Faithful Justice

Faithful Justice

Psalm 55

A “Miskal” is a song meant to convey a lesson.

Main Idea: Justice belongs to the Lord as our sustainer, protector, and provider.

I. A Fearful Plea (55:1-8)

David calls out to the Lord repeatedly in his life, 9 times chronicled in 1st & 2nd Samuel (1 Samuel 23:1-3, 23:4-5, 23:10-11, 23:12-14, 30:8-9, 2 Samuel 2:1-2, 5:17-21, 5:22-25,  21:1)

II. A Furious Response (55:9-15)

David begins to express anger toward the situation by offering his ideas for how to deal with it. He is being personally attacked, and his first instinct is to fight back.

“As so often, David the anointed king is a type of Jesus the Messiah. What David experienced is fulfilled in Jesus. When Jesus sang this psalm, he did so with an intensity of feeling we can scarcely imagine.”

~ Christopher Ash, The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary

Jesus lived with all of these same burdens, and he desires to see justice served.

III. A Faithful Hope (55:16-23)

David lived a life of violence, but acted against his type to "call to God.” He has learned that this fight was not his fight, and he will fight through prayer.

We have an innate desire to respond to injustice, and the proper response is to call upon the Lord and place our trust in His eternal wisdom and character. 

Jesus prayed a similar prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus and David both trusted in the Lord that He would keep His promise.

Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.

David's lesson in this song:

  1. God will sustain you in your time of need

  2. God can and will carry your burden if you will trust Him. He is always protecting you, guiding you, and saving you.

  3. The Lord is able to provide for our needs:

  • In His omnipotence, He knows what we need, when we need it.

  • In His all-abiding presence, He is able to meet you where you are

  • In His kindness, He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him

We can cast our cares on Him because he cares for us and will sustain us through our trials. We can know that He is in control, we can live in the truth that He is Just and has put an end to the power of sin and death, so we are safe in His protection. He invites us to trust Him, to see that He is good, and that He will provide for us in our greatest need.

John 16:33: “In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

We will suffer. We will experience emotional pain. We will be betrayed. We will be desperate and alone. But you are all invited to cast your burden on the Lord. Your troubles are not yours to carry. Jesus came to bear that burden and offer us a better way to live.

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