(Psalm 94:16-23)…..Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? 17 Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence. 18 If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. 19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. 20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You? 21 They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood. 22 But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off.
Verse 16 introduces the conclusion to this Psalm. But it’s not as if the Psalmist is inviting others who were righteous to join him in resisting evildoers, but to declare that no one but God is able to stand up for him. The matter before the Psalmist is simply to great for anyone else. When God rises up (stands), it will signal that He is no longer going to tolerate sin. He will take action against the wicked. God alone can and will arise and take a stand against the wicked. Rather than to criticize others who had not come to the Psalmist plea for help, he confesses that he too is unable to stand apart from Divine help. Notice what the Psalmist says, “Unless the Lord had been my Help, my soul would soon have settled in silence.” (94:17).
The Psalmist (and Israel) were not without a champion, Jehovah is their Help. It is a part of their blessedness (94:12), that they are preserved in life and protected from the wicked, by God Himself. If that wasn’t the case, the Psalmist “soul would soon have settled in silence.” If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence (NASB). Compare: (Psalm 115:17-18).
We too can say the same thing, unless the LORD had been our help, our soul would had gone down to the pit, to Sheol, the abode of silence, death. His imminent danger of death or destruction is seen in (94:18) where he speaks of his foot nearly slipping. In O.T. language, losing one’s footing was equivalent to to perishing or destruction of ones self (Psalm 38:15-16) (Psalm 73:1-2). However, even if the Psalmist thought his destruction was inevitable, God would be there to uphold him. By God’s mercy, He holds us up, He keeps us from falling when we are in a dangerous (Psalm 118:13) (Psalm 124) (Psalm 125:1) (Psalm 142:3-5) (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). Notice what the Psalmist says in (94:19)…..In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.
The Psalmist claim is that, in the midst of anxious thoughts, busy thoughts, doubting thoughts, the LORD comforts the faithful’s soul. God is more than a mighty warrior who will take vengeance on His enemies, He is also our Mighty Counselor Who comforts us in times of distress (Isaiah 9:6) (Isaiah 51:12). Our helper in every time of need is the LORD Himself, and every believer can say the LORD is my helper.
When we are in need friends come to our aid, but they can’t really help us because their resources are inadequate. But the Lord’s resources are never inadequate. His name is El-Shaddai (Genesis 17:1), which means that He is the Enough God. He will be with us, always (Hebrews 13:5-6). Just think how the LORD has been our Helper. He provides Jesus Christ.….
- Who is our Mediator (intercessor – go between) – (1 Timothy 2:5)
- Who is our Advocate (parakletos – comforter – consoler) – (1 John 2:1-2)
- Who is our merciful and faithful High Priest – (Hebrews 2:17-18)
No one can snatch a believer out of the hand of God (John 10:28-29). Christ is the salvation of his people. He is the only person Who is appointed, provided, promised, and sent to be the Savior (Acts 4:12). He alone is the author of salvation (Hebrews 5:9), and sometimes we need to be reminded that our God saves us, fights for us, protects us, keeps us, and never stops loving us.