Psalm 18:43
43 Thou hast delivered [palat] me from the strivings [riyb]
of the people; [`am] and thou hast made [suwm] me the head [ro'sh] of the
heathen: [gowy] a people [`am] whom I have not known [yada`] shall serve [`abad] me. KJV-Interlinear
43 Thou
hast delivered me from the contentions of the people; Thou hast placed me as
head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me. NASB
The enemies and
foreigners of David never served him in the capacity as described here, and so
this verse gives us a transition to a messianic prophecy, in that as evil will
be ultimately defeated and disintegrated into dust floating away in the wind,
then so too, in this verse, all who oppose Christ, will be dealt with appropriately
and relegated to a level of service or permanent subordination to Christ.
Strivings of people, ‘riyb,’
refers to the contempt, chiding and controversy that people will bring against the
Messiah. And in that regard, God will
bring all mocking and such against Christ, to an end, delivering Christ.
This was true at the
Cross and it is true for all of the mocking that has been, and will be, leveled
at God throughout history.
Likewise, when mature
believers come up against mockery and such, against them, then God likewise
will deliver them in some form, to a phenomenal victory. But remember that our ultimate
victory will be established in our eternal state when it all really counts. The silly mocking and back slapping of evil
types now, may be their little victory, but those cheers won’t last long and
they are temporary at best.
People, is a reference to
all peoples, whether believers who chide even their own faith, or unbelievers
who have no faith.
Heathen is a reference to
uncultured and uncivilized people.
Uncultured and uncivilized are technical references that symbolize
people who lack salvation and/or who lack truth. Uncultured, places them outside of Gods
family, and uncivilized places them outside of the knowledge of doctrine.
Being unsaved, excludes
you from the family of God, and makes you a foreigner or a stranger.
Lack of knowledge in
truth makes you a heathen or uncivilized, regardless of your intellect or wit.
And regardless of who or
what those folks are, all nations, all peoples will ultimately come under the
authority and rule of Christ.
When Christ returns at
the Second Advent, the world will be judged almost instantly, and only mature
believers will enter into the Kingdom of God, which we call the Millennium. This is Gods promised thousand year rule.
During that time, future
generations will be born and numerous peoples will refuse to believe in Christ,
even though He will be physically here on this earth ruling all the nations. And so this prophecy will occur as Christ
will indeed rule the entire world, all nations, and all peoples, regardless if
they believe in Him or not.
Those who God does not
know, is a term referring generally to unbelievers. It is also a term for believers who never
learn doctrine, and therefore never come to a knowledge of Christ, and thus are
too, unknown, except for their salvation.
E-Books, E-Book Reader
Your Comments
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Subscription Options
