For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Psalm 84.1

This well-known Psalm breathes an air of tranquillity. This is remarkable, for the circumstances and condition of the Psalmist do not appear to be favourable in the least. What is the secret of the poet’s peace? The primary cause of the Psalmist’s peace of mind lies not in the hope of a more comfortable tomorrow, but in what the Lord is for him now, when his outward circumstances are so troublesome. This is the secret of faith.

When trials and troubles abound, we may try to set our mind at ease by contemplating that it will not always be so difficult, and that better days are coming. The Psalmist, however, speaks of a deeper comfort. Not what will come, not even in the first place what God will give, but what God is for him also now when all seems so hopeless, is the primary comfort in the affliction of the child of God.

For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord will give grace and glory. The inspired Psalmist sings of two comforts. The first is basic for it expresses his relationship to the Lord, who the Lord is to him, namely a Sun and Shield. The second is the fruit of the former. It speaks of expectation, of what the Lord will give: grace and glory. The Psalmist begins with the former, for therein lies the secret of his life. We are inclined to begin and end our prayers with petitions for certain gifts. But such petitions are not beneficial. Even when we receive all we have asked for, if we do not possess the Lord as our Riches, then all these benefits are but tokens of our great poverty.

The Lord God is a Sun and Shield. In the metaphorical language of the Bible, the sun is emblematic of the Lord’s comforting presence and the shield of His protecting care. The sun brings besides light and joy, warmth and comfort to this earth. How sad would be the condition of man and this earth without the cheering presence of the sun! So also in our spiritual life, what is the child of God without the Sun of righteousness? Without that Sun, all is darkness. He is the Light of our life. We may be in dark and threatening circumstances, but if the Lord, for Christ’s sake, be our God, He will be to us a Sun to give us light and life, and He will be our Shield and great Defender: a Sun to give us all good and a Shield to protect from all evil.

The Sun of righteousness is a precious Light; without Him no sinner could ever attain to the favour of a holy God. In Christ alone lies the basis for acceptance with God. This Light of grace is sufficient for God’s people and inexhaustible like the sun.

How enriched becomes our life when that Sun begins to shine in our sinful hearts, when the darkness of error and deceit gives way to the light of God’s pure truth, when affliction’s night is transformed into the wondrous day of the light of divine consolations.

The sun’s light may produce a cheering comfort, no less precious is the sun’s warmth. So is the warmth, the love of the Lord God our Sun. Nothing in the life of a child of God is of greater value than the love of God. How wondrously is the heart warmed when the Lord speaks to His child: ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31.3)! This love surpasses all other love, the Fatherly drawings are beyond compare.

Like precious warmth comes to the heart when the eye of faith may gaze upon the love and grace of Calvary’s Lamb. Who can measure the height, the length, the breadth and depth of the love of God’s dear Son who died for sinners? Who that ever mourned at the foot of the Cross can forget the warmth and love of the Sun of righteousness?

The love of the Father and of the Son can never be experienced without the love of the Holy Spirit. How compassionate is this heavenly Teacher when He begins the good work in us! He humbles and brings low, He convinces of our sin and misery, He makes room in the heart for Christ. He does it all with a love and warmth that is akin to that of the Father and the Son.

To have this Lord God as our Sun makes all our bitter sweet. He provides on the high mountain tops, but no less in the deep valleys.

The Lord God is our Sun and at the same time our Shield. When we are surrounded by cruel enemies and threatening dangers the Lord keeps us in His protecting care. The Lord is the Source of all safety and protection.

How precious is the relationship of the Lord to His own! As a fruit of His love He will provide and care: the Lord will give grace and glory. Note again the order: first grace and then glory. Grace remains the most compelling need of a child of God. He has experienced grace, and yet continues to hunger and thirst for Christ’s love. He knows himself to be unworthy and constantly in need of new supplies of grace. And with grace comes glory: the Lord delivers from dishonour and shame. He sets our feet upon a rock and establishes our ways.

No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. Those that walk uprightly are aware of the deceitfulness of sin. They seek the grace of God by searching the Scriptures while begging the Spirit of the living God to guide them into all truth. They walk in God’s ways and live a life in dependence on their God and Christ.

O LORD of hosts,
blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Psalm 84.12

Written by the late Rev. G. Hamstra.