Two But Gods
Psalm 64
But God.
Two words changed everything, and they show up in two eternally different places.
“But God” shows up quite a bit in the psalms, especially the laments. For example, David often pours out his heart to the Lord, describing his suffering in detail, only to remind himself of the steadfast love and power of the Lord and then confess his belief that God will deliver him. Things are bad, but God.
Psalm 64 is a clear example of this kind of “But God” prayer. David cries out to the Lord to preserve him from the dread of his enemies (1). His prayer contains more than general cries for help; he describes the problem in detail with phrases like the secret plots of the wicked (2), tongues like swords (3), evil purposes (5), and secret snares (5). David needs the Lord to preserve (1) and hide (2) him.
A simple statement about God silences the detailed wickedness of his enemies. The song does not list God’s steadfast love, mercy, tender forgiveness, creative power, or even His eternal nature. Really, David says nothing about God other than this: “But God shoots His arrow at them” (7). A simple statement of God’s sovereign power over His enemies.
But God.
The result of God shooting His arrows at the wicked and throng of evildoers is that He wounds them suddenly (7), brings them to ruin (8), and leaves them mocked by all who see (8). The “all who see” will then tell what God has brought about and ponder what He has done (9).
But God.
The simplicity of knowing that God will defeat His enemies, even as they plot and rage, leads to trust and worship. The summation of a man crying out to God for help from a throng of evildoers is nothing more than, “Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him” (10). Rejoice in worship; trust in refuge.
How did we get from complaining (1) to exulting (10)?
The “But God” changed it all.
Scripture’s other significant “But God” famously appears in Ephesians chapter 2. In this great gospel chapter, God transforms the horrible state of our lostness into the glorious state of being found. We were dead in our sin (1), following the course of this world (2), gratifying our sin natures (3), and objects of God’s righteous wrath (3). That’s the bad news. The good news is that God is rich in love and mercy (4) and has made us alive by grace through faith in Christ. He makes us alive with Christ (5), raises us up with Christ (5), and seats us with Christ (6). The great gift of God.
And it all hinged on “But God.”
The “But God” in the psalms deals with trusting God to defeat His enemies in His time and by His means. The “But God” in Ephesians deals with the horrible reality that we are the very enemies of God. We have joined the rebellion of the spiritual forces of evil (see Ephesians 2.2); we deserve His wrath.
But God.
But God did something for us that we could not do for ourselves or by ourselves. To use the words of Psalm 64, God shot His arrow at sin, and the Son stepped in front of the target at the right time. And through this sudden wound, God brought the spiritual forces of darkness to ruin. And the church exists to tell the world what God has brought about.
But God. Twice.
We all have to deal with both forms of “But God.” We must find peace with a holy God through the “But God” of His great love and mercy in Christ. We must also find peace with our trials and sufferings through the “But God” of His sovereign rule.
In addition, we must connect both “but Gods” into one faith. When enemies arise, we pray for God to defeat our enemies all the while knowing that we were enemies of God at one time. Thanksgiving affects not only supplication (praying for our own needs) but also intercession (praying for others). Can we pray for God to liberate our enemies from bondage to the kingdom of darkness just as we found freedom in Christ? When we get the two “But God” statements out of balance, we find it difficult to exercise our faith in either one.
Which “But God” do you think about the most?
Which “But God” do you need to ponder more?