Cover Me

 

O my Savior, Shield, and Sun, Shepherd, Brother, Husband, Friend, Every precious Name in one, I will love Thee without end.  --John Newton

The Psalms is a rich and diverse source of scriptural wisdom.  In it you can find solace, strength, and sustenance.  It is at different times potent, piercing, and prophetic.  The poetry contained in this collection have varied themes.  We have already looked at the theme of the Law of God (see blog post from April 29).  We have also seen the theme of praise in the Psalms (see blog post from May 7).

Today I want to look at the theme of who God is.  We could spend years expounding the attributes of God in the Psalms.  God certainly wears a lot of hats, so to speak.  He manifests Himself differently to different people, yet remains consistent with His nature.  The Apostle Paul, in imitating Christ in order to spread the Gospel, said he had "become all things to all people in order that I might save some." (1 Corinthians 9:23).  Today I want to focus on three distinct yet similar personas.

Let's look at Psalm 3 together

O Lord, how many are my foes!  Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, "There is no salvation for him in God." Selah.  But You, O Lord, are a Shield about me, my Glory, and the Lifter of my head.  I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill.  Selah.  I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.  Arise, O Lord!  Save me, O God!  For You strike all my enemies on the cheek; You break the teeth of the wicked.  Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be on Your people.  Selah.

He is a Glorious Shield

Many of the Psalms have a military theme.  A warrior on the front lines of battle has prepared himself the best he can for his own protection.  He trusts his equipment; a modern soldier with a Kevlar vest feels less vulnerable than one without.  He trusts his comrades; a squadron willing to "take a bullet for you" is a lot more preferable than comrades in arms who would cut and run, leaving you exposed.  He also trusts his Commander; a wise leader will at least attempt to take every advantage--taking high ground, flanking the enemy at their weakest or most vulnerable position, bringing in timely air support and reinforcements.  These are all ways to think of a "shield" in military terms.

I have said before that I am not a Hebrew scholar.  However, a look at Strong's Concordance reveals that there are at least two Hebrew words translated "shield".  One is mâgên,  a word that literally means shield or buckler.  It also carries with it the idea of the scaly hide of a crocodile.  This word is found 60 times in the Old Testament, beginning with Genesis 15:1.  "After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Fear not, Abram, I AM your shield; your reward shall be very great'."

Abram had no reason to fear, because God had promised to be his covering, his defense.  God promised to defend Israel.  "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.  For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy Name." (Psalm 33:20-21).  God cannot bless you unless He protects you.  If He has made a promise to His people, then He will protect His people.  The promise extends to those of us who place our trust in Him for our salvation.  "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.  No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11)

The other Hebrew word translated "shield" is tsinnâh, and it is variously translated as shield or buckler, but several times it is translated "target," once as "hook" and once as "cold".  In 1 Kings 10 and again in 2 Chronicles 9 we read that Solomon made expensive shields or "targets" out of beaten gold.  I am not sure if these shields were round and looked like targets, but I do know that they were of great value.  Think about how God shields us from attacks we don't even know about.  He makes Himself the target so that we are protected.  He is our shield, of more value than gold.

Proverbs 25:13 says, "Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his master."  The word translated "cold" is the same word shield or covering.  The protection of God is refreshing.  In military terms, we speak of "cover fire"; that is, shots taken by your partners to pin down the enemy so that you can escape a dangerous place or move into a more strategic position.  This is what I thought of when I thought of the cold covering or shielding of snow over the fields; it is comprehensive, overpowering, and effective.  There is a similar thought in Scripture when the same word for shield is translated "hooks" in Amos 4:2.  "The Lord has sworn by His holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks." It may be stretching the idea a bit, but when God sends "cover fire" to shield His people from their enemies, the enemies are pierced and taken away.

Psalm 91:4 says, "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a buckler."  This may have been in Jesus' mind when He said in Matthew 23:27, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"  His desire is to shield us, to shepherd us, to save us.

He is a Good Shepherd

We read Psalm 3 earlier.  I bring you attention back to verses 5 and 6: "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around."

We are all familiar with Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

We see from this passage that He is our shepherd.  What does a good and faithful shepherd do?  He is present with the sheep; he provides for the sheep; and he protects and defends the sheep.  This idea is outlined further in John 10, when Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd.

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  --John 10:7-11.

This brings us to our final point.

He is a Great Savior

Back to our passage in Psalm 3.  Let's read verses 2 and 8.  "Many are saying of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God.'  Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be on Your people!"  For what purpose is He shielding us?  For our own health and well being?  I don't think so.  It is for His glory.  Psalm 40:16 says, "Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love your salvation say continually, 'The Lord be magnified'!"  Psalm 18:46 says, "The Lord lives! Blessed by my Rock!  Let the God of my salvation be exalted." 

For what purpose or to what end does He shepherd us?  So that we can be slaughtered and roasted and served up at His table?  Not at all!  He guides us so that we can ultimately glorify Him and give Him praise forever.  Titus 3:5-7 says "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

We need mercy, because we are eternally separated from His holy nature due to our sinful nature.  We need grace, because we cannot be made holy without His direct intervention.  2 Corinthians 9:15 says, "Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!"  What gift is that?  Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."  Psalm 22 foretells of this gift: God sent His one and only Son (John 3:16), and used Him as a sacrifice for us.  The sin of all mankind, past and future, was laid on Him and He was put to death for us.  "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me," Jesus cried, referencing Psalm 22:1.  He bore our sin, and a Holy God could not look upon sin, so that He turned away from His only Son and condemned Him to death.  Psalm 22:7 says, "All who seek me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 'He trusts in the Lord; let God deliver him'." This is just what the Pharisees said when Jesus uttered those devastating words, "My God why have You forsaken me?"  Psalm 22:17-18 says, "I can count all my bones--they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."  This is exactly what happened at the crucifixion, and God foretold it through David the Psalmist.

Our salvation was purchased through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's anointed. Psalm 2:2 says, "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed."  Friend, do not follow the rulers of this world, who have their reward in this life.  Let Him shield you from the wrath to come.  Let Him shepherd you in His Way so that you can praise Him in this life and enjoy Him in the next.  Let the blood of Christ cover you, so that when you stand before God in His final judgment, He will not see your sin, but rather the blood of Jesus who by His great sacrifice offers a great salvation.