It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to put confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to put confidence in princes.
Psalm 118:8-9
Believers are sorely tested when it comes to this type of trust in Yahweh. This type of faith can define who we are. In our lives, we can be confronted with situations in which it can become necessary to make the hard decision to abide by the dictates and overtures of men, or to maintain our trust in God.
To complicate things further, the lines are not always as clear-cut and transparent as we would like them to be, which is why ongoing trust in God is necessary.
Albert Barnes comments on this trust:
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man – This is stated apparently as the result of his own experience. He had found people weak and faithless; he had not so found God. Compare Psalm 40:4; Psalm 62:8-9.
Psalm 40:4 – Blessed is the man that makes Yahweh his trust, and respects not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Psalm 62:8-9 Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Lowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor.
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man – Literally, “Good is it to trust in Yahweh more than to confide in man.” This is the Hebrew form of comparison, and is equivalent to what is stated in our version, “It is better,” etc. It is better,
(1) because man is weak – but God is Almighty;
(2) because man is selfish – but God is benevolent;
(3) because man is often faithless and deceitful – God never;
(4) because there are emergencies, as death, in which man cannot aid us, however faithful, kind, and friendly he may be – but there are no circumstances in this life, and none in death, where God cannot assist us; and
(5) because the ability of man to help us pertains at best only to this present life – the power of God will be commensurate with eternity.
Trust in God is preferred over trust in men because of man’s weaknesses and inability to always foresee the right way to go. In fact, many times the opposite is true.
Additionally, our trust in men can be broken when they are unfaithful and do not keep to their own standards and commitments. In these cases, we have to find another source of trust that is larger than our circumstances to be able to rise above the fray.
To trust in God is to have a resource beyond what the rest of the world can see or know, which is why it is so valuable. With the wisdom that God provides, believers can share this confidence with those who have no hope, or those who can’t see beyond the present situation. The encouragement we receive from trusting God can extend out to those around us who may also have lost faith in men.
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