April 6, 2021 -- Psalm 17:13-14a -- Jesus the Warrior-King Arises

Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

from men of the world whose portion is in this life.

Psalm 17:13-14a English Standard Version

Though the psalmist has determined to avoid the ways of the violent and keep steady on the pathway of the LORD (verses 4 & 5) the wicked still assault the believer in various ways. The mere mention of the Name of the LORD, any public declaration of one’s love for Christ, and every evidence of the strength of the Spirit to call out against the wrong-doings committed by the people of this world are enough to have people come against you swords drawn. In fact, the godly are surrounded as if by lions eager to tear, jumping from ambush (verse 12) against the godly.

Be warned, beloved of the LORD—Christians cannot toy with sin. Though one is committed to living for Jesus and prayer for the Spirit’s strength to stay on the path of life, it takes Jesus, the Warrior-King to deliver our souls from the wicked. The wickedness of the culture all around us seeps into our pores. The wickedness of the godless, whose rebellions both overt and covert, can entangle us. The wickedness of those who would push us from the sacred sanctuary where our love for Jesus causes the boundary lines of our life to fall in pleasant places.

The sword of the LORD is the Word of God—to cut out the sins that like pus are infecting areas of our life. The sword of the LORD is the Sword of our Warrior King, Jesus Who will ultimately subdue the wicked. When Christ arises, at the trumpet’s last blast, there will be a terrible judgment against all the evil-doers, all who have not been covered by the redeeming blood of Christ. The sword of the LORD is the Word of God which Christians wield when they are tightly bound in union with Jesus Christ. Without His direction and dear presence we would slash ourselves and be ineffective in our efforts to remain holy. Even people who are dear to us can be for us dangerous because their love for this world and the dead philosophies which go with it can be like gangrene to our minds and souls. But the LORD our God rises to confront sin and sinners, and with His divine precision, will deliver our souls from wickedness. Blessed be His Name.

Mighty are You, Jesus, Faithful and True, astride the white war horse, judging the nations. Blessed are You in carrying out the commandments and judgments written in the Word of the LORD so that the people whom the LORD has prepared for the Great Supper of God shall come trembling from the East and the West, the North and the South. Spirit of the Living God, fill our hearts with such anticipation for the return of Christ our Warrior-King that the tawdry and fading things of this world will be revealed as vanity and meaningless in the light of His majestic-splendor. Purify us, Spirit of God, so that we are prepared for the Great Supper of God. Amen.

(Prayer is based on Revelation 19:11ff)