You never go very far in the Psalms, or anywhere in the Bible for that matter, without being brought back to the central matter of Messiah. This psalm is again referenced in that connection more than once in the New Testament. Verses 22-24 are the most obviously messianic but the connections are there throughout. The psalm begins with a call to give thanks and to acknowledge God's love. The psalmist then gives his own story of how when hard pressed he cried to the LORD and was delivered, as was the Lord Jesus when they crucified him. Because the Lord is with him, he has no fear of man. In verses 8 and 9 he draws the obvious conclusion that it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. Indeed, it is better to do that than to trust in the highest men. Again, he backs up his statement from his own experience of deliverance (10-14). Any Christian ought to know this too. When he is in trouble he should see that there is no sense in simply looking to men, however powerful they might be. No, it is better to take refuge in the LORD. That is how we were saved in the first place and that is how we will safely arrive in heaven in due time. It is the only way forward. Hence the shouts of joy and victory in the tents of the righteous. It is the Lord who does it and we know the benefits. The very ones who like Christ are rejected by men are the very ones who are saved in Christ. We need to get this perspective in every area then - that of taking refuge in the LORD not looking merely to human strength. It ought to become instinctive with us to think like that.
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