Psalm 25:14-15 (NIV)
The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.
This verse spoke to me; and as I contemplated its message, it awakened me to a simple truth that perhaps should have always been apparent. In Verse 14, David asserts that God confides in those who fear Him. The use of the word “confide” here has some strong implications. As a transitive verb, it means to impart a secret with trust; to share something with another in confidence. One definition put it this way: “To entrust; commit to the charge or knowledge of another.” The English Standard Version (ESV) renders the translation: “The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear (reverence) Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.” To me, this indicates “what” God reveals to those who love Him is His will, His promises, and His faithfulness! And, perhaps, this affords a reason as to why so many people do not understand the love of God. They simply do not fear (reverence or worship) Him. It brings to mind this Scripture: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
The context of Psalm 25 gives this verse additional meaning. David declares that his hope, his confidence, and his trust are in God alone. And, therefore, David asks God to teach him and guide his life under this covenant relationship God has revealed. He asks for mercy and forgiveness for all the sin in his life; knowing that God is loving and faithful towards those who keep His covenant. And so David affirms that God makes (an active, ongoing process) His covenant known and that he will experience deliverance and salvation from the God of love:
Psalm 25:4-15 (NIV)
4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. 10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of His covenant. 11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. 12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. 13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. 14 The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them. 15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.
But as I read Verse 15, another passage of Scripture came to mind. I wonder if you see any parallels in terms of personal relationship with God as presented in Psalm 25:
Hebrews 12:1-11 (NIV)
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily ensnares us. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.” (Quoting Proverbs 3:11-12) 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Indeed, Father God delights to train those who love Him … those who fear Him in reverence and keep His covenant. His covenant of love, that He has declared and made known through Christ Jesus, brings us to a genuine desire to share in His holiness. As the Apostle John affirmed: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when it is made known (when Christ appears) we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure (holy). Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that Jesus appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.” (Cf. 1 John 3:1-6)
So, I believe the application is clear. God has made known Himself and His will to us through His Word … spoken through His holy prophets of old, and in these last days, through His Son. (Cf. Hebrews 1:1-2) The New Covenant, revealed through His Son, the Messiah, has been declared and sealed. It cannot be changed! Indeed, the immutable atonement of our sin through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone; it is the righteousness and faithfulness of God revealed. (Cf. Romans 1:16-17) It is not veiled except to those who do not know God … those who do not reverence or worship the Father. As Paul has asserted: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) So we need to be engaged in the spiritual battle … become intercessory prayer warriors … because the veil of darkness and the spirit of deception has invaded the minds of multitudes. As Jude exhorted us:
Jude 1:17-22 (NIV)
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
Verses 22-23 probably refer to those in the church who are being influenced by false prophets and teachers (Cf. Matthew 7:15; 24:11; 24:24; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1). Those who begin to question the authority or veracity of Scripture; who begin to lose sight of “Apostolic truth,” “the most holy faith,” and “the faith once and for all given to the saints.” Believers must be proactive, not just reactive, in the protection and restoration of weak brothers and sisters. This verse is an admonition not to accept false teachers or doctrines of demons; but rather, to show the need of compassionate love and grace toward those who lack discernment or begin to waver in the faith. We are called to restore prodigals to the righteousness of God through faith (Cf. Romans 1:17). We are to “snatch” or rescue unbelievers from a life of rebellion and the fire of judgment. (Cf. Isaiah 4:4; 66:16; Jeremiah 5:14; Amos 7:4; Malachi 4:1; Hebrews 10:27; 2 Peter 3:7) Yes, there is a need for us to tell unbelievers that whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (Cf. John 3:18)
I like how the Living Bible and the New Living translations have captured the message of Verses 22-23. So I will end with the thoughts inspired by their interpretations:
Jude 1:22-23 (The Living Bible)
22 Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt. 23 Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren’t pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners.
Jude 1:22-23 (New Living Translation)
22 And you must reprove those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
So Now You Know 