it in order to be healed, but he retains it even though his flesh is not yet healed. Still he nourishes and cherishes his flesh’s good nature, since “no one ever hated his own flesh.” In this way also Christ regards the church, insofar as we may compare lesser things with the greater. He both curbs it by corrections lest it be dissolved through the inflation of impunity, and he cheers it by consolations lest it succumb to the weight of its infirmity. In reference to this we have both the words of the apostle: “But if we judged ourselves, we should not thus be judged. But, when we are judged, we are being chastised by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world,” and those of the psalm: “According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your comforts have given joy to my soul.” We must hope for the perfect soundness of our flesh, free from any resistance, because at that time the church of Christ will have a certain security that is free from any fear.
Remember how often I remind you of this, and let us not think that we ought now, in this life, to be happy and free from all trials; let us not sacrilegiously murmur against God in the straits of our temporal affairs, as if he were not giving us what he has promised. For he promised what we need for this life, but the comforting of the sad is one thing, the joys of the blessed something quite other. “Lord,” the psalmist says, “according to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your comforts have given joy to my soul.” Let us not, then, murmur in our trials, lest we lose the inclusiveness of good cheer, of which it is said, “rejoicing in hope,” followed by “patient in tribulation.” Therefore, the new life begins now by faith and is carried on by hope, but then will come the time when “death shall be swallowed up in victory,” when that “enemy, death, shall be destroyed last,” when we shall be changed and shall become like the angels, “for we shall all indeed,” he says, “rise again, but we shall not all be changed.” And the Lord said, “They will be equal to the angels of God.” We have now mastered fear by faith, but then we shall have the mastery in love by vision. “For as long as we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith and not by sight.”
And thus the devil, the prince of the impious city, when he stirs up his own vessels against the city of God that sojourns in this world, is permitted to do her no harm. For without doubt the divine providence procures for her both consolation through prosperity, that she may not be broken by adversity, and trial through adversity, that she may not be corrupted by prosperity; and thus each is tempered by the other, as we recognize in the Psalms that voice which arises from no other cause, “According to the multitude of my griefs in my heart, Thy consolations have delighted my soul.” Hence also is that saying of the apostle, “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation.”
Dearly beloved, as I have already said, the devil is always either raging or lying in ambush. So, it behooves us to be always prepared by keeping our hearts fixed on the Lord. It behooves us to exert ourselves to the utmost in beseeching the Lord for fortitude in the midst of those harassing trials and tribulations, for of ourselves we are nothing but little children. What should we say with regard to ourselves? You have heard the answer from the apostle Paul during the reading of the epistle, in which he says, “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also through Christ does our comfort abound.” In the psalm, it is expressed in this way: “According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your encouragements have given joy to my soul.” The psalmist expresses it one way, the apostle expresses it in another, but each of them tells us that if the Comforter were not with us we would yield to the persecutor.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 94:19 offers a profound and intimate declaration of the psalmist's experience of divine solace amidst overwhelming internal turmoil. In a psalm predominantly characterized by fervent appeals for God's justice against the wicked and oppressive, this verse marks a pivotal shift, revealing a deeply personal moment of spiritual refuge. It articulates the universal human reality of being deluged by anxious, disquieting thoughts and unequivocally declares that, even in such profound distress, God's divine comforts are uniquely capable of bringing deep delight and profound satisfaction to the soul. This verse stands as a powerful testament to God's personal, intimate, and transformative care for the individual's inner state, demonstrating His power to turn anxiety into profound peace.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 94:19 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its powerful and deeply personal message. The most prominent is Antithesis or Contrast, which starkly juxtaposes the "multitude of my thoughts" (representing internal chaos, distress, and anxiety) with "thy comforts" (representing divine peace, solace, and joy). This sharp contrast highlights the radical and supernatural transformation God brings to the human spirit. The phrase "multitude of my thoughts" can also be seen as a form of Hyperbole, emphasizing the overwhelming, oppressive, and boundless nature of the psalmist's anxieties, thereby making the subsequent divine intervention and comfort even more impactful and miraculous. Furthermore, there is a subtle yet significant use of Personification in the idea that God's "comforts" actively "delight" the soul. While comforts themselves are abstract concepts, they are given an active, almost agentic quality, capable of bringing profound and tangible joy. The "soul" itself, as the recipient of this delight, is also treated as a sentient entity capable of experiencing deep pleasure and spiritual satisfaction.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 94:19 serves as a profound theological statement about the very nature of God and the human experience of suffering, particularly internal suffering. It reveals God not merely as a distant, transcendent judge or a cosmic ruler, but as an intimately involved Comforter who personally attends to the deepest anxieties and inner turmoil of the human heart. This verse unequivocally affirms that true peace, joy, and delight are not found in the absence of external troubles or the cessation of internal thoughts, but rather in the active, abiding presence and comforting power of God Himself. It underscores the consistent biblical truth that while life will inevitably bring distress, overwhelming thoughts, and profound challenges, God's consolations are always sufficient, uniquely capable of transforming inner turmoil into profound spiritual joy and steadfast peace. This theme is consistently woven throughout Scripture, portraying God as the ultimate, unfailing source of solace, strength, and unwavering comfort for His people in every season of life.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 94:19 offers immense encouragement and a vital pathway for anyone grappling with anxiety, stress, or an overwhelming flood of thoughts in the complexities of the modern world. It profoundly reminds us that even when external circumstances are deeply troubling, and our internal landscape feels chaotic and unmanageable, God is not only present but actively desires to bring profound comfort and delight to our souls. This verse invites us to recognize that our mental and emotional struggles are not beyond God's reach or concern; indeed, they are precisely where His divine comfort can most powerfully manifest. Instead of succumbing to the "multitude of thoughts" or seeking solace in temporary distractions, the psalmist models a posture of turning directly and intentionally to God, trusting that His divine consolations are uniquely sufficient to calm our inner storms and restore our joy. It is a powerful affirmation that true and lasting peace comes not from the absence of problems, but from the active, soul-delighting presence of God, transforming our deepest anxieties into spiritual delight and steadfast hope.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "multitude of my thoughts" truly mean in this context?
Answer: The Hebrew word for "multitude" in this specific phrase is sarʻaph (סַרְעַף), which carries a stronger and more nuanced connotation than simply "many thoughts." It refers to disquieting, anxious, perplexing, or distracting thoughts; it describes an inner agitation or a mind that is overwhelmed, not just busy, but troubled and distressed by a flood of concerns, questions, or anxieties. In the broader context of Psalm 94, these thoughts likely stem from the psalmist's observation of pervasive injustice and the apparent triumph of the wicked, leading to deep internal disquiet and spiritual turmoil.
How does God's comfort "delight" the soul, and what kind of delight is this?
Answer: The word "delight" (Hebrew shâʻaʻ, שָׁעַע) implies a deep, profound pleasure, enjoyment, or even playful satisfaction. It is not a superficial happiness or a fleeting moment of relief, but a soul-satisfying gladness that permeates and transforms one's entire being. When God's comforts "delight" the soul, it means that His divine consolations—His presence, His promises, His peace, and His active intervention—actively transform the inner turmoil and anxiety into a state of deep joy, contentment, and spiritual refreshment. It is a transformative experience where the soul finds true rest and profound joy in God's presence, even amidst external or internal struggles, as promised by Jesus in John 14:27.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 94:19, with its poignant declaration of divine comfort delighting the soul amidst anxious thoughts, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament consistently reveals God as the Comforter, it is in Christ that this comfort is fully embodied, perfectly demonstrated, and made universally accessible to all humanity. Jesus, the Word made flesh, perfectly understands the "multitude of thoughts" that plague the human heart, having Himself experienced profound anguish and inner turmoil in Gethsemane, where His "soul is very sorrowful, even to death" (Matthew 26:38). He extends the ultimate invitation to all those burdened by life's anxieties and overwhelming thoughts: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). His perfect, atoning sacrifice on the cross addresses the deepest root cause of human distress—sin—and opens the way for a restored relationship with God that brings true and lasting peace. Furthermore, Christ promised the Holy Spirit, the "Helper" or "Comforter" (Greek Paraclete), who would indwell believers and continue to provide divine comfort, guidance, and strength (John 14:16). Through Christ, the "peace of God, which surpasses all understanding," now guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7), transforming our anxious thoughts into a soul-delighting assurance found only in our Savior. He is the ultimate manifestation of the "God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3) who delights our souls.