Psalm 27:1 - The Triple Shield Of Defense Against All Threats.
Psalm 27:1 - The Triple Shield Of Defense Against All Threats;
Light, Salvation And Stronghold.
Psalm 27:1 (KJV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom
shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be
afraid?
Psalm 27:1 (TNIV) The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom
shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I
be afraid?
WORD STUDY
Light is a figure often used in Scripture to refer to God (27:1;
cf. John 8:12; 9:5; 1 John 1:5), since it dispels darkness and
brightens life. [New Bible Companion]
CONTEXT
This psalm was written by David when he was "a hunted fugitive,
finding refuge in the rocks and caves of the wilderness" (Ed 164). It
reveals the psalmist's spirit of absolute confidence in God amid the
perils of flight. It has been called The Tonic Psalm. In no other psalm
is David's yearning after the service of the sanctuary as intensely
expressed as here. Some suggest 1 Sam. 22:22 as a background to the psalm.
The psalm has three divisions: vs. 1-6 express the poet's assured
confidence in God, despite the threatenings of the enemy; vs. 7-12 cry out
plaintively for help; and vs. 13, 14, as a conclusion, find sure relief in
hopeful trust in God. In the modern Jewish ritual, Ps. 27 is recited
daily throughout the sixth month in preparation for the New Year and
the Day of Atonement. [SDA Bible Commentary]
This is a psalm of great faith and confidence in the Lord in
spite of threatening circumstances from human opposition. [Believer's
SB]
Psalms 27:1-3 This confident confession in God's saving love is
similar to Paul's confession in Romans 8:31-39. [Expositors Bible
Commentary]
COMMENTARY APPLICATION With Emphasis On Verse 1:
Calvin named David's triple shield of defense against all
threats, "Light, Salvation, Stronghold." [SDA Bible Commentary]
Unconditional Trust. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
These exultant words introduce a scene of serenity. Nowhere else in
the OT is the Lord referred to as my light. Because the psalmist has
found God as light, salvation, and strength, there is no cause for
fear or terror. His serenity is not conditioned by outward
circumstances but is unconditional. (Wycliffe Commentary)
God is a light to his people, to show them the way when they are
in doubt, to comfort and rejoice their hearts when they are in
sorrow. It is in his light that they now walk on in their way, and in
his light they hope to see light for ever. (Matthew Henry's
Commentary)
Fear causes as much distress as actual pain. Even the sufferer
need not fear if hope is placed fully in God. Confidence in God's
presence is the basic weapon against fear. [Disciple SB]
Fear is a dark shadow that envelops us and ultimately imprisons
us within ourselves. Each of us has been a prisoner of fear at one
time or another--fear of rejection, misunderstanding, uncertainty,
sickness, or even death. But we can conquer fear by using the bright
liberating light of the Lord who brings salvation. [Life Application SB]
Fear is usually present in the lives of adult children. We are
afraid of rejection, abandonment, abuse and deprivation; we might even
develop an array of phobias: We may have a fear of failure based on
having been told repeatedly that we will never amount to anything. This
fear stopped many of us from believing that the future held any
promise.
Others avoid success because they feel a need to live up to
unrealistic expectations. We may resist accepting responsibilities that we
believe are beyond our ability.
Our concerns can be faced and subdued as we experience God's
perfect love for us. In Christ, there is no fear of rejection,
abandonment, failure, or the future. As the child within us is nurtured by
the Holy Spirit's loving and gentle touch, our misgivings can be
dispelled. We are children of God, so we do not need to be afraid. He is
always with us, guiding and protecting us. Rather than fear God, we can
respect and rely on his presence in our lives.
Our reverence for God can gradually overshadow our fears from
the past and give us hope for the future. Then we can say with
David, "The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be
afraid?" (Psalm 27:1). Ron Ross [Life Recovery Devotional SB]
Fear is a powerful thing. It can push its way into so many
areas of our lives. We all know someone who fears death or illness,
pain and suffering, defeat, accidents, or failure. In fact, you may
have some of those--and perhaps many others-- on your own list of
things you fear. Fear can undermine our faith, paralyze our progress,
and blur the vision we have received from God. Fear is capable of
robbing us of joy and peace.
David claimed that his heart would "know no fear." And the
reason for this confidence was that the Lord was his light, his
salvation, and his protector. This psalm is a reminder to all of us. Why
should we be afraid? Why should we tremble? We can have the same
confidence and assurance that David did if the Lord is our light and our
salvation. It is he who protects us from danger.
FATHER, help me to see the truth in your Word. You are my
light and my salvation. You are my protector from danger and from
evil. Help me, Father, to draw close to you and to rest in the
confidence I have in you. Help me to defeat fear in my life as I trust in
you. [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller]
That which terrifies you, controls you. But it needn't be that
way!.. David knew what it was to be afraid of the dark ..... afraid of
the future ..... afraid of the enemies encamped all around him. But he
learned the secret of overcoming those fears. Do you know what it is?
Not denying he had them, but relying on Someone bigger than they
were! Take a look at Psalm 27:1, and there you'll discover what David
found: the Lord is the cure for what intimidates you! He has light to
dispel your darkness and strength to replace your weakness. And you,
like David, have the privilege of drawing upon those resources today.
David took God at his word (27:5); will you? [Daily Walk Bible]
Faith is not an emotion; not something we create from within
ourselves. What makes faith real and vital is not "how much" of it we have.
What makes faith real and vital is its object. Even a little faith,
reposed in God, can transform. Not because we "have" it, but because of
who our faith is in... When our trust and hope are fixed in Him, no
matter how small our faith seems to be, God can and will come into our
lives with a flood of strength and of joy. [The 365-Day Devotional
Commentary]
"The Lord is my light and my salvation." Here is personal
interest, "my light," "my salvation;" the soul is assured of it, and
therefore declares it boldly. Into the soul at the new birth divine light
is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough
light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord
Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is
our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light: he
is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light
to be revealed to us. Note, it is not said merely that the Lord
gives light, but that he is light; nor that he gives salvation, but
that he is salvation; he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God,
has all covenant blessings in his possession. This being made sure
as a fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a
question, "Whom shall I fear?" A question which is its own answer. The
powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light,
destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for
the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from
that of boastful Goliath, for it rests, not upon the conceited vigour
of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotent I AM.
"The Lord is the strength of my life." Here is a third glowing
epithet, to show that the writer's hope was fastened with a threefold
cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of
praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace. Our life derives all its
strength from God; and if he deigns to make us strong, we cannot be
weakened by all the machinations of the adversary. "Of whom shall I be
afraid?" The bold question looks into the future as well as the present.
"If God be for us," who can be against us, either now or in time to
come? [Morning And Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon]
We need strength for the battle and strength for the journey,
and God abundantly provides. Be sure to take time to wait on the
Lord (Isa. 40:31). If you run ahead of Him or lag behind, you will be
a perfect target for the enemy. [Chapter by Chapter Bible
Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
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