Undeterred Confidence

Psalm 13:1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

Psalm 25:1 Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

3a Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed.

5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Psalm 119:81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

82 Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?

83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

Micah 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

MEMORY VERSE: The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. —Lamentations 3:25-27

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The Bible records the distress and longing of many saints who were in great trouble, danger, imprisonment, persecution, and affliction; the promises they embraced, and their praises when deliverance finally came.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Psalm 13:5 “Mercy”: unfailing, constant, faithful love and devotion. “Salvation”: something saved; deliverance, aid, victory, prosperity.

Psalm 25:2 “Ashamed”: confounded; disappointed; made pale.

Psalm 119:83 “A bottle in the smoke”: “Bottles in the East were commonly made of skins. Such ‘bottles,’ hanging in tents where the smoke had little opportunity to escape, would, of course, become dark and dingy, and would thus be emblems of distress, discomfort, and sorrow. The meaning here is, that, by affliction and sorrow, the psalmist had been reduced to a state which would be well represented by such a bottle” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible).

LESSON BACKGROUND

Not only did the ancient saints look forward in faith for their long-expected Messiah and Redeemer, they also went through many experiences of trial and affliction, out of which poured forth writings of anguish and longing as they waited for deliverance.

Joseph, captured and sold into slavery by his own brothers, was made, for a season, an honored steward in a fine home. He was then plunged again into shame and imprisonment and forgotten for two years by one who promised to remember him. Surely during those dark days he cried out to the Lord, much like David did in today’s scripture reading.

The Israelites, held for over four hundred years in Egyptian bondage, waited and sighed for God’s salvation. Later in Canaan, their iniquities brought them many times into years of bondage under one enemy or another. Scripture records that they would cry to the Lord, and He would send a hero to deliver them. Their seventy years of Babylonian captivity was foretold by prophets who lamented over them, reproved them and comforted them during that long time.

The book of Job doesn’t tell us exactly how long he suffered before God turned things around, but it was certainly more than a few days; some scholars think it was several months, and some say years.

David was anointed future king of Israel, but it was fifteen years before his kingship became a reality. He was a fugitive from King Saul for four years and then spent the next four years with the Philistines in Ziklag. Several times he had an opportunity to do away with King Saul. His men begged him to; the chance seemed of Divine providence. Yet David, who bore in his spirit an unwavering trust and confidence in the wisdom and the will of God, refused to proudly and foolishly take matters into his own hands. The tragedy at Ziklag—when he and his men returned to see their homes in flames, their wives and children taken captive, and the desperate men, sobbing until they could no longer cry, threatened to kill David—was the last major trial of those desperate years of David’s life. Soon afterward Saul died, and David was crowned king in Judah. Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52, 54, 57, 59 and 63 were very likely written during those fugitive years. The process of David becoming king over all of Israel lasted several years; they were long years of waiting and shaped the life, prayers and writings of David.

The prophets Isaiah and Micah, predicting the dark days of bondage, and Jeremiah, going through them with the Israelites, were able to look up and see the faithfulness and steadfast love of God. They recorded and affirmed their faith and confidence as they waited.

The 119th chapter of Psalms was very likely written by Ezra. We know his story—after long years of exile, the Persian king, Cyrus, fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, gave command for the temple of the Lord to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. The work started and trouble began, which caused the work to cease for some years. Disobedience to God’s commands had caused chaos among the children of Israel, and Ezra’s work of making them understand God’s forgotten laws and helping them to rebuild not only their broken city but their broken lives, as well, turned out to be a huge undertaking and a long process. I’m sure he felt faint and shriveled in soul as the days and weeks of toil seemed unending. Praise the Lord for the hope Ezra found in God’s Word!

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Explain the kinds of troubles David had, out of which came the Psalms of waiting for and receiving deliverance from God.
2. Name the prophet who wrote the memory verse.
3. Share additional stories of Bible saints who had to wait long before their deliverance.
4. Share a personal experience of long-awaited deliverance.

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

The Old Testament saints took comfort in the promises of God, available to them by stories passed down by their fathers or written down by Moses and other scribes. Now we have access to their experiences through their writings, divinely preserved for us in our time. “His truth endureth to all generations.”

The strength of God’s Word and promises to them was such that it (1) kept them from speaking hot words of desperation and rebellion against God; (2) kept them from desperate actions, such as bitterness, taking revenge, or suicide; and (3) gave them a strong hope in a life beyond this life, an eternity with God where there is no pain or sorrow.

There is nothing as strong as God’s Word to change situations, steady the will, give stamina to endure, or provide understanding, compassion and even love for enemies. Many encouraging songs have been written because of that divine strength given in the time of prolonged trial. The great, noteworthy men and women in history who were able to benefit humanity with their writings, inventions or moral leadership were usually people who had come through a very difficult period of waiting and found hope in God’s Word.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

There is an old story of a king who had no son to succeed him. The king announced that he would choose an heir from the young men of the country. Various tests were given which weeded all out but three young men who appeared equally qualified. The king announced that the final selection would be determined by a foot race on a certain day.

Race day arrived filled with enthusiasm and excitement. The three young men anxiously aligned on the starting line, each with hope that he would win and become the next king. The king privately sent each runner a message saying, “Do not run on the signal, but wait until I give you a sign.”

On the signal, one of them bolted off and then hesitated; then a second began running, upon which the first resumed his race. The third man kept waiting and watching the king for the sign; however, the king had his eyes on the two men running and seemed to forget him. The waiting young man, in shame and embarrassment, felt that all was lost for him.

At the end of the race, the king addressed the three young men. He congratulated the first two and the one who had run the best. “But,” he told them, “My choice for king is you,” he said to the third one who had kept his place. “I knew that all of you could run well, but I didn’t know if you could wait.”

Unfulfilled desire, patiently and submissively met, is often a powerful factor in character building. Waiting is one of the hardest things for humans to do. We tend to want to hurry matters! While awaiting for the promised son, Sarah threw Hagar into the mix which brought in many problems and heartache. Waiting on God’s time and God’s way is so vital for us. One verse says, “In your patience possess ye your souls.” We fail, when we do not wait on the Lord for His directions and deliverance.

–Bro. Bob Wilson