Having prayed to God for purification from secret sins and prevention from presumptuous sin, David closed this glorious Psalm with a prayer for perfection.

A Prayer for Perfection (v.14)

David begins by praying to God, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight…” (v.14a, cf. Hos 14:2)

David closed this Psalm with a humble surrender of his mouth and heart to God. He knew that real godliness was not only a matter of what a man did, but also of what he said and thought in his heart. David is not only making an effort to avoid sin, but on that of offering back to God the mind’s fitting response to His own words and thoughts as a pure sacrifice as Hosea 14:2 says, “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.” What is “calves of our lips”? So, what comes out of our lips and our heart are very important not just for our testimony but they are also a form of sacrifice that we offer to God. This should remind us of the words found in Hebrews 13:15: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Both passages show just how plainly our words of praise, worship, confession, petition, or intercession can be a sacrifice before God! With these calves of our lips, we will give our hearts also, for those praises of the lips are fruits of what praise the heart of the convert first gives, and these here are signs of their heart given to God, so that they may be spiritual sacrifices! Asaph says, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” (Ps 50:23; cf. Ps 69:31) May this prayer of David be part of our daily prayer too!

Finally, addressing his LORD, David prays, “O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (v.14b; Ps 28:7)

The two things which the psalmist here refers to in regard to God, as the appellations dear to his heart, are that God is his strength; that is, that He was his defence and refuge; and that He had rescued or redeemed him from sin; or that he looked to Him  alone as a Redeemer, able to redeem him from sin and death. David recognises that the LORD is the source of his strength and his redemption.

The word strength can also be translated as rock or boulder. In geology and in common usage of the word, a rock or boulder is usually too large for a person to move. The magnificent rock stacks, known as The Twelve Apostles, that rise up majestically from the Southern Ocean on Victoria\'s coastline no doubt give spectators an impression that they are almost unmovable and impregnable. David is saying that God’s strength is like a mighty rock that rescues us and gives us a firm standing place. That gives the Psalmist the reason for serving Him and the purpose to fight a good fight of faith and the hope of continuing to persevere in his ministry!

The word Redeemer is that great Hebrew word go-el, the kinsman-Redeemer. That kinsman-Redeemer is Christ. Jesus is not just a redeemer; He is our kinsman- Redeemer. Jesus agreed from the foundation of the world to be our Redeemer (Rev 13:8). He came down from heaven as the bread of life (John 6:35). He took on the life of the flesh and was tempted in all points even as we are, and yet did not sin (Heb 4:15). He is our elder brother (Heb 2:11). It is important for us to remember that to redeem someone requires something valuable as a ransom. Silver and gold and precious metals * are valuable. However, we were redeemed with something even more valuable – the precious blood of Christ. He was our Passover (I Cor 5:7). He was without blemish, which means that He was inherently flawless and He was also without spot, which means He had not become tainted by outside forces. He is our Passover who purchased us with His own blood. Christ did not redeem us merely to save us from hell. He set us apart and sanctified us. In other words, He redeemed us in order to set us apart unto Him. He made us a part of a special people which is known as the family of God. This is what it means to be sanctified. To sanctify something means to set it apart for a special purpose. Nevertheless, due to the weakness of our flesh, we still sin. Thankfully, Christ is our kinsman-Redeemer who not only paid the debt of our sin, He promised to save us until the end, for, he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6). If we want to enter into life, we must repent of breaking God\'s commandments and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as our kinsman-Redeemer. Though we will still break God\'s law due to the weakness of our flesh (1 John 3:4), yet if we confess our sins and repent, God will forgive us (I John 1:8-10) and will grant us grace to live a holy life for we cannot cleanse ourselves without Christ or without the Spirit of God or without grace because there is cleansing in the blood of Christ through union with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Conclusion

This Psalm has run a glorious course. It begins with recognising the glory of God in creation, then the glory of His written revelation. David knew himself to be small and sinful. Yet this great God would also be David’s strength and Redeemer as David put his trust in Him. He knew that the glorious God of creation and revelation was also the glorious God of personal relationship and redemption for His people. King David knew this; so should we because God gives us grace in our sanctification!

Pastor Weng

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