Insights From Psalm 27

Psalm 27

This Psalm was both the first Psalm and the first full chapter of the Bible I memorized, many years ago.  Psalm 27 is filled with so many good verses, packed with so much comfort and blessings.  Throughout this Psalm, King David tells of the Lord’s protection.  Life in the 21st century has become fearful to so many people, with terrorist attacks, crime in neighborhoods that were once safe, and all sorts of activity to cause fear.

Such fear is nothing new.  For many years David lived in fear of his life at the hands of King Saul.  He was constantly kept on the run for fear of being killed.  Rather than allowing fear to paralyze him, David put his faith and trust in God.  Psalm 27 is one of many that he wrote, explaining how God had, and would continue to protect him, so he need never fear.

There are three verses I would like to highlight.  The first is verse 4.  Here we read that a big wish of King David’s was to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.  He didn’t wish that his throne would be kept free from his enemies, for more territory to rule, or millions of dollars.  He wants more of God.  David is not content to seek after God once a week for a few hours.  He wants to be with God all the time, to live with Him, not just an occasional visit.  Can we say that about ourselves?  Is God only a part of our life an hour or so Sunday mornings, maybe a few minutes of Bible every few days?  David wanted to move right in with Him.

Verse 10 has always had a special significance to me.  There are so many people who have had violent and/or abusive childhoods.  They grew up without the love and care that one’s parents should give their child.  They had only fear and pain, or maybe only put-downs and ridicule.  I don’t think this verse would only apply to parents.  I think it could also mean anyone where a close relationship exists that should have trust and love, such as a husband or wife, or a close friend.  If they turn their back on you and betray you, abuse you, or forsake you, it can be a deep and devastating blow.  The wounds and pain of a parent/spouse/child betrayal can last years, even a lifetime.

We don’t know much about King David’s childhood.  There is one brief mention of Jesse, his father, in I Samuel 16, when the prophet Samuel comes to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king.  Jesse leaves David in the fields tending the sheep, thinking that he’s a no-account, not worth being there, and doesn’t allow him to come until Samuel insists.  That hints at a possible lack of a good, loving relationship.  The fact that David penned verse 10 shows that there may have been wounds from his parents that ran deep.  David did not wallow in them.  He turned to the Lord and allowed Him to lift him up.  When parents or a spouse have hurt and betrayed us, let the Lord God pick us up.

Finally, there is verse 14, and King David’s admonition to “wait on the Lord”.  That has been one of the hardest things for me to learn to do.  Like many people today, I want everything now, right away, including from God.  What do we want immediately?  A job, healing, a house, a baby, salvation of a loved one, any number of things we pray for.  But it has to be now or we get impatient, sometimes even lose faith.  God’s timing usually isn’t ours, but it is always perfect, and He is never too late.  David waited quite a few years before he finally ascended the throne that God had promised him.  We need to wait on the Lord, and never run ahead of Him.  Doing that can bring bad results.  Wait on the Lord.

I hope that your reading of Psalm 27, possibly several times over, will show why this is such a beloved Psalm by many.