Psalm 27:1 (NKJV)

Bible Commentary

Psalm 27:1 is a popular Bible verse in the Old Testament where David is praising God and reminding us that when we fear God, we have no fear of man.

There are two main definitions of fear: 1) anxiety caused by real or possible danger or pain, 2) awe, reverence.

When David says in Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation,” he is talking about happiness and freedom. When we succumb to fear of men, we are held prisoner by pain and darkness.

The pain might be subtle, or we may be so accustomed to it we don’t even recognize it as fear, but over time it takes its toll. Anxiety, stress and insecurities are all inward forms of pain that keep us from the light—happiness.

The Hebrew meaning of “light” is: happiness, bright, clear, morning, sun.

Replace the Bad with the Good

The way to give up fear from definition #1 – (anxiety caused by real or possible danger or pain), which speaks to our relationship with others, is to replace it with definition #2 – (awe and reverence), which speaks to a right relationship with God.

As we develop an awe and reverence for the Lord (by seeking Him and His Word diligently), our fear of men fades away.

There is no reason to fear man, when God is on our side. In Psalm 27:1 David says,

“The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”

“Strength” in Hebrew means: a fortified place, a defence, fortress, rock, stronghold.

We could picture ourselves surrounded by God and an army of His angels. Remember Elisha’s prayer for his servant in 2 Kings 6:17,

“And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

With God as our fortress, for that’s what He is to us, what can man do to us?

Unlocking the Truth – Strength of My Life

We must give up our awe and reverence for men, which is why we are bound up in fear. Men can be a false god to us—an idol. We tend to hold them in high esteem over God. John 12:43 says, “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

We give people power over us because of how they can make us feel about ourselves—either good or bad. Look what Jesus said about His family in Mark 3:32-35,

“And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”

³³ But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” ³⁴ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

We tend to seek the solution to our fears and insecurities in man, like man can heal the very wounds they caused. Instead, let’s give our awe and reverence to God.

The Real Solution

We need to break through our fear of men to get to the real solution—the real healing agent–Christ alone. Only the Lord can heal our wounds, but we must bust through that wall of fear.

When we face our fears, we’ll discover there was no wall there at all. It was all an illusion. The devil holds us back by deceiving us into thinking there is something there, but when we go forward unafraid, trusting the Lord, we’ll soon discover the light and freedom in Him.

God sings over us, calling us to Him. Be still and listen. Then go forward believing He is your fortress and that His army of angels surrounds you.

Study the Bible verse of Psalm 27:1 and discover the light and salvation—happiness and freedom—in the Lord.

 

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