Psalms 83:16
16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
Our verse today sums up the usefulness of God's judgment of the wicked. I would encourage you to read this Holy Ghost-inspired prayer, starting from verse 13 until the end of the psalm several horrible judgments are prayed for to come upon those nations that have risen against God's people and, by proxy, God's promises. It is prayed that storms of wind come and blow them like stubble, that fire come to burn them down as a forest fire does a mountain, and even a tempest come upon them and a storm. All of these things would of course "Fill their faces with Shame."
The nations spoken of had lifted themselves in pride against God and his people. Their faces had been filled with pride. Proud of their confederacy (vs.5), proud of their strength (vs.4), proud of their plans (vs.3), and proud of their numbers, in total there are at least 10 of these nations and only one of Israel. Yet Israel had one ally that they did not have, Jehovah. He was greater than all the nations of the earth, He is not an earthly ally but a heavenly one. He does not have strength in numbers but strength in self. So Israel called on their ally and in their prayer they prayed for the swift and terrible judgment we spoke of in the first paragraph.
What I want to get at this morning though is the end of judgment, what purpose does it serve? Is it just for the salvation of the oppressed? Is it to prove a point? Is it for vindication? Or is it for mercy? In some sense, all of the above can be true but what this verse shows us is that even in judgment God does not forget mercy (Hab 3:2). The Holy Ghost inspired this psalmist to pray this prayer of destruction, as hard as that may be to believe it is true, but before he set an amen to the end of this prayer we see that God has an end to the judgment asked for, "that they may seek thy name O LORD," that is "Jehovah." God does send whirlwinds of trouble and strife into the life of the wicked, he sends consuming fires of poverty, he will send a tempest of conviction and a storm of grief but all to the end that those people may drop their pride, confess their sins and seek his name. That they will exit the broad path that is leading to their destruction. They suppose that they are on a path that will lead them to victory and God's people to destruction but God is trying to save them from their delusion. They are in fact headed for their own demise and perhaps a whirlwind will blow them off their destructive course, or perhaps a fire of reality will consume their plans or a tempest and storm may stop them in their tracks, to the end they might seek the one who is so apparently against them.
If they will not seek him then there is only one thing left, vs.17 "Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:" If they will not repent then they will go on to their eternal trouble, eternal confounding, eternal shame, and perishing. There is nothing left for the impenitent heart but eternal shame, they had their pride in this life and would not be humbled here on earth and now for eternity, they will be. Is there mercy in this eternal "forever" judgment? Our next verse reveals that there is indeed purposes of mercy even in those who will have none of it. Vs. 18 "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." If their judgment will not minister mercy to them, it will minister mercy to others. They would not seek the Lord but through their judgment, others have been compelled to seek him and know that he alone is above all things. That men may know him by his name even, "Whose name alone is JEHOVAH." This is insinuating a relationship with God not just a knowledge of him. JEHOVAH was his covenant name with Israel, and others could come to know him as such as well. I can't help but think of Rahab, she saw the destruction coming, a whirlwind of trouble rocked her world; the Israelites are coming! A burning fire of conviction had consumed her every thought, "Thy God is God in heaven above as well as in earth below." All the fear and anxiety that had rocked her world led her to seek the God of Israel and she became a part of the family by the judgment that was headed her way. So today, when you pray for the lost, pray as did this psalmist, "Lord blow away their pride! Lord consume them with conviction! Lord take rest from their eyes! "Fill their faces with Shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD."
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