Submit to God

“Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; feed them also, and lift them up forever.”   (Psalms 28:9)

In his prayer for help, David asks the Lord for Israel in our Scripture of study. It’s believed he wrote it during a time a crisis. David had many times of crisis, both personal and national, from the time Samuel anointed him to be king and through his time as king. In our verse, David asks four distinct things for the nation.

“Save Your people...” he cries in this last verse of his prayer. When David was fleeing from his son Absolom, he wrote “Salvation belongs to the Lord...” (Psalms 3:8) In our verse today, it’s not known if he cried out for salvation of God’s people from an enemy or from spiritual death. But he cried out to the only One Who is able to save spirit, soul and body. “Therefore, He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25) The Lord is able in our most desperate times to save us and to save those for who we intercede.

The Lord is Jehovah Yasha, the Lord Who saves. The Hebrew word Yasha was used several times when the Scriptures spoke of God saving according to Strongs 3467. (Exodus 14:30; Numbers 10:9; Joshua 10:6; Joshua 22:22; and several Scriptures in Deuteronomy, Judges, I Samuel and Jeremiah) The Lord is able to save, deliver and rescue. Jesus is Yeshua, which means the Lord Who saves. “And she shall bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) Jesus is the only One Who saves us from eternal damnation, from the power of sin and darkness, from ourselves, from the wrath of God, and from death. “And there is salvation in no other One; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Another thing David cried out for in his prayer was for God to bless the people. He called them God’s inheritance. Moses wrote in Deuteronomy for God to spare the people after they sinned by worshipping the golden calf that Aaron made by pleading to the Lord about His people and inheritance. “Yet they are Your people and Your inheritance which You brought out by Your mighty power and by Your stretched-out arm.” (Deuteronomy 9:29) We might have a different idea of what the word inheritance means. This was a word commonly used in the ancient Near East which encompassed Israel’s depiction of God as Lord, Father and landlord of the earth and Israel as the first born, beneficiary of the blessings of the covenants, protection and land grant. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise which includes the Gentiles as God’s inheritance also.

David also prays for the Lord to feed the people. The word feed that David used does not mean to provide sustenance. The Hebrew word he used means to tend as to tend a flock or to pasture a herd as a herdsman, to keep them and to shepherd them. David had knowledge of shepherding. He spent his entire youth as a shepherd tending his father’s sheep. He likened the people like sheep who needed a shepherd, someone to care for them, guide them and provide for them. David’s Psalm 23 is an example of his comparison to the Lord as the Shepherd of the people. Jesus also referred to the people of Israel as sheep. “But seeing the crowds, He was moved with compassion on them, because they were tired and scattered like sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

The very last thing David asked for the people was for the Lord to lift them up forever. The Hebrew word David used means literally and figuratively, absolutely and relatively to advance them, bear them up and hold them up, bringing them forth, furnishing for them, helping them and exalting them. As king, he care for the people and knew their substance, that they tended to wander from the Lord. During his reign he made great efforts to bring worship worthy of the Lord Who is worthy of all worship. Of course, all the extravagant efforts of David, his worship school, the multitude of singers and musicians who worshipped day and night were merely human efforts, but honored the Lord, much like our efforts at trying to reach out to the Lord. But God honors our little efforts because He is interested in our heart intention. A heart turned to Him is all He requires. “And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) A heart turned to God is a heart turned from sin. That is repentance. “Therefore, repent and convert so that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Act 3:19) Surrendering to the Lord then comes from trusting Him with all our hearts and submitting to His Will. “Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) From our love and devotion we obey God’s every command. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) And daily we believe and trust the Lord to be with us, to lead us and to bless us. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6) All these are indicators that the heart is turned toward God. In short, the Bible affirms that God desires a heart fully devoted to Him — one that seeks Him with all its being, repents, surrenders, and obeys. This is the condition He promises to meet and bless.

Concluding, David’s prayer shows a close relationship with the Lord and a keen knowledge of the people. He knew what the people needed from the Lord, but he also knew what God required. He had revelation of the New Covenant and how the Law would not save them. He asked the Lord to feed them to give them what they needed to grow toward the Lord. It’s God Who in His mercy opens His arms to us. In the New Covenant Jesus tore the curtain wall that separated us from God. Now we can come to Him in our need, and He is always ready to embrace us because of Jesus, because of the Blood and because of the righteousness of Jesus on us. We are saved by the work of Jesus on the Cross. He paid the penalty for our sin. He took death for us so that we could live eternally. He blesses us. He feeds us with His Word so that we can be made in the image of Christ. And He lifts us by bearing us up, by holding us up, bringing us forth, furnishing for our spirits, souls and body, by helping us and exalting us.

Let us pray

Holy Precious Father, thank You for Your mercy and kindness. I know I did not deserve Your love, Your attention nor Your salvation. But You reached down in my need and rescued me. You made me whole and blessed me. You fed me and continue to sustain me with Your Word. My strength is in You. My life is in You. My very breath relies on Your mercy, on Your Promises, on Your Love and Your Will. In Your Presence is glory in this life, forever and for eternity. You are exalted forever and ever. Your mercy is extoled here on the earth and in the heavenlies. There is none like You in all that You are and in all that You do. Glory to You. Glory to Your holy Name. I love You Lord. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.