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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.
"And the Lord has become my refuge" [Psalm 94:22], he says. You would not seek such a refuge, if you were not in danger: but you have therefore been in danger, that you might seek for it: for He teaches us by sorrow. He causes me tribulation from the malice of the wicked: pricked with that tribulation, I begin to seek a refuge which I had ceased to seek for in that worldly prosperity. For who, that is always prosperous, and rejoices in present hopes, finds it easy to remember God? Let the hope of this life give way, and the hope of God advance; that you may say, "And the Lord has become my refuge:" may I sorrow for this end that the Lord may become my refuge! "And my God the help of my hope." For as yet the Lord is our hope, since as long as we are here, we are in hope, and not in possession. But lest we fail in hope, there is near us a provision to encourage us, and to mitigate those very evils which we suffer. For it is not said in vain, "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it:" [1 Corinthians 10:13] who will so put us into that furnace of tribulation, that the vessel may be hardened, but not broken. "And the Lord has become my refuge: and my God the help of my hope." Why then did He seem to you to be as it were unjust, in that He spares the evil? See then how the Psalm is now set right, and be thou set right together with the Psalm: for, for this reason the Psalm contained your words. What words? "Lord, how long shall the ungodly, how long shall the ungodly triumph?" The Psalm just now used your words: use therefore yourself the Psalm's words in your turn.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 94:22 serves as a profound declaration of unwavering faith and trust in God, emerging from a psalm deeply marked by urgent appeals for divine retribution against the wicked and oppressors. This verse marks a pivotal shift, moving from the psalmist's lament and plea to a powerful, personal affirmation of God's steadfast character. It asserts the Lord as the ultimate, impregnable source of defense, protection, and secure refuge for His people, encapsulating the psalmist's absolute reliance on God's sovereign power and unwavering faithfulness, even amidst pervasive injustice and societal turmoil.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 94:22 is rich in literary devices that amplify its profound theological message. The most prominent is Metaphor, where God is directly equated with "defence" (a high fortress) and "rock of my refuge." These are not literal descriptions but powerful images that convey His protective nature, stability, and impregnable strength. The use of "rock" is a classic biblical metaphor for God's unchanging and dependable character, providing an unshakeable foundation. Parallelism is evident in the two clauses of the verse, "the LORD is my defence" and "my God is the rock of my refuge," where the second clause reiterates and intensifies the meaning of the first, using synonymous ideas to reinforce the central truth of God's protective nature. The repeated use of Personal Pronouns ("my defence," "my God," "my refuge") highlights the intimate and individual nature of the psalmist's relationship with God, transforming a general theological statement into a deeply personal confession of faith. Finally, the verse employs Contrast, implicitly standing against the backdrop of the wicked's oppressive power and the psalmist's initial distress, asserting God's ultimate sovereignty and protective care as the antithesis to human vulnerability and injustice.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 94:22 serves as a theological anchor, asserting God's unchanging nature as the ultimate source of security and justice in a world marred by sin and oppression. It underscores the biblical truth that true safety and deliverance are found not in human might, political alliances, or personal strength, but solely in the sovereign Lord. This verse resonates with the broader biblical narrative of God as the defender of the weak and the avenger of the oppressed, a theme that runs from the Exodus narrative, where God delivers Israel from slavery, to the prophetic calls for justice, and ultimately to the New Testament's portrayal of Christ as our ultimate refuge. It reminds believers that even when earthly foundations crumble and injustice seems to prevail, God remains the steadfast, unshakeable Rock upon whom they can build their lives and find unfailing protection.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 94:22 offers profound solace and a powerful call to radical trust for believers navigating a world filled with uncertainty, injustice, and personal trials. In moments when we feel overwhelmed by external pressures, betrayed by others, or vulnerable to the forces of evil, this verse invites us to shift our gaze from our circumstances to the unchanging character of God. It encourages us to actively declare, like the psalmist, that the Lord is our personal defense and the unshakeable rock of our refuge. This isn't a naive optimism that problems will simply disappear, but a deep-seated confidence that even within the storm, God provides an impenetrable sanctuary for our souls. It calls us to cease striving in our own strength and instead to lean fully into His divine protection, finding peace and stability in His unfailing presence. Our security is not in what we can control, but in who God is – our steadfast stronghold in every season of life and our ultimate source of peace.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is God described as a "rock" so frequently in the Bible?
Answer: The imagery of God as a "rock" (Hebrew: tsûwr) is prevalent throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and the Pentateuch (e.g., Deuteronomy 32:4). This metaphor conveys several essential attributes of God. Firstly, it signifies His stability and permanence; unlike shifting sands or crumbling structures, a rock is unmoving and eternal, representing God's unchanging nature. Secondly, it speaks to His strength and reliability; a rock provides a firm foundation and an impregnable fortress, symbolizing God's power to protect and sustain His people. Thirdly, it highlights His faithfulness and trustworthiness; just as a rock offers consistent shelter, God is a dependable refuge in times of trouble. In a volatile world, the "rock" imagery assures believers of God's unwavering presence and unwavering commitment to His covenant.
How does Psalm 94:22 relate to the broader theme of divine justice in the psalm?
Answer: Psalm 94:22 stands as the climax and personal affirmation of faith amidst the psalm's urgent plea for divine justice. The preceding verses lament the unchecked wickedness and oppression, expressing the psalmist's deep distress over the apparent impunity of the wicked who "crush your people" Psalms 94:5. The psalmist appeals to God to "rise up, O Judge of the earth" Psalms 94:2. Verse 22, by declaring "But the LORD is my defence; and my God [is] the rock of my refuge," acts as a profound turning point. It asserts that despite the current injustice, the psalmist's ultimate security and hope are in God, who will ultimately bring justice. This personal declaration of trust precedes the final statement of assured judgment against the wicked in Psalms 94:23, demonstrating that the righteous find their refuge in the very God who is also the righteous Judge.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 94:22 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament's portrayal of God as "my defence" and "the rock of my refuge" points forward to the person and work of the Messiah, who embodies these very attributes in a saving and redemptive way. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Rock upon whom the Church is built, an unshakeable foundation against which "the gates of hell shall not prevail" Matthew 16:18. He is our Defense and Refuge not merely from earthly oppressors, but from the far greater enemies of sin, death, and the devil. Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christ became our ultimate shelter, absorbing the wrath of God against sin, so that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" Romans 8:1. He is the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29, providing a refuge of grace and reconciliation. Believers are invited to "take refuge in him" Psalms 2:12, finding in His finished work an eternal stronghold and an impregnable defense against all spiritual accusations and the final judgment. As the resurrected Lord, He remains our ever-present help, our secure dwelling place, and the steadfast Rock upon whom our eternal hope rests, for "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" Hebrews 13:8.