For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
David says that the Lord will bless the righteous. Who are the righteous? Are they those who walk in sinless perfection? If so, then in Psalm 14:2-3, David tells us that there really aren’t any, for “There is none who does good, No, not one.” Indeed, David himself would not qualify, because he had some major sins in his life. According to the Apostle Paul, David’s actual point of view is that the righteous are those “whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” (Romans 4:6-7).
Our verse for today tells us that the righteous, those forgiven by God, are blessed. What are the blessings of the righteous? The Bible mentions so many of them that they can’t all be listed here. The sons of Korah, however, sum them all up by saying in Psalm 84:11 that, “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” The righteous, in other words, are blessed with whatever it is they need.
Our verse for today mentions one particular blessing that the righteous receive. They will be surrounded with favor as with a shield. Just as a shield surrounds and protects the one who holds it up on the battlefield, so the Lord will surround the righteous with favor so that they will be protected from harm. Here’s just one example from the Bible: Noah lived at the time of the Great Flood, but he found favor with God. For him, the favor of God meant that he and his family were spared from the devastation of the flood (Genesis 6:8).
The righteous receive favor like Noah, not because they walk in sinless perfection, but because they have sought forgiveness for their sins. The Lord does not look upon the self-righteous with favor, but those who are “humble and contrite in spirit,” (Isaiah 66:2).
Today, come before the Lord with a humble and contrite spirit and ask for the same thing the psalmist asked for: “I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise,” (Psalm 119:58).
By John Huisman, Friend of Bible League International
