Psalm 119:95

We generally appreciate it when people wait for us.  But that depends on why they are waiting for us.  Here is a case where, for my part, I would say, “Don’t wait for me!”

Psalms 119:95  The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.

History is replete with instances when wicked men have waited for an opportunity to destroy the righteous.  David wrote the following psalm when Saul sent messengers to wait for him to destroy him (1Samuel 19:11).

Psalms 59:1  <> Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.

2  Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

3  For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.

The following two verses taken from Psalm 10 show that the wicked particularly “lieth in wait to catch the poor.”

Psalms 10:2  The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

9  He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

This fact is very relevant to the disciples of Christ who are called by Him “the poor in sprit” (Matthew 5:3).  That they are poor makes them the target of the wicked.  Also note that the wicked lie “in wait secretly as a lion in his den.”  Recall that the devil, called by our Lord “the wicked one” (Matthew 13:19, 38), “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1Peter 5:8).  The devil persecutes God’s poor.  He lies in wait as a lion to entrap them and destroy them.  In the face of this Peter admonishes us to “be vigilant.”  Be ever mindful of the fact that the devil is waiting for you, lurking here and there to catch you in an unguarded moment.  And isn’t it true that the things that cause you the most trouble are not the things that you worry might happen, but rather the things that slip up on you unexpectedly?  Therefore, watch out!

Today’s verse clearly testifies of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He was one of God’s poor in that He became poor for our sakes (2Corinthians 8:9) and as such the wicked lay in wait to destroy Him also.

Luke 11:53  And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:

54  Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

And today’s verse may also be applied to false teachers who lie in wait to entrap us with destructive doctrines.  Paul writes of these in the following verse:

Ephesians 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive….

Mark well the psalmist’s recourse against the lying in wait of the wicked:  but I will consider thy testimonies.  Consider the definition of consider.  Of course, you will need to know what consider means if you are going to consider it. 

Consider – To contemplate mentally, fix the mind upon; to think over, meditate or reflect on, bestow attentive thought upon, give heed to, take note of.

Over against the lying in wait of the wicked for him, the psalmist resolved to fix his mind upon and to meditate on the Scriptures.  He would allow no threat of the enemy to so capture his mind and thoughts that he could not attend to his Bible.   And this shows us where the real danger lies, where the real battle is.  The real battle is for the control of our minds.  That is what the devil aims at when he attacks us.  He wants us to be so upset and distracted that we can’t focus our attention upon what God says in His word.  If the enemy can distract us, he stands a better chance of deceiving us.  But we will frustrate the design of our enemy if we keep our thoughts fixed on God’s testimonies.  Commenting on today’s verse Charles Spurgeon wrote:  “If the enemy cannot cause us to withdraw our thoughts from holy study, or our feet from holy walking, or our hearts from holy aspirations, he has met with poor success in his assaults.”  And add to this the fact that if you are considering God’s testimonies, this is your best defense against those who lie in wait to deceive you.  Whatever may be out there lying in wait for you, may God grant you grace to consider His testimonies.