Let us turn to God's Word once
again in the Psalm that we read. Psalm 27 and directing you this
morning to the words that we find here at verse 11. Psalm
27, 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies. Psalm 27 verse
11, Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because
of mine enemies. Of course, what we have here
is very much a part of David's prayer, the title of the Psalm,
a Psalm of David, or a prayer. of David. In a sense we can divide
this psalm quite easily into three sections. You might observe
how in the first six verses of the psalm David is very much
speaking of God. But then at verse 7 he begins
to speak to God. He addresses God quite directly,
having said wondrous things with regards to the God that he confesses
and acknowledges as his Lord. So at verse 7 he says, Hear,
O Lord, when I cry with my voice, have mercy upon me and answer
me. And so there's a a change, as
it were, in the language that is being used, having spoken
of God. He begins to speak directly to
God. And then right at the end of
the psalm, of course, we have words of exhortation. In verses 13 and 14, I had fainted
unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the
land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of good
courage, And ye shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on
the Lord." David, after his own experience of addressing this
God in his prayer, would encourage others also to come and wait
upon the Lord. So, as I said, what we have in
the text is part of the prayer. It's been well observed what
is necessary in order for a man to pray in this fashion. There needs certainly to be a
very deep sense of need of what one is praying for and at the
same time that feeling that every other refuge and all human help
fails us, but then also the Spirit of God himself must come and
help us in our infirmities if we're going to pray right. So I want us to consider here
something of what David is requesting in this particular part of his
prayer. It's David's prayer, really,
for a plain path. That's what David is seeking
after. He prays for a plain path. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies. And I want,
as we look at the text, simply to divide what I'm going to say
into two parts. First of all, to look at the
request of David, and then in the second place, to see the
reason why he feels it necessary to make such a request to God,
a very simple division. May the Lord bless the word to
us. First of all, to look at the
request, the particular petition that we find in the words of
this verse. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path." The statements, of course, are parallel
statements. One of the features of the Hebrew
poetry is this parallelism. There are two parts, as it were,
to the petition, and they reflect one another. There's a certain
duplication. He wants God to teach him his
way, and he's then more specific, he wants God to lead him in that
plain way. He's speaking very much then
of the need, the necessity of the Lord God to be his teacher. And how important that is, if
we're going to know what real prayer is. Only the Lord God
Himself can teach us how to pray. The words of the Lord Jesus there
in John 6, in verse 45, it is written in the Prophets, they
shall be all taught of God. Every man that hath heard and
learned of the Father cometh unto me, says the Lord Jesus.
If they are taught of God, If God is that one who is instructing
them, they will come. They will learn of Him, and the
consequence of that learning will be that they will come.
And we think of the language that we have in the book of Job,
there in Job 36, 22, "...who teacheth like him." Well, we
need that the Lord God should be our teacher, and this is what
David is certainly requesting here in this verse. We can think
of the request that the disciples made of the Lord Jesus. Lord,
teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples. John the
Baptist has taught his disciples how they are to pray. And the
disciples of the Lord Jesus come and make that very simple request
to the Savior himself that he would be their teacher with regards
to how they should pray. And you remember how the Lord
answers that request there in the opening verses of Luke 11. When ye pray, sigh. And so the
Lord's prayer follows. Our Father which art in heaven.
It is a pattern prayer. We're always to recognize that
there is the manner in which we are to construct our own prayers,
the way in which we're to pray. The Lord has taught us. He has
taught us just how to pray. And I'm very struck really by
the words that we have here in verse 8 of the psalm. As David
is addressing his God, Seek in my face. My heart said unto thee,
thy face, Lord, will I seek. Or as God says it, when God says,
seek in my face, God, as it were, is bespeaking our prayer. He
is speaking our very praying into being. It's only as he speaks
that we can really pray. And we see that, of course, don't
we, as a wonderful illustration in the way in which God has bespoken
into place all of creation. How did God create? We have the record here in the
opening chapter of the Scripture in Genesis chapter 1. He simply
spoke. It was His fiat. He said. He says and it is done. By the
word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them
by the breath of His mouth. For He spoke, and it was done.
He commanded, and it stood fast. remarkable, is the voice of the
Lord in creation. And if we would know what real
prayer is, God must speak that prayer into our very souls. It must be that that proceeds
from the majesty of the voice of the Lord. And look how in
a later psalm, in Psalm 29, the psalmist goes on to speak of
that voice of the Lord. another psalm of David. What
does he say? Verse 3, the voice of the Lord
is upon the waters. The God of glory thundereth.
The Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful.
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. the voice of the
Lord breaketh the cedars yea the Lord breaketh the cedars
of Lebanon and do we not feel sometimes it's like that in our
souls we need that voice of the Lord to come and to break down
every barrier in order that we might be able to utter believing
prayers into the ears of our God or where the word of the
King is there is power and we want that King to come and dwell
in our souls. Of course we need to know the
Lord Jesus Christ in all his offices as prophets, as priest
and as king. And when we come to prayer we
often think in terms of his priestly office. He is that one by whom we enjoy
the blessing of access to God. He is the great high priest of
our profession. He has made the great sin atoning
sacrifice here upon the earth. That's a priestly work accomplished.
And now He has entered heaven itself and He is engaged in that
other aspect of His priestly office. He ever lives to make
intercession. And all our praying must come
in and by and through Him as the High Priest. But we also,
when it comes to our prayers, need to know him in those other
offices. We need to know him as that one
who is the King, who will come with power into our souls and
break down all the barriers to our praying, as we have it here
in that 29th Psalm, the voice of the Lord, so powerful, so
majestic, breaking down all those things that would seem to stand
between us and our God. And of course we need also to
know Him as that One who is the Great Prophet. That One who comes
and instructs and teaches us by His Spirit. He teaches how
to pray. The disciples recognized that
when they made that request. Lord, teach us to pray. And what do we see here? We need to know that blessed
ministry. of the Holy Spirit who comes
as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. How Christ speaks of
His coming in those chapters, familiar chapters in John 14,
15 and 16. How it is expedient that the
Lord go away. If He go not away, the Comforter
will not come. But He says, if I depart, I will
send Him unto you. or the Lord departs, the Lord
enters heaven itself to intercede but he sends one to come and
dwell in the hearts of the people of God and to help them in all
their infirmities or the Spirit helpeth also in all our infirmities,
he's the one who makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot
be uttered how often we feel that, our prayers, what are they,
their sighs and their cries, their groanings. Oh, we have
to come by that gracious help of the Spirit. He that searcheth
the heart withal knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. For
he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will
of God. And doesn't the Spirit come as
that one who is ever the Spirit of the Lord Jesus? Teach me thy
way. Here we have the prayer then
of David in this particular petition. Teach me thy way. Isn't the Lord Jesus here? Isn't
the Spirit directing us to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mediator?
I am the way, he says. I am the truth. I am the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. It is through him and through
the Lord Jesus Christ alone as the mediator, that we have access,
that we have boldness with confidence. It is simply by the faith of
Him. It's a prayer then to be directed,
that we might be directed ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach
me thy way, O Lord, says David. And then the other part of the
petition As I said, these are parallel statements. He continues,
and lead me in a plain path. What paradox is here? It is a
plain path, and yet, and we live to prove this, it is such a strange
path, and such a mysterious way in which the Lord teaches his
people. What do we read in another psalm?
Psalm 77 and verse 19, thy way is in the sea, thy path in the
deep waters, and thy footsteps are not known. It's a plain path. And yet there's that that is
unfathomable really with regards to the path. God's One who does
work in strange ways. God moves in a mysterious way,
is wondrous to perform. He plants his footsteps in the
sea and rides upon the storm. You remember the language of
the poet William Cooper, how true it is. The mystery of the
Lord's ways and yet, it is the petition that it might yet prove
to be a plain path. And it's not only The language
of the Psalm is there in Psalm 77. But Job uses another figure
when he speaks of God's strange dealings and God's strange leadings. In Job 28 we have that figure
of the miner working in the depths of the earth, in the bowels of
the earth. Look at the language that we find there. in the 28th
chapter of Job's book. And what do we read? The verses
7 and 8. There is a path which no fowl
knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen. The lion's
walps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. What is his path that Job is
speaking of? Well, we see previously in the
chapter, the opening word, surely there is a vein for the silver,
and a place for gold where they find it. Iron is taken out of
the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. He's speaking
of the work of the mining, you see, going into the bowel of
the earth to obtain these precious metals and it's that path that
is completely unknown by the birds of the air and he's speaking
of course Job of the Lord's dealings with himself and the mystery
of the Lord's dealings with himself how he he knew such remarkable
trials and troubles And when we read the book of Job, surely
we're brought to realize how easy our own path has been in
comparison with that godly man. But he confesses, he knoweth
the way that I take. When he hath tried me, I shall
come forth as gold. Oh, his own path, you see, it's
like that that's in the depths of the earth. But there's a gracious
purpose to be fulfilled and his faith will be refined, and he
will come forth as God. And this is David's prayer, you
see, that the Lord would lead him in this path. It's a plain
path to the Lord God. He's too wise to be mistaken.
He's too good to be unkind. The Lord understands. The Lord
knows all that he's about. He knows the end from the beginning.
But how often for God's people, you see, it's a strange way.
as God crosses his people they're often filled with much confusion
they find themselves to be as it were at times simply stumbling
along like blind men and we see it in the language of the Prophet
Isaiah look at the words that we have there in Isaiah 59 10
we grope for the wall like the blind and we grope as if we had
no eyes we stumble that noonday As in the night we are in dark
places as dead men. And why are such Scriptures written? Why are these things recorded
in the Old Testament Scripture? Well, we're told quite plainly
they're written for our learning that we through patience or endurance
and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. This is that
strange way and yet it's a plain path the Lord is leading his
people in. It is a blessed way really. Where
will it bring them ultimately? Why it will bring them to the
Lord Himself. He led them forth by the right
way, that they might come to a city of habitation. We remember
how we read of those leadings of the Lord there in the 107th
Psalm. He leads them forth by the right
way. It is a plain path, and yet to
the child of God it seems such a mysterious way in which the
Lord is dealing with him. Here then is David's petition,
David's prayer, that the Lord would teach him the way, the
way which is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a plain way when we think
of it in terms of of Christ and the work that Christ has accomplished
that great work of redemption wherein he has reconciled his
people to God and they can come to God so freely in and through
him. David's petitioning but what is the reason for it? And there is a reason and it
stands before us in the text because Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in the plain path because of mine enemies. There's the reason. God's people
have enemies. And so they knew that the Lord
Himself should be leading them, directing them. Deliver me, not
over onto the will of mine enemies, He continues. For false witnesses
are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty."
All believers are in the midst of their enemies. And where are
these enemies? They're about them, but they're
also within them. There are so many enemies that
they have to contend with continually. Again, we see it in the language
of Job. His troops come together, he
says, and rise up their way about me and then camp round about
my tabernacle. There in Job 19, 12. When he's
speaking of his tabernacle, of course, he's speaking of his
own body. We that are in this tabernacle, says Paul to the
Corinthians, do groan being burdened. Paul is speaking of this earthly
tabernacle, the body that we live our lives in and Job is
using the same figure there in that 19th chapter how these troops
they come they're all about his tabernacle and how Job was so
sorely tried of course in his own person you know the history
of Job as we have it set before us there in the opening chapters
of his book whilst initially he's not touched in his own person
He's touched with regards to all his possessions, even in
his own family, the loss of his own children. But initially Satan
is not allowed to touch him in his own person, but then in the
second chapter the Lord does permit him to do that also. And
how he was tried in his own body. How he was covered from the crown
of his head to the soles of his feet. Was he a leprous man? We don't know, but there were
sores all over his body and he goes and he sits amongst the
ashes and he takes a shirt and he's scraping his body, his poor
body. And all these troops coming together,
rising up their way against him, encamping, as it were, round
about his tabernacle. And David, in some ways, feels
the same, the same burdens as this man felt. Hide not thy face far from me,
he says. Put not thy servant away in anger.
Thou hast been my help. Leave me not, neither forsake
me, O God of my salvation. And we need the Lord to come
and to appear for him time and again. He says at verse 6, Now
shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about
me. Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of
joy. I will sing, yea, I will sing
praises unto him. God will appear for him. But
he has these enemies. And as I say, they're not only
about him, they're also within. There's not only the world, There's
not only Satan, there's also his old nature, indwelling sin. The language that we have here
is most interesting. It's evident from what we see
in the text, because there are two alternative readings in the
margin, that this is a verse that is clearly of some difficulty
in the interpretation in the translation. Because of mine
enemies, you might see in the margin, could be rendered those
which observe me. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path because of those which observe me. And seeing that, I thought of
the language of the Apostle. when he writes there in the 10th
chapter of the Hebrews, the language that Paul employs in Hebrews
10 at verse 32. He says, Call to remembrance
the former days in which after ye were illuminated ye endured
a great fight of afflictions. partly whilst ye were made a
gazing-stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst
ye became companions of them that were so used." They were
made, he says, a gazing-stock. And the word that we have there,
gazing-stock, is the Greek word from which is transliterated,
our English word, theatre. A very literal rendering then
would read, whilst you were made a theatre, both by reproaches
and afflictions. And it's exhorting them to remember
these things. They were illuminated. In other
words, the blessed light of the gospel was brought to shine in
their hearts And then they have to endure a great fight. There are afflictions, troubles
without, fears within. There are gazings like that of
theatre. And it's the general experience of these people, the
people of God. He became companions of them
that were so used. I thought then of those words
of the Apostle in terms of what we have here in the margin at
the end of this 11th verse, because of those which observe me. And again we think of language
that the Apostle also used when he writes to the Corinthians,
there in 1 Corinthians 4.9, how that they were made a spectacle
unto the world. This is the people of God, you
see. how they are observed how the men and women look upon them
these strange creatures and so believers surely in the
light that they are spectacles to the world the world is looking
upon them as if they are upon a stage in a theatre the people
of God therefore are to be concerned that their walking are right.
Teach me thy way, O Lord. Lead me in a plain path because
of those which observe me. I want to conduct myself in a
way that is becoming the gospel. I want to conduct myself in such
a manner that Men and women will observe that I am one who is
a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that the implication
of what we have in the text? Believers therefore want to walk
in accordance with what is set before them in the Word of God
and especially in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look
at the language that we have in the previous psalm. there
in Psalm 5 and verse 8. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness
because of mine enemies. Make thy way straight before
me. Very similar words really to
the words that we have as our text this morning, those in Psalm
5 and verse 8. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because
of mine enemies. Make thy way straight before
me." What do we see here? They want to walk then in the
way of justification. Isn't that the righteousness
that's been spoken of in that previous psalm? It is God's righteousness
that He has spoken of. Lead me, O Lord, in Thy righteousness,
that righteousness that justifies the sinner, not his own righteousness,
but which is the righteousness of another. It's that that he's
spoken of in the familiar words of Psalm 23, he leadeth me in
the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. That's the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that righteousness that was
all of the Apostle Paul's boast and glory. That's what he was
brought to. Once he had been a Pharisee and
he was a most self-righteous man. he was full of himself and
he could say before God so he thought that he had a righteousness
a righteousness all of his own doing but how he has to be brought
to recognize what that righteousness was it was nothing but filthy
rags when he was delivered from his pharisaism, and then his
one desire to be found in Christ, not having mine own righteousness
which is of the Lord, he says, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. And there we have in the prophecy of Zechariah
quite a remarkable illustration of what that righteousness is.
You know the passage there at the beginning of Zechariah chapter
3, where we read of Joshua the high priest, the high priest
in the days of Ezra. Zechariah ministering, of course,
at the time when they returned from the exile to rebuild the
temple there in Jerusalem. the words that we have at the
beginning of this third chapter. Zechariah says, He showed me
Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord,
and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord
said unto Satan, The Lord rebuketh thee, O Satan. Even the Lord
that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuketh him. He is not this, a brand
plucked out of the fire, Now Joshua was clothed with filthy
garments and stood before the angel. And he answered and spoke
unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy
garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold,
I have cause and iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe
you with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair
mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon
his head and decked him. with garments, and the angel
of the Lord stood by." It's the sinner clothed in a righteousness
that was not his own, the righteousness of another, even that of the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord our righteousness. And you know the
words of dear John Newton in the 119th hymn, I love that last verse, verse
5. What wondrous love! What mysteries
in this appointment shine! My breaches of the Lord are His,
and His obedience mine. That's the exchange, you see. Those breaches of the law imputed
to the Lord Jesus Christ, all the transgressions that the sinner
is guilty of reckoned to the account of Christ and Christ
dying as a substitute in the room instead of those who were
the sinners and then in exchange the Lord giving them his righteousness
and that righteousness so reckoned to their accounts so imputed
to them my breaches of the Lord are his says Newton and his obedience
mine, to be found in Christ, as Paul says. Though he thought
as a Pharisee he kept the law, but he never kept the law at
all. And then he saw what he was, a great transgressor, and
he only desired to be found in the Lord Jesus, not having any
righteousness of his own, but that which is through the faith
of Christ. the righteousness of God which is by faith. It's the way of justification.
It's the way of justification that the believer wants to be
walking in. But it's not just a way of righteousness
in terms of his justification. He also wants to walk in that
way of sanctification. And now these two come together,
justification, the imputation of the righteousness of Christ
to the sinners of camp, but also sanctification. And when we come
under the Word of God, we're surely conscious of the prayer
of the Lord Jesus there in the 17th of John, sanctify them through
thy truth. thy word is truth. We want to
know the sanctifying effects of that word of God. And again,
in that portion that we just referred you to in the prophecy
of Zechariah, how does he continue? We read the first five verses,
but then he continues And the angel of the LORD protested unto
Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, If thou wilt walk
in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt
also judge my house, and shalt also keep my court, and I will
give thee places to walk among those that stand by. If thou
wilt walk in my ways, and keep my charge, my ordinance, says
the Lord God, that to be those who are walking in the ways of
God, walking in the way of His commandments, submitting to His
holy precepts, desiring to live to the honor and glory of His
name. Isn't this that plain part that
is spoken of in the text, because of mine enemies, lead me in a
plain path, the narrow way, the way of salvation. Straight is
the gates, narrow is the way that leadeth unto life. And it is a path, you see, that
involves separation, a separation from the ways of the world, a
conforming to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. the life of
obedience, seeking to do those things that are pleasing in his
sight, delighting in his precepts as much as delighting
in his promises. As these stand together, we're
not to be partial. We're not to be partial in the
Word of God. That was the great charge that was brought against
the priest in the days of Malachi, that they were partial. We're not to embrace one part
of Scripture and neglect another part of Scripture. We're to delight
in the blessed doctrine of justification by faith, but there is also that
other truth of sanctification, and all that that entails, of seeking that we might have
grace to mortify the deeds of the body, and we need the gracious
Spirit to help us to crucify the flesh, to depart from the
ways of sin, and our desire to conform ever
more to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be Christ-like,
to have the mind of Christ, that loneliness of mind, that humility
of spirit. For this is the way, it's the
way of sanctification, and to be those who are sincere, in
really seeking that we might know what it is to be found in
this blessed way and to walk continually in this plain path
the way of life and we see it in so many of the Psalms here
and in this particular part of the Psalter look at what we have
in the end of the previous 26th Psalm verse 11 David says, as for me, I will
walk in mine integrity. Mine integrity, you see. An Israelite
indeed, guileless. I will walk in mine integrity.
Redeem me and be merciful unto me. My foot standeth in an even
place. In the congregations will I bless
the Lord. Ought to stand in an even place.
Is it not akin to be walking in a plain path. That that the
Lord has clearly said before us again, going back to the 25th
Psalm. And the prayer that we have there
at verses 4 and 5, Show me thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths,
lead me in thy truth, and teach me. For thou art the God of my
salvation, on thee do I wait all the day. Oh, we need to be
those then who are looking to the Lord and praying to the Lord
that He would continually guide and direct us. Why? Because there are enemies, because
of mine enemies. All the activity of Satan, all
the allurements of the world, all the lusts that lie deep in
our fallen nature, fearful enemies that we need then to address
ourselves to the Lord and make David's prayer our very own prayer. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies or because of
those which observe me. that I might be one who people
are made to take account of one who is ready to give an answer
to every man that asks a reason of that blessed hope that is
in me and then the exhortation wait on the Lord be of good courage
and he shall strengthen thine heart wait I say on the Lord
oh God then grant that we might learn of David, and that we might
pray, even as this man after God's own heart, we see to be
continually making his prayers known unto his God. The Lord
bless to us his word. Amen.