Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
Psalm 27 (NIV)
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation –
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life –
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Saviour.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Notes
1. Psalm 27 is a curious mixture. The first part (1-6) is a confident hymn of praise to Yahweh for his faithfulness, salvation and victory over enemies and the second is a desperate cry for help from oppressors who are using devious means of attack (7-14). There is no link between them says Cohen[1] and White[2] while Gunkel seems to be the theologian who started the discussion that the psalm should be divided after verse 6 into two psalms.[3]
2. Certainly, there appears to be spiritual regression in the psalm. Perhaps it would appear more acceptable if the cry for rescue came first followed by the hymn of praise as the psalmist realised that Yahweh truly was his Saviour.
3. However, the psalm is how it is for a reason and it might yet be possible to discover what that is.
4. Psalm 27 is commonly regarded as a lament psalm but not all agree. It is not included in Estes’ list.[4] Johnston & Firth list the opinions of 7 commentators and two exclude it[5] but the evidence for or against these opinions is not developed.
5. The key feature of a lament psalm is a complaint but I could not discern any initially so think I understand why it may not be in some lament lists. However, on further reflection I noticed the requests in verse 9 were based on a fear of rejection by Yahweh even though the psalmist’s commitment to Yahweh was clear (1) and he had been convinced he would be accepted (5-6). They therefore do feature a complaint. This is, that Yahweh appears to be not paying him attention in spite of his commitment.
6. There is a further complaint in verse 12, that false witnesses are assisting his enemies. That too, is a part of a prayer request so is partially concealed.
7. Here is the lament analysis:
8. Psalm 27 has the shortest complaint section at 8.5% – it is 29-74% in the other 10 lament psalms I have analysed so far. A stunning 57.5% is a reflection on Yahweh’s faithfulness in the past and as expected in the future.
9. That balance is significant as it indicates that complaining and lamenting are not the main purposes of Psalm 27.
10. A richer understanding of the psalm is revealed by examining its Hebrew poetic structure as shown below. As usual, each line has a second and sometimes a third part that repeat, contrast or develop the first part. The lines are combined into strophes – poetic units based on a single idea. They consist of two lines, except strophes D-D1 have three lines each. The extra line seems to be just because the psalmist has more to include on the idea presented than will fit in two parts.
11. The first and last strophes (A-A1) match as also do the central two strophes (X-X1). This suggests it is arranged chiastically. Structurally it appears to be one psalm with two stanzas, each with a separate but related theme. It now becomes easier to distinguish the parallels between the other strophes. Parallels are shown by matching letters: A-A1, B-B1 etc.
12. Each idea (see third column below) matches the idea contained in the parallel strophe.
13. Some psalms have a single chiastic link – strophe X (a single line or couplet) – but here there is a pair of couplets: strophes X-X1. That is another clue that suggests the psalm has two stanzas.
14. This all points to the psalm being a single psalm (see note 1). The structure is the psalmist’s creation that translates, largely intact, into other languages as it depends on parallelism between ideas and not on rhythm or rhyme, as in English poetry.
Psalm 27
In Challenging Times our Security is in Yahweh
| Stanza 1 | Yahweh is security in the anticipation of the sufferings and troubles of life | |
| A | 1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? | Security and strength are in Yahweh. |
| B | 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. | Evil forces have no power though are a continuing threat. |
| C | 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. | Oppression and trouble are a reality but not the whole truth so I am not dismayed. |
| D | 4 One thing I ask of Yahweh, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of Yahweh and to seek him in his temple. | The secret is to remain focussed on Yahweh. |
| X | 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. | Yahweh is security. |
| Stanza 2 | Yahweh is security in the reality of the sufferings and troubles of life | |
| X1 | 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to Yahweh. | Yahweh is joyful security. |
| D1 | 7 Hear my voice when I call, O Yahweh; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Yahweh, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. | The secret is to remain focussed on Yahweh even when in trouble. |
| C1 | Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Saviour. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, Yahweh will receive me. | Oppression and trouble are a reality but Yahweh can be called on for he is dependable, even more so than a parent. |
| B1 | 11 Teach me your way, O Yahweh; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. | Evil forces have no power over me while Yahweh leads. |
| A1 | 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living. 14 Wait for Yahweh; be strong and take heart and wait for Yahweh. | Security and strength are in Yahweh as confidence displaces fear. |
15. Both stanzas are about Yahweh being our security – he provides light, strength and salvation but in stanza 1 the psalmist writes about a future situation when he expects to experience trouble. He is confident that he will survive because his hope rests on Yahweh – notice the future tense in strophes A, C and X, ‘when’ used twice in strophe B, ‘though’ used twice in strophe C and ‘all the days of my life’ in strophe D.
16. Stanza 2 essentially repeats stanza 1 but now the anticipated trouble is a present reality. Some future tenses are used as he believes he will survive but his enemies now surround him (strophe X1), his cry for help (strophe D1) is based on his current experience (strophe B1) and, although his confidence is in Yahweh (strophe A1) he recognises that his foes, assisted by friends who have turned against him (false witnesses in strophe B1) and perhaps even his parents (strophe C1), seem to have the ascendency, so he is in very real danger of being beaten, destroyed and killed (implied by, ‘the desire of my foes’ in strophe B1).
17. This psalm is an illustration of what it means to live by faith – now that is a recurring theme throughout Scripture! See 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 and Hebrews 11 and the Old Testament characters referred to there.
18. ‘Living by faith’ does not mean ignoring the evidence of the real and present danger being faced in the hope it will turn out all right in the end. The psalmist is clearly well aware of his apparently hopeless situation but, nevertheless, he can see beyond that to a greater reality of Yahweh’s presence and commitment to help.
19. Faith is belief that is based on evidence that then takes action based on that evidence. The evidence used here not only includes the advancing enemy and their threats but also the psalmist’s previous experiences of Yahweh’s help, care and interventions and an awareness of Yahweh’s character and promises. The psalmist builds his faith on solid ground!
20. Living by faith is also explored in Psalm 11 (notes 18-19) and Psalm 88 (notes 77-83).
21. Such trust reflects the reality of the life of faith in which we know we live on the side of righteousness and salvation but nevertheless are aware of conflict from ‘enemies’ and even, sadly, from within the family of faith.
22. Undoubtedly, Psalm 27 is a single psalm (see note 1).
23. Stanza 1 that anticipates suffering and trouble establishes Yahweh as the secure base, the rock, on which he will set his trust to see him through. It has parallels in Psalms 26, 28 and 118.
24. The psalmist’s fears have been realised in stanza 2 for the enemy has arrived in full view, his life is in danger, he is powerless to rescue himself but Yahweh is still his security and rock! In spite of all the danger and hopelessness he can still say to his companions (and us), ‘I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living. Wait for Yahweh; be strong and take heart and wait for Yahweh’ (strophe A1). What an example for us!
25. The writer of Hebrews may have had this psalm in mind when he wrote,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3).
26. Faith like the psalmist’s does not pop up in a crisis. It can only happen when based on a life of ‘perseverance’ with ‘eyes fixed on Jesus’ so we ‘will not grow weary and lose heart.’ In terms of Psalm 27, we have to live through the fearful expectation of stanza 1 before we can cope with the immanent calamity of stanza 2. See notes 2-3.
27. The life of faith does not follow a smooth and easy road. It has its potholes, obstructions and diversions so there is actually nothing untoward about the psalmist breaking off from his hymn of praise to beg to be heard and express his fear that Yahweh will reject him (strophe D1). This is a feature of trauma and not of a lack of faith (see Psalm 13 notes 9-10, 47-49 for a discussion about this).
28. Some psalms are full-on lament psalms (Psalm 13, Psalm 88 and Psalm 137, for example). That is all they are. Psalm 27, though, is not like that. It contains a lament but that is only one feature of the psalm. It also contains, in double measure, heart-felt gratitude and praise, a commitment to follow Yahweh whatever happens and a confident expectation of future salvation (rescue) that will be accompanied by peace, security and prosperity.
30. That is so like how life often works out as we follow Yahweh and live for Jesus!
Footnotes
[1] Rev. Dr. A. Cohen, The Psalms: Hebrew Text, English Translation and Commentary, (Chesham: The Soncino Press, 1945) p. 78.
[2] R. E. O. White, A Christian Handbook to the Psalms, (Exeter: The Paternoster Press, 1884) p. 55.
[3] Willem A. Vangemeren, ‘Psalms’ in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol 5 Revised Ed, ed. by Trumper Longman III & David E. Garland, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008) p. 280.
[4] Daniel J. Estes, Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005) p. 165.
[5] Philip S. Johnston, ‘Appendix 1: Index of Form-Critical Categorizations’ in Interpreting the Psalms: Issues and Approaches, ed by Philip S. Johnston and David G. Firth, (Leicester: Apollos, 2005) p. 297.
Written: 9 December 2021
Published: 11 April 2023
Updated: 2 May 2023