You've been falsely accused before
and you can't, no matter what you say, no matter what you do,
you can't justify yourself before the one who's charging you. And
David experienced that. That's what David is experiencing
in this Psalm, in Psalm 7. And the Lord uses many things
to draw His people to Himself. And that's one such thing that
the Lord used in the case of King David, to draw him to the
Lord. And when we are charged falsely,
it helps us to remember that We can't justify ourselves before
God. We can't justify ourselves from
our sin. There's a charge that is true.
We are sin. We are sinful. But flee to the
Lord. Flee to God. to justify, to be
our defender, defend us from His own justice. But that's what
David did. Verse 1, he says, O Lord my God,
in Thee do I put my trust. Save me from all them that persecute
me and deliver me, lest You tear my soul like a lion, rending
it in pieces while there is none to deliver. We saw last time
how that David praised the Lord my God. He put his trust in Him. We saw the faithfulness of God
in a trust. A trust. Now, listen to this. This will be our text this morning.
Oh Lord my God, if I have done this, if there be iniquity in
my hands, iniquity is that which is unequal, that which is unjust. if there be iniquity in my hands.
If I have, here's an example, if I have rewarded evil unto
him that was at peace with me. Drop down to verse five. Let
the enemy, David says, if I have done this, let the enemy persecute
my soul and take it. Yea, let him shred down my life
upon the earth and lay mine honor in the dust. The believer takes sides with
God. The believer sides with God. That's what God's grace makes
us to do. David is not saying he's sinless.
David knew he was a sinner. In Psalm 32, 5, he says, I acknowledge
my sin unto thee. My iniquity have I not hid. I'll
confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest
the iniquity of my sin. We read in Psalm 38, 3, there's
no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger, neither is there
any rest in my bones because of my sin. David knew he was
a sinner, but these charges, these particular charges that
had been laid against David were unjust, they were untrue. And
he's appealing to God here, and he's making a strong appeal to
God that he's innocent of these particular charges that were
laid against him. This is what he said to Saul.
And Saul is the one to whom he's been charged. And he said to
Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words? This is what men
were saying. Behold, David seeketh thy hurt.
That's what men were telling Saul. David is seeking to harm
you, Saul. And Saul said, Why do you hear
those words? He said, Know and see that there's
neither evil nor transgression in mine hand. I have not sinned
against thee. I don't desire your hurt, David
was saying to Saul, yet thou huntest my soul to take it. This
is what he said in 1 Samuel. We'll see this in a moment. But
yet, what I want you to see here is as David commits his cause
to God, the God who judges righteously, as he commits this cause to God
to judge for him, He even makes this plea, but he makes this
plea for God to do so in righteousness. The believer's plea is this,
that thou, God, might be just when thou speakest and be clear
when thou judgest. He's asking God to judge. He's
asking God to plead his case for him. But David's plea for
God to judge for him is that if I'm unjust, if I need to be
corrected in this matter, Lord, do so. Do so. Where does a believer
get a heart like that? Look over at 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter
2, 19. Where do we get a heart to commit
everything to God, even when we've been charged falsely? Listen to 1 Peter 2, 19. This is thankworthy. If a man
for conscience toward God endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if when
you're buffeted for your faults you shall take it patiently,
but if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently?
This is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were you called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example
that you should follow his steps, who did no sin. David knew he
was a sinner and knew sin was in his hands, though he wasn't
guilty of this particular charge that another man laid against
him. But Christ did no sin. Neither was guile found in his
mouth. When he was reviled, he didn't revile again. When he
suffered, he threatened not. but committed himself to him
that judgeth righteously." We see Christ in what David is doing,
don't we? David is committing himself to
him that judgeth righteously. This is where a believer gets
this heart to do this. We get it from the Spirit of
God dwelling in us. David was born of the Spirit
of God and he desired with all his heart for this whole matter
to be in God's hand. and for God to judge righteously,
so that he even says, Lord, if I have, if I don't, even in this
civil matter between a man and a man, if I don't see it, what
I've done, if I don't see what I've done, and I am guilty, Lord,
lay me in the dust, put me in the dust. You see, a believer
wants God, he commits all his care into God's hand, and doing
so, we commit all our care into his hand for God to correct me.
Correct me. Defend me and correct me. Christ
Himself bear our sins in His own body on the tree, that we
being dead to sin should live unto righteousness. That's what
David's doing here. He's living unto righteousness.
He's living unto God, His righteousness, by whose stripes he's healed.
And he's asking Him, asking Him, O Lord, correct me, but with
judgment, not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing.
So, there may be times when the believers charge in a civil matter,
charged, and it may be a wrong charge. She could, it's a false
charge. That's our desire, to make sure
it's a false charge. But even we were called to this,
to suffer very patiently if we're charged wrongfully. Christ was,
he was. The true humility, though, that
God gives in the heart, that he creates in the heart, true
humility. is this, is to take sides with
God, even against ourselves. Is to take sides with God, desiring
for righteousness, the righteousness of God to be upheld, for God
to judge justly, even if we need to be corrected. Now, I want
you to see secondly, first of all, a believer takes sides with
God, but secondly, this whole psalm, we're going to just look
at these two verses today, but this whole psalm is a psalm of
judgment, of righteousness, of David pleading for righteousness
and judgment. Now, the gospel is in the parentheses. There's some of the, most of
your newer translations take the parentheses completely out
and put something else here, a word plunder, and it's unfortunate
really. In every other place that the
same exact word that the newer translations translate plunder,
in every other place they translate the same word deliver, deliver. But I love what's in the parentheses
in our translation because the gospel's right here, verse four.
Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy. That's the gospel. That's the
grace of God right here. Twice David delivered Saul. Let's go see this. First Samuel
24. First Samuel chapter 24. We'll read verses 1 through 15.
And then I want you to hold your place here in 1 Samuel 24 because
we'll come back at the end. But look at this. It came to
pass when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that
it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of
Enjeti. Then Saul took three thousand
chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his
men upon the rocks of the wild goat." Saul's pursuing David.
He's heard this charge that David's trying to kill him, hurt him,
dethrone him, and he's going after David. And it came to the
sheep coats, by the way, 1 Samuel 24, Verse 3, He came to the sheep
coats, by the way, where was a cave. And Saul went in to cover
his feet. He went in to lay down and rest.
And David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. They
were in that cave. David and his men were. And Saul
goes in. He lays down. And the men of
David said unto him, they tell David, Behold, the day of which
the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into
thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good
unto thee. They said, That day's come, David.
He's delivered Saul into your hand. Then David arose and cut
off the skirt of Saul's robe privately. And it came to pass
afterward that David's heart smote him because he had cut
off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, the
Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the
Lord's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he
is the anointed of the Lord. So David stayed his servants
with these words and suffered them not to rise against Saul,
But Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way. David also
rose afterward and went out of the cave and cried after Saul,
saying, My Lord, the king. And when Saul looked behind him,
David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed himself.
Saul is, he's the king, and David bowed to him. Now watch this.
And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying,
Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? Why are you listening to men
that are telling you I'm after you? Behold, this day thine eyes
have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee today into mine
hand in the cave, and some bade me kill thee, but mine eyes spared
thee. And I said, I will not put forth
my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover,
my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand.
For in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and killed thee not,
know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression
in mine hand. I have not sinned against thee,
yet thou huntest my soul to take it. The Lord judge between me
and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee. But mine hand shall
not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients,
wickedness proceedeth from the wicked, but mine hand shall not
be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel
come out? After whom dost thou pursue?
After a dead dog, after a flea. The Lord therefore be judge,
and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause,
and deliver me out of thine hand. The Lord do this. Look over at
1 Samuel 26. Again, Saul was in an open place
and he was camped out with all his men and he was sleeping again.
In verse 7 it says, So David and Abishah came to the people
by night. And behold, Saul lay sleeping
within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster.
But Abner and the people lay round about him. You get the
picture here. Here he is with all his guard around him and
there he is laying asleep. His spear is stuck right there.
Then said Abishah to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into
thine hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him,
I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once. I'll not
smite him the second time. Abishah said, just let me have
one shot. I'll pin him down. I'll pin him
to the earth. That's all it's going to take. I'll do it with
his own spear. And David said to Abishah, Destroy him not,
for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed
and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the
Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him, or his day shall come to
die, or he shall descend into battle and perish. The Lord forbid
that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointing.
But I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster
and the crews of water, and let us go. So David took the spear
and the crews of water from Saul's bolster, and they got them away.
And no man saw it nor knew it, neither awaked, for they were
all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon
them. Then David went over to the other side and stood on the
top of a hill afar off, a great space being between them. And
David cried to the people and to Abner, the son of Near, saying,
Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said,
Who art thou that cries to the king? And David said to Abner,
Are not thou a valiant man? Who is like to thee in Israel?
Wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For there
came one of the people in to destroy the king thy Lord. This
thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, ye
are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the
Lord's anointed. And now see where the king's
spear is in the cruise of water that was at his bolster.' And
Saul knew David's voice, and he said, Is this thy voice, my
son David? And David asked, said, it is
my voice, my lord, O king. And he said, wherefore doth my
lord thus pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil
is in my hand? Again, David says to him, why
are you pursuing me? I'm not seeking to do you any
harm. Now, therefore, I pray thee,
let my lord, the king, hear the words of his servant. If the
lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering. If the Lord has done that, if
the Lord has brought you out against me, as David said in
our psalm, if I need to be corrected, put me in the dust in this matter.
But if they be the children of men, if this reason you come
after me is because men have moved you against me, cursed
be they before the Lord, for they have driven me out this
day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve
other gods. Now therefore let not my blood
fall to the earth before the face of the Lord, for the king
of Israel has come out to seek a flee, as when one doth hunt
a partridge in the mountain. David had twice there. David
had the opportunity to take Saul, and he didn't. He delivered him.
He says here, Lord, he says in our text, Lord, if I have done
this, if there's iniquity of my hand, if I've rewarded evil
unto him that was at peace with me, and he says, but this is
what I have done. I have delivered him that without
cause is my enemy. Christ Jesus is one we see here. David was innocent in these charges,
but David's a sinner. But Christ is the Holy One. Christ
is the King David. He is the spotless Lamb of God. There was no iniquity in Christ
Jesus. He never rewarded evil unto any. His enemies were more than the
hairs of His head. But look at what the Scripture
says. Look at Psalm 69. Look at verse 4. They that hate me without a cause,
they that hate me without a cause, they that hate me without a cause
are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy
me being my enemies wrongfully are mighty. Then I restored that
which I took not away. You see, there's no cause, there's
absolutely no cause in our God There was no cause in Christ
at all when He walked this earth for any sinner to consider our
God the enemy. There's absolutely none. Just
like Saul persecuted David without a cause, without any just reason
at all. All Saul had heard was the words
of some men. And he took those words and went
after David without a cause. absolutely without a cause. Every
natural son of Adam considers the true and living God, our
Savior, to be our enemy without a cause. There is no just cause
in it. God has only done that which
is right. God has only done that which
is just. God has only done that which
is good. And God only does that which
is holy and just and good. There is no cause in any man
are in God for any man to consider God his enemy. Absolutely none. We're the ones who are unjust.
Our Lord is just in all things. And there's no cause in us for
Christ to deliver us. There's no cause in God for us
to be an enemy, consider God our enemy. And there's absolutely
no cause in anyone that God delivers. Just like David delivered Saul,
those two times we just read about, he delivered him without
any cause in Saul. Saul gave him every reason to
plunder him. He gave him every reason to thrust
him through with a spear. But David didn't. He delivered
him without a cause. That's exactly what God has done
for all the children that He delivers. We don't have any cause
in us for God to deliver us. Look at Colossians 1.21. Yea, I have delivered him who
without cause is my enemy. Look at Colossians chapter 1
and look at verse 21. You have given, and I have given
God every reason to cast us into hell without any mercy whatsoever. He's given us every cause to
do that. Me and you. Every person sitting here right
now. But when God saves, He saves entirely without any cause in
us. This is the case now. This is
the case. Paul in Colossians is talking
to brethren who've been born of God, who've been brought to
see the mercies of God. And he says this, Colossians
1.21, And you that were some time alienated, separated, and
enemies in your mind by wicked works." I like the margin here.
It says, enemies by your mind. You see, it's our mind that's
corrupted. It's our mind that makes us at
enmity with God. It's the natural carnal heart
that makes a man at enmity with God. Saul was at enmity. He hated David. His heart was
enmity against David without a cause. That's who we are. That's who we are by nature.
But listen, you that were sometime alienated enemies in your mind
by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. You see, there
was no cause in us. We were alienated. We were enemies
by corrupt minds toward God, and yet he reconciled. You who
sit here right now can say, you that believe him, you can say,
God did this. He reconciled me. I was an enemy to God. He did
it in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in His sight. If you continue in the faith,
grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel which you've heard, which was preached to every creature
under heaven. You see, look at Romans 5, 6. Romans 5, 6. Yea, I have delivered him who
without a cause was my enemy. Look at Romans 5, verse 6. When we were yet without strength, when we were like Saul, running
after God, trying to kill God like he was trying to kill David,
trying to get God down off his throne, trying to get God out
of our imagination, trying to ignore God, trying to talk when God was talking, and
not listen when God's talking, and not hear when God's talking,
trying our best to do everything to put God out of our midst.
When we were going in and laying down and sleeping, and at any
point God could have thrust us through with a spear, at any
point, when we were without strength in due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. Ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous
man one will dare die. Some might die for a righteous
man. Peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us. Yea, I have delivered him who
without a cause was my enemy. That's what Christ accomplished. He delivered. He delivered his
people by the sacrifice of himself, by his own body on the tree.
He delivered his people from the curse of the law. He delivered
his people from the just condemnation that was our due. He delivered
everyone for whom he died. How do you know he did that?
Because he died. Because he paid the wages of
sin, which is death. He put away whoever he died for,
the wages of sin have been paid for them. and He did it for ungodly,
those who were His enemies without a cause. Much more than being
now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
Him. For if when we were enemies, this thing's already been done,
this thing's already been accomplished, it's already done. And if we
were reconciled to Him when we were enemies by the death of
His Son, much more being reconciled You right now that He's come
to and called by His Spirit and made you see, He reconciled you
so that in your heart by His Spirit you're reconciled to God.
Reconcile. Much more He'll save us by His
life. This is why David, when he was charged, when these charges
were laid against him, this is why David fled to God and said,
Help in Thee do I put my trust. Save me, Lord. Deliver me. Because
he knew, I've been reconciled to God in my surety in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He'll save me. That's why he
didn't take the law into his own hands when he could have
right there with him. There was another case in between
those two cases with a man named Nabal. And Nabal gave David every
reason to go and and slay him. And Abigail met David in the
way and brought David to his senses. And you know what David
prayed? He said, I thank the Lord that
my Lord delivered me from this evil, from going and taking these
matters into my own hands and trying to take vengeance. He'll save us by His life. This
is what God has done. Christ has restored the honor
and the glory, God's honor and God's glory Himself. Christ has,
He brings through His blood, through His righteousness, the
Spirit of God enters in and He restores life, true life in the
hearts of those that have no life, don't know God, just enemies
in our minds. He gives us the mind of Christ.
He makes it known in our hearts. the things that God has freely
given to us. And he makes us to see everything
that we robbed God of, Christ himself has restored. Though
we were enemies in our mind, though we were ungodly, though
we deserved nothing, though there was no cause in us, we were hating
God without a cause. And there was no cause for him
to do that. Yet he said, I have delivered thee. That's the good
news he makes known in the heart. I have delivered thee. Now here's
the sure work that this Word does in the heart. We saw at
first how it makes a believer take sides with God. It makes
him flee as David did to God and say, Lord, in Thee do I put
my trust. Save me, deliver me. And it makes
him take sides with God and say, Lord, if there is iniquity in
my hand, correct me. Lay me in the dust, correct me,
Lord. but Lord thou judge us, Lord thou save me. It makes us
to behold this by beholding Christ Jesus who's delivered us without
a cause. And this is what this Word surely does. I know this
Word does this. This is what it does. Turn back
to 1 Samuel 24. 1 Samuel 24. We see it in a picture here of
what Saul did. And Saul, it wasn't very long
after this, he turned right around and was back after David again,
but we see this right here of what true grace does in the heart. When a grace comes, when God
speaks in the heart, this is what He does. He brings about
a confession. Look at what Saul did, 1 Samuel. 24 in verse 16 David delivered
him you see that David delivered him and David made it known to
him he delivered him David said I Delivered you saw you see what
I've done. I had you God delivered in you
into my hand to do with you whatsoever I please that's exactly the case
with all the elect children of God God put them in the hand
of Christ our King to do with as he pleased and They're God's
anointed, God's chosen. He put them in His hand and He
said, I will not touch them. Though we reviled Him, though
we cursed Him, though we turned on Him, just as Saul did, He
said, I will not touch God's anointed. I will deliver them.
That's what he did. And when he makes this known,
this is what Saul said. And it came to pass when David
had made... 1 Samuel 24 verse 16. And it came to pass when David
had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said,
Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice
and he wept. Saul did. Saul lifted up his
voice and wept. And he said to David, thou art
more righteous than I. You see, that's the problem with
sinners. We think we're more righteous
than God. We think we're more righteous than the Lord Jesus
Christ. We're arrogant, we're haughty,
we think we're righteous, more righteous. But this is what God
does. He makes us to say and confess,
thou art more righteous than I. For thou hast rewarded me good,
whereas I have rewarded thee evil. Comfort ye, comfort ye
my people, saith the Lord. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem.
Tell her her warfare is accomplished. I have rewarded her double for
all her sins." What do we reward people when they sin against
us? What will a man reward another man when he sins against him? If you want to find out, next
time everybody's sitting around at the table and nobody's really
saying anything, there's not much to say, bring up some injustice
that's going on, just you saw in the news, and just see here
how fast everybody takes up the spear and just slams it straight
through the unjust one. We'll sit around and not have
anything to say. If somebody starts talking about something
where somebody's guilty, and everybody will jump on the bandwagon,
everybody will jump on the soapbox, and we'll all just slay them.
And like it. And like it. God said, this is
what Saul found out. You rewarded me good, whereas
I've rewarded thee evil. God said, I've rewarded you double
for all your sin. I've justified and made you righteous. Look at verse 18. And thou hast
showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me. For
as much as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand,
thou killest me not. Killest me not. For if a man
find his enemy, will he let him go well away? Will let him go
away well? Wherefore the Lord reward thee
good for that thou hast done unto me this day. The Lord exalt
you, David. The Lord rewards you, David.
The Lord exalts you. You know what? God the Father
has rewarded His Son. He's exalted Him to the right
hand of the Father. He's the King of kings and Lord
of lords. That's what God did with King
David. He made him king over Israel. This is what this grace
does. It brings us to see this. And
look at this. And now, behold, I know well
that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel
shall be established in thine hand. That's whose hand the kingdom's
established in, in Christ Jesus the King, in his hand. How does
a man see this? When we've made to know, yea,
he's delivered him who without a cause was his enemy. We find
ourselves in the place of the enemy, and find out without a
cause he's delivered us. we'll find out he's more righteous
than we are. We'll find out he is indeed the
king in whose hand the kingdom shall prosper. Look at the next
thing this did, verse 21, it made Saul ask for mercy. Verse
21, swear now therefore unto me by the Lord that thou will
not cut off my seed after me, that thou will not destroy my
name out of my father's house. And David said, you have my word. You see this? Here's what I'm
getting at. Paul said to all those who were
trying to whip men into submission, he said, do you despise the riches
of God's goodness? The riches of God's forbearance? The riches of God's long-suffering? Don't we see God's forbearance,
His goodness, His long-suffering? And David could have slain Him
at any time, and he waited. He waited. He waited. Paul said,
Do you not know that the goodness of God leadeth men to repentance? David, when he had sinned against
the Lord, he said, If thou, Lord, should mark iniquities, who should
stand? If you mark iniquity, who shall stand? But, he said,
there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. When
is a man going to fear the Lord? When are we going to When are
we going to stop being so disrespectful, irreverent to God, before God,
in His very presence, which we are right now, but when are we
going to stop being irreverent to Him and hit our face before
God and worship Him as He ought to be worshipped? When we find
out what forgiveness is. What forgiveness is. Well, I
want to give you two things to end with. Believe on Christ. He's the just One. He's the just
One. He's the just Deliverer, and
He delivers those who absolutely have no cause in us for deliverance. He delivers those. All things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ,
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, God
was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word
of reconciliation. This is the word of what gospel
we preach. It is that God has done the reconciling. And so we then as ambassadors
with him, together with him, beseech you, be ye reconciled
to God. For God hath made him who knew
no sin, sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. God has done this. This is what
it took to reconcile His people unto Himself. And He says, therefore,
Paul said, we then as workers together beseech you, don't receive
the grace of God in vain. Is this going to all end up at
the end when you come into the presence of God and you're going
to say, every single day of my life was vanity? God sent the
Word of Grace to me. God sent this Word to me and
I could have heard it, I could have heeded it, I could have
looked into His Word, I could have heard what He said. He gave
me every privilege, privileges He didn't give anybody else.
And I received it all in vain. Counted it worthless, counted
it nothing. He said, today is the day of
salvation. Hear Him today. And here's the
second thing, in every case, for us who believe, look at Romans
12, Romans 12, in every case, in every case, amid every false
charge, commit your cause to him that
judgeth righteously. Commit your cause to Him. Take
sides with God, knowing if we need to be corrected, Lord correct
me. But look at what he says, Romans
12, 17. Recompense to no man, evil for
evil. How can I do that? How can I
do that after what God's done for me? Provide things honest
in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as
life in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge
not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written,
vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.
Remember how many times David said that? The Lord judge between
me and thee. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger,
feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in doing so, thou
shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Isn't that what happened
with Saul? That's not meant to be a thing
of vengeance. That's meant what Saul saw. You're more righteous than I.
You've rewarded me good when I rewarded you evil. His heart
was melted within him. He fell down and wept. That's
a great thing. Be not overcome of evil. That's
what happens when we render evil for evil. Be not overcome of
evil, but overcome evil with good. Somebody wrote this, to
do evil for good, to return evil for good is human corruption. To do good for good is civil
retribution. But to do good for evil is Christian
perfection. Though this be not the grace
of nature, yet it is the nature of grace." Somebody else put
it like this, evil for good is devil-like. Evil for evil is
beast-like. Good for good is man-like. Good for evil is God-like. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. It's
Christ that died that's risen again. This is what David said.
Look at Psalm 116.8. I'll end with this. This is the
same word, delivered, for which delivered is translated. Psalm
116.8. I was going to give you a bunch of places and show you
how that word is delivered, but if you have a Hebrew English
lexicon, you can look that up. Psalm 116.8. This is our rejoicing. Thou hast
delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my
feet from falling. That's our rejoicing. He'll keep
His people. He'll keep His people. Amen.