PSALM 34:18-19 - PART 7 - ARE YOU BROKENHEARTED OR CRUSHED? DELIVERANCE FROM AFFLICTIONS
We are nearing the end of our study of Psalm with just two more to go. The second half of the Psalm deals with practical issues like teaching and commands. Today the issue is very practical and common.
[1]. CLOSE AND COMPASSIONATE WITH ALL COMFORT
{{Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is near to the BROKENHEARTED, and saves those who are CRUSHED in spirit.”}}
We enter a most touching area here that explores the very loving and compassionate nature of God that He shares with his own believers. The words I want to concentrate on to start with, are “broken-hearted” and “crushed” from the NASB. The AV rendering of that is – {{Psalm 34:18. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a BROKEN HEART; and saveth such as be of a CONTRITE spirit.”}}
What is a broken heart, and what is broken-heartedness? The world uses this expression in relationships such as a man or woman having their heart broken by their partner. That may be so but it is superficial. The true man or woman with a broken heart has to be understood by the second part of this verse that speaks about being crushed.
There are people in the street who are there because life has crushed them and taken away even the will to live. A man may have gone bankrupt in business and his wife left him, and the sorrow is too great. He just gives up or starts drinking as if his life is worth nothing. He does not care any more because he sees no way of getting out of the deep hole he is in. You won’t just find them in the street. Some stay in their homes, deflated, dejected and see life as meaningless – no purpose and no objective to strive for. They see no hope.
The gospel message is that there is hope and that can only be found in Jesus Christ because man’s ultimate fulfillment is only ever in the Son of God – {{Acts 4:11-12 “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone, and there is salvation in no one else, for THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”}}
I saw a horrible thing this morning. I was watching a symposium of church leaders on television speaking of comparative faith and there was a prominent Catholic bishop putting forth the Catholic position of who will be in heaven from Vatican 2. He actually said this. “God will accept even an atheist of good will,” and he will be in heaven. I am sorry bishop, but this is the word of God – {{John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH ME.”}}
Isaiah is the prophet that was sensitive about the hurting people he saw and he knew these were endemic to this fallen world. Just one verse here from him, a prophetic one about the Lord Jesus Christ – {{Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. He has sent me TO BIND UP THE BROKENHEARTED, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners”}}
The Lord’s mission was manifold but one essential of it was the compassion for those who were broken by failure, by sin, by circumstances. We can reach the position where we are not able to help ourselves and that is where the Lord’s hand is extended to take the one of a broken heart and mend that person to make him/her new again. Jesus healed up the broken hearted. In a sense we are all of a broken heart in relationship to God and need to be born anew to heal the damage sin has caused.
Jesus quoted the Isaiah verse here – {{Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are DOWNTRODDEN,”}}. It differs from the original Hebrew but the Luke word is “downtrodden” and that fits very well into the Psalm verse we are studying. Downtrodden people are broken hearted and become outcasts. The Lord reaches out to these for they know their lost condition and more readily turn to God. These are the ones who are demoralised and despairing. Do we feel for them? The Lord does - {{Psalm 147:3 tells us “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”}} Those wounded by the sinfulness of life find relief and deliverance in the Lord.
{{Isaiah 57:15 – For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, TO REVIVE THE SPIRIT OF THE LOWLY and revive the heart of the OPPRESSED.”}} (Holman). Most versions use the word “contrite” to end that verse in Psalm 34:18. God rejects pride. The man who is humble and in need, He will hear. He is near to that person. Those who are crushed under the weight of the troubles of life, and by sin, the Lord lifts that burden when the oppressed one calls on Him. God will never despise a contrite man – {{Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”}}
Barnes has written – [[The phrase, "them that are of a broken heart," occurs often in the Bible. It refers to a condition when a burden "seems" to be on the heart, and when the heart "seems" to be crushed by sin or sorrow; and it is designed to describe a consciousness of deep guilt, or the heaviest kind of affliction and trouble.]]
Just one stanza from a poem of mine “CAN WE UNDERSTAND HIS GOODNESS?”
Jesus takes the broken-hearted;
He will seek the hurting soul.
He will fold His arms of mercy
‘Round those ones to make them whole.
Why do people shun His pleading;
Why do they ignore His call;
Why do they refuse to follow?
Hence, they stumble on and fall.
Let me close this Psalm 34 verse with this. Jesus will wrap His arms of mercy around you and set you free. Are you broken hearted because of what life has dealt you? Are you hurting with pain the world can’t relieve? The Psalm 34 verse says the Lord is near, and the reason for that is to catch you up, to remove you from the desperate situation you may be in. Will you turn to the Lord if you are unsaved and surrender to Him your live, and if you are a Christian struggling with problems and sorrow, the same applies to you. The Lord is near when your heart is breaking and your spirit is crushed. This is what the Lord said (and the answer is only in Him) – {{Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.”}}
[2]. AFFLICTIONS MANY BUT HOW DOES THE LORD DELIVER?
{{Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”}}
The substance of this verse has been covered when we studied verses 7 and 17. This is a difficult verse. God is so true to Himself and us and He does do this. However I wonder if absolute deliverance is what is meant. Nevertheless it is an expectation we should have. It was true for David all his life and especially in the incident that inspired the Psalm – the escape from Achish. I know God has been faithful to me on several occasions of despair, but He lets me wait until near the end and I think this is to show His greater power.
We can not expect automatic deliverance because all the current martyrs in the world would still be living. As we have already said, deliverance is according to the will of God. It is not arbitrary or by chance, but according to the perfect will of God for us.
WHAT ARE AFFLICTIONS?
The Britannica Dictionary definition of AFFLICTION is “something (such as a disease) that causes pain or suffering”; “the state of being affected by something that causes suffering”. That is as the word is used in the world. When it comes to a Christian man or woman, there is an added factor which is trouble and persecution because the person is a Christian.
Are you having opposition or persecution because you belong to the Lord Jesus? None of us like that but what is the norm for Christians who want to count for the Lord? Here it is here – {{2 Timothy 3:11-12 “persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra - what persecutions I endured, and OUT OF THEM ALL THE LORD DELIVERED ME. Indeed, ALL WHO DESIRE TO LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS WILL BE PERSECUTED.”}}
Afflictions entered the world through sin, through the curse. They will continue until the Millennium when Messiah is King over the whole earth. Nevertheless we must bear up under persecution. Even the non-Christians suffer persecution in their employment or because of their political preference, or their ethnic background and many, many more reasons.
WILL THE LORD DELIVER OUT OF PERSECUTION?
You will see above that Paul was delivered out of all his persecutions. I don’t believe that is a standard for all Christians. We know that not to be the case in so many constant stories, but what is a guarantee is that the Lord will deliver us through the persecutions. He provides joy and peace and strengthens the afflicted one.
Peter shared with his readers – {{1Peter 2:19-20 “for this finds favour, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly, for what credit is there, if when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favour with God.”}} Jesus is with us always and when we walk along persecution’s road, He is walking alongside us. That is the difference between the world and the Christian. We have a brilliant hope ahead of us; the non-Christian has no hope.
We may not be delivered from persecution and afflictions, but we are kept through them. Some Christians are called upon to bear much sorrow.
[[From BibleHub: The Refining Process – “The Bible often likens suffering to a refining process. In 1 Peter 1:6-7, it is written, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials, so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ." This metaphor illustrates how trials purify and strengthen believers, ultimately bringing glory to God.
While suffering is challenging, the Bible offers comfort and encouragement. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." This passage highlights the reciprocal nature of divine comfort, enabling believers to support one another and glorify God through shared experiences of suffering.]]
No one in the Psalms knew afflictions like David. So many times the word is used in the Psalms, and add to that “sorrows” and similar words. As you study David’s fight with afflictions you will see where the Lord delivered him, but at other times, he struggled when the Lord seemed distant. {{Psalm 9:13 “Be gracious to me, O LORD. BEHOLD MY AFFLICTION from those who hate me, You, who lifts me up from the gates of death.”}}
{{Psalm 31:7 “I will rejoice and be glad in Your loving-kindness because You have seen MY AFFLICTION. You have known the troubles of my soul,”
{{Psalm 44:24 “Why do You hide Your face and forget OUR AFFLICTION and our oppression?”}}
How did David deal with affliction? Well, with the Lord’s help, but here are two very important verses – {{Psalm 119:50 “This is MY COMFORT IN MY AFFLICTION, that Your word has revived me.” Psalm 119:92 “If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished IN MY AFFLICTION.”}} We can not stress enough the power of God’s word and the support it provides in our afflictions.
Sometimes I like the way Barnes puts things and I leave you with this for your contemplation – [[Many are the afflictions of the righteous - This is not intended to affirm that the afflictions of the righteous are more numerous or more severe than the afflictions of other men, but that they are subjected to much suffering, and to many trials. Religion does not exempt them from suffering, but it sustains them in it; it does not deliver them from all trials in this life, but it supports them in their trials, which it teaches them to consider as a preparation for the life to come. There are, indeed, sorrows which are special to the righteous, or which come upon them in virtue of their religion, as the trials of persecution; but there are sorrows, also, that are special to the wicked - such as are the effects of intemperance, dishonesty, crime. The latter are more numerous by far than the former; so that it is still true that the wicked suffer more than the righteous in this life.]]
No matter what the afflictions of this life are, the Lord will deliver us through them while here on earth; and from them, and out of them, the moment our souls touch heaven. There will be no more memory of any of the hardships or failures of this life, for all will be new in eternal joy forever. Without going into the eschatology of the next passage, what is said is glorious truth and we delight in it – {{Revelation: 21:4-5 “There shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away.” He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I AM MAKING ALL THINGS NEW,” and He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”}}
I will close this with a poem of mine -
FOR WE ARE FLESH AND BLOOD
Why is it, Lord, that some days dawn
With heavy skies and clouded morn
That dull the sun of Your true peace?
Foreboding, fear, and doubt release.
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We do belong to Christ who holds
Our very being. He enfolds
With arms of love and watchful care,
And in distress our hurt He’ll bear.
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Yet we remain still flesh and blood,
And liable to changing flood
Of strong emotions of the soul
Where varied passions over-roll.
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He knows the weakness of our heart;
The tendency it has to part
To human strengths of self-willed plan,
That eats away at every man.
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Deflated? Yes, at times we are
When Christian things may seem afar.
That clouded morn may dawn on me
When God’s own presence I can’t see.
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In times like this His written word
Above the grey dawn must be heard.
Emotion must not rule our lives,
But God’s dear presence - it abides!
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When fears displace and doubt takes hold
Remember, you are in His fold,
And for His sheep, He’s gone before.
For God’s full peace, He is the Door.
9 October 1999 R E Ferguson 8-8-8-8
