“They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.” (Psalms 118:12)
There are three verses in Psalms 118 in which David repeats each time in a different way how he will destroy his enemies.
“All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.” (Psalms 118:10)
“They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.” (Psalms 118:11)
“They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.” (Psalms 118:12)
The repetition indicates the frequency, fury and persistence (John Gill) of their attack. But each time David declares that in the name of the LORD, he will destroy them. He recognizes his inability to do this in his own strength and that only with the Lord will he be able to successfully destroy them.
That is our exclamation also, “...but in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them.” David’s first battle cry in his fight with the giant Goliath was “...for the battle is the LORD'S.” (1 Samuel 17:47) What are our giants? We see the stumbling blocks and hindrances in our lives as the giants which we have to conquer, but the actual and first giants that we have to defeat are our flesh and our soul (mind, will and emotions.) Our spirits are saved, redeemed by Jesus. It’s been reborn of God, pure and holy with God’s nature and in constant communication with the Lord through the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us. But our flesh was not saved. It still wants the opposite of what God wants for us. Our mind is not regenerated. It’s influenced by either the flesh or the spirit. If it’s not renewed, it will think the vile thoughts of the flesh. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) Our emotions follow the thoughts our mind. And the will decides what to do, say and continue to think on the reasoning of our mind.
“For in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them.” With the power of the Name of Jesus we can capture and destroy the vile thoughts of the flesh. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2Corinthians 10:3-6) Through the Word of God we can know which thoughts are of the flesh and need to be captured and brought to the obedience of Christ, not by our power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit and in the powerful and mighty Name above every name, Jesus. You may ask how will you know. Bankers know a counterfeit bill because of their familiarity with the real bills. We will know the lies from the devil with our familiarity with the Word of God and with Jesus. We will know the voice of our Shepherd Jesus and the voice of the enemy we will not obey. “And when He putteth forth his own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4-5)
And though the demons of hell encompass us around, “ they are quenched as the fire of thorns.” There is nothing they can light with the fire of the vile flesh. The mind is saturated with the water of the Word, “...sanctified and cleansed with the water of the Word.” (Ephesians 5:26) The Lord works beautifully and perfectly. He did in David’s time. And He does now in our lives.
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