Latest / Reformed Thinking / God the Righteous Judge (Psalm 7) | Saint Augustine

Transcript

God the Righteous Judge (Psalm 7) | Saint Augustine · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome to Reformed thinking, where we consider enduring
0:02
truths for today. OK, let's dive in.
0:05
Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take your sources and help
0:07
you really pull out the key insights.
0:10
Today we're looking at a really interesting set of materials
0:12
focusing on Saint Augustine's exposition of Psalm 7.
0:15
And this isn't just, you know, looking back at history.
0:18
It feels more like a spiritual exploration, uncovering some,
0:21
well, surprising and guiding ideas about God's governance,
0:24
our human choices, and maybe the path to spiritual clarity.
0:28
Our goal today is really to unpack the theological meanings
0:31
Augustine finds in this ancient Psalm, showing how it might
0:34
offer some guiding principles for our lives now.
0:36
Yeah, what's really fascinating, I think, is how Augustine takes
0:39
what looks like a literal historical account.
0:42
David's struggles and uses it as a launchpad for ideas that go
0:46
way beyond that original context.
0:49
He sees Psalm 7 as prophecy. Really.
0:51
He calls it a veil of mysteries. And he believes that when you
0:54
understand it through Christ, it reveals these core truths about,
0:57
well, our existence, sin, God's justice, and his whole plan for
1:02
salvation. So we'll be walking you through
1:04
that process, showing how seemingly simple things like
1:07
names and actions in the Psalm take on this huge spiritual
1:10
weight in Augustine's reading. OK, so Augustine opens this song
1:13
and right away it's not just the story of King David dealing with
1:16
enemies, it's something bigger. He says the historical narrative
1:19
is a veil of mysteries, and to really get the meaning, he
1:22
insists we have to pass over to Christ.
1:24
So what does that method actually involve?
1:27
How does he start pulling back that veil for us?
1:30
Well, Augustine's approach consistently moves past just the
1:33
surface meaning to find that deeper spiritual significance.
1:38
It's really characteristic of how he reads the Bible.
1:40
He starts by dissecting the names within the song
1:44
superscription, that little bit at the beginning in the
1:46
narrative itself. He assigns them symbolic
1:49
meanings that for him unlock theological ideas.
1:53
When he says veil of mysteries, he means these Old Testament
1:56
stories, while historically true, also contain these hidden
1:59
spiritual truths pointing forward to Christ in his work.
2:02
They're like a covering, you know, And Passover to Christ
2:04
means interpreting these stories to the lens of Jesus's life,
2:07
death, resurrection. Without that Christian
2:10
framework, the deeper mean he just stays hidden basically.
2:13
Right. So it's not just reading
2:14
history, it's a specific way of seeing Christ already present in
2:18
a way in these Old Testament narratives.
2:20
OK, let's start with one of those names, Choosy.
2:22
What does Augustine find there? Sure, Choosy is mentioned as
2:25
David's friend Augustine interprets the name Chusi as
2:29
meaning silence. But this isn't just about, you
2:32
know, being quiet. It points to a really deep
2:34
secret sort of of God's wisdom and his provision.
2:38
This silence specifically relates to how God acted
2:40
concerning Christ's passion, his suffering and death.
2:43
It refers to the partial spiritual blindness that
2:46
happened to Israel when they were persecuting Christ.
2:49
God's silence here doesn't mean He's absent.
2:51
It signals A profound hidden action or truth that isn't
2:54
immediately obvious to everyone. It's the unsearchable depth of
2:57
His plan. So it was a purposeful
2:59
blindness, a kind of divine withholding of understanding,
3:02
not just something that happened by accident.
3:03
So exactly, Augustine explains, the reason for this partial
3:06
blindness was strategic. It allowed for the fullness of
3:09
the Gentiles to come into God's plan, which in turn would
3:12
ultimately lead to the salvation of all Israel.
3:15
It highlights God's good ordering, His Providence, even
3:18
in things that look negative or really hard for us to grasp.
3:21
Augustine quotes Romans 11.33 here, expressing awe at this
3:25
great silence. Oh, the depth of the riches of
3:28
the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His
3:31
judgments and His ways past. Finding out that verse really
3:35
captures it. God's plans are often way beyond
3:37
our full understanding, but they're perfectly orchestrated.
3:40
So this divine silence means God, by concealing the sacrament
3:44
of his adorable passion, the sacred hidden truth of Christ's
3:47
suffering, actually turned the betrayer's malice, Judas's evil
3:50
intent aimed at destroying Christ, into the very means for
3:53
saving all people. Wow.
3:54
Yeah. And the secret, I guessed and
3:56
says, is revealed only to perfect souls or God's friends,
4:00
those mature enough spiritually ready to know God's hidden
4:02
counsel. It stays hidden from
4:03
unbelievers. It's the words of the sirens,
4:05
you could say, the message that's revealed from that hidden
4:07
truth. That's a powerful thought, God's
4:09
silence as a kind of revelation for those prepared for it.
4:12
Not emptiness, but a strategic, divine act.
4:15
And Choosey isn't the only name with this kind of symbolic
4:18
weight, is he? No, not at all.
4:20
Choosey is called the son of Gemini.
4:22
Augustine interprets Gemini as meaning right-handed.
4:26
This signifies that God accomplished this deep secret,
4:28
this whole salvation plan at her right hand, which means in a way
4:33
that was favorable and beneficial for His Saints, for
4:35
his people. The right hand in ancient
4:38
thinking often symbolizes strength or favor or a place of
4:41
honor, right? So when God acts right-handed,
4:44
it points to his wise and good work, a work that isn't hidden
4:47
from those who are genuinely seeking Him.
4:49
This right-handed action really underlines that God's hidden
4:52
plans, even the ones that seem difficult or involve these
4:55
concealed aspects, are ultimately working for the
4:58
benefit and the spiritual insight of His people.
5:00
They're not random. They're purposeful moves toward
5:02
a good end. OK, so even in what looks hidden
5:05
or tough, there's a divine purpose for our benefit.
5:09
This idea of God working through hidden means, even using
5:12
betrayal, seems to lead us straight to Hitaphel and
5:15
Abeselon in the Psalm. How does Agustin connect them to
5:18
this bigger picture? Yeah, this is where his
5:20
allegorical reading gets really sharp and clear.
5:23
He links at Kitaphel and Abeselon directly to betrayal
5:26
and internal conflict. Kitaphel he interprets as
5:28
meaning brothers ruin, and Agustin immediately connects him
5:32
to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.
5:34
Why? Because Christ's disciples are
5:36
also called brethren in the Gospels, so the rein of that
5:40
disciple who betrayed him is quite literally a brother's
5:43
ruin. It's betrayal from inside the
5:45
close circle. So Akinophel isn't just some
5:47
historical figure from David's time anymore.
5:49
He becomes a direct parallel to the ultimate betrayal against
5:53
Christ himself. That definitely gives the Psalm
5:55
a new kind of weight. Absolutely.
5:57
And then there's the best salon. Now, his name actually means
5:59
Father's peace, which is ironic. But Agustin says the best salon
6:02
also carries the image of Judas. Why?
6:05
Because even though Christ had thoughts of peace toward him, he
6:07
genuinely desired Judas's well-being and repentance.
6:10
Judas harbored guile and war in his heart.
6:13
It's the stark contrast, Christ's intention of peace
6:16
versus Judas's inter deception and hostility.
6:19
It really highlights that internal contradiction, inherent
6:21
and betrayal, appearing peaceful but being inwardly deceitful.
6:25
These interpretations, I guess and argues, deepen our
6:28
understanding of Christ's suffering.
6:29
They show how this brothers voluntary ruin and Judas's own
6:33
wicked choice was somehow still orchestrated by God for all
6:36
men's salvation. It really highlights God's
6:38
absolute sovereignty over human evil, showing how we can take
6:41
even the worst intentions and weave them into His larger
6:45
gracious purpose. It's a stunning picture of
6:47
divine wisdom bringing good out of such darkness.
6:50
So these names aren't just footnotes in an old text,
6:53
they're like keys, unlocking this broader view of God's grand
6:56
design, even showing how he uses something as awful as betrayal
7:00
for a gracious end. This really sets the stage for
7:03
thinking about our own spiritual walk, doesn't it?
7:05
The battles we face. Exactly after setting that scene
7:08
with the names, Augustine moves to the heart of the Psalm, the
7:11
struggle of the soul, particularly what he calls the
7:13
perfect soul, facing its ultimate enemy.
7:17
You see, the psalmist first prays to be saved from all of
7:20
them that persecute me, plural, You know, human enemies.
7:24
But then the language shifts dramatically to the singular
7:27
list. At any time you tear my soul as
7:28
a lion, The singular enemy, Augustine states very clearly,
7:33
is the envious devil. He points directly to first
7:35
Peter 5.8 Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh
7:39
about seeking who he may devour. It shows that, Well, yeah, human
7:42
persecutors are real. They're often just instruments.
7:45
The real antagonist, the ultimate 1, is this singular
7:47
spiritual foe. So the devil is the main
7:50
adversary here, more significant than, say, political enemies or
7:53
people who just don't like you. Yes, in Augustine's view,
7:56
definitely. Because the devil's persecution
7:58
isn't just about physical harm which humans can inflict.
8:01
It's a deceptive attack aimed at seizing and consuming the soul
8:04
itself. If God doesn't deliver a soul
8:07
from this spiritual predator, Augustine says, the devil will
8:10
succeed in devouring it. He also draws a parallel between
8:14
the devil and a serpent condemned to eat earth.
8:17
And in this context, earth symbolizes the proud, the
8:20
earthly minded Sinner. When a soul is brought down to
8:23
dust by pride, meaning it becomes vain, focused only on
8:27
temporary things, earthly glory, it essentially becomes the
8:30
devil's spiritual food. It shows the real danger of
8:33
pride and worldliness. They make you vulnerable.
8:36
OK, that leads us to what Augustine calls the mark of
8:38
perfection. Now, this isn't about being
8:40
totally flawless, is it? It sounds like something
8:42
different. No, not sinless perfection, not
8:44
at all. The perfect soul for Augustine
8:46
is 1 striving towards maturity. One who can truthfully say, Oh
8:50
Lord my God, if I have done this, if I have repaid them,
8:53
that recompense me evil. This statement directly echoes
8:57
Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.
8:59
Be perfect as your Father, which is in heaven, who maketh his Son
9:03
to rise upon the good and the evil, and reigneth on the just
9:05
and the unjust. So perfection here is about a
9:10
specific kind of spiritual maturity, patience, forbearance,
9:13
especially towards those who return evil for good even after
9:16
you've shown them kindness. It's a direct imitation of how
9:19
Christ endured his betrayer Judas.
9:21
It's about pursuing God's character, not achieving human
9:24
flawlessness. So it's about the internal
9:26
response, the spiritual attitude, more than just
9:28
avoiding certain external actions.
9:30
It is indeed, Augustine explains, that failing to live
9:33
up to this standard, you know, repaying evil with evil, results
9:37
in falling empty before your enemies.
9:39
What does empty mean? It means becoming an empty
9:42
boaster, someone who might look strong outwardly seeking victory
9:45
or recognition, but is secretly being overcome by pride and the
9:48
devil on the inside, spiritually hollow despite appearances.
9:52
True victory, Augustine states, really clearly, is internal.
9:56
He says better is he that overcometh his anger than he
9:58
that taketh the city. That insight completely flips
10:01
the script on victory, doesn't it?
10:03
It's not about beating others externally, but conquering your
10:05
own internal vices, anger, pride.
10:08
That inner conquest, he argues, is the real spiritual war.
10:11
And pride specifically, seems like a really subtle, really
10:14
dangerous enemy for the soul in Augustine's thinking.
10:17
Oh absolutely, He sees the devil's ultimate goal is to
10:20
tread my life upon the earth and bring down my glory to the dust.
10:24
That earth, as we said, becomes the devil's food, those consumed
10:27
by worldly things. And dust represents the vain and
10:31
silly boasting of the proud. Those whose glory is just
10:34
outward show without real spiritual substance are easily
10:38
brought low. True glory, by contrast, is
10:41
solidly established in conscience before God, where
10:43
there is no boasting. It's an Interstate of humility
10:46
of being right with God, not a public performance.
10:50
Pride is identified as the beginning of all sin, and it's
10:53
often the last vice that even the most spiritually mature soul
10:56
fully conquers. As Scripture says, the beginning
10:58
of man's pride is to depart from God, which really highlights how
11:02
vital humility is in the spiritual life.
11:04
Pride is seen as the very root of turning away from God, and
11:07
therefore the root of all of their sins.
11:09
It's a constant battle for the heart's disposition.
11:11
Right, so perfection isn't about being flawless, but about the
11:14
direction of the soul towards that Christ like patience and
11:17
fighting that constant battle against the subtle power of
11:19
pride. It's about winning the victory
11:22
inside yourself. Well put.
11:24
And the song also has these cries to God that, you know, on
11:27
the surface might sound like they're asking for God's wrath.
11:29
But I Gustin is careful here. He takes these human like
11:32
descriptions of God anthropomorphisms and redefines
11:35
them in light of God's perfect, unchanging nature.
11:39
For instance, the psalmist, Praise arise, O Lord, in thine
11:42
anger. Augustine clarifies.
11:44
This isn't a prayer for God to fly into a Rage Against people
11:47
like humans do. Instead, it's a prayer for God's
11:49
righteous, active indignation against the devil and his
11:52
demonic forces who hold sinners captive like property.
11:56
Ah, OK, so God's anger isn't aimed at humans in the way we
11:59
think of anger, but at the spiritual powers that enslave
12:02
them. That's the key distinction, yes.
12:04
God's anger here is his just action of reclaiming sinners
12:08
from the devil's control. It's his work of justifying the
12:11
ungodly, transforming them from being slaves of sin into God's
12:14
own temple. This divine act of taking back
12:17
possession of a soul is the devil's punishment.
12:19
So God's anger is actually redemptive for people and
12:22
punitive for spiritual evil. And the word arise, Agustin
12:26
says, means for God to appear, to become recognized.
12:29
God might seem hidden, maybe asleep in his secret workings,
12:32
but this is a call for his visible action in the world, a
12:35
revelation of his justice. And what about the plea?
12:38
Be exalted in the borders of mine enemies?
12:40
That sounds pretty triumphal. It is, but again with layers.
12:44
Be exalted in the borders of mine enemies means God should be
12:48
honored, glorified in the very places where the devil used to
12:51
rule. How does that happen?
12:54
Through the justification of the ungodly and then their
12:56
subsequent praise of God. It's God's triumph over the
12:59
devil's former territory, where even former enemies or those
13:03
influenced by them become places where God is praised.
13:07
Augustine actually gives us a couple of ways to understand
13:09
God's exaltation, or the phrase return thou on high.
13:13
The first interpretation links it directly to Christ's
13:15
glorification, his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
13:19
That ascent was crucial because it enabled the giving of the
13:21
Holy Spirit, which then empowered the spread of the
13:24
gospel everywhere, leading to the founding of churches.
13:27
That's God's exaltation, especially Christ's, for the
13:30
sake of believers and his kingdom's growth.
13:32
OK, that makes sense. In the second interpretation,
13:34
Augustine often gives alternatives, doesn't he?
13:36
He does, and the alternative here is, well, bit more
13:39
sobering. It suggests that God returns on
13:42
high, meaning he becomes inscrutable.
13:44
He withdraws understanding, sometimes for the sake of the
13:47
Christian community itself. When it sins cause a famine of
13:50
the Word. It's a pretty stark warning
13:52
against widespread sin and complacency, even within the
13:55
church. It kind of foreshadows Christ's
13:57
question in Luke 18. Thinkest thou when the Son of
13:59
Man shall come, He will find faith on the earth.
14:02
It highlights how truth and real faith can get obscured or
14:05
diminished by unrighteous actions, even among people who
14:09
claim to believe. So in this sense, God's
14:11
exultation means he becomes so high, so mysterious, that his
14:15
enemies, even those inside the church living unrighteously,
14:18
can't truly grasp him. That's a challenging thought,
14:21
that God might become hidden even within the church because
14:23
of our own unrighteousness. What about judgement itself?
14:26
How does Augustine see the soul facing divine judgement?
14:28
Well, following these insights about God's action in Christ's
14:31
return, the Psalm says the Lord judgeth the people.
14:35
Augustine asserts this refers to Christ, the one to whom the
14:38
Father has given all judgement. Now the perfected soul, the ones
14:43
striving for that Christ, like patience and humility we talked
14:45
about, doesn't fear this judgement.
14:48
Instead it boldly praise. Judge me, O Lord, according to
14:51
my righteousness and according to my harmlessness that is upon
14:54
me. This confidence is really
14:56
different from the weak Sinner who maybe, like in Psalm 6, just
14:59
pleads for mercy, acknowledging they have no merit of their own.
15:02
The perfected soul has a confidence rooted in God's work
15:05
in them. And that phrase that is upon me,
15:07
what's the importance of that? Does it mean the righteousness
15:10
is their own doing? No, far from it.
15:12
That phrase that is upon me is crucial.
15:14
It indicates that this righteousness and harmlessness
15:16
are not self generated. They're not earned by human
15:19
effort. They're gifts from God, the
15:21
divine light that ignites and sustains the soul.
15:25
It's recognizing that any goodness in US isn't our own
15:28
achievement, but God's work enabling us to be truly
15:31
righteous. August and then talks about how
15:33
God discerns genuine righteousness, especially when
15:36
hypocrisy is common. God directs the righteous by
15:39
searching the hearts and reigns. Hearts represent our thoughts,
15:42
our mind, where our deepest intentions and values lie, where
15:46
our treasure is. You could say reigns in biblical
15:48
terms usually represent our deepest desires, our lower,
15:51
maybe carnal pleasures linked to our physical nature and earthly
15:54
concerns or passions. God's careful look determines if
15:57
our cares and delights are focused on eternal joys or just
16:00
on earthly and carnal things. When our thoughts are right with
16:03
Him and our desires are heavenly, God directs us from
16:06
within in our conscience. This whole reinterpretation of
16:09
God's actions, anger, exaltation, judgement, it gives
16:13
a really different picture of how he deals with us.
16:16
It's not an impulsive God reacting, but a just, patient
16:20
God working out a much larger design, even using our choices
16:24
and failings within that plan. It sets us up nicely to think
16:27
about consequences, doesn't it? It really does.
16:30
Augustine continues unpacking the Psalm, and he makes a clear
16:33
distinction between different kinds of divine help.
16:36
He also shows how God's tools like Scripture itself, work in
16:39
our lives, and, maybe most strikingly, how sin carries its
16:43
own consequences almost automatically.
16:45
He talks about a twofold divine help.
16:47
First, there's merciful help. This is for the weak, the
16:50
Sinner, the person with no merit of their own, who just seeks to
16:53
be made right by believing in God, who justifies the ungodly.
16:56
This help, Augustine says, takes us from sickness into health.
17:00
Like a doctor healing someone who's I'll.
17:02
OK. So that's kind of like
17:03
justification for those starting out or maybe really struggling,
17:05
needing that fresh start from God.
17:07
Yes, exactly. It's that restorative healing
17:10
grace that makes the unrighteous righteous.
17:13
But then second, there's righteous help.
17:16
This help is given to those who are already whole, already
17:19
righteous. Through that initial
17:21
justification, this help preserves them in spiritual
17:24
health, keeps them from falling back into sin.
17:27
It's called righteous help, not because they earned it, but
17:29
because it's given to 1 already made righteous by God's gift.
17:33
They're good actions are also seen as God's gift.
17:35
This help is about perseverance. God make his whole, the upright
17:39
in heart, He says. Specifically those whose right
17:42
thoughts are matched with heavenly desires, not earthly
17:45
ones. It's about being kept on the
17:46
path once you're on it. And God's patience plays a big
17:48
role here too, influencing how he interacts with sinners.
17:51
A huge role. God is described as
17:54
long-suffering, meaning he doesn't just ZAP sinners
17:57
immediately. He patiently bears with them,
18:00
constantly inviting them to repent.
18:02
And he holds back the final penalty for the last judgement.
18:05
He does not bring in anger every day, Augustine notes this means
18:09
God isn't constantly sending down immediate punishment.
18:12
His current patience is this massive invitation for people to
18:14
turn to him. It creates the space for
18:17
repentance it. Sounds like a deliberate divine
18:20
strategy, part of a long game rather than just reacting
18:23
instantly to every wrong thing. It is this long-suffering is
18:26
part of a strategy and that Gustin uses some powerful
18:28
metaphors for God's weaponry. In this spiritual context, the
18:32
sore or spear Augustine equates with the Lord man, Jesus Christ
18:35
himself, especially at his second coming.
18:38
At his first coming, Christ was hidden, you know, in the sheath
18:40
of humiliation. He came humbly, wasn't fully
18:42
recognized, but at his return he will brandish or make bright His
18:46
spear in obvious glory. He'll bring light on his
18:49
righteous ones and terror on the ungodly.
18:52
Christ Himself is the ultimate instrument of both salvation and
18:55
judgment. OK, so Christ is the ultimate
18:58
weapon of light and judgment, fully revealed at his return.
19:02
What about the bow and arrows mentioned?
19:04
Right the bow, Augustine says. His holy Scripture.
19:06
It's where the hardness of the Old Testament has been bent and
19:09
subdued by the strength of the New Testament.
19:12
It speaks to the unity of God's revelation.
19:14
The old finds its fulfillment and true meaning in the new.
19:18
And from this bow, from Scripture, the apostles, or more
19:22
broadly, divine preachings, are sent out like arrows.
19:25
These arrows are wrought for the burning, meaning they're
19:28
designed to ignite souls with heavenly love.
19:31
This love then enables believers to endure persecution, to cling
19:34
tightly to Christ even when things get tough.
19:37
They inflamed souls with spiritual desire.
19:39
But Augustine also mentions instruments of death coming from
19:43
the same bow from Scripture. That sounds like a sharp
19:45
contrast to heavenly love. It is a really striking and
19:48
frankly sobering contrast. From the same Bow scripture, the
19:52
source of truth, these instruments of death, can also
19:54
emerge. Augustine suggests this might
19:57
refer to heretics, people who use the same scriptures but
20:00
twist the truth, destroying souls with poison instead of
20:03
building them up with love. Now Augustine sees even this as
20:06
part of God's ordering, maybe a punishment for sin, maybe a test
20:10
for the faithful, but it still serves a purpose to arouse from
20:14
slumber those who are complacent and to exercise or refine the
20:17
faithful revealing who are truly approved by God.
20:21
He even suggests the same apostles or their message could
20:24
be instruments of death to those who reject them, while being
20:27
fiery arrows of love to believers.
20:29
It shows the dual effect of God's truth depending on how
20:32
it's received and God's sovereignty over it all.
20:34
It sounds like the same truth can bring life for condemnation,
20:37
depending entirely on the listener's heart.
20:39
Exactly, and this leads to a really foundational idea for
20:42
Gustin sins self punishing nature.
20:45
He argues that each man's punishment is wrought out of his
20:48
own sin and his iniquity turned into vengeance.
20:52
And quote this is a crucial point.
20:53
God doesn't like invent punishments out of thin air
20:56
separate from the sin. Rather, He orders sins in such a
21:00
way that would have been delights to man.
21:02
And sinning should be instruments to the Lord,
21:04
Avenging the very things you found pleasure in while sinning
21:07
become the means of your own suffering or downfall.
21:09
That's a really consistent principle of justice, isn't it?
21:11
That the consequences somehow baked into the action itself.
21:15
It's absolutely core for Augustine.
21:17
Sin carries its own consequences ordered by God.
21:21
Think about these phrases from the Psalm He unpacks.
21:23
He hath travailed with injustice.
21:25
He have conceived toil. Toil here means that miserable,
21:29
pointless striving for things that don't last, things that
21:31
don't satisfy. This toil is like the seed of
21:34
iniquity, the initial turning away from God that leads to the
21:38
conception of toil, the actual act of sin departing from God
21:41
and thought or deed, and then that brings forth iniquity or
21:45
injustice. It shows how sin generates its
21:47
own negative results, a cycle of spiritual decline and misery
21:51
starting from within. It's like someone digging their
21:53
own spiritual hole and then finding themselves stuck in it
21:55
because of their own digging. Another phrase, He had opened a
21:59
ditch and digged it. He will fall into the pit which
22:01
he hath made. This vividly picture someone
22:04
planning to see, setting a trap for someone else.
22:07
But Augustine says the deceiver actually harms himself more than
22:10
the intended victim. Why?
22:12
Because the Sinner suffers the internal wound of avarice, or
22:16
loses their innocence, a far deeper wound than any external
22:19
harm they cause. The Sinner gets caught in the
22:22
works of his own hands. Their own actions become the
22:24
trap, the internal damage. The soul's corruption is the
22:28
real tragedy and the weight of that.
22:29
Sin must be immense. Augustine describes it.
22:32
Vividly his toil shall be turned on his head, and his iniquity
22:36
shall descend on his Pate. Meaning sin makes you a slave to
22:39
your own wrongdoing. It weighs you down, makes you
22:41
unable to return to the rest of the Saints.
22:43
That spiritual peace and freedom found in God.
22:46
He describes a state where reason is a slave and lust half
22:49
dominion. The very things that felt good
22:51
in sinning, the temporary pleasures, the apparent gains
22:54
become the instruments of your own punishment, keeping you from
22:57
true spiritual rest. It's a heavy, heavy burden.
23:00
That's a really clear. Picture God using sin itself as
23:04
the tool for its own just outcome.
23:07
Not an arbitrary God, but one whose order is built into
23:10
creation. And it certainly means our
23:12
actions have real consequences, both now and spiritually.
23:15
Absolutely. And the Psalm.
23:16
Ends with a confession. But Agustin is quick to explain
23:20
this isn't a confession of sin like we might usually think of
23:23
it. It's something different, a
23:24
joyful acknowledgement of God's perfect order and justice.
23:28
The psalmist says I will confess to the Lord according to his
23:31
justice. I got some stresses.
23:33
This is not a sinner's confession which involves
23:35
sadness and repentance for sin. Instead, it's a righteous
23:39
acknowledgement of God's perfect justice.
23:40
It's basically saying, yes, Lord, you are truly just.
23:43
So it's not I confess. My sins, but more like I confess
23:46
God's righteousness a focus turned outward to God, not
23:49
inward on personal failure exactly, it's an.
23:51
Affirmation a praise verily, O Lord, you are just in that you
23:56
both. So protect the just enlightening
23:58
them by yourself and you. So order sinners that they be
24:02
punished not by your malice, but by their own.
24:05
This kind of confession directly opposes the tendency to blame
24:08
others, fortune, fate, even the devil for our sins.
24:11
It affirms that sin is our own departure from God, rooted in
24:14
our own fault, our own will. It puts responsibility back
24:17
where it belongs, while praising God's wise and just ordering of
24:20
everything. It comes from clear spiritual
24:23
sight. And this seems to lead to a
24:24
broader. Understanding of how God orders
24:26
all of creation, even the parts we see is dark or chaotic.
24:29
It fits the pattern it does. Agustin points out that in
24:33
Genesis, God divided between the light and the darkness.
24:37
But, and this is key, he only made the light, He didn't create
24:41
darkness. For Gustin, darkness represents
24:44
sin, or even not being. It's a lack of good, not
24:47
something God created. However, even though he didn't
24:50
create darkness, God still ordered it, placed it within the
24:53
lowest parts of creation. Does that mean it means even
24:56
when a soul is in darkened by sin, when it turns away from God
24:59
towards nothing, it doesn't just disappear into non existence,
25:02
it's still ordered among the lowest things by God.
25:04
Even in the mess of human sin and its results, God's cosmic
25:08
order and rule hold firm. Nothing is outside his sovereign
25:11
design. And the very last line.
25:13
And I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High.
25:16
That must be the peak of this joyful understanding.
25:19
It certainly feels like it. Augustin simply notes that
25:21
singing has relation to joy. This reinforces that the
25:25
confession leading up to it is one of praise and delight in
25:28
God's justice, not sadness over sin.
25:30
It points to the deep peace, the real contentment that comes from
25:34
understanding God's perfect, righteous governance over
25:36
everything, even the parts that seem hard, sorrowful, or
25:38
mysterious to us. It's a deep spiritual rest, a
25:42
joyful yes to God's complete oversight.
25:44
Even evil, though not made by God, is ordered by him for his
25:47
just purposes. This gives us a really complete.
25:50
Picture doesn't it? Moving from recognizing our own
25:52
vulnerability, the real spiritual enemy, to
25:54
understanding God's sovereign hand and absolutely everything,
25:57
and then finally praising Him for the just and good order of
26:00
the entire cosmos. It provides a solid framework
26:03
for understanding not just this one Psalm, but maybe our own
26:06
place within God's incredible design and his ongoing work.
26:09
Hashtag tag outro. So we've taken a pretty deep
26:12
dive into Augustine's reading of Psalm 7.
26:15
We saw how he unpacks those names, Chusi, Gemini, a
26:17
Chitifel, a Thessalon, connecting them all the way to
26:20
Judas, and the larger story of God's plan, showing how God uses
26:25
even terrible things like betrayal for a good end.
26:27
We talked about that single spiritual enemy, the devil, and
26:30
how real inner victory comes not from fighting back evil with
26:33
evil, but from conquering her own anger and pride.
26:36
Right? And we also look at how.
26:37
Terms describing God, like his anger or exaltation, need to be
26:42
understood in terms of his righteous action against evil
26:45
and his wise governance, not like shifting human emotions.
26:49
And we spent time on that idea of sin being self punishing, how
26:52
our choices against God naturally bring their own
26:55
consequences as part of his inherent order.
26:57
And finally, that glorious confession, not of sin, but of
27:00
God's justice, which brings deep joy to the righteous soul
27:04
recognizing his perfect ordering of all things.
27:07
It's a really strong. Teaching on God's sovereignty,
27:09
His ability to work everything for His purposes, even the
27:12
toughest parts of human action and spiritual warfare.
27:15
Maybe for you listening, the biggest insight from this deep
27:18
dive is seeing how even in the middle of the darkest betrayals
27:21
or the worst intentions, God's ultimate design for redemption
27:24
and justice holds firm. It's a powerful call to consider
27:27
if God orders even evil towards a good end, how much more can He
27:31
guide and keep you as you walk faithfully with Him, maybe even
27:34
turning your own stumbles and failings towards His glory?
27:37
You've been listening. To reformed thinking, Join us
27:39
next time for another deep dive into sources that matter.