Psalm 94

“Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. But judgment will return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.” Psalm 94:12-15 (NKJV)

The Hebrew word for “law” is “Torah.”  Interesting word, Torah.  Torah does not translate as “law”; rather, Torah means “teaching.”  For instance, the first five books of the Bible are referred to in Judaism as the Torah. (Although, in a greater sense, all Scripture is Torah.)  While the first five books contain the Mosaic laws, they mostly contain narratives from which we observe and learn how to live through the stories of how God interacts with Creation, the patriarchs, and various other people.  I mention all that because some Christians bristle at the mention of the word “law” for fear of becoming overly legalistic.  It helps to understand the psalmist is not saying we are blessed if we become attorneys.  He is exhorting us that we should seek God’s “teaching” as revealed by His Spirit  (“You…O Lord”).  His message is akin to Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

So, the purpose of Psalm 94 is not to bind us with overt legalism but to free us to live joyfully, to give us “rest from the days of adversity.”  Notice how the wicked (those who disregard the Bible) unknowingly have a “pit” dug for them!  It would be convenient to go through life believing that unbelievers always sin while believers never transgress.  But the reality is that sometimes unbelievers live comparatively upright lives, while we believers sin on occasion.  So, what happens when the righteous sin, if our feet “slip,” as it were?

“If I say, ‘My foot slips,’ Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 94:18-19 (NKJV)

The idea of mercy (not getting what you would otherwise deserve) is of great comfort to us!  When we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us.  While we may experience rebuke for our sinful actions or thoughts, we can rest assured His rebuke is mitigated because the fullness of our sin was laid upon Jesus!  Hence, our anxiety finds comfort.  God will instruct but not forsake His people (Jew or Gentile) who place their faith and trust in Messiah alone for their salvation.

“I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” Romans 11:11-12 (NKJV)