Surrounded By The Righteous

Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me,  
for You shall deal bountifully with me. 

Psalm 142:7 

David’s hope was in Christ. Therefore he said, ‘The righteous shall surround me.’ An examination of the remarks David made in this Psalm lead us quickly to the fact that his hope was in Christ, his Shepherd. The New Testament identifies Christ as the Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd. Because as the Good Shepherd, Christ gathers His sheep, saves His sheep, leads His sheep and secures His sheep, they arrive together at one fold. These are those whom Christ has redeemed. They are righteous because He has purchased their redemption with His Own blood. These He gathers together from every kingdom, nation, tongue, and tribe. They are the great multitude which no one can number that John describes in Revelation. They surround the throne. David had faith in Christ and hope in His deliverance both from the cave and from the evil persecutors who surrounded him. His was beyond that, an eternal hope that he would be among those who would be gathered ‘in the house of the Lord forever.’ There the righteous would surround him. David’s Shepherd is our Shepherd; his hope, our hope; his people, our people. No matter how dire our situation may be today, Christ will not fail us. He delivered David, has delivered others, and will deliver us as well. The righteous shall surround us.  

O Great Shepherd of the Sheep, 
we rejoice that You are gathering Your flock unto You. 
We praise You that there will be one fold,
and one Shepherd.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning