Word of Encouragement (01/11/2024)

"For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? ³³ This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. (2 Sam. 22:32-33)

David said in v. 26, “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless....” David was not saying that God changes with us as we change. God is immutable. What changes is our perception of Him according to where we are in our spiritual life or what condition we are in—just like a cylinder, which can seem like a circle or a rectangle, depending on from which angle we are looking at it, or things showing different colors depending on which wavelengths of light they absorb.

In v. 33, David goes further and acknowledges that God has made his way blameless: “This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.” In doing so, he praises God as the blameless One, who is able to make His people blameless. If God can show Himself blameless to the blameless, it is because He Himself is blameless. Just as it is harder to express an expert, it is harder to show oneself blameless to the blameless, isn’t it? Indeed, God is perfect in His blamelessness while human beings, including David, can be blameless only in a relative way.

Notice how God being David’s strong refuge is connected with God making his way blameless. When we think of God as our refuge, we often have in mind things like natural disasters or temporal problems we face. But the greatest refuge we need is from temptations and sins, which damage our immortal souls. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul” (Mark 8:36)? While David was ever grateful to God for His temporal protection and provision, he did not forget to thank Him for preserving him from falling away like Saul. Looking back, David could not credit himself for being blameless. It was obvious to him that God had made his way blameless.

I think many of us can identify with David here. How can we still be standing in the faith when we think about all our sins and failures? Isn’t it because the “LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.... He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:8, 10)? Indeed, the Lord has made us, who have received Him as our Redeemer, blameless and acceptable in God’s sight through His blameless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection.

Let us not forget to give thanks to God for this greatest of all blessings. So, when temporal afflictions come our way, let us not be shaken and go astray from the way of Christ’s blameless life. God will protect and guide us until we get to our heavenly home. As we seek first to walk in the way of blamelessness, He will preserve us from our temporal troubles, too.