Am I A Soldier of the Cross? by Dr. Michael A. Milton, part 3
February 25, 2013
There is the Resurrection aim that is the Hope that brings Satisfaction in the Christian Life As prayerful reflection on the truths that we find in Psalm 27 brought divine perspective to Isaac Watts, it did so for David and for countless others Soldiers of the Cross. So let it bring optimistic hope to you in Jesus Christ our Lord. For this Psalm is about Him, anticipates Him, and follows the Gospel pattern of seeing that the things that come against us are really the things, like the Cross brought Resurrection, the things that lead us home. We end up blessing the adversary for his assaults drove us to Christ our Victor. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we must live. This is the Gospel power that lives in us. Will you receive this Gospel truth of Christ today? Will you renew your life in this Gospel truth today? To do so is to march forward with confidence against all odds as a Soldier of the Cross. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
by Dr. Michael A. Milton
Chancellor and CEO
Reformed Theological Seminary
[13] I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
[14] Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD
The third cadence call of this Soldier’s Psalm is before us now in verses 13-14. Some thoughtful reader of theology might pause here at this point and think, “But I thought the liberals said that there was no resurrection in the Old Testament religion of Israel.” Yes, they do say that. They are wrong. Resurrection anticipation is everywhere in the Ancient Church! It is clearly embedded in the Psalms of David and is the very climax of this Soldier’s Psalm. The Affirmation which led to Admission of Adversaries which shows him this is how God sanctifies now leads him to the hope of “the land of the living” beyond the grave.
I am so thankful that my hope is not in the Egyptian gods that I saw when my family and I visited the British Museum this summer. The mummies were, as you well know, buried with ornaments of the earthly life to keep them company in the land of the dead. Yet when we visited the Dylan Thomas Museum in Swansea, Wales, we were told that Richard Burton was buried with a copy of Dylan Thomas’ poems in his hands. Dylan Thomas is hard to read when you are alive, much less in a coffin six feet under! No, my beloved, David had no such pagan ideas. His hope was in the living God and because God lived he would live.
In fact, all of his trials and battles were leading him to, not just an inevitable death, but a portal to eternal life. How David’s Resurrection Aim in this Psalm reminds me of Job who exclaimed, like a brilliant sun bursting through a dark cloud, “I know that my Redeemer lives!” David joins his forefather in faith and declares, “I am STILL confident of this: I WILL see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
Praise God for such faith! I once preached from this in a mausoleum where I was surrounded by bodies entombed in the wall, and a dark, ominous storm brewing outside. I never had a greater moment as a preacher than to declare that I am STILL confident of this: I WILL see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the Living!” I was thankful to know that several people were saved that day. People hearing about resurrection while seated in folding chairs in a mausoleum respond well, I think.
What is more, David comforts his own soul, as he comes back down to the place where he is living and the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, but also the Soldier of Zion, stills his heart on the words of hope: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
This is the Word of the Lord for you. You have affirmed your faith. Now your adversaries have assaulted your faith. But that has only worked to increase your faith. And now that is turning you to resurrection faith. And that settles your hearts back down. Let this Scripture simmer. Let the potent resurrection hope soak in the boiling water of your trials until the tea of good hope is fully dispersed. Then drink quietly from the cup of salvation. Wait. Wait on the Lord.
CONCLUSION
Psalm 27 gives us divine perspective, and even better, Gospel strength, to balance the seemingly competing realities of adversity and promise and we have seen the
(1) Resounding Affirmation of the Believer in the Father’s constant care, as well as the
(2) Realistic Adversity that we all face, yet which sanctifies our sorrows through the Holy Spirit, and
(3) The Resurrection Aim of the Christian life which brings not only hope, but assurance of victory. That brings confidence.
Isaac Watts grew up in a very hard situation. His father was a Non Conformist minister, that is, he did not belong to the Established Church and was committed to the Reformed faith and the principles of representative government in matters of faith. This got him locked up, twice in his life. Young Isaac grew up visiting his father in prison and enduring the pain and poverty that came from his father’s absence. Years later, Dr. Watts the minister in London, would write about the life of the believer as the life of a soldier. He wrote that famous hymn, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?”
We can imagine that he recalled the trials of his childhood, the sorrows of his father, and the frequent hardships his family faced. He was, perhaps, not unlike the minister who visited me with his depression. Yet, as David strengthened himself for battle, so did Watts as he used soliloquy to speak the Word of God back to his own life. Listen and ask yourself the questions in this hymn?
