THE SURE PROTECTION

In verse 4, David is looking round, and he sees “the works of men”. The expression may well include their religious works as well as their general behaviour. What he sees does not impress him, but rather he seeks a way of deliverance from them. He turns to the Book that he knows so well. When he spoke of being kept from “the paths of the destroyer”, it is possible that he had in mind the time when Saul the king was within his power, and he could easily have destroyed him, 1 Sam. 26. 8, 9, and when he was determined to slay Nabal, but was restrained, 25. 26, he could say, “Lord, thou hast kept me”.

There is a destroyer abroad today—God calls him Satan, the adversary. According to 1 Peter 5. 8, “your adversary …walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. Peter adds, “whom resist stedfast in the faith”. When the Lord of glory had dealings with him in the wilderness, He overcame him by the Word of God. We cannot find a better weapon than the one that He used. Keep close to the Word if you would avoid the paths of the destroyer.

Psalm 19. 11 gives the words of David again, “Moreover by them is thy servant warned”. He had spoken of the sweetness of the Word, but he lived in a world of danger and trouble, and it was needful to heed the warnings of the Word. The coast of our land is ringed by lighthouses, warning of rocks and dangerous seas: it is at his peril that the mariner ignores the warnings. Sometimes the Word of God comes to us as a challenge when we read it, and in relation to some proposed course of action the voice of the Spirit says, “No!”. When we are driving along the highway, we may foolishly decide to cross over at the red light, ignoring the warning—that would be a perilous business. Do not ignore the warnings of the Word.

Concerning the righteous, Psalm 37. 31 says, “The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide”. The Bible is useless, however excellent its binding may be, if it is kept on the bookshelf—it must be in the heart. One’s steps are controlled by it; the walk is then firm and steady.

A final thought from 1 John 2. 14, “young men … ye are strong … the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one”.