The Lord delivers us from evil  by Kurt H. Asplundh

   "The Angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and
delivers them." (Ps. 34: 7)

   There are times in life when we feel deeply discouraged:--about the
world, the church, our family and friends, and, perhaps most painfully,
about ourselves. Our personal world seems to be in a state of
disintegration or collapse. The ideals we have cherished are
challenged. Our resolve is weakened. We fall into doubt that there is
anything left worth fighting for. The Psalm says it: "Our afflictions
are many!"

   The word for afflictions here means evils. "Our evils are many!" The
phrase describes both the evils that befall us and those that dwell in
us. We are afflicted from within as well as from without. This inner
affliction is the most grievous. We can accept a blow to our natural
comfort and wellbeing. We can sustain the inconvenience of worldly loss
and face changes for the worse. We constantly witness examples of
courage and endur- ance and the ability of the human spirit to face
severe priva- tion. The devastating thing is to see our inner reactions
to life: the worm of discontent, the welling up of anger and its desire
for revenge, the fantasies of lust, an inclination to deceive,
contempt... Many are the afflictions!

   "But the Lord delivers him out of them all!" "The Lord redeems the
soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be
condemned" (Ps. 34: 19, 22). This is the promise given in the Word.
There is an answer to the sincere prayer: "Deliver us from evil" (Matt.
6: 13). "The Angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
and delivers them" (Ps. 34: 7).

   Can this really be true? Can we be delivered from evil things? Who
can be delivered? And how?

   Perhaps we can have a better understanding of this Psalm and its
promise when we consider the historical setting in which it was
composed. The 34th Psalm is called "A Psalm of David when he pretended
madness before Abimelech."

   If ever a man was afflicted unjustly it was David, the fugitive.
Saul was king of Israel, anointed and proclaimed. Yet, because of his
disobedience, the Lord had departed from him and the kingdom was given
to David, the son of Jesse. David, but a youthful shepherd when the
priest anointed him in Saul's place, was ever a loyal and respectful
subject in Saul's kingdom. Saul did not know that David had been
appointed his successor, but his suspicions grew day by day. Saul's
jealousy of this young hero of Israel, slayer of Goliath and champion
against the Philistines, grew to an open enmity. The women would sing
that Saul had slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands. The
comparison galled the king. It drove him to moods of intense jealousy
against David. Saul sought to kill him. At last, David had to flee for
his very life.

   The pursuit by King Saul would tax David's endurance, courage, and
skill. The life of a fugitive is one of constant stress and fear. Yet
there were other combats David faced during this period that would tax
him more grievously: the inner insinuations from the hells. His loyalty
to the Lord's "anointed" would be tested. Could he refrain from
revenge? Could he abstain from opportunities to slay his pursuer? His
patience would be tested. How long would he suffer Saul to prevent him
from taking his place on the throne? How could he keep yearning
ambitions for power at bay and not let them goad him to take the
offensive against Saul? True victory for the hells would be David's
deliverance to these inner enemies, not his death at Saul's hand.

   So it is with us. It is not the evils that afflict us from without
that are the concern but those that rise up from within.

   Surprisingly, David fled to a city of the Philistines to escape
Saul, to the city Gath. Here, he was recognized as the Israelite hero
who had slain Goliath. In the face of grave danger, David pretended
madness, scratching on the doors of the gate and drooling in his beard.
The Philistine king was put off by this charade. "Look, " he said, "You
see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? So David was
ignored and was able to make his escape.

   This was the occasion for the Psalm we are considering. When we
think of the circumstances of David at this time, the Psalm takes on
significance. Here is a man running for his life, surrounded by
enemies, forced to feign madness to survive, and he is inspired to
express his sense of complete trust in the Lord. "I will bless the Lord
at all times;" David said, "His praise shall continually be in my
mouth.... I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all
my fears.... This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved
him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around
those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord
is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him" (Ps. 34).

   In its spiritual sense, now revealed, this Psalm is a "celebration
of the Lord, because he delivers from all evil those who trust in Him"
(PP).

   Well and good for David, but what about us? Where can we find such
trust? Can we sustain our afflictions? Will our loyalty to truth stand
the test? Will our patience in adversity be sustained? Or will we yield
to anger or ambition, resort to deceit and fraud, or otherwise betray
our trust?

   The secret of this story is now revealed for us. David was a
courageous hero, though only because the spirit of the Lord was with
him. Beyond this, David in the Word is a symbol. David represents a
quality of life that can be with us from the Lord. It can be with us
not because of innate bravery, uncommon fortitude, or extra-ordinary
self-discipline but because the Lord has made it available. The Lord
has provided what we need to kill giants in our life, to endure
persecution, to escape the bonds of hell. This quality can be anyone's.

   David represents the internal truth of the Word. This is a special
gift that is given from the Lord as a result of His second coming and
the opening of the spiritual sense of the Word. It is given in the
degree that we desire to learn to serve the neighbor with genuine
charity.

   All kings mentioned in the Word represent the truth that rules our
life. Saul, the first king of Israel, represents the external or
literal truth of the Word. If obeyed, it has a certain power to protect
our spiritual life. It is a basis for an external order but no defense
against the spirit of evil. The history of Israel shows that Saul had
success against the enemies surrounding the land but was unable to
conquer the Philistines in his midst. Saul had to be succeeded by
another king who could deal with this more powerful enemy. This was
David.

   So, the simple surface sense of the Word must be succeeded by an
understanding of deeper truths. The rule of these deeper truths is
represented by David's kingship.

   The difference between what is represented by Saul and what is
represented by David is illustrated in the descriptions given in
Scripture. Of Saul it is said he was "a choice and handsome" person.
"From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people" (I
Sam. 9: 2). Physical appearance was important in Saul's selection.
Contrast that emphasis with what is said in relation to David's
selection: When the oldest of Jesse's sons was presented, the priest
thought to anoint him. But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his
appearance or at the height of his stature...for the Lord does not see
as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks at the heart" (I Sam. 16: 7). Inward, heartfelt truths are here
contrasted with apparent truths from the letter of the Word. Genuine
principles of religious life are to be found at the heart, not at the
surface of the Word. These are the principles that strengthen us
against our inner afflictions.

   Notice that the Philistine king in addition to Saul and David also
represents a form of truth. This is somewhat akin to what is
represented by David, being of a deeper doctrinal nature than what is
represented by Saul. Yet there is a crucial difference. The Philistines
represented truth separate from life. Of those called Philistines it is
said that they "applied themselves little to life, but much to
doctrine" (AC 3412). They knew truth but failed to apply it to
themselves. The Philistines represented a religious principle separated
from spiritual good (AE 817: 7), and also an intellectual conceit (F
19).

   The contrast between David and this king is also brought out in the
Scriptural account. When David was discovered in Gath, he appeared to
be a madman, scratching at the gate and drooling. To the man who trusts
his own wisdom, true wisdom from the Lord is dismissed as insanity, the
raving of a madman. The gates of Gath were shut up against the entrance
of the Lord. David could only scratch at the doors, not penetrate them
and enter the city. The spittle that fell to his beard could not be
mixed with clay to anoint the eyes of the blind that they might see
truly how to serve the neighbor. The power of genuine charity cannot be
recognized or appreciated by those who are simply in intellectual
truths. Such charity is beyond their comprehension and so is safe from
harm, but David could find no place among these.

   The question is, can David find place with us? Will we receive
genuine spiritual truths from the Word? Will we recognize them as the
Lord's with us? This will happen only if we follow the precepts of
another part of this Psalm. After praising the Lord for His
deliverance, an exhortation is made: "Come you children, " we read,
"listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man
who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your
tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil,
and do good; seek peace, and pursue it" (Ps. 34: 11-14).

   Here is the key to obtaining spiritual trust. As ever, it comes back
to the shunning of the evils of life. "Depart from evil, " we are told.
"Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile" This is
how we can seek and find peace.

   True peace is not simply the cessation of combat or a tranquil state
of the mind at rest. It is not a vacuum or hiatus of all activity,
rather it is a positive and powerful state of being which remains
strong and undisturbed even in the midst of combat and turmoil. The
Writings teach that "peace is bliss of heart and soul arising from the
Lord's conjunction with heaven and with the church, and this from the
conjunction of good and truth with those who are therein" (AE 365: 18).

   Peace is a state which results from the marriage of good and truth
in our life. When the truth from the Word implanted in the
understanding is joined with the good of love from the Lord in us, we
have an inner strength. Perhaps this is mirrored in the confidence of a
man who knows and loves his profession. Day by day, he faces challenges
and problems in his work. These are not discouraging to him or a cause
of despair. He attacks them confidently and professionally. He has the
knowledge to deal with them and the desire to do so. It is his job. He
finds satisfaction and enjoyment in it. So it can be with the man of
the church. His confidence comes from a knowledge of the teachings of
revelation joined with the love of charity. He has these from the Lord
and they are a strength in his daily life. When afflictions come, he
meets them one by one, confident that, with the Lord's power, they can
be endured, overcome, and put away. This does not mean that his life is
without disturbance, anxiety or temptation, even as the professional's
life is not without its problems and setbacks. It means that he has an
inner strength to work from in every situation of life, be it good or
bad.

   "Peace, " we are told, "stands for all things that belong to heaven
and the church, from which is the happiness of eternal life; and as
only those who are in good have that peace, it is said, `depart from
evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it'" (AE 365: 19).

   When David challenged Goliath, he stood before the giant with only a
shepherd's staff, a sling and five smooth stones. Goliath was
disdainful of the youth. "Am I a dog, " he said, "that you come to me
with sticks?" (I Sam. 17: 43). David answered him without fear: "You
come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come
to you in the name of the Lord of hosts..." (Ibid. 45).

   There are people we know and admire that seem to have their lives
well integrated. They have it "all together, " we say, meaning they
have brought together elements of knowledge, skill, motivation, and
energy in their lives that allow them to be effective in what they do.

   The account of David in the Word, is a picture of the man of the
church whose life is integrated and strong; a man who has confidence in
what he is doing because He has joined with the Lord and the Lord is
with him.

   The Writings reveal that David, as an anointed king of Israel,
inmostly represents the Lord Himself. Indeed, he is said to represent
the Lord "who was to come on earth" (DP 245). The account of David's
life, then, pictures the life of the Lord as He brought about a
conjunction of Divine Good with Divine truth in His Human, thus
fulfilling the prophecy that He would be the Mighty God and Prince of
Peace. Because the Lord has done this, taking to Himself all power in
heaven and on earth, He can be the source of our power and center of
our peace.

   It is with this confidence that we approach Him in His Word. We can
know that as the Lord sustained David in his time of trial, giving him
a sense of peace and strength, so, too, the Lord will sustain us in our
time of trial, lending us strength and guiding our feet into the way of
peace.

   "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to
their cry.... The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers
them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a
broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them
all" (Ps. 34: 15-19). Amen.

   Lessons: I Sam. 21: 10-22: 5; Ps. 34; HH 286, 289