So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me:
For I trust in thy word (Psa 119.42).
The statement, “I don’t care what people think about me,” may reflect an unholy attitude. A man might say this because he has no concern about others, or because he is given to some life-dominating sin, or because he is apathetic about God’s reputation in the world.
Admittedly, a true Christian believer is one who has repented of the fear of man, even if remnants of that idolatry remain in his heart. A true believer has embraced Jesus as the greatest treasure, and is willing to forsake all others to follow Him. A true believer is characteristically resolved to believe the truth and do right no matter how unpopular it may be. All this is good and necessary, and yet we must remain concerned about how the unbelieving world views us. It is godly to desire ultimate vindication, for this the psalmist’s exemplary ambition of in our Spirit-inspired text.
NEEDED BECAUSE OF ENEMIES
The psalmist spoke of “him that reproacheth me,” with the sense of taunting or ridiculing, casting blame or scorn on someone. It is one of the inevitable miseries of mankind’s original revolt from God (disbelieving His Word and disobeying His command) coupled with the mercies of God’s original plan of redemption (electing a people to be holy for His praise), that the whole human race has from the beginning been divided into two great camps—the children of God, and the children of the devil (1 John 3.10). Therefore, it is wholly unavoidable that the children of God will have wicked enemies (John 15.18-21). One manifestation of that prevalent hostility to Christ and His disciples is a denial of the enmity with disdain for those who insist upon its reality (John 7.19-20). This “we are the world” mentality refuses to acknowledge the deep spiritual divide between believers and unbelievers, and sadly, it has infected the mass of professing Christians in our own day, who consider the ideas Jesus taught on this to be most uncharitable when found in the mouth of His disciples.
Without spiritual enemies, the prevalent biblical metaphor of warfare would be wholly misleading and misguided. When Paul insisted that there were many adversaries to his evangelistic labors, he had in mind more than demons (1 Cor 16.9). There were flesh-and-blood men and women, unbelievers with respect to Christ, who were slandering and persecuting the Christian brethren and hindering their work (1 Thess 2.14-16). The community of the godly has always had its sharp critics and opponents. That is just the reality of the way things are, despite the “see-no-evil” thinking of ostriches with their heads in the sand. Until Jesus returns, His disciples will remain in need of divine help against the church’s wickedly-critical enemies.
Now when sinners speak evil of saints, one of two things can happen. First, because no one is perfect, and even the best Christian has his inconsistencies and faults, the reproach could stick because it is seen to be true, at least in some degree. This is a great calamity, as the justly-disgraced believer knows. It is such a miserable experience that any sensible person shrinks from it. You can feel the psalmist’s fear at the prospect of having nothing “to answer him that reproacheth” him, and so he prays to God for grace against this defeat.
The second possible outcome of slander is the saints’ vindication or publicly-proven righteousness and salvation, despite their imperfections. God makes this possible because of His grace toward His sinful, unworthy, beloved people. Then the church’s enemies are exposed as truly bad, and good triumphs over evil. This is constantly happening in this life, and its ultimate fruition will be on Judgment Day and beyond.
ASSURED BECAUSE OF FAITH
The psalmist realistically anticipates the trouble of humiliation, but he is not panicked. Rather, he displays an admirable confidence that finally and certainly, he shall be vindicated. This confidence is borne of faith that God will hear and answer his prayers, like those in Psa 119.22, 39, and especially verse 41 just preceding our text in this message: “Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.” Having asked this of God, the psalmist continues by saying, “so [in this manner] shall I have,” etc. He prays for salvation, and he has faith God will hear and answer the prayer. He makes a confession of faith: “I SHALL have wherewith [i.e., what I need] to answer him that reproacheth me” (first line). Why? “For I trust in thy word” (second line), that is, God’s Word of promise.
Realistically anticipating the potential trouble of humiliation is one thing, but a paralyzing fear of it is quite another. The first is spiritual humility; the second is impious unbelief.
Whenever anyone at all is willing to believe God for His free offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, God is completely willing to grant it by His grace and in faithfulness to His countless promises, which are all, in substance, the gospel of Christ. Salvation includes vindication. Jesus suffered our disgrace to deliver us from it! One of the greatest blessings of salvation is justification (being declared righteous) by God, and even though it may not be so public and undeniable now, the justification of saints will be published convincingly to the whole, watching universe when Christ returns. The more you believe this, the greater your confidence of ultimate vindication will grow. Two hymns we know (Trinity Hymnal, #171, 429) celebrate this heart-cheering hope.
Be Thou [Jesus] my pattern; make me bear
More of Thy gracious image here:
Then God the Judge shall own my name
Amongst the foll’wers of the Lamb.
Firm as His [Jesus’] throne His promise stands,
And He can well secure
What I’ve committed to His hands
Till the decisive hour.
Then will He own my worthless name
Before His Father’s face,
And in the new Jerusalem
Appoint my soul a place.
DESIRED BECAUSE OF GOD’S GLORY
Again, carnal minds object. “You are arrogant to care about your vindication,” they assert. Indeed, if we cared about it as an end in itself, we would be guilty as charged, but a believer’s deep, underlying motive in this is not his own glory, but the glory of God. Because God has graciously associated with us, our triumph is His triumph. As our sins give occasion for the Lord’s enemies to blaspheme His name, so our deliverance from backsliding and apostasy, and our growth in real holiness of heart and life, will prove to be irrefutable evidence for constraining even the wicked to glorify God on Judgment Day. As Peter wrote:
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation [lifestyle] honest [or, honorable, ESV] among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation (1 Pet 2.11-12).
This is why the wisdom teacher exhorted his spiritual son to take to heart all the spiritual and moral lessons he had heard. “My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me” (Prov 27.11). If the disciple proves a fool, his teacher is disgraced—an undesired experience of misery.
All this brings to our attention the great truth that for a Christian, God’s honor and ours are not at odds with each other. As we aim for God’s glory in everything we do, we are incidentally and virtuously pursuing our own glory. Because unbelievers live heedless of God’s glory they can expect ultimately to be disgraced, even if they are highly esteemed by many in this life (1 Sam 2.30; Luke 6.26).
Like so many verses in Psalm 119, this one is useful not only for example but also for exhortation. A man is known not only by his friends, but also by his enemies. Do you suffer the persecution that is the universal experience of all who will live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3.12)? If not, isn’t the reason obvious? Are you spiritually-paralyzed with an unwholesome dread of ultimate humiliation and falling short of salvation at last? If so, is it not because of an unreasonable lack of faith in God’s gracious gospel promises? Finally, are you as concerned as you should be about what others think of you because you know that this affects their view of the God whose name you profess?
Brethren, play the man and make the inevitable spiritual enemies! Live boldly with a confident hope that you shall be saved, because you trust in God’s Word! Pray that God will give you all the grace you need to answer those who bring railing accusations against you, so that the name of the Lord will be magnified through you! The Spirit who inspired this verse in Psalm 119 also desires that you heed these sensible applications that flow from it, and may He help us all to hear and heed His call. Amen.
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