A Father to the Fatherless and Protector of Widows

Psalm 68
To the Choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1  God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;
and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2  As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
as wax melts before fire,
so the wicked shall perish before God!
3  But the righteous shall be glad;
they shall exult before God;
they shall be jubilant with joy!
4  Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
5  Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6  God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

I have found Psalm 68 to be a comfort during our time away from one another. There are many applicable promises to us while we’re apart, which I think is a great reminder about God’s promises. His promises are absolutely certain. They’re blessings which are incomparable. They are not dependent upon us. But they’re also applicable.

To understand what I mean, let’s use Psa 68:1: God shall arise; his enemies shall be scattered. Here we have a promise: God will not sit idly by while his people suffer or experience failure or loss. God is a God who will actually do something. This is the promise, but how is it applicable?

Consider our own circumstances. Consider how often we have checked the news, our phones, or our emails, waiting for the inevitable new restriction on gatherings or shutting down of restaurants. It seems as though even those making key decisions aren’t really in control! We’re separated, for a time, and longing for a return to normal; we desire the refreshing unity spoken of in Psa 133.

Are you, like me, tempted to buy into the fear? Here’s where God’s promise becomes applicable: God is doing something. We know that our God sits in the heavens and does as he pleases (Psa 115:3). We know God is working, even now (Jn 5:17). And we know his (and our) enemies: wickedness, fear, sin, and even death itself shall be scattered.

But what if you’re not tempted to buy into the fear? Are you like others out there thinking this isn’t a big deal, overblown, or ridiculous? I’ve been tempted in this way, too, and I think this promise applies to this mindset: God has to do something, doesn’t he? There are in fact enemies, and there are people we may know who might be seriously ill or close to death if they get this virus.

We must then see the second applicable promise: no matter how you feel about being cooped up, about the measures taking place, we can know that: the righteous shall be glad. Those who are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, who are seeking to die to sin and live to righteousness by Christ’s grace, shall rejoice. This is where all of our fear or complacency ends: we shall rejoice in the defeat of sin and death. Remind yourself of that promise now by the famous words of Paul:

O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?

Nevertheless, we still experience this, whether from those close to us, or those at a distance. Especially during this time, we’re faced with the message of a scary pandemic. Therefore, we should know that our God cannot be stopped by death. He has arisen (arisen indeed!), and conquered that ancient foe, and in his wisdom called us to remain under it for a little while. So what are we to do? David gives us an answer by example; we are to do what God does. And what does he do? He protects the vulnerable.

Many of you know by now that my father died before I went to elementary school. Many people ask me how that’s affected me, and I’m sure it has in profound ways. Nevertheless, since I’ve come to the Lord, I’ve never doubted that this was his will for me. I’ve always understood and been attracted to the fact that God is my father; why then am I any different than others?

Psalm 68:5 expresses this promise I’ve held dearly for years. But it’s a promise for everyone, for all types of people, and not just those of us who are fatherless, not just the widow. This Psalm helps us understand that there are people who are low, vulnerable, or looked down upon. And those are the ones God himself shall protect, guide, and care for as a father. Indeed, we see today that those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and those who face pay loss or even job termination are all vulnerable in a variety of ways. Despite our own attitudes, how can we love these? By following God’s lead, and standing for them, protecting them, and giving them what we can from the blessings God has given us.

So no matter where you find yourself, fearful for your own life or the life of others, or thinking this is all no big deal, let’s not forget that we, even at FRPC, have vulnerable people. God calls us, by applicable promises and by his own example, to love and cherish them as the highest. To become last, that they may become first. For he will bring us into safety, a land wherein he meets all our needs.

Join me in praying this prayer from the Valley of Vision today:

Comforts
Streams upon streams of love overflow my path.
      Thou hast made me out of nothing,
      hast recalled me from a far country,
  hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge,
      from darkness to light,
      from death to life,
      from misery to peace,
      from folly to wisdom,
      from error to truth,
      from sin to victory.
Thanks be to thee for my high and holy calling.
I bless thee for ministering angels,
  for the comfort of thy Word,
  for the ordinances of thy church,
  for the teaching of thy Spirit,
  for thy holy sacraments,
  for the communion of saints,
  for Christian fellowship,
  for the recorded annals of holy lives,
  for examples sweet to allure,
  for beacons sad to deter.
Thy will is in all thy provisions
  to enable me to grow in grace,
  and to be meet for thy eternal presence.
My heaven-born faith gives promise of eternal sight,
  my new birth a pledge of never-ending life.
I draw near to thee, knowing thou wilt draw near
    to me.
I ask of thee, believing thou hast already given.
I entrust myself to thee, for thou hast redeemed me.
I bless and adore thee, the eternal God,
  for the comfort of these thoughts,
    the joy of these hopes.

Amen.

Consider singing together that wonderful hymn, Our God, Our Help in Ages Past, or reading it together!