Of David
27 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?
2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
9 Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
This Psalm is considered a lament by many commentators, however it contains a strong undercurrent of confidence. The introductory verse “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?” sets the tone for the entire Psalm. Once the world is viewed through the lens of the Lordship of Yahweh, all fears and dreads melt away.
We also find in this Psalm the description of a foremost desire of ‘dwelling in the house of the LORD all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the LORD. And to meditate in His temple’ (v.4 NASB). The singer here challenges us today: what is our foremost desire? Is our chief desire to glorify God and enjoy Him forever? Or is it to pursue some other end, seeking the joy that only the LORD can provide in some worldly pursuits? Even in some God-given good things that we have elevated to become ultimate things? Things like family, work, food or other pleasures? Where is our foremost desire?
The Psalmist continues to describe why he has placed his foremost desire in the LORD. He acknowledges that all other things will fail him, even his parents will fail him! (v.10). But not Yahweh. The LORD will be with him to the end of the age. We find in Romans 8 a similar promise:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So the Psalm ends with a prescription: to Wait. Wait for the LORD; Yes, wait for Yahweh. Later on, Psalm 37 repeats this command: “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.” (v.7). We are commanded to wait, but we are not commanded to wait in angst or discomfort. We are commanded to Rest! And so make our chief desire to dwell with Yahweh, in His house, where He resides. It is there, and there alone, that we will find satisfaction.