BIG IDEA:
THE WICKED ARE THE ONLY LOSERS WHEN THEY TRY TO AMBUSH THE RIGHTEOUS
I. (:1-2) HIDE ME FROM SECRET ATTACKS
A. Hear my voice
Bring our complaints to God as prayers for deliverance
B. Preserve my life
“from the dread of the enemy”
Not just deliverance from their attacks, but from being paralyzed with fear in worrying about the prospect of being attacked
C. Hide me
1. “from the secret counsel of evildoers”
2. “from the tumult of those who do iniquity”
(Transition to the next point: the nature of those who are attacking me: evildoers; those who do iniquity)
II. (:3-6) (because) MY ENEMIES ARE ACTIVELY PLOTTING TO AMBUSH ME
A. The Powerful Weapon of the Tongue
“sharpened their tongue like a sword”
“aimed bitter speech as their arrow”
B. The Treacherous Cowardice of Concealment
“shoot from concealment at the blameless”
relying on sudden surprise attacks against the blameless
C. The False Security of Concealment — they deny accountability (to God and to the Law)
Alleviates their fear of God
Multiplies their evil purposes without restraint
False assumption: “Who can see them?”
D. The Terrible Injustice of Attacking the Blameless
“they devise injustices”
carefully conceived plots
III. (:7-8) GOD WILL TURN THE TABLES ON MY ENEMIES
A. God is a Straight Shooter
His arrows will hit home
B. The Wicked Shoot Themselves in the Foot
“their own tongue is against them”
Transition: “all who see them will shake the head”
IV. (:9-10) (so that) EVERYONE WINS WHEN THE WICKED ARE DEFEATED
A. All Men Win
1. Fear God
2. Declare the work of God
3. Consider what He has done
B. The Righteous Especially Win (= the upright in heart)
1. Glad in the Lord
2. Take refuge in Him
3. Glory in Him