Taking Refuge
Psalms 17
November 4, 2018
Many times in our studies of these Psalms we’ve talked about
The reality of taking refuge in God.
Psalms 2:12 “Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Psalms 5:11 “But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.”
Psalms 7:1 “O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,”
Psalms 11:1 “In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;”
Psalms 14:6 “You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, But the LORD is his refuge.”
Psalms 16:1 “Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.”
It’s clearly a common mindset of David as he writes the Psalms.
And as we have looked at it, we have often drawn the parallel
To the New Testament term “In Him”.
We, as believers in Jesus, are those who are “in Christ Jesus”
• He is our refuge, He is our hiding place, He is our strong tower.
• We are saved from the wrath of God in Him.
• We are clothed in His righteousness.
• He is that rock of ages and we hide ourselves in Him.
And so clearly the term “refuge” is an important term for us.
That term is made even richer in our Psalm tonight,
As we glean a significant theological statement here.
(7) “Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand, From those who rise up against them.”
I’ve told you before that it is a wonderful practice
To read the Psalms and write down something new you learn about God.
We read the Psalms looking for who God is.
It’s not just a theological truth we seek,
But in reality we are seeking the very face of God.
Who is He?
And Psalms 17 makes one of the most definitive
And beautiful statements that we have seen yet.
That God is the “Savior of those who take refuge at [His] right hand.”
We see in verse 17 that familiar word “lovingkindness”
Which we recognize as CHECED or “loyalty”.
And we are again reminded of what David is talking about here.
• God is loyal to His elect.
• God is loyal to those whom He has chosen.
• God is loyal to those who take refuge in Christ, who is at His right hand.
• God is loyal to save them.
David even goes so far in verse 18 as to call those who take refuge in Him
• “the apple of the eye”
And those who are
• Hidden “in the shadow of Your wings”
Those statements bring to mind
Some very vivid and beautiful truths.
It is about Israel that we read:
Zechariah 2:8 “For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”
It is a picture of God’s great care for His elect.
• An enemy had sooner poke God in the eye as to attack His precious ones.
The term “shadow of Your wings” is also a rich term,
Used several times in the Psalms.
It is a picture of a mother eagle protecting her young.
Both phrases have their root in the song of Moses to the children of Israel
Deuteronomy 32:10-11 “He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.”
It just reminds of the tremendous reality of God as the Savior of those who take refuge in Him.
• He guards them
• He guides them
• He is loyal to them
• He saves them
This is the role of God for those who take refuge in Him.
And I think we can all agree yet again that
Taking refuge in God is a glorious and wonderful thing.
Refuge in God is a glorious position to be in.
But tonight in our Psalm I want to get A LITTLE MORE PRACTICAL
Than just to talk about how good it is to take refuge in Christ.
Tonight I want to show you
What it looks like when you do take refuge in Christ.
Or in other words: What taking refuge looks like.
It is important to understand that
There is a difference between knowing the value of taking refuge and actually taking refuge.
It’s like we have also said about faith.
There is a difference between a professing of faith and possessing faith.
There’s a difference between knowing the value of taking refuge,
And in actually taking refuge in the Lord.
So, while we understand the value of taking refuge in Christ,
Tonight I simply want to show you what it looks like when you do.
I want to give you the example of David.
• David didn’t just understand the value of taking refuge,
• David took refuge.
Tonight we get to look at his life and measure ours by his.
Make sense?
What we also find in this Psalm is
DAVID YET AGAIN IN A DIFFICULT PREDICAMENT.
Again, we don’t know the specifics, just the general dangers that he faces.
We already saw David’s request in verse 8, “Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings”
David knows he is the apple, David knows he is hidden.
The request is that God would keep him there.
WHY?
(9) “From the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me.”
The English word “despoil”
• Means “to plunder, or rob, or deprive.”
The Hebrew word here is SHADAD
• Which means “to violently destroy, ruin, or devastate”
• Most of the time in the Old Testament the word is translated as “destroy”.
I think that paints a pretty good picture of David’s predicament.
He is surrounded by those who want to violently destroy him.
(No wonder he wants to be kept as the apple of the eye
And to be hidden in the shadow of the wing)
David continues in his description of them in verse 10.
(10-12) “They have closed their unfeeling heart, With their mouth they speak proudly. They have now surrounded us in our steps; They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground. He is like a lion that is eager to tear, And as a young lion lurking in hiding places.”
Those are some pretty powerful descriptions given of this enemy.
David says “they have closed their unfeeling heart”
• Which indicates that there is no reasoning with them.
• There is no integrity or compassion to appeal to.
• Destroying you doesn’t prick their conscience or give them pause.
• They are callous and cold about it.
David says “with their mouth they speak proudly”
• This of course speaks to their arrogance, their boasting, and their confidence.
• They know they can destroy you, and won’t hesitate to do it.
Add to that the fact that David again mentions that they have surrounded him and that they “set their eyes to cast us down to the ground”
• Which is a picture of death.
And then to finish the picture David describes them as “a lion that is eager to tear, and as a young lion lurking in hiding places.”
So picture yourself in the wilds of Africa
Being hunted by a rogue male lion looking for food.
Are you going to come out of your hiding place and say, “Now wait just a minute Mr. Lion, I’ve got a wife and 4 kids and you just can’t eat me.”
He doesn’t care, he won’t hesitate, he’ll kill you without any remorse.
This is how David describes his current enemy.
So you understand why David feels such need to take refuge in the Lord.
I show you that at the beginning because
I want you to understand here that pretense at this moment
Won’t do David any good.
Knowing that God is a trustworthy refuge won’t help David here.
David’s only hope is to actually take refuge in the Lord.
If he can successfully do that, then he can survive the danger.
If he does not, he’s dead.
We all see that.
So Psalms 17 is labeled as “A Prayer of David”
• It is a very good picture of what it actually looks like when a person genuinely takes refuge in the Lord.
So now that you understand something of the purpose and the setting,
Let’s look at the Psalm.
And I want you to see 3 characteristics of a man who is taking refuge in Christ.
#1 HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HEART
Psalms 17:1-5
Now obviously we are going to focus in on the sincere heart part,
But don’t overlook also the reality that
Taking refuge in Christ includes crying out to Him.
David cries out to God.
(1-2) “Hear a just cause, O LORD, give heed to my cry; Give ear to my prayer, which is not from deceitful lips. Let my judgment come forth from Your presence; Let Your eyes look with equity.”
When you sort of zoom out and look at those 2 verses
You can see The Courtroom Analogy emerge.
• David appeals to the LORD as though He were a righteous and uncompromising Judge,
• And David is appealing to Him to take his case.
• He is not seeking to waste the Judge’s time with frivolities and things of a trivial nature.
• Nor is he seeking to stand before this Judge and try to pull the wool over His eyes.
David comes to Him with “a just cause”
This is precisely the type of case that this Judge should hear.
And so David says, “give heed to my cry”
• Not just my prayer, but my “cry”.
• There is a desperation there.
It brings to mind that afflicted widow
Who kept coming back to the unrighteous judge wanting legal protection.
She had a valid case and he was her only hope.
That is how David comes here.
And when he comes, ALL HE WANTS IS JUSTICE.
“Let Your eyes look with equity.”
• He’s not asking for favoritism.
• He’s not asking for tilted scales.
• He just wants the righteous Judge to make a righteous ruling.
Now, at this point, we state the obvious.
• If you’re going to approach a righteous Judge
• And if you’re going to ask him to make a righteous judgment,
• Then you had better make sure that you are in the right.
Only a fool would come in deception…
Only a fool would come seeking to hide iniquity…
And that is why David then states his credentials.
(3) “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.”
Now don’t misunderstand David there.
He’s not making a claim to absolute sinlessness in his life.
What David is saying is that he is totally upright in this matter.
IT’S LIKE WHEN WE DEAL WITH OUR KIDS.
(I realize my kids are the only ones who fight)
Zech may come running into the room in tears saying,
“Zek just hit me for no good reason.”
That would be the claim.
• It is Zech saying, “I want a just ruling from a just judge.”
• He is also saying, “I am totally innocent here, and I want you to deal with it.”
Well, if you’re gonna enter that courtroom and make that claim,
Then there had in fact better be “no good reason”.
Because when we cross-examine Zek we’re going to find out,
And if you brought it on yourself
Then might I remind you that YOU CAME ASKING FOR JUSTICE.
Well David here comes before God and basically says that
“His enemies have no good reason”
He’s not saying he is always perfect or innocent, but he is in this matter.
And then he opens his life to the cross-examination and scrutiny of God.
“You have tried my heart;”
• Which speaks of all the motives and internal desires.
“You have visited me by night”
• Which is to say you’ve seen me when I was alone and accountable to no one
“You have tested me”
• Saying that God had in effect cross-examined and investigated the situation.
And what is the answer?
“You find nothing”
I am innocent in this matter.
“I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress”
That is how David comes.
Furthermore, he reminds this upright Judge
That it has always been his deepest intent
To follow the rules of this Judge,
Despite the temptations around him.
(4-5) “As for the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept from the paths of the violent. My steps have held fast to Your paths. My feet have not slipped.”
Judge, you know me.
• You know how often I go against the flow to do things your way.
• You know my track record.
• You know my innocence in this regard.
Now, in light of David’s danger.
And in desperate need of God’s refuge.
THIS IS HOW DAVID APPROACHES THE LORD.
HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HEART
Taking Refuge in the Lord for David meant
Continually living in a manner that pleased the One
He was counting on for deliverance.
We know David counted the LORD to be his refuge,
Because in all of David’s daily dealings and decisions
David was aware that he must not offend the God he trusted.
Does that make sense?
• If I’m claiming to take refuge in Christ, but I’m living in a way that is offensive to Christ, am I really taking refuge in Him?
• If I count the righteous Judge to be my deliverance, but I don’t walk in righteousness, can it really be said that I am trusting in that judge?
It would be foolish
To walk in sin and then approach a righteous judge for an upright ruling.
If I’m leaning on the righteous Judge for my deliverance,
Then at the very least, I should be living in a manner
So as to be able to appeal to that Judge for deliverance.
And so that is our first measuring stick.
• Can I claim to be taking refuge in Christ, if I’m living in a manner that is offensive to Christ?
Can I say with David, “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing;”?
Want me to give you AN EXAMPLE
Of people who cry to the Lord without sincerity of heart?
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
Or how about:
Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
Or:
Luke 13:24-29 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘ I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”
Do you see the problem there?
They claim the Lord as their refuge,
But their claim is proven insincere by the sinfulness of their lives.
(They weren’t really counting on Him as a refuge,
If they had been, they would have obeyed His commands)
People who really take refuge in the Lord, cry to Him with a sincere heart.
#2 HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HOPE
Psalms 17:6-12
We already looked at the last few verses of this section as we chronicled David’s current dangerous predicament.
But what I want you to see here are those first few verses
Where David reveals what a trustworthy refuge that he believes God to be.
Here we read why David chooses to appeal to God and God alone.
The first reason is found in verse 6
(6) “I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God; Incline Your heart to me, hear my speech.”
Why does David cry out to God?
Because God “will answer”
David believes God to be a sure and steady hope.
David believes God to be a reliable refuge.
If a lion is hunting you, you aren’t just looking for a patch of grass to lay down in. That’s not a reliable refuge.
You want something that will work.
• Give me a tree to climb
• Give me a cave to hide in
• Give me a thicket to stay in
POINT BEING, you really know what a person thinks about their refuge when the danger is really present.
People may make claims all the time
About how much they trust God until the going gets tough
And then we find out whether or not we are really taking refuge in Him.
DAVID REALLY BELIEVED GOD WAS A RELIABLE REFUGE.
Again I remind you what David believed about God.
(7-8) “Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand From those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings”
We see those continual themes.
• God is loyal, David speaks of “Your lovingkindness”
• God is a “Savior” a qualified deliverer of His people
• God can “Keep me” in danger
• God can “Hide me” when trouble comes
If you ask David, “Do you really think God is a trustworthy refuge?”
David would say, “Yes”
How do we know David believes that?
Because when his life is in danger, that’s where he goes.
David’s hope in God was a sincere one.
David really trusted God.
And there is the second truth by which we measure our lives.
Where do I run when trials come?
• Where do I run when danger abounds?
• Where do I run when the situation is spiraling?
THE ANSWER IS: You will run to your refuge.
And that is why we can ask
Do you really take refuge in the Lord?
Again, it’s one thing to say we know that Christ is a refuge,
It’s another thing to actually take refuge in Him.
We are talking about having A SINCERE HOPE (a genuine faith)
This was one of the main points of the writer of Hebrews
To those he confronted.
They were in danger, they were in persecution, they were in turmoil, and they contemplated forsaking Christ and returning to Judaism.
To them he wrote:
Hebrews 10:36-39 “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”
He reminded them that they should not leave their refuge for another.
And then he gave the faith chapter with example after example
Of people who also had a sincere hope.
Christ was their refuge and they proved that in times of trouble.
WE MEASURE OUR LIVES BY THAT.
• Do I have A SINCERE HEART when I cry out to Christ?
• Do I have A SINCERE HOPE that Christ is in fact a reliable refuge?
#3 HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HUNGER
Psalms 17:13-15
Here we find David crying to God with YET ANOTHER REQUEST.
“Arise, O LORD, confront him, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked with your sword,”
And that’s NOT a peculiar statement to us at all.
• Since David is really taking refuge in God,
• And God is really his source of protection
• That request makes perfect sense.
• God, I’m counting on You to win this battle for me.
• You have to go out and face that lion and kill him.
• You have the sword, You need to work the deliverance.
But there is more here that becomes very telling for us.
• We already saw a general description of the danger of the wicked up in verses 9-12.
• We already know how lethal they are.
What we DON’T KNOW is the type of wickedness they possess.
Who are these people?
• Satan worshipers?
• Pedophiles?
• Al Queida?
Who are they?
(14-15) “From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”
I’m betting you didn’t see that one coming.
Do you see who these wicked are that David wants refuge from?
• They are “men of the world”
What do you mean by that David?
They are men “whose portion is in this life”
• Which is to say they have no care for eternal things.
• It’s all about how much of this world can they get.
They are men “whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes.”
WAIT! WHAT?
David’s enemy are simply people who love the world
And use God as a means of obtaining more of it?
YES
And David even allows that God seems to go along with their plan.
• All they want is worldly wealth,
• That’s all they ask for,
• That’s all they seek,
• And God even goes along with that desire for a while.
They just want to get rich, they want to enjoy a life of comfort,
And they want a leave a big inheritance to their children.
David calls them “men of the world” (a.k.a. “the wicked”)
Of these men, Spurgeon wrote:
“Their sensual appetite gets the gain which it craved for. God gives to these swine the husks which they hunger for. A generous man does not deny dogs their bones; and our generous God gives even his enemies enough to fill them, if they were not so unreasonable as never to be content. Gold and silver which are locked up in the dark treasuries of the earth are given to the wicked liberally, and they therefore roll in all manner of carnal delights. Every dog has his day, and they have theirs, and a bright summer’s day it seems; but ah! How soon it ends in night! “They are full of children.” This was their fondest hope, that a race from their loins would prolong their names far down the page of history, and God has granted them this also; so that they have all that heart can wish. What enviable creatures they seem, but is only seeming! “They are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.’ They were fat housekeepers, and yet have no lean wills. Living and dying they lacked for nothing but grace, and alas! That lack spoils everything. They had a fair portion with the little circle of time, but eternity entered not into their calculations. They were penny wise, but pound foolish; they remembered the present, and forgot the future; they fought for the shell, and lost the kernel. How fine a description have we here of many a successful merchant, or popular statesman; and it is, at first sight, a very showy tempting, but in contrast with the glories of the world to come, what are these paltry molehill joys. Self, self, self, all these joys begin and end in basest selfishness; but ho, our God, how rich are those who begin and end in thee! From all the contamination and injury which association with worldly men is sure to bring us, deliver thou us, O God!”
(Spurgeon, C.H. [“The Treasury Of David – Volume 1” Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA] pg. 220-221)
I think if David had elaborated, that is probably how he would have said it too.
These are the wicked, these men of the world,
Who love the world and hoard the world.
And these are the threat that David seeks to be delivered from.
And all of a sudden we see David’s danger in a whole new light.
These aren’t people threatening to kill David’s body,
These are people threatening to tempt his soul into spiritual death.
These are the Jones’s that everyone seems to be trying to keep up with,
And David knows that there is nothing but death in their path.
He is here running to his refuge
For deliverance from such a dangerous temptation.
That is why he makes this wonderful confession at the end of the Psalm.
(15) “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”
God, all I want is You and righteousness.
• God, I don’t want their worldly riches…
• God, I don’t want their worldly fame…
• God, I don’t want to be trapped and ensnared by their lusts…
• I am coming to You, my refuge, asking for deliverance from their temptations and honestly confessing that all I want is You.
THAT IS WHAT WE CALL A SINCERE HUNGER.
David hungers and thirsts for righteousness, which is found in His refuge.
Does that make things even clearer now?
IT IS ANOTHER MEASURING STICK FOR US.
In Christ, our refuge, we are clothed in His righteousness.
But can I really claim to be taking refuge in Christ,
If the world and not righteousness is really my aim?
Let me take you to a New Testament passage that fits this Psalm to a “T”
(We read it this morning)
TURN TO: PHILIPPIANS 3:17-21
Hopefully you recognize Philippians 3 as that passage from Paul about how he lost all things and considered them rubbish so that he could gain Christ and be found in Him.
That was Paul speaking of the day that he entered Christ, his refuge.
• He had a sincere heart
• He had a sincere hope
• He had a sincere hunger
He only genuinely wanted Christ and Christ’s righteousness
And he believed that Christ and Christ alone could supply it.
Now look at the end of that chapter,
When Paul stops his testimony and starts his sermon.
(17) “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”
This is Paul saying, “Take refuge in Christ like I take refuge in Christ.”
Why?
• Because there are many who say they take refuge, but they don’t.
• They do not have a sincere hunger for Christ’s righteousness.
They are actually men of the world.
(READ 18-19)
• Does that not sound like those men that David spoke of in Psalms 17?
• And Paul calls them enemies of the cross.
• All they want is to satisfy their fleshly lusts.
• Paul says “their god is their appetite”
• David said, “whose belly You fill with Your treasure.”
AND THEN THE REMINDER.
(READ 20-21)
We aren’t looking for this world, we are looking for the next.
Take refuge in Christ!
And that is the point of Psalms 17 as well.
We all understand the necessity of taking refuge in Christ.
THE QUESTION IS: Are we taking refuge in Christ?
And to find out we ask ourselves 3 questions
That we learned from listening to David’s prayer.
Do I have a sincere heart?
• Do I just call Him Lord, or do I obey Him too?
Do I have a sincere hope?
• Do I really believe He is a reliable refuge, and do I prove that by running to Him in danger instead of other safeties?
Do I have a sincere hunger?
• Do I really want Him, or do I just seek to use Him to gain more of the world?
Being in Christ is the most valuable thing we can hold.
David here helps us to see whether or not
We are actually taking refuge in Him.
