A Song for the Battle Weary

A Song for the Battle Weary

Psalm 92

Main Idea: Our faith is energized by remembering God’s Word and his work on our behalf.

God’s Word always addresses people. It’s always personal, and it always speaks to real need. And there’s always help.

One of many questions I encourage you to ask before you’ve finished studying a passage is, God, who are you reaching for in this passage? What state of heart are you addressing here? For example, in this passage I find application for at least three kinds of people.

The Joyless

Some tend to think God’s grace is like your cell phone battery. It seemed to last longer in the early days, but now you feel like every time you turn around it’s about to die. You have to keep it powered up, and you power it up by doing your spiritual chores on time, but it’s feeling like drudgery—just piles of rules.

The Foolish

Some are running after sin, coddling it, believing an unbroken series of good times and good feelings, as defined by this world, is the path to life and happiness. This psalm speaks to you as well.

The Hopeless

Some believers are so constantly under attack that they struggle to see any fruit. God’s promises seem to apply to others but not to them.

You might think, What does “remembering” have to do with my stepping toward joy and wisdom and hope? Everything. The Christian life is fueled by remembrance. Our passage shows this to us from a few different angles.

Remember the Rescue of Grace

Psalm 92:1-5

The word remember doesn’t actually occur in Psalm 92, but one of the reasons this word can act as a bonding agent, holding various themes together, is because of the superscription: “A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.”

God established holy days. They were reminders. Passover was a reminder. The Festival of Shelters was a reminder. And Sabbath was a regular, weekly reminder. This psalm was written for this occasion. It is a song best sung on the day God’s people are remembering his work on their behalf. The accent in these opening verses is not this believer’s sacrifices for God. It’s not a song about the believer’s work, labor, and love. It’s pointing to God: “your faithful love . . . you have made me rejoice . . . what you have done . . . your hands . . . your works . . . your thoughts.” There’s a pronounced emphasis throughout this chapter on God and his saving grace. This fits with what we know about the Sabbath.

God established the Sabbath pattern in creation. In Genesis 2 he made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. When we come to Exodus 12, God’s people have not been resting—they’ve been slaves in Egypt. But God tells Moses that’s all about to change. God has one more act of judgment to bring down on the pride of Egypt, and then his people will be free to leave Egypt and head toward the promised land to rest in God’s provision for them. He rescued them from slavery, and Sabbath was instituted to keep them from forgetting what God had done. Moses instructed the people to

“remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” (Deut 5:15)

And in Exodus 31 the Lord tells Moses exactly what he should think about the Sabbath.

And the Lord said to Moses, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.’” (Exod 31:12-13 ESV; emphasis added)

I, the Lord, sanctify you. I rescued you. The exodus wasn’t a cooperative effort where God did 50 percent and the people did the other 50 percent. This is symbolized in the way they were to celebrate the Sabbath. Put down all the tools of labor. Don’t do anything that even looks like work on the Sabbath. Why? So that you remember what it looked like when I saved you. You had no power against Egypt. You had no weapons to stand up to your oppressors. You were, to borrow a phrase from Jesus in the gospels, “weary and burdened” (Matt 11:28), and I gave you rest.

As a Christian, when you think of things that light you up the most about the Christian faith, what comes to mind—the things you’re currently doing or the things Jesus has done? Friend, the Christian gospel isn’t fundamentally an exhortation. It is a report of what God has done to rescue sinners.

Let me try to illustrate this from marriage. Imagine a husband married to a woman who is absolutely radiant inside and out. Now imagine that husband works at the office with men and women who have never seen his beautiful wife. All he tells them are stories of his devotion to his wife. He trots out the poems he’s written for her. He brings his guitar to the break room and plays the song he’s been working on, which covers the turning points in their ten years of marriage. All his coworkers are amazed at the devotion and sacrifices of this husband. Then, let’s imagine, one day his wife drops by the office to bring him a box lunch from his favorite restaurant, and there she is. Immediately she strikes them as the absolute epitome of grace, elegance, and beauty. Suddenly the husband’s sacrificial devotion isn’t the best explanation for all that he’s been doing these past ten years. She is!

You see the difference? Christian faith is not primarily devotion driven or discipline driven. No, it’s beauty driven.

Where do we see this in the Bible? We catch up to a man in Matthew 13 and see him selling everything he has, and then he goes and buys a field with treasure in it. He sold all that he had; can you believe that? That’s not the point though. We’re not supposed to think, Wow, what amazing sacrifice! I wish I could be that unselfish, that detached from the blessings I have. No, we’re supposed to see the treasure in the field he just bought and say, “Of course he sold everything! He’s found greater treasure!”

The story of the prodigal son is in Luke 15. He squanders all of his inheritance and finds himself friendless, covered in mud, and eating with pigs. What thought led him home? It was the thought of the generosity of his father. Yet, he even underestimated that. He thought his dad might be gracious enough to let him work as a hired hand. Of course, what happened was the father saw his penitent son from a distance and tore off toward him. He hugged him and kissed him and started snapping orders. I need a ring, some shoes, a barbeque pit, and a DJ, stat! My son who I thought was dead is alive!

Don’t domesticate God’s grace. It is so much better than we realize. Look at how Psalm 92 describes the believer. Clearly this person has encountered good news: He’s giving thanks and singing (v. 1). He’s declaring God’s faithfulness morning and night (v. 2). He’s grabbing instruments (v. 3). He’s rejoicing and shouting for joy (v. 4). He’s talking about the greatness of God’s works and thoughts (v. 5). There’s an overflow of joy in the love and grace of God.

Our joy as believers runs deeper than circumstances. It doesn’t depend on happy events or emotional highs. Ours is a joy that drinks deeply from the fountain of the gospel—the perfect work of God on our behalf.

Remember the Way of Wisdom

Psalm 92:6-9

This psalm moves from a vision of how the past shapes present faith to how the present informs the future. The Psalms, in particular, sometimes go about this in a positive way, pointing out the blessings that await the believer in the future. However, at times they come at it from the warning angle. Wisdom sayings in the Bible often distinguish between the way things appear now and the way things finally turn out in the end. For example, Proverbs says, “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death” (Prov 14:12). Further, in Proverbs the writer uses stories to bring this message across—for instance, a seductress who calls out to a naïve young man. Lacking understanding, he sees and follows her (thinking this is going to be a great experience), but the evening doesn’t turn out as he expected, for “her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits. None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life” (Prov 2:18-19).

Similarly here, the psalmist is saying, things aren’t what they seem. It may look like the wicked sprout like grass (v. 7), and it may look like they are flourishing, but this psalm urges us: don’t ever forget that sin destroys.

Christian friend, sin deceives and destroys. When we coddle it, rather than turn from it, it dulls our senses. Secret sin in our lives is promising exciting life, but is actually killing us. If you’re married, secret sexual sin is ruining your marriage. You might say, “But she doesn’t know.” It is already doing its damage, even now.

This is why repentance is to be a way of life. Christians are always fighting against sin, walking toward light, confessing, and turning away from sin. Turn to the wisdom of God’s Word. Confess your sin to him. Invite others to keep you accountable and help you move toward freedom.

This psalm rejoices in grace. It’s a Sabbath psalm! However, it is not without warning. Verses 6-9 warn the believer, not convert the pagan. The pagans weren’t reading this. The primary purpose is similar to what Asaph did for the readers of Psalm 73: “But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray. For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (vv. 2-3). He speaks honestly about this struggle, then expresses his frustration: “Look at them—the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth. Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?” (vv. 12-13). If you stop here, you’re left wondering if he is about to forsake the faith. But notice what turns him back toward God. “When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless until I entered God’s sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny” (vv. 16-17). Then he says in verse 19, “How suddenly they become a desolation!”

Wisdom literature in the Bible is constantly saying, “Things aren’t always what they seem.” Sometimes God haters look like they’re flourishing, but it doesn’t end well. Sometimes the righteous look like they’re withering, but check them out later as they approach the end. That’s where the psalmist looks next. The endnote of this psalm is not gloomy. In fact, this is a powerful song of assurance. Despite its implicit warning about the way of the fool, it speaks of the future of the believer with total confidence.

Remember the Hope of the Gospel

Psalm 92:10-15

One of my favorite hymns is a lesser known lyric by Augustus Toplady. It’s about assurance.

The work which Your goodness began, The arm of Your strength will complete;

Your promise is Yes and Amen, And never was forfeited yet.

The future or things that are now, No power below or above,

Can make You Your purpose forego, Or sever my soul from Your love.

It finishes this way:

Yes! I to the end will endure, As sure as the promise is given;

More happy, but not more secure, The glorified spirits in heaven. (Toplady, “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”; emphasis added)

What God’s grace begins, God’s faithfulness completes. Psalm 92 is a sort of Old Testament preview of what Paul says in the New Testament: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6). It’s a promise of future flourishing for the believer.

This psalm, if you will, fast-forwards through life. The one who was praising God in the opening verses is old in verses 12-15. This old man or woman is flourishing like a palm tree. She’s growing like a cedar in Lebanon. In other words, she’s strong in the faith! Early on she was planted in the house of the Lord, and she hasn’t withered. No, in fact she is flourishing in the courts of our God. Earlier it looked like the wicked were flourishing. It turns out they weren’t. And at various times in the life of the believer, it may have looked as though the righteous were not flourishing, but they were.

Look at her in verse 14, bearing fruit in old age; healthy and green, declaring that the Lord is just, he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him (v. 15). What a story she’s telling! This is the life of grace. This is what the gospel, working in our souls by God’s Spirit, produces.

How do we grow healthy and green? Psalm 92 tells us we look to God’s grace in the past to fuel perseverance in the present, toward the confident hope of flourishing in the future.

There are no imperatives in this passage. There’s no application to-do list. It is a Sabbath song through and through. It’s taken up not with evidences of our faithful love for God but his faithful love for us.

Christian, you’re not the author and the finisher of your faith. And it’s not that he’s the author and you’re the finisher. He’s the author and the finisher of your faith. Psalm 92 does a happy dance to that truth. This psalm describes the perseverance of the believer, but even more it highlights the preserving grace of God to keep us to the end. It’s a Sabbath song.

It’s a word to the joyless, the foolish, and the hopeless. It’s an invitation not to work but to believe, to remember, to rest in God’s work on our behalf!

Reflect and Discuss

1. How does a time of rest help us reflect on God’s work in our lives? Why is Sabbath not only important for our physical bodies but also for our faith?
2. What are some key moments in your life where you have seen God’s faithfulness, goodness, or love? How can you practically record and remember God’s work—events such as these—in your life?
3. Take a moment to name some one-word adjectives for God. How can you incorporate praise of God into the time you spend with him? How can you find joy and treasure in God for who he is?
4. How should we react, as followers of Christ, to the truth of sin’s destruction? Why should it drive us to repentance, humility, and mission?
5. When are we most likely to feel discouraged or hopeless while facing the future? What are the dangers of basing God’s truths in our lives on the circumstances surrounding us?
6. Similar to looking to the future for the ultimate outcome of sin, we sometimes have to look to the future of God’s people to find hope in the midst of the present. How do verses 12-15 give us a picture of what is to come (ultimately) for those who pursue God’s righteousness?
7. What does it say about our belief in God when we dismiss his promises for us?
8. How can we encourage one another with hope when we are in the midst of despair and pain? How can we sensitively share the journey of remembering and looking forward when we are in the midst of anguish?