Two Groups of People Psalm 18:43-45

Psalm 18:43a You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; b) you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me. 44a As soon as they hear me, they obey me; b) foreigners cringe before me. 45 They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.

Psalm 18 is about Jesus Christ. It is a heart-cry of resurrection joy after the anguish of the crucifixion and burial. Verses 21 to 24 describe the flawless perfection of Christ as a man on earth.

Verse 43b describes the rule of Christ as King after His ascension.

Psalm 18:43a You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; b) you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me.

Isaiah 55:5 speaks of Christ in the same way.

Isaiah 55:5 "Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."

 Psalm 43b is a description of how the previously unsaved Gentile nations will  turn to Christ and be subject to Him. Verse 44a continues the description of how the Gentile nations will obey the Lord Christ.

Psalm 18:44a As soon as they hear me, they obey me;

In the standard translations, verses 44b-45 run us into difficulty:

Psalm 18:44b-45 foreigners cringe before me. 45 They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.

What is the difficulty? Simply this. The obedience of the "foreign" Gentile nations and their incorporation into Christ's kingdom has always been a subject of great joy biblically (cf Isaiah  55:5 and others). Therefore, Psalm 18:43b-44a, which clearly speaks of these Gentile nations is also a subject of great joy. Those Gentile nations have received God's greatest blessing in Christ.

But the language of 44b through 45 is not joyful, but rather fearful. It speaks of defeat and abject fear and sadness of heart. How can both parts of these verses be speaking of the same group of people?

I propose that they are not speaking of one group, but two. This occurs very frequently throughout the prophets and the Psalms. Isaiah constantly flips back and forth between the blessed of the Lord and the soon-to-be condemned.

So who are the two groups of people? The first group, verses 43b-44a, are the newly saved Gentile nations. The Septuagint version casts great light on who the second group, verses 44b-45, might be. I propose that the second group are the disobedient Israelites, those who rejected Christ in His day and afterward.

The Septuagint (Brenton's version published by Zondervan in 1970) translates this portion of scripture as follows:

Psalm 17(18):43-45 Deliver me from the gainsayings of the people: thou shalt make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me, 44 at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me. 45 The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.

Here in the Septuagint translation there are very clearly two distinct groups of people spoken of. Although it is my understanding that scholars discount the value of the Septuagint in exegesis, it is the translation that our Lord and the apostles used. Where this translation sheds light, I cannot help but see by that light.

Who are the "strange children" spoken of in verses 44 and 45? The word "children" is the same word for "sons" that Paul uses in Romans 8:14 and elsewhere. "Strange" is the same word that Jesus uses of strangers in John 10:5. Although strangers is commonly used of foreigners, the lexical definitions also give "belonging to another" and "enemy" as possible definitions.

In speaking of the non-believing Pharisees and scribes, Jesus said this:

John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Children of the devil, though Israelites by both birth and religion, could certainly be called "strange children".

Continuing with our examination of the Septuagint translation of Psalm 18: 44, we find that the "strange children lied to me."

The word "lied" is the same as that used in Psalm 78, where God is speaking against the unfaithful and disloyal Israelites in the wilderness.

Psalm 78:35 They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. 36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; 37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

Lip service to the Lord as a cover-up for a non-believing heart has been one of God's great griefs towards His chosen people throughout both the Old and the New Testaments. One of Jesus' most often used phrases to the Pharisees was "Hypocrites!"

Continuing in the Septuagint version of Psalm 18:45, we find--

Psalm 18:45 The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.

The UBS definition of the phrase "waxed old" is "make or declare old or obsolete; pass. become old or obsolete, wear out". Isn't this exactly what happened to the Old Covenant when the New Covenant replaced it?

In Hebrews 8:13, the word "obsolete" is the phrase "waxed old" in Psalm 18:45, Septuagint.

Hebrews 8:13 By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Verse 45 of Psalm 18 continues to say that the "strange children" who "waxed old" "fell away from their paths through lameness."

These strange children left the path of salvation due to the lameness of their walk. Isn't that a very graphic description of Paul's heart cry for his people in Romans 9? And when the writer to the Hebrews quoted God in Hebrews 3:10?


Hebrews 3:10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' [Psalm 95:10]

His remedy is found later in chapter 12:13.

Hebrews 12:13 "Make level paths for your feet," {13 Prov. 4:26} so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

This is very similar language to that found in the Septuagint version of Psalm 18:45.

Practical Application

Why should I care if there are two different groups of people in Psalm 18:43-45? I should care for two reasons.

1) I should care because if in fact there are two groups mentioned in these verses, the same two groups we find in actual history as the Old Testament gave way and played out into the New, then I can rejoice before God that an ancient prophecy proved true.

2) I should care because these are the same two groups mentioned throughout scripture: the believers and the non-believers. And among the professed believers there are also two groups mentioned throughout scripture: those who believe in their hearts and therefore obey in their actions, and those who give lip service only without heart belief and without obedience.

The only group of the above who will spend an eternity with God and Christ in heaven are those who both confess with their lips and believe in their hearts. The evidence of heart belief is outward, behavioral obedience.

I want to make sure that I am being honest with myself before God, so that in truth my conscience will not condemn me on that Great Day of final judgment. I still have time now to repent and be healed before the God of mercy if in fact I find myself to be a hypocrite. Later will be too late.

The Bible is very clear that God is not fooled. Yet the Bible is also clear that He receives all who come to Him with a truly repentant heart.

Therefore, I can take a passage such as Psalm 18:43-45 prayerfully to my heart and ask God to search me and try me and show me if there be any wicked way in me. Today, if I hear His voice, I want a soft heart able to respond to Him.


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Christmas Is All About Relationship

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image,"...After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

 Defiance against God...separation...death.

And then came Christmas! Christmas is all about establishing a new relationship with God.

In the Christmas account recorded in Luke 1:26-38, we see God Almighty in relationship with a humble maiden named Mary.

In Matthew's account, Matthew 1:18-24, we see God in relationship with Joseph, her honest and good husband-to-be.

In Luke 2:1-20, God includes some lowly shepherds among His inner circle, as He announces the birth of His Son through His messengers, the angels.

In Matthew 2:1-12, God includes foreigners, non-Israelites, among those with whom He wants to share the great Advent of His one and only Beloved Son.

[Please see the complete text of all these accounts below.]

What do all the above accounts from God's word show? That God wants relationship with those whom He created in His own image.

Psalm 19 displays the two main ways that God reveals Himself to mankind--1) through His natural creation, the world; and 2) through His Word, the Bible.

 Psalm 19:1 For the director of music. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

 Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

 Proverbs 8:1-5 tell us that God calls out to all mankind and offers a relationship with Himself to all who will listen and call upon His name.

 Proverbs 8:1 Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? 2 On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 3 beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: 4 "To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. 5 You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. 

Whom does God choose to bring into relationship with Himself? All who are humble--the woman at the well, who had been married five times and whom Jesus found living with a man not her husband (John 4:7-26); those with great debt who cannot possibly pay it themselves (Luke 7:36-50); sinners--those who have totally blown it time and time again (Matthew 9:13); and the outcasts, those whom our society despises (Matthew 11:19).

Whom does God despise? The proud in heart. These He rejects completely.

Psalm 138:6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.

Why would the Creator God of the entire universe choose to give Himself in relationship with the humble, and yet reject the proud, the self-capable, and self reliant? One look at Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son, hanging naked and despised upon a wooden cross, will answer that question. As God is by His own nature, so He gives.

Isaiah 53:2b-3 describes the nature of God in very human terms--

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

From the very beginning God has always desired to be in relationship with His people. This is the story of Christmas. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ in your heart, or even if you have, why not take the time to draw near to Him this lovely Christmas time of year?

My Christmas wish for all of us is this: if you have a Bible, read it every day! If you don't have one, get one, and read it every day! Psalms and Proverbs is a great place to start, as these two books tell us plainly again and again what God is like and what He expects of people. They extend an open invitation to all to get into relationship with God.

And in the New Testament, in Jesus' own words--

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The Christmas account in scripture:

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

auntpreble_blog@yahoo.com

Warfare -- Psalm 94:16-17

Psalm 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? 17 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

There are times when wickedness comes close to us; it does not remain far away. Perhaps a club, a professional group, a church, a political organization, a nation, or just a small group of coffee clatchers-- comes to be dominated by those who wander from the precepts of justice, righteousness, and mercy that characterize the God we know and love.

Should we remain silent and go with the flow? Or should we speak up?

Psalm 94:17 characterizes silence as being equivalent to death. When we die and our remains are laid to rest, we are silent. We are dead. When we remain silent in the face of evil, are we not in like manner as good as dead?

Our God is a God of war. The history of Israel is very nearly one long chronicle of battle after battle in which the Lord supported the faithful troops of His people. The angels of heaven are warriors. Daniel and Revelation speak of ferocious battles in which Michael and other angels fought against Satan and won. Ephesians 6 speaks of battles against the rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. Are all these battles spiritual, or as Christians, are we meant to actually take a stand on current issues, open our mouths, and fight?

The psalmist in today's verses was abandoned, left alone. Who was there to fight for him and help him? The Lord Himself came to the psalmist's aid--otherwise the psalmist would have died.

It is a great and marvelous experience to be helped directly from the hand of the Lord Himself. Nothing can compare with it. But on a lesser scale, have you ever been helped by people? Has the Lord ever helped you by sending people who will fight for you and speak up for you and take a stand on your behalf? Have you ever been falsely accused, and perhaps a friend or coworker who knew the circumstances spoke up for you?

There are times when we are the potential friend, the coworker, the potential witness against false accusation and wrongdoing. There are times when the Lord wants to send us to give His help to the downtrodden!

Do I remain silent and shrink back, such as the unfaithful, unsaved Israelites in the wilderness whom God did not allow to enter His rest? Or do I fear God above my natural and reasonable fear of man? Whom do I obey when given an opportunity to speak on behalf of the innocent against the unrighteous oppressor? Do I obey God who has given me gifts and equips me for battle? Or do I obey my fear of those who perhaps speak better than I, think better than I, have more social graces than myself, stronger personalities and a greater following?

There are always so many opportunities for us as Christians to speak out God's truth to an unbelieving world. There is so much oppression and shedding of innocent blood (abortion), so much that is wrong in the world.

But sometimes the wrongdoing comes close to home, and the opportunity knocks on our very doorsteps--in the office, in the professional association, in the neighboring community right down the street.

God's word challenges me as a Christian to don my battle gear and fight the good fight for what I believe in His name to be right. If I remain silent when the battle trumpet sounds, Psalm 94 tells me that I am as one who is dead. But the rest of Psalm 94 tells me that God is on the side of the righteous. God defends the innocent. And He is the great judge and final arbiter of all that is wrong in the world. I just pray that I am standing with the righteous and not with the wicked on that final great day.

Psalm 94:22 But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. 23 He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them.

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Oh Father, So often I am so very weak and I tire and become weary so soon. Forgive me, Lord, for catering to my own comfort and "fun" when I should be more devoted to You and to Your causes. It is so easy, Lord, for me to remain in my nice, sheltered home and to hold at arm's length the cries of the oppressed. Or, Lord, when I do fight, and the war is not quickly won, my great enemy depression lurks always at the door, ready to enter and incapacitate me from all Your work.

Help, Oh gracious, merciful Father those who need Your help. Prove Yourself, Lord, to be the mighty warrior that You are, and may all the victories that You give bring glory to Your name. 

I ask these things in my Savior's name, He who is the greatest warrior the human race has ever known, whose final and accomplished victory brings joy, peace, and strength in even the most trying of difficult circumstances. I give You thanks, Father, for our great Savior Jesus Christ. All distresses seem small in the shadow of His one, great triumph over sin and death. Thank You, Father, for the joy that thinking of my Savior on His throne brings. In His name, Amen.