Living Stream Ministry

IV. THE PSALMIST’S PRAYER

Verses 8, 9, 11, and 12 are the psalmist’s prayer.

A. Praying That God
Will Behold Their Shield
and Look upon the Face of His Anointed

"Behold our shield, O God;/And look upon the face of Your anointed" (v. 9). The "shield" in this verse refers to David the king, and the "anointed" refers also to David the king, typifying Christ. Here the psalmist prayed concerning David, saying that he was the shield to protect them and that he was God’s anointed. In typology, however, this anointed one, is Christ. In our prayer we may say, "O God, look upon the face of Christ, Your anointed One, who is our Savior."

B. To Enjoy Jehovah Our God in Christ
as a Sun, a Shield, Grace, and Glory,
Lacking Nothing

Verse 11a says, "Jehovah God is a sun and a shield." The sun is the source of light, and light gives life. Plants, animals, and human beings all need sunlight in order to live and grow. In our spiritual life, we also need sunlight, and for this we have Christ as our source of light and life.

In verse 11b-c the psalmist goes on to say that Jehovah gives grace and glory with nothing good withheld. Grace and glory are both God Himself. Grace is God for our enjoyment, and glory is God for our splendor. Therefore, in these verses Jehovah God in Christ is four things to us: the shield, the sun, the grace, and the glory.

Psalm 84 was written according to the psalmist’s background, which was very similar to Job’s background. In verse 11c the psalmist says that God "does not withhold anything good/From those who walk uprightly." In verse 12 he goes on to declare, "O Jehovah of hosts, blessed is the man/Who trusts in You." In verse 11d "those who walk uprightly" probably refers, in the complex sentiments of the psalmist, to those who keep the law. In verse 12 "the man who trusts in You" probably refers, also in the complex sentiments of the psalmist, to the man who dwells in God’s house.

What we have here is the complex expression of the mixed sentiments of the psalmist. Such sentiments were not according to God’s revelation. Job walked uprightly, yet God not only withheld something from him but also stripped him and consumed him. Furthermore, Job trusted in God, yet he did not always have God’s blessing. Do you believe that it is because we walk uprightly that we today enjoy Christ as our sun, shield, grace, and glory? Do you believe that it is because we trust in God that He blesses us? We must confess that in ourselves we cannot walk uprightly or have a firm trust in God. Does this mean that we lose Christ as our sun, shield, grace, and glory? No, this is not our situation.

In type, Psalm 84 shows us how excellent the church life is and how we should treasure it. Here we enjoy the cross of Christ, and here we enjoy Christ Himself. We all should take the highway to come to the church and then dwell here. Here we enjoy our David, our anointed One, our Christ, who is our sun, our shield, our grace, and our glory.

(Life-Study of Psalms, Chapter 32, by Witness Lee)