“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 84:11)
THREE sentences compose this verse which tells us something about the character of God. In these sentences we have the work, wisdom, and wonderfulness of God.
Work of God. “The LORD God is a sun and shield.” God provides us with both light and protection. The sun speaks of light. God is the great enlightener. Jesus is the “light of the world” (John 8:12). Leave out God and you will walk in darkness concerning the most important matters of life. The shield speaks of protection. The greatest protection God provides for us is the protection of our soul through Jesus Christ. This will protect us from eternal condemnation. No work is greater than this work of God on our behalf.
Wisdom of God. “The LORD will give grace and glory.” That which emphasizes God’s wisdom here is the fact that grace comes before glory. Grace speaks of character. To learn grace and to grow in grace, we often have to experience many troubles and trials. But this will build up our character. Then it is safe to bring the glory. If glory comes before we have the grace of character, it will ruin us. Character is all essential to be able to handle the glory well. Mankind, however, wants more glory; but God says we need more grace. God is right, for God is wise. Grace must come before glory.
Wonderfulness of God. “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” This is a wonderful promise from God. It is such a wonderful blessing. But some doubt it, for they complain they do not have all the things they want. There are two reasons for this complaint.
First, the nature of the blessing. Our verse did not say all the things we want; it said “good thing.” But many things we want are not “good” for us.
Second, the nobleness of the blessed. Our verse did not make this promise to everyone but only to those who “walk uprightly.” If you are short on God’s blessing, check your walk. If you want Divine blessing, concentrate on your walk and let God take care of the blessing.
Pastor Kary