Psalm 55. Psalm 55. I'm taking the title for this
sermon from the words found in verse 22. Words found in verse
22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Now, when we were flooded last
July, July 19th, I heard from many friends around
the country. Many, many friends sent financial
help and greetings all around the country, even from overseas.
Most of them I knew. Most of them I had known for
a long time. But some who wrote me and some
that I heard from I didn't know. One of the letters I received,
and I don't remember this person's name, I wish I would have written
it down, but in that envelope was a card of sympathy, we're
sorry that you went through this again and we're praying for you,
and I appreciated that greatly, but inside that envelope and
inside that thank you card was a little scrap of paper that
she had cut out, or this person who had cut it out, and Inscribed
on that little piece of paper was the words found in verse
22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord
and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous
to be moved. I still have that little scrap
of paper. Matter of fact, I found it the other day and got a piece
of scotch tape and taped it to the bottom part of my computer.
So when I Look at my computer as I do most of the day when
I'm working in the study. I'm often reminded, cast thy
burden upon the Lord. He shall sustain thee. What a blessing it is when I
was in desperate need of a word of encouragement. Someone thought
enough to send God's Word, and it blessed me. It was a blessing,
and it still is a blessing. What a blessing to have friends
in the Lord who share our burdens together, who pray for one another,
and who continue to pray for us as we endeavor to still recover
from our flood that we have went through in the last two years.
Now this psalm, Psalm 55, is another psalm of instruction.
That word maskel means instruction. It speaks of the hardships David
endured when his own son, Absalom, conspired against David with
one of David's trusted governors named Ahithophel. but also in
the way of prophecy it speaks to us about the greater David
the greater David the Lord Jesus Christ and his enemies and his
betrayal by his own apostle his own apostle named Judas. Ahithophel is considered by most
the commentators that I read after, John Gill, Matthew Henry,
Matthew Poole, and others. Ahithophel is considered by most
to be a type and picture of the betrayal of Judas. It's most
interesting that both men, Ahithophel and Judas, both men, after they
betrayed their friend, both men went out and hanged themselves. It's recorded in 2 Samuel 17
23 that Ahithophel did just that.
But also remember that Absalom Not only Judas, not only Ahithophel,
but also remember that Absalom, David's son, the son whom he
loved, also died in a natural death by the hand of Joab, David's
trusted general. You remember how David wept over
Absalom? Oh, Absalom, Absalom, my son,
would God I died for thee. Loved that boy. Loved him so. And yet he betrayed his father. Rebellion against his father.
Now there are many sweet gospel nuggets in this psalm which may
be applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior, the
God-man mediator, who in great agony, great agony, accomplished
our salvation, who gave himself for our sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us unto God. He suffered once for
our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us and will
be brought no other way. than by his doing, his dying,
his sacrifice for us. Now let's look at verses 1 and
2. Give ear to my prayer. Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not thy face from my supplication. Attend unto me
and hear me. I mourn in my complaint, I make
a noise, I roar all the night and cry unto thee. Now David
was a man given to much prayer. that how much more how much more
the Lord Jesus Christ it says in Luke 6 verse 12 that the Lord
went out and all night he prayed unto God now I don't know about
you but And I delight to bow before the
Lord and call upon Him in mercy. But I tell you, if I could even
get 10, 15, 30 seconds of prayer without my mind wandering off
somewhere, I would count it a great blessing. But here the Lord Jesus
Christ, it says in Scripture that He cried all night unto
His Father. Now even think about this. Even
today, He ever lives to intercede for us. He is yet praying for
us. He is yet interceding for us. Now when we pray, we don't complain
of Him, do we? But we do complain unto Him and
pour out our hearts before Him and make our requests known unto
God. Look what He says in verse 17.
Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and
He shall hear my voice. What a privilege God has given
us to take everything to God in prayer. The Apostle Paul,
writing to the church here at Philippi, he said, make your
request be known unto God. Let your request be made known
unto God. Believers have complaints, and
my chief complaint is this. I mourn over my vile corruption
and my sin. I mourn over my vile depravity
and my sin before God. I can say with the Apostle Paul,
O wretched man that I am, I do mourn that I'm a sinner before
God. O wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. That's the only hope a sinner
has. For God in grace and God in mercy to visit us. in salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ had many
complaints over the perverseness, over the faithlessness of the
generation of His day. It's recorded in Matthew 17,
He said, O thou faithless and perverse generation. Oh, I tell you, The Lord had
many, many complaints about the Jews. He said in another place,
you are they which are highly esteemed among men, but that
which is highly esteemed, you are they which justify yourselves
before men rather. That which is highly esteemed
before men is an abomination in the sight of God. The Lord
Jesus Christ was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. A man
of sorrows, acquainted with grief. One old writer said, God Almighty
only had one son without sin, the God-man Mediator. Had no sin, knew no sin, but
none without sorrow. none without sorrow he was a
man of sorrow such as like we can't even fathom the sorrow
and agony and grief the Lord in our room and in our stead
endured for us the holy wrath of God now look at verse 3 because
of the voice of the enemy because of the oppression of the wicked
for they cast iniquity upon me and in wrath hate me." The carnal
mind is enmity against God. That word enmity has a meaning
of deep-seated, deep-rooted hatred. Men love darkness, not light.
Absalom Ahithophel spoke out against David and sought in wrath
to kill him. You know, when Absalom started
his rebellion against David to push him off the throne, and
he did it in a conniving way, and he brought Ahithophel into
his scheme, so much so that Ahithophel requested of Absalom, give me
12,000 men, and I'll hunt this David out and put an end to his
life. You see what he's saying there?
In wrath they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. But how much more the enemies
of the Lord Jesus Christ, how much more in wrath did they truly
hate Him and cast iniquity upon Him. They spoke evil of Him,
didn't they? This One who was holy, harmless,
undefiled, and separate from sin. This One who is the lovely
One of Heaven, Son of God. They spoke evil of Him, those
self-righteous scribes and Pharisees, they said he's a wine-dibber,
he's a gluttonous man, and then they said the miracles that he
does, he does by the power of the devil. He's a friend of publicans
and sinners. They cast iniquity upon him. The Jews imputed crimes to him
that he was totally innocent of. And in wrath, they hated
him. Our Lord said in John 15, they
hated him without a cause. Without a cause. Turn over here
to Psalm 69, another Psalm of the cross. Psalm 69, look at
verse 4. 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." He restored all the ruins of the fall. for
God's elect he restored that which he took not away by one
man's disobedience many were made sinner so by the obedience
of another shall many be made righteous now let's consider
verse four and five in our text Psalm 55 my heart is sore pain
within me the terrors of death are fallen upon me, fearfulness
and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me."
Now let us never forget that the Lord Jesus Christ was a real
man. He wearied in body, he thirsted,
he hungered, he pained. He was a real man, yet he's God
Almighty, but let us never forget he was a real man. who came to
die for our sin. The Lord was consumed with grief
and covered with horror as he prays in the garden of Gethsemane
for us. You read the account of it, it
says, his soul was exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. It says in Luke 22 that he being
in agony, sweat, great drops of blood. I don't know anything
about that kind of agony. But the Lord Jesus Christ agonized
as our sin was being made known to Him. All the terror and fearfulness
and trembling and horror covered Him, arose from a sense of sin
being laid upon Him, the guilt of sin pressing upon Him, feeling
the wrath of God being laid upon Him because of the curse of the
law. It pleased God to bruise him
in our stead. Is it nothing to you, Jeremiah,
said all ye that pass by? Behold and see, if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me wherewith the
Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger." We
know that those Jews, they were angry and they murdered him.
Those Romans, they delighted in crucifying another Jew. But what we must see and what
we must understand, although it pleased Pilate and Herod and
the Jews and the Gentiles, they were all gathered together against
the Lord and against His Christ. But it wasn't the bruising that
they did that accomplished salvation. It was the bruising that God
did on our behalf. It pleased the Lord to bruise
Him. in our room and in our stead. It wasn't what wicked men did
that day. That's our hope. It's what God
was doing at the cross. It's what God was doing at the
cross. God made him sin for us who knew no sin that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. Fearfulness and trembling
and horror coming. So much so that he cries, my
God, my God. Why has thou forsaken me? S-I-N. Sin. Sin. When the lovely one
was made sin, God Almighty turned from him as he dies a horrible
death, bearing the sin of God's people. Now let's consider verse
6, 7, and 8. Oh, I said, and I said, oh, that
I had wings like a dove. For then would I fly away and
be at ease. Lo, then I would wander far off
and remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from
the windy storm and tempest. And this is a windy storm of
God's wrath and the tempest. The enemies of David and of Christ
pursued them like a ravenous hawk, a harmless dove. Sinners flee to Christ for safety
and rest. Sinners flee to Christ for safety
and salvation and rest, but it's only in Him, only in Him. The
Lord Jesus Christ, under the terror of the law and judgment
of sin, desired that the cup of God's wrath would pass from
Him, that He might flee and escape death, but He prayed If it's
possible, Lord, let this cup pass from me, but it's not possible. And then he prayed, not my will,
but thy will be done. He became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Thank God that he endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is now set down on the right
hand of the throne of God, having accomplished all of our salvation
for us, having put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. What a blessing, what a blessing
to have a blessed Savior, such as we have in Christ Jesus. And oh, he said, oh, that I had
wings like a dove, that I might fly away. What happened after
his resurrection? Did he do just that? Didn't he
do, he ascended to glory? After being among men for 40
days, he ascended to glory. He did flee away. He did flee
away. Now, let's consider verses 8
down to verse 11. What a fit description of fallen
humanity and what sin is deserving of. Look at verse 9. Destroy, O Lord, and divide their
tongue, for I have seen violence and strife in the city day and
night. they go about, they go about
it upon the walls, thereof mischief also and sorrow are in the midst
of it, wickedness is in the midst thereof, deceit and guile depart
not from her streets." This book is full of descriptions
of our wickedness, of the state of fallen humanity, the guilt,
the vileness, the wickedness of men, He says, destroy, oh Lord, and
divide their tongue, for I've seen violence and strife in the
city. Destroy them or swallow them up. That's going to happen
to all the enemies of the gospel. He's going to destroy them and
devour them. Just as God did Pharaoh in his
army in the Red Sea. Just as God did Korah, Dathan
and Byron. Just as God did Ahithophel and
Absalom and Judas. So all the enemies of Christ
and his church will be destroyed forever and ever. Look at verse 15. Let death seize
upon them. Let them go down quick into the
grave, for wickedness is in their dwellings. And among them, notice
verse 23, but thou, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of
destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall
not live out half their days. But I'll trust in thee. Judgment's
coming. Judgment's coming. One day God's
gonna deal with men in judgment. Those who were not found in the
Lord Jesus Christ, now there's no condemnation to those who
were in Christ Jesus, but those outside of the Lord Jesus Christ,
our God is consuming fire. It's appointed unto men once
to die, and after that, judgment, judgment, judgment is coming. He says in verse 9, divide their
tongue or confuse them. put their plans of attack to
confusion, as God did both with Absalom and Ahithophel, or as
the Lord did with those that brought false witness against
the Lord Jesus Christ, they were confused. Day and night, mischief
and sorrow are about to the wicked city. Wickedness, deceit, guile
depart not from the city, where mischief is The mischief of sin,
where it is, sorrow will always follow. Mark it down. It is sure. Let's consider verse
12 now. Verse 12, several things here.
For it was not an enemy, it was not an enemy that brought reproach,
that reproached me, then I could have borne it. Neither was it
he that hated me, that did magnify himself against me, then I would
have hid myself from him. But it was a man my equal, my
guide, my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together
and walked into the house of God in company and in fellowship. Now it was not in David's case,
it was not the pagan Philistine, Goliath, who cursed David by
his gods, but it was one of his own family. one of his own nation,
his own country, his own son, who conspired to kill David. Turn back to Psalm, we've seen
something of this before. Turn back to Psalm 41.9. Psalm
41.9. Yea, he said, my own familiar
friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted
up his heel, against me." And that speaks of the betrayal of
the blessed Savior. He did lift up his heel, like
a horse would lift up his heel and kick you in the face. Even
more so, it was not so much the scribes and Pharisees, the sworn
enemies of Christ, who openly rejected Him, who said, we have
no king but Caesar. Away with him. Crucify him. Give us Barabbas. We'll not have
this man to reign over us. it was not so much the scribes
and pharisees who openly rejected him that brought such agony and
sorrow but his own chosen apostle named Judas. Reproach from an
enemy is to be expected isn't it? Reproach and attack from
an enemy is to be expected but from but reproaches from someone
thought to be a friend a friend are heartbreaking. They're wounding,
aren't they? Judas, it says here, was a man
my equal, a man appointed by me, a man who was a man my guide. Judas was guide to them who took
the Lord Jesus. He led the way for the enemies
to arrest the Lord. But it was one
of his own twelve that betrayed the Lord. Judas was an acquaintance,
a friend, a companion whom he confided in, whom the Lord taught. Yet this man was destitute of
grace and sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. And when he
came, when they came to arrest the Lord Jesus, being led by
one, my guide, my friend that we took sweet counsel together,
my acquaintance, he came forth and hailed him as master and
kissed him to identify him before the enemy. You remember verse
21? The words of his mouth were smoother
than butter. Hail, master. But war was in
his heart. Betrayal was in his heart. His
words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Drawn
swords. Judas and the Lord walked in
the temple of the house of God in the place of worship. You
think of that? Judas heard the gospel from the lips of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He saw the many mighty miracles
he performed. Yet it had no effect upon his
wicked scheme to betray the Lord. It had no effect upon his wicked
heart. Don't tell me that sinners are not to pray. Judas heard so much and saw so
much. But grace had never gripped his
heart. Never gripped his heart. Let
us not be surprised when those we thought were eager, avid supporters
become enraged and enemies and attack the ministry the Lord
has established. It's the most sad thing to witness. And yet I've seen it happen more
than one time. I have personally experienced
someone who I thought loved the gospel, who was interested in
the ministry, just turn their back and walk away and never
return. Treason by a trusted friend.
Anything sadder than that? Treason, betrayal. We pray for
them as fellow preachers, But those who are enemies of God,
they're our enemies. They're our enemies. Paul warned
the church about those that would creep in among us, their sheep,
their wolves in sheep clothing. He warned them as he departed
from them in Acts chapter 20. The words are recorded. Let's
turn there and see if we can read it. In Acts chapter 20,
he warned them that I know this, he says in verse 29, Acts 20,
29. Take heed, he says, to yourselves
and over all the flock, which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he purchased with
his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall
men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples
after them, therefore watch and remember that by the space of
three years I cease not to warn every one night and day with
tears and now brethren I commend you to God and the word of his
grace which is able to build you up and give you inheritance
among all them that are sanctified I know this grievous wolves he
said will enter in among you not sparing the flock how sad
is betrayal how sad to see those who once said they love the gospel,
said they believe the gospel and yet, turn away from it, walk
away from it. David said this in another psalm,
Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee? And I am grieved at
those that rise up against Thee? Look at verse 16 and verse 18.
Verse 16 down to verse 18. As for me, as for me, Let death seize upon them and
go down quickly into the grave, for wickedness is in their dwelling
and among them. But as for me, remind me the
word of Joshua, the words of Joshua, as for me and my house,
we're going to serve the Lord. You go ahead and choose. Choose
you this day. Now, a lot of people are totally
mixed up on that scripture. He's not saying that you can
choose God or not choose God. He said, choose you this day
among the gods of the Philistine. You choose among them pagan idols
whom you're going to serve. As for me and my house, we're
going to serve the Lord. We're going to serve the Lord.
As for me, I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me, evening
and morning, and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and shall
hear my voice, and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my
soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there
were many, there were many with me. As for me, I trust I can speak for you. As
for me, as for you, I'll call upon God. Not upon a creature,
not upon an idol, Not a mere figment of my imagination, but
I'll call upon the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
Not upon an idol, but upon a true and living God who alone is able
to save to the uttermost all that come to God by Him. If salvation's of the Lord and
it's His to give, wouldn't it be wise to call upon the Lord
for salvation? As we studied last week in Psalm
54 verse 1, Save me, O God! Who else can? Save me, O God! And do it by thy name. Do it
by Christ. And judge me or justify me by
thy strength. By thy strength. David, after
the conflict, was restored to the throne of Israel. In verse
18, he had delivered my soul in peace from the battle that
was against me. For there were many, for there
were many with me. David, after the conflict, was
restored to the throne of Israel, even more so the greater David,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, how he was delivered to the
throne of glory in victory having accomplished all of our salvation
making peace for us through the blood of his cross now David
was restored to the throne but the Lord Jesus Christ ascended
to the throne of glory and there he ever lives to make intercession
for us David says in verse 18 for there were many with me This
may be referring to the ministering angels sent forth to minister
to them who shall be the heirs of salvation. It says over here
in Psalm 56 verse 9, When I cry unto thee, then shall my enemies
turn back, for this I know, God is for me. You see that? In God will I praise his word,
and the Lord will I praise his word. If God be for us, who can
be against us? Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Yea,
rather is risen again who is even at the right hand of God.
Whoever lives to make intercession for us. He hath delivered my
soul in peace. We have peace with God to the
Lord Jesus Christ on the battle that was against me my sin was
against me the law was against me the Lord Satisfied law and
justice on my behalf where there were many with me Many with me
Verse 19 God shall hear and afflict them God shall hear and afflict
them even he that abideth he that abideth He abides of old,
from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. God abided from
all eternity, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God,
God alone who inhabits eternity. It says in Isaiah 57, for thus saith
the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity. He inhabits eternity. He's not in eternity. He's not
in eternity. Eternity is in Him. He's the
infinite God. He's the infinite God. He's the
high and lofty one that inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. Now listen to this, the rest
of this. And this is Isaiah 57, 15. I
will dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is the
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,
to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Though the Lord be high,
Yet he has respect unto the lowly. Says that in Psalm 138. You know
man is the complete opposite of everything that God is. That's
right. He abideth of old. We can't say
that. Man is the complete opposite.
We're not of old. Of old eternity. We have a beginning. We'll have an end. The end of
this flesh. Man is the complete opposite.
We're not of old. And unless God does something
for us, we'll go right on believing a lie and be damned. Because
men love darkness rather than the light. There is no fear of
God before their eyes. Look what it says in the last
part of verse 19. Because they have no changes.
They have no changes. Therefore they fear not God.
God must change us. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things become new. Because they have no changes. Therefore they fear not God. We don't change ourselves. We don't make ourselves believers. It's not something we do, we
choose. It's not by man's free will,
or it's not of him that will it, nor of him that run it, but
it's God that shows mercy to whom he will. Notice verse 20. God shall hear and afflict them,
even he that abideth of old, because they have no changes. Therefore they fear not God."
There's no fear of God before their eyes. Verse 20, "...he
hath put forth his hand against such as be at peace with him, and hath despised or broken his
covenant." God will put forth his almighty
hands against those who are at pretended peace. Remember in
Isaiah, they say peace, peace, peace everywhere. And God said
there is no peace to the wicked. God will put forth his almighty
hand against the hypocrite, against those who are pretending peace
like Judas and others. Those like Ahithophel and Absalom
who made a pretended covenant with death, who say that they
are in agreement with the grave. One day their covenant of lives,
their refuge of lives will be swept away, will be swept away. Verse 21, the words of his mouth
were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words
were softer than oil, yet they draw out swords. Now what are we to do? You know what he's saying, verse
21? Those who speak smooth words,
but are yet at war with God, are nothing but depraved hypocrites. Verse 22, cast thy burden upon
the Lord, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain
thee. Don't carry it around. We used
to sing that song, take your burden to the Lord and leave
it there. Now often we have a bad habit of taking a burden to the
Lord and then we just keep on carrying it around. The Apostle Peter, being inspired
of God, penned these words, casting all your care upon Him. Casting
all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. He cares for
you. Cast thy burden upon the Lord.
He shall sustain thee. We're kept by the power of God.
He's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before
the presence of His glory. He shall sustain thee. He shall
keep thee. Kept by the power of God. He
shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Not completely,
not totally, finally away from Him. Turn over here to Psalm
62. Shall not be moved. Whatever trials the Lord sends
our way, by His sovereign providence He shall sustain us. Whatever
the Lord brings our way in His infinite wisdom, it is wisdom
to cast your burden upon the Lord, and to look to the Lord
for grace to help in time of need. We're commanded to do so.
He said, Come boldly unto the throne of grace. We read that
a moment ago. You may obtain mercy, find grace
to help in time of need. Psalm 62 tells us something about
that. He shall never suffer the righteous
to be moved. Now, first of all, let's establish
who the righteous are. Who the righteous are. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works.
The righteous are those who are found in Christ. Not having a
righteousness of our own but that which is through the faithfulness
of the Lord Jesus Christ Psalm 62 To be moved to be moved Psalm 62
verse 5 my soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is
from him He only is my rock in my salvation He is my defense. I shall not be moved. I And God
is my salvation, my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge
is in God. Trust in Him at all times, ye
people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us.
God is a refuge for us. He's a shelter. He's a shelter
in the time of storm. I want you to look at one more
scripture. I'll let you go. Isaiah 32. Turn over there. Isaiah
32. He shall sustain thee. Cast your
burden upon the Lord. He shall sustain thee. His grace
is sufficient, is it not? Isaiah 32, look at verse 2. A man shall be a hiding place
from the wind." Now, who is this man? It's the God-man. He's a hiding place from the
wind. He's a covering, a covert, a
covering from the tempest, the storm. This man who is rivers
of water in a dry place, he'll sustain thee. He'll never suffer
the righteous to be moved, not moved away from him. As a shadow
of a great rock, Shadow in a great rock. He's the shadow of a great
rock in a weary land. All you who are laboring and
heavy laden, he said, come unto me. Come unto me and I'll give
you rest. He's the shadow of a great rock
in a weary land.