12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law, – Disciplined to learn God’s Law. What a basis for living.
13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked. – In this world rest doesn’t mean ‘no work’, rather it means having peace in the middle of troublesome times – the peace which God alone can give!.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage; – Praise God!
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers? -This reminds me of Isaiah 6:8 when God from His throne asks, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” God has asked a question again. ‘Lord, Please help me to stand against wickedness,’ I pray.
17 If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul. – Pause a moment! Think! It’s my experience for which I Praise God. Is this your experience?
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame injustice by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death. – This is the world in which we live! We swim against the tide of popular behaviour, and it’s not always easy! BUT – worthwhile!
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the LORD our God will wipe them out. – The concept of God doing what He says He will with sinners who don’t repent is unpopular. But He has said it so many times and here again!
Proverbs 28: 12-13 – When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Prayer: Help me to remember that You require me to do justice, and to love kindness. Please help me to walk humbly with You, my God.