Awake to help me, and behold! You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations. (Psalm 59:5)
There is an interesting midrash (commentary) connected to this verse that looks to the future. However, it begins with this thought: when Israel demanded that Samuel appoint a king over them, their petition was motivated by a sense of inferiority and a desire to imitate the Gentile nations. They said, “Make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). For Israel, a people called to be set apart, to aspire to be like the other nations in any regard was essentially an invitation to be as defective and unstable as the other nations. In other words, Saul’s reign was doomed from its inception because it was based on an errant desire that ran afoul of God’s purpose for His people.
The Bible reveals that Saul’s reign was marred with the same jealousies, plots and dysfunction that plagued the governments and monarchies of all the nations surrounding them. This moral instability is what posed so many problems for David and what eventually led to Saul’s destruction. In short, God gave the people what they wanted to make this point; what they wanted was not what they needed. Yet as is always the case, among the misguided people were those who wanted to serve God faithfully but who were caught in the middle of the unfortunate situation. And so it is that David, a victim of unpleasant circumstances, called upon God to give assistance to him. He appealed to the One who is Lord of the celestial hosts above to awaken and rule over all the disruptive forces working in the earth.
As to how this connects to the future, one commentator explored the notion that, at one point in the midst of his trial, David concluded he might not see justice in his day. As he observed the world around him, all he could see was corruption and falsehood. Though the land was replete with judges and officers sworn to uphold justice, none of them dared confront Saul’s lawless and tyrannical behavior. Consequently, David began to set his sights on the future — on a day when God would be acknowledged as the Supreme Judge of heaven and earth — when God would administer justice to all men and to all nations.
I believe we are living in similar times: dishonesty and corruption flows down from those who are supposed to rule and govern with justice and permeates the land. Tyrants and would-be despots continually seek to expand their power encountering few who are willing to resist them. All the while, those who desire true justice are caught up in the middle of man’s futile attempts to oppose God’s purpose. And so like David, we look to the future when the King of kings will rule over all the nations and govern them with a rod of iron. We look to the day when He administers justice to all men and the world, at long last, knows true peace. As it is written, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15). Even so, come Lord Yeshua
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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