Who Will Stand Up For Me?

Psalm 94:16-23

16Who will protect me from the wicked?

Who will stand up for me against evildoers?

17Unless the LORD had helped me,

I would soon have died.

18I cried out, “I’m slipping!”

and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.

19When doubts filled my mind,

your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

20Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side—

leaders who permit injustice by their laws?

21They attack the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.

22But the LORD is my fortress;

my God is a mighty rock where I can hide.

23God will make the sins of evil people fall back upon them.

He will destroy them for their sins.

The LORD our God will destroy them.

This is a junior high parable. Ben came to Middletown Middle School as a seventh grader and immediately faced several disadvantages. He was new. He was short. He was clumsy. He was shy. He wore thick glasses.

Ben was immediately the target of mockery and even mild violence. The other boys stole his lunch money nearly every day. When he reported that, they beat him up, so he learned to keep quiet. What could he do?

One day another boy named Josh came to sit with Ben at lunch. Josh was a well-liked eighth grader, active in the school sports program, popular with the girls. But that morning Josh had seen some boys teasing Ben, and he wanted to help.

As usual, a bully came by to grab Ben’s food, but Josh grabbed his wrist. “Ben is my friend,” Josh said sternly. “Don’t mess with him.” After school Josh waited for Ben and walked home with him. When some tormentors came by, Josh kept them from bothering Ben.

With Josh as his friend and protector, Ben was spared the mistreatment of earlier days. He became less shy and more accepted. His torment was over. But then he noticed some guys picking on a poor seventh grader. What do you think he did?

Today’s text starts with Ben’s question: Who will protect me? The Lord. And we praise him for his support. But the stern talk to leaders in verses 20-21 implies that we need to protect others, too.

I know that my Redeemer lives.

What joy this blest assurance gives! . . .

He lives, my hungry soul to feed;

He lives, to help in time of need.

SAMUEL MEDLEY

Bible Networking

We hear echoes of these trials in other passages of Scripture. The loneliness of verse 16 we see in 2 Timothy 4:16. The plight of the psalmist in verse 18 we see also in Psalm 73:2. In both cases the Lord meets the need.

Notable Quotable

“God has proven himself equal to anything the enemy can send.”

DEREK KIDNER