Favor From The Lord

The Psalmist compares God’s favor to the protection from a shield. Let’s talk about how God’s favor is upon us and protects us as we walk this life.

I loved picking up my children from school. It was just a little nicety I did for them to spare them the bus ride home. I especially have very vivid and precious memories of picking them up during their middle school years. Middle schoolers! What a bizarre and funny lot, right?  So what do God’s favor and middle school pick-ups have in common? Oh, more than you might think…

I was reading the book of Psalms and came across this beautiful verse…

Psalm 5:12

FOR IT IS YOU WHO BLESSES THE RIGHTEOUS MAN, O LORD, YOU SURROUND HIM WITH FAVOR AS WITH A SHIELD. Ps 5:12

Just the sheer poetry and depth of this verse stopped me in my reading. And as the deeper meaning began to soak in, I was in awe again of who God really is and what I mean to Him.

Breaking This Verse Down

Let’s break this beautiful verse down to get a better sense of just how amazing it is. 

First things first, the psalmist tells the reader who is the one doing the blessing. God is a God that lavishes His blessings on His creation.

God’s blessings fall upon the righteous and unrighteous alike, just like rain. Rain in the bible was considered a symbol of blessings.

THAT YOU MAY BE CHILDREN OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.  HE CAUSES HIS SUN TO RISE ON THE EVIL AND THE GOOD, AND SENDS RAIN ON THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS. MATT 5:45

Who Are The Righteous

But in our verse, God makes it very clear that He is speaking of the righteous. The elect, the saved! Those who have accepted the free gift of salvation. His own beloved! Those who have bowed the knee in reverence and submission to Jesus.

To really understand this verse, let’s get some context…

Putting It Into Context

The psalmist sets a distinction between those who exult the name of the Lord and those who are against God. And he understands that the end of the wicked is doomed, but the righteous are blessed by God!

What a contrast. 

I love the wording, and the idea in Ps 5:12 of …

YOU SURROUND HIM WITH FAVOR AS WITH A SHIELD. 

The word FAVOR is the Hebrew word ratson (raw-tsone’). It means to be acceptable and to have goodwill.  And this favor surrounds those who belong to God like a shield.

To understand this verse, we need to understand a bit about ancient shields.

One type of weapon the ancients used during wartime was a shield.  It was as long as a man was tall. These shields were a great defense during a time of an attack.  Ancient soldiers would build or fit their shields together into a protective line. They could also build their shields in a circle to protect their backs and even make a roof out of them to shield themselves from flying objects.

Psalm 5:12 paints a beautiful picture of God’s favor lovingly surrounding me with an unpenetrable force providing protection and blessings! 

This favor is a gift. I received it when I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Just one of the many gifts I received! 

Back To The Car Pick-Up Line

Now let’s turn our attention to the middle school car pick-up line…

Words that come to mind when I remember waiting for my children after school are bedlam, chaos, and wild abandon! And in that sea of smelly, unkempt, and hormone-emerging creatures were my own.

I could pick them out so easily. I had my eyes trained on them.  I never missed finding them, not once! I would pluck them out of the frenzy and sweep them off to the car! 

God has his eyes trained too. On all of His own!

God loves the people of this world. So much so that He sent His Son to save everyone in it. It is a messy, smelly sinful mass of humanity. And God loves us.

But God finds those who are His own, picks us out, and surrounds us with favor.

Questions To Think About

Here’s something to think about.

Do you look for God’s favor in your life? Do you see Him in small ways and all ways? If we don’t look, we might not see all the ways He works in our lives day to day! And what a joy to know our Father is working out favor for us in this life and beyond for all eternity!

If you do not belong to God yet… HE IS WAITING FOR YOU WITH OPEN ARMS. No matter who you are or what you have done, the One and Only God is waiting. And if you would like to know how to be His child, please go HERE.

Psalm 5:12 is a beautiful and deep verse that is worthy of our contemplation this week.

FOR IT IS YOU WHO BLESSES THE RIGHTEOUS MAN, O LORD, YOU SURROUND HIM WITH FAVOR AS WITH A SHIELD. Ps 5:12