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A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. (Psalm 83:1,2)
This is a day when people want to SHUT OTHERS UP by SHOUTING THEM DOWN.
God lets people “say their piece.”
Job.
Elijah.
Jonah.
Habakkuk.
Sometimes, He lets us own people complain about Him.
Habakkuk: “How can you watch what’s going on?
Are you going to LET this happen? Do something! Say something!”
So let’s UNDERSTAND an EVIL DAY (i.e., a day of trouble.)
In an evil day, the enemy has center stage. He is making a tumult. His voice is loud and proud.
In an evil day, the enemy is on the OFFENSIVE. He chases/persecutes his enemies.
What is his ultimate OBJECTIVE? To DESTROY. Who? Those he HATES.
He hates GOD. He hates God’s PEOPLE.
He hates JESUS. He hates His BODY who are on the earth.
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: (Psalm 83:3-5)
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalm 2:1-3)
What are they in CONSULTATION about?
WHAT is the “vain thing” that worldly people IMAGINE?
A BETTER world – but one without GOD being GOD.
A BETTER world without the governance of His ANOINTED.
A BETTER world that MAN can BUILD without the CORNERSTONE God has ORDAINED.
And what is GOD’S response to these bold plans?
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. (Psalm 2:4)
When He does SPEAK, how will He REPLY?
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. (Psalm 2:5)
Why WRATH? Because He has already spoken in MERCY.
Jesus has ALREADY been EXALTED to the RIGHT HAND of the FATHER. He is SITTING now on the THRONE.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2-12)
Jesus will RETURN as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords to CLAIM His INHERITANCE, and to establish the KINGDOM of God throughout the WHOLE EARTH. At the END of His THOUSAND YEAR reign GOD will be ALL in ALL.
ALL kings, ALL rulers, ALL judges, ALL men are called upon to “kiss the Son.”
ALL have been created for His pleasure, and ALL are called to WORSHIP God in spirit and in truth.
To the Athenians on Mars Hill, Paul declared that the days of false worship were over:
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but NOW commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30,31)
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:11,12)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18)
We are not just talking about one particular political party.
We are talking about ALL who have not bowed their knee Christ and confessed Him as Lord.
To be opposed to Christ is to be opposed to the coming of the KINGDOM of God and the establishing of the WORSHIP of God on this earth.
In Psalm 83, Asaph lists those whom God is going to judge in the day when He SPEAKS to them in His wrath.
It will be ALL those who are “confederate against” Him.
The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. (Psalm 83:6-8)
Let’s look at this list more closely and notice something. Many of these are somehow RELATED to the children of Israel.
There are powerful voices arising outside the church.
They ARE speaking.
They are going toe to toe with those who the Lord’s vocal enemies.
They are contending.
BUT, are they are “contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints;”
We cheer them on and get behind them because we believe they are championing us and our causes. But are they?
Did TRUE, GOD-ORDAINED WORSHIP matter to the ISHMAELITES, the EDOMITES, the AMMONITES, the MOABITES?
Yes, they have a connection to Abraham. They may be distant cousins. But they are not the children of faith.
They are not those who are BLESSED in the ONE SEED.
They don’t walk in the footsteps of Abraham, who sought a city whose builder and maker is God.
No. They are not seeking the kingdom of God on the earth, because they are not seeking the kingdom of God in their hearts.
They are primarily POLITICAL. They care about the earthly POLIS – the cities of this world.
They want POWER in Washington, and New York, and Los Angeles, and London, and Paris.
Do these really savor the things that are of God, or the things that be of men?
Are their affections set on things above, or on the things of this earth?
What was the danger God’s people always faced in an evil day, when the enemy was on the march and God seemed to be doing nothing?
They enlisted the heathen to help them fight the heathen.
One pagan power could share Israel’s concerns about another marauding, pagan power that was arising on the scene.
But, the BIG QUESTION is this: Is their CAUSE our CAUSE?
Their cause is the PRESERVATION of a WAY of LIFE.
Our cause should be the PRESERVATION of the WORSHIP of GOD.
Are they converting us to their cause or are we converting them to our cause?
Back to Psalm 83. What is the PRAYER of ASAPH for ALL who are OPPOSED to the EXALTATION and RULE of GOD in the EARTH.
Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. (Psalm 83:9-18)
The citizens of the world are now “saying their piece.” The message has been sent to the Son who returned to heaven: “We will not have this man to reign over us!” (Luke 19:14)
And when the “time of the Gentiles” is over, He will say, “It is my time to speak now.”
And what will He say:
“But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” (Luke 19:27)
As we wait for our God to come, to speak, to set things in order, what should we be doing?