Safe in the Fear of God

Friends,

Did you see how contradictory the title of the sermon appears? Are we safe in fear? Yes we are. The safest place to be is knowing the best thing to fear.

If Nun lighted the path to the blessed life, Samekh asks “Where will the psalmist find security on the path?” As I’ve studied these eight verses, I think the key to the stanza is security.

Notice in this stanza how the psalmist is surrounded by instability. There are double-minded

people (v. 113), evildoers (v. 115), people who wander from God’s statutes (v. 118), and wicked

people whom God will ultimately discard like dross (v. 119). Yet in the middle of all that instability, the psalmist has found somewhere safe to stand: “You are my hiding place and my

shield; I hope in your word” (v. 114). That seems to me to be the lens through which we should read the stanza. In the midst of a lot of danger, the psalmist’s security is found in the presence of God.

But notice something else equally important. The God in whom the psalmist finds safety is also the God before whom he trembles. That’s another big movement in the stanza. It goes

from “You are my hiding place and my shield” (v. 114) to “My flesh trembles for fear of you” (v.

120). Those statements might seem contradictory. How can God be both the One we run to for

safety and the One before whom we tremble? But that sounds exactly like Job and Isaiah when they saw the Lord. That sounds like the disciples in the boat after Jesus calmed the storm. And that is precisely what biblical faith teaches us. The safest place in all the universe is in the presence of the God we should fear most. In fact, we can find refuge in him because he is fearful.

So, here is the outline that is currently guiding my study this week.

Big Idea: The blessed life finds its security in God alone, trusting Him for refuge, depending upon Him for strength, and walking before Him in reverent fear.

First: God Is Our Refuge (vv. 113–115)

The psalmist rejects a divided allegiance and declares where his security lies: “You are my hiding place and my shield.” Because God is his refuge, he can hope in God’s Word and refuse influences that would draw him away from obedience. Security begins by deciding where, and in Whom, we will hide. I’ll say a lot more about that in the sermon.

Second: God Is Our Strength (vv. 116–117)

The psalmist understands that finding the right path doesn’t mean he possesses the

strength to walk it alone. So twice he asks God to sustain him: “Uphold me” and “Hold me up.” The repetition is important. Independent spiritual strength does not gain the blessed life. It can’t live it because we have none (John 15). The God who provides our refuge also provides the strength necessary to remain faithful (Phil 2:13).



Third: God Is Our Judge (vv. 118–120)

The stanza ends by reminding us why God alone is worthy of our ultimate trust. Every

false security will eventually fail. Those who wander from God’s statutes discover that their cunning is vain, and the wicked are discarded like dross. But the psalmist doesn’t become proud. He trembles. The God who shelters us is the holy God before whom every person will stand.

I think that progression gives us the heart of Samekh: refuge, strength, and reverence.

God shelters us. God sustains us. And God remains God.

There is also a wonderful gospel trajectory here. Jesus is the only One who lived with a

perfectly undivided heart. He never wandered from His Father’s will, never trusted in human cunning, and never sought security apart from His Father. Yet at the cross, the One who deserved no judgment bore judgment for people like us who do. Because He died and rose again, those who are in Christ can run toward the holy God rather than away from Him. The Judge has become our Father, not because His holiness has diminished, but because His Son has satisfied His righteous judgment on our behalf. Now, isn’t that just glorious?

Thank you for faithfully shepherding your CG. My prayer is that as you study Samekh this week, you will help your CG see that our security is found in God and not circumstances. As a result, he is worthy of our trust.

In the love of Jesus for you and me, Pastor Reggie