The Lord is my Banner

There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.  --Sun Tzu

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.  --Sun Tzu

Have you ever played "capture the flag"?  It is an outdoor game in which two or more teams divide up the play area, using clearly defined boundaries between each team's zone.  Each team hides their flag or banner. The goal is to find the other team's flag and bring it back to your own territory.  The game is more complicated the more teams there are, because the strategy mimics that of a general fighting a war on multiple fronts.

Twentieth century American writer David Eddings said, "Only an idiot tries to fight a war on two fronts, and only a madman tries to fight one on three."  As soon as you shore up your defense on the west, you will most assuredly face an attack from the east.  If you plan a huge offensive to the north, you leave your southern border exposed to the enemy.

This may be what David was thinking when he wrote Psalm 60.  David, as you know, was a warrior king.  This is why God did not allow him to construct the Temple (1 Chronicles 22:6-10).  He frequently had to defend Israel's borders from enemies such as Philistia, Edom, and Moab.  The preamble to Psalm 60 references a time "when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt."

We read of these battles in 2 Samuel.  The first is described in chapter 8, verses 3-8.  David was battling to restore his power at the river Euphrates.  He went up against an army of chariots and defeated them.  He hamstrung the horses, saving only enough for 100 chariots that he kept for himself.  The rest of the chariots were destroyed.  Suddenly, the Syrians of Damascus (north of Israel) came to help David's enemies.  David had to fight against the Syrian allies, but he defeated them as well.  He set up garrisons in Damascus and made the Syrians pay tribute to him.  The Bible says, "And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went."

The next battle is described in chapter 8, verses 13 and 14.  "And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.  Then he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants.  And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went."  If you know a bit about the geography of the region, you will realize that the Valley of Salt is to the south, near the Dead Sea.  Basically, while David was battling in the north, he received intelligence of an uprising in the south, and had to march his troops all the way to the Dead Sea to defeat his enemies there.

The first battle is described more fully in 2 Samuel 10:6-19.  David was winning the war against the Ammonites, who then hired the Syrian army to come help them fight off David's advances.  David sent Joab, his second in command, to meet the Syrian army.  Outflanked, "Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear" (verse 9), so he divided his army in two.  And he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you." (verse 11).  Joab's men were able to exhibit such a show of force that the Syrians fled.  When the Ammonites saw that the Syrian mercenaries had retreated, they also fled.

Even though "the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went," there were times when the king and his general found themselves in uncertain situations.  When David and his foot-soldiers were met with an army of chariots, the odds were against them.  Likewise when Joab was outflanked, with the Ammonites on one side and the Syrians on the other, he knew he was not in an advantageous position.

Maybe this is why Psalm 60 starts with a cry for help.

A cry for Mercy

O God, You have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; Oh, restore us.  You have made the land to quake; You have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters.  You have made Your people see hard things; You have given us wine to drink that has made us stagger.  You have set up a banner for those who fear You, that they may flee to it from the bow.  That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer us!  (Psalm 60:1-5)

Anyone who has been in the heat of battle knows how chaotic it can be.  In order to survive, you must adapt.  To overcome, you must be brave.  I can't imagine how much bravery it would take if it looked like God has forsaken you.  The enemy soldiers marching in lock-step, such that the earth shakes with every advancing step they take.  You survey the battlefield and see the landscape littered with barriers and craters.  You turn your head and see more weapons arrayed against you; everywhere you look there is danger.  Your head swims; you get so dizzy you think you are drunk; you are so off-balance that with every step you stumble.

Quickly, you turn to look for your banner, your battle-flag.  This gives you courage, because you know that as long as your banner flies, you are not defeated.  David looks for the Banner of the Lord, Jehovah-Nissi.  He knows that if God is for him, there is none that can defeat him.

A Command from God

God has spoken in His holiness: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth.  Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet; Judah is My scepter.  Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph."  (Psalm 60:6-8)

God reminds David that the battle is His.  You find yourself divided, fighting on two fronts?  God says he will divide the enemy for you, and set up boundaries in the land.  What will He use to accomplish this?  Israel itself.  Gilead is a region of Israel; elsewhere in scripture God promised to heal the people there (see Jeremiah 8:22).  Ephraim and Manasseh are tribes of Israel, descended from the sons of Joseph.  You remember the trials that Joseph went through before he was elevated to second in command in Egypt.  Things looked bleak for Joseph, but God did amazing things for him that he could only dream of.  Ephesians 3:20 says, "Our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think."

What does He think of Israel's enemies?  Not much.  He washes His feet with Moab.  He throws His shoe on Edom.  He shouts in triumph over Philistia.  God is gently reminding them, "Hey, I've got this."  If God has placed their enemies under His feet, then the banner they should be looking for is not their battle flag; it is the banner of God that will guide them.

 A Call from Humility

Who will bring me to the fortified city?  Who will lead me to Edom?  Have you not rejected us, O God?  You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.  Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!  With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.  (Psalm 60: 9-12)

David admits that from where he stands, things still look pretty bleak.  Through the eyes of man, it looks like God has abandoned them.  He admits that in their own strength, the battle would surely be lost.  However, because God has spoken, they will fight.  Because God has promised, they will prevail.  Because God leads them, He will strike down their enemies.

Perhaps David remembered that God brought His people out of the land of Egypt and commanded them to cross the Red Sea on dry ground.  Exodus 14:13-14 says, "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today.  For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.  The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent'."  The story in Exodus goes on to say that God told Moses to stop whining and to tell the people to go forward.  Their situation looked bleaker than the battlefield before David--they had an army behind them and a sea in front of them.  God told them to have faith, and move forward; He also said He would fight their battles.  Some translations say, "The Lord Himself will fight for you; you need only to be still."

How many times do our situations look bleak, so bleak we think we will certainly need to surrender.  When we are in a no-win situation, we must have faith.  God will fight for us.  Whether you are a seasoned soldier, or a rag-tag refugee facing a seemingly insurmountable sea of trouble, we must remember that the battle is the Lord's.

Oh, my God!

 

When believers enter “the dark night of the soul,” those times when God’s mysterious will, worked out through difficult providence, makes the Lord appear veiled and unapproachable, what should they do? As we look at Scripture, one conclusion is apparent. They should sing. For the biblical testimony is that God provides “songs in the night”—lyrics to bring to Him in times of great heart distress.  We would not, at first thought, naturally reason that a time of struggle, suffering, or pain is also a time for singing, especially when God seems absent and hidden. It can almost seem cruel to suggest that a hurting, disillusioned soul should sing. Crying, wondering, and groaning seem more fitting. But singing? Is not lifting our voice in song for happy times? Certainly, but singing is also for trying times. Indeed, perhaps especially.  --Barry York

David was a masterful singer/songwriter.  He found inspiration in every circumstance.  Good times or bad, David sang a new song to the Lord.  We are going to look at one of those songs today when we read Psalm 59.

The Psalm has an introduction, a superscript reminding us of the time "when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him."  We read more about that even in 1 Samuel 19, beginning in verse 8.

And there was war again.  And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him.  Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand.  And David was playing the lyre.  And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall.  And David fled and escaped that night.  Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning.  But Michal, David's wife, told him, "If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed."

We know that Michal was Saul's daughter.  Saul had promised her hand in marriage to any man that could defeat Goliath.  Now, we see that David had again fought against the Philistines, and was victorious.  When David came back to report to the king the good news from the battlefield, he perceived that Saul was troubled.  For whatever reason, God sent a spirit of jealousy and rage to torment Saul, such that as David played soothing music for him, Saul tried to pin him against the wall with a spear.

David escaped the king's house, and went to his own home.  Saul sent messengers to David's house to keep an eye on him, because Saul wanted him dead.  Apparently the messengers were not very stealthy, because they could be heard inside the house.  Psalm 59 says they sounded like rabid dogs, fighting over a piece of meat.  But I am getting ahead of myself.  David's wife Michal, the king's daughter, warns David to flee.  She lowers David down through a window (see 1 Samuel 19:12 and following).  When her husband was safely away, Michal put a statue, a graven image, in David's bed and covered it with a pillow of goat's hair.  This man-sized lump she covered with the bedclothes.

When Saul's men got word to move in and to capture David, they asked her where he was.  She lied, saying that David was sick in bed.  The men sent word back to Saul, who told them he didn't care.  "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him."  When Michal's deception was uncovered (and O what a scene that must have been!), Saul asked his daughter why she let David go, as he was an enemy of the state.  Michal made up a story about David threatening her, so that she feared for her life, and that's why she let him escape.  

This, then, is the backstory to Psalm 59.  You will see references made to the danger, and David's response.

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil and save me from bloodthirsty men.  For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me.  For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.  Awake, come to meet me, and see!  You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.  Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.

I.  Describing the Danger (verses 1-2)

Three times David asks God to intervene.  "Deliver me," he says.  Then again, "defend me."  And finally, "save me."  These men were camped outside his home, and it was no secret what their mission was.  King Saul had sent them on a mission, and they spoke of it loud enough that they could be heard inside the house.

Michal feared for her husband's life.  She devised the plan to let David escape.

II.  Describing the Desired Deliverance (verses 3-5)

David saw them lying in wait for him.  He knew he was innocent of any charge that Saul could bring against him, and he included a statement of his innocence in his song.  Given that he was being unjustly pursued, he again asks for God's deliverance.

He uses three different titles of The Almighty in his plea for deliverance.  One is Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel.  The second is Elohim Sabaoth, the Commander of Heaven's Armies.  The third is Elohi Israel, the God of His Chosen People.  These three names were invoked to remind God (or rather David, as God is all-knowing, and needs no reminder) that He had promised to deliver His people, and that as the Supreme Commander of the Armies of Angels, He should give the command to rescue him from these messengers, just as He had rendered punishment to the nations.

Let's read on:

 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.  There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips--for "Who," they think, "will hear us?"  But you, O Lord, laugh at them; You hold all the nations in derision.  O my Strength, I will watch for You, for You, O God, are my fortress.  My God in His steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. Kill them not, lest  my people forget; make them totter by Your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield!  For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride.  For the cursing and lies that they utter, consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth.

III.  Describing David's Enemies (verses 6-7)

David describes the messengers as one would describe a dog, circling in a pack, howling or whining outside the door, and prowling all over the city.  The ESV translates the word "bellowing" where other translations might say "belching."  Have you ever heard a dog panting so excitedly it sounds like a burping noise?  These men were champing at the bit to take his life.  Their words cut like swords, and they didn't care who heard.

IV.  Describing David's Deliverer (verses 8-10)

God doesn't see danger at all.  He laughs at them, those who think they can touch God's anointed.  Again, David lists the attributes of God: He is omnipotent, that is He is all powerful.  David had just defeated the Philistine army, but he knew it was not in his own strength that he had done it.  David knew that God was his defense, his fortress.

David also knew that God is merciful, loving with a chesed or a steadfast love.  Because these men were fellow Israelites, David did not necessarily want them killed.  He only asked that they be dispatched, maybe taught a lesson.

V.  Describing a Defeat of the Enemy for God's Glory (verses 11-13)

"Do not slay them," he said.  But later David did encourage God to consume them with His wrath.  Any way that God wanted to get rid of them, David wanted God to do it.  If that meant letting them live, David was good with that--he could make an example of them while they were still living.  But if God required their blood, well, that was His decision to make.

They were boastful men, full of pride.  David prayed that God would show them who's Boss.  We should remember that "vengeance is Mine, says the Lord."

Let's finish the Psalm:

Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.  They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill.  But  I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning.  For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.  O my Strength, I will sing praises to You, for You, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

VI.  Describing the Danger, Reprise (verses 14-15)

Again he describes them as dogs, prowling, growling and howling.  Either he did not hold these men in very high regard, or they were disgusting.  I couldn't imagine a smelly squad of squatters outside my home, eating with their bare hands and belching, wiping their mouths on their sleeves and then throwing their garbage on my lawn.

VII.  Describing a Song Despite the Danger (verses 16-17)

David's refrain is of the power, strength and steadfast love of God.  These are His glorious attributes, and they cannot be forgotten, even in the life threatening situation.  This is why he could have a song in his heart despite the circumstances.

Do you find yourself among unsavory people? Remember God's unfailing love.  Are you in a situation where evil men are accusing you?  Remember God is your defender.  Are you in a dire situation, where there seems to be no way out? Remember God is our strength, and sing. 

 

God who fulfills His purpose for me

Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  --1 Peter 5:8

 If you have read my posts recently, you know that we are studying Psalms with a backstory.  That is, we are looking specifically at those Psalms that have a pre-amble, or an opening context, referring to a specific time in David's life.  From these real-life experiences, we are seeing the practical applications of these psalms to our daily lives.

Psalm 57 is one example.  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the background to Psalm 54, where David was pursued by Saul so closely, that, according to 1 Samuel 23, Saul's army was on one side of the mountain and David's rag-tag group of fighting men were on the other.  In that case, God intervened by sending the Philistines to attack Jerusalem.  Saul had to break off his pursuit of David to go defend his capitol city.

We read in 1 Samuel 24 that after Saul's army had driven out the Philistines, they went right back to chasing after David.  He got wind that David was in a wilderness called Engedi, which is translated "the fount of the kid".  Saul took his men to a location called "the Wildgoats' Rocks."  That's when Saul, the king, felt the call of nature.  He went into a nearby cave for a bit of privacy, as it would be unseemly for the men to see their king squatting in the field.

The cave that he chose just happened to be the cave where David was hiding with some of his men.  On the one hand, this presented a scary situation.  David had about 600 men with him; Saul's army numbered about 3000.  To be outnumbered five to one, and to see Saul's army so very close--well, it was a frightening situation.  On the other hand, this was an opportunity.  Saul was unguarded, and David's men urged him to strike down the king right there.  That would have made the army disband, as they would have had no leader and no reason to continue the pursuit.

In this case, David mad a choice to spare Saul't life,  but he also wanted to make a statement.  He sneaked up to where Saul was--well, let's say in a vulnerable position.  He unsheathed his knife, and cut off a corner of Saul's garment.  Then, when Saul was done and went back outside the cave to join his army, David called out to him.  "See how close I was to you?" he said.  "I could have killed you right there.  But I didn't.  So why do you seek my life."

It was in this context that David wrote Psalm 57.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.  I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.  He will send from heaven and save me; He will put to shame him who tramples on me.  God will send out His steadfast love and His faithfulness!  My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts--the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!  They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down.  They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves.  My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!  I will sing and make melody.  Awake, my glory!  Awake, O harp and lyre.  I will awake the dawn!  I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.  For Your steadfast love is great to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth.

I.  Trust in the Lord among the Lions 

A.  Trust in God's mercy.

I can't read verse one without thinking of the parable Jesus told of the Pharisee praying on the street corner contrasted with the tax collector who went afar off, and beat his breast, and prayed, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner."  We can sincerely ask for God's mercy only when we are at the end of ourselves.  Here David had taken refuge in a cave, and who should show up but his sworn enemy.  David had no choice but to trust God in that situation.

Verse two speaks of taking refuge in the shadow of God's wings.  You will recall that just before Jesus was crucified, He stood outside the city of Jerusalem and wept.  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing." (Matthew 23:47)  God knows we can't do it on our own, and He offers to be our refuge time and again.  We only need to come to the end of ourselves and seek His protection.

B.  Lions lying in wait.

Verse four describes the situation in which David find himself.  "My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down with fiery beasts."  Some 500 years later, a man named Daniel would be taken up by his enemies and cast into a den of lions.  This Psalm is a foreshadowing of Daniel's dilemma, as David was among men with teeth as sharp as spears and arrows, and whose words were like swords.  However, Daniel may have known this Psalm, and his mind may have been drawn to it for encouragement, because Daniel literally slept among the lions.

Enduring Word Commentary (https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-57/) gives a sermon outline attributed to Spurgeon that I wish I knew the context of.  He said, "Spurgeon gave comfort and advice to believers who felt they were among lions:

· If you are among lions, you will have fellowship with Jesus and His church.
· If you are among lions, you will be driven nearer to your God.
· If you are among lions, remember that God has them on a leash.
· If you are among lions, remember there is another Lion, of the Tribe of Judah.

C.  David's Song of Praise

Even in the midst of this dire situation, David's heart was full of praise to God.  "Be exalted," he said. "Let Your glory be over all the earth."  When I was in high school, my English teacher had a poster hung up behind her desk.  You may have seen the photo in a meme (but this was before everyone had a cell phone).  It shows a kitten, claws out, hanging desperately to a rope.  The caption reads, "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

David may have felt like he was at the end of his rope, but his hope was in God.  God is my refuge, a very present help in time of trouble.

II.  From the Pit to Praise On High

A.  What becomes of the enemy's trap

Verse 6 says, "They set a net for my steps.... They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves."  You remember the story of Daniel?  The king awoke early and ran to the lion's den.  When he found Daniel alive, the king ordered his servants to let down a rope and pull Daniel out.  Then the king ordered that the men who betrayed Daniel should be thrown into the lions' den, where they were devoured.

From his circumstances as he came to the cave, we sense David said this with the anticipation of faith. It had not yet happened, but he knew that it would.  This is the essence of faith, that we should trust in the Lord even before His divine deliverance.

B.  David's heart of praise.

Verse 7 and following show David's faith is strong.  He summons stringed instruments to accompany his song of salvation.  He gives thanks to God for deliverance.  English theologian Thomas Horne said, "The resurrection of Jesus from the grave, foreshadowed in the deliverance of David from the hand of Saul, was a transaction which caused the heavens and all the powers therein, to extol the mercy and truth of God."

Think of a murder board.  You know, you've seen them in mystery movies and television shows, where a white board or bulletin board has a bunch of photos, maps, and memos, sometimes with different colored string connecting all of them.  When you think of Scripture as a unified work, your mind connects the different scenes with one another via a golden thread.  David's cry for mercy as he sought refuge in a cave connects with Daniel's prayer from a pit full of lions, both of which foreshadow Jesus' body being laid in a tomb only to have the stone rolled away so that everyone could witness the glory of God in His resurrection.  It is no wonder that David praised God.

C.  David's Song of Praise (reprise)

All great musicals have a reprise of one or more songs.  Like an opera, David reprises his own song of praise.  "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.  Let Your glory be over all the earth."  May we have this song of praise on our lips whenever we seek refuge in the Almighty.  Let us sing it over and over, like a regal refrain.

God be praised! 

In God We Trust.

The open mouths of sinners when they rage against us should open our mouths in prayer.  --Charles Spurgeon

One sure sign of getting old is when you start telling the same stories over and over again.  Most often, the stories we tell come from the same occasion or memory, they have the same outcome, and teach the same lesson.  It is not very often that we can recall one specific incident and draw a completely different lesson or conclusion.

David was a man with wild stories to tell his children and grandchildren.  One story that he must have retold countless times was of the time he fled the house of Saul and tried to seek asylum in Gath.  We read about it in 1 Samuel 21.  Actually it was the basis of Psalm 34, and I wrote about it on July 1 of this year in a blog post titled Desperado.  David may have written that Psalm as a lesson to the 400 desperate men of Israel who gathered with him at the cave of Adullam.

This incident was also the basis of Psalm 56, which we will study today.  The superscription refers to the same incident, but it focuses on a totally different feeling.  Let me remind you of the back-story.  David was running from Saul.  He stopped at the home of the priest of Nod, and asked for bread and a sword.  The priest gave him the only sword in the house, the sword that belonged to Goliath, whom David had killed.  David then crosses the border into the land of the Philistines, hoping that Saul would not pursue him there.  He tries to take refuge in Gath, but Achish the king hears about it and apparently (according to the superscription of Psalm 56) takes him under arrest.

Let's review.  Who do we know that was from Gath?  Oh, that's right, it was Goliath, the champion of the Philistine army whom David had defeated.  And what did David bring with him?  Oh, just the sword that belonged to Goliath.  Word had traveled to Philistia that after David slew Goliath, the people in Israel started singing, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten-thousands."  He was heir apparent to the throne in Jerusalem.  Now he just randomly shows up in Goliath's home town, armed with Goliath's sword.  Yet he tells Achish that he comes in peace.  Why would David think this was a good idea?

Under house arrest by the king of Gath, David feared for his life, at worst, and for lifetime imprisonment, at best.  This fear was the basis for the prayer he recorded in Psalm 56, and we know that his fear was real.

One other thing I would like to mention about the pre-amble to this Psalm.  You all know very well that I am not a Hebrew scholar, and I do not pretend to be.  However, this gives me cause for pause.  There is a compound word in the superscription to this Psalm.  That word is transliterated Jonathelemrechokim.  It is a combination of the Hebrew word for dove or pigeon (yona), the Hebrew word for silent (elem), and the Hebrew word for remote or far off (rahoq).  In Hebrew culture, the dove was a symbol of mourning, and the pigeon was used as a sacrifice.  Perhaps David felt like a small bird, mourning the fact that he might be killed as he sat silent in a far off land.  Of course, my interpretation could be way off, since smarter men than me have given a different meaning based on their own translations and experience.  For example, the translators of the New King James Version of the Bible say this Psalm was "Set to 'The Silent Dove In Distant Lands'." It would seem, then, that this Psalm was to be sung to the tune of a popular folk song in the region.  On the other hand, the translators of the English Standard Version say this Psalm was written "according to The Dove on Far-Off Terebinths," referencing the Oaks of Mamre, referencing Genesis 18:1 when Abraham left his home to travel toward the Promised Land, and God promised him a son. (The Hebrew word elonei meaning Oaks or Terebinth trees is very similar to the Hebrew word for silent.)

In any event, the theme of this Psalm is faith in the midst of fear.  Maybe you have had an overriding sense of fear that you could not overcome on your own.  You may not have been imprisoned or feared for your life, but the lesson is the same: faith overcomes fear because God is greater than the men who threaten you.

When I am afraid, do I respond with Fear or Faith?

A.  Plea for Mercy

Let's read the beginning of David's prayer.

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.  When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can flesh do to me?  --Psalm 56:1-4

David calls out to God in his distress.  The first words out of his mouth are for mercy and grace, for favor or pity.  One commentator put it this way: "Instead of building up gradually to his complaint, the psalmist pours out his heart immediately."  Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything b prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Prayer is powerful.  Charles Spurgeon wrote, "It is a sure sign of grace when a man can trust in his God; for the natural man, when he is afraid, falls back on some human trust, or thinks that he will be able to laugh at the occasion of fear."

When we are thrown into a fearful situation, prayer is a gift.  It confesses our own inability to overcome the situation while attributing that power to God alone.  It professes faith that God is able to both graciously deal with the problem and mercifully soothe our fears.  Our trust is in God alone.

The motto "In God We Trust" was brought to America by theologian and hymn-writer Isaac Watts, an English Congregationalist pastor who wrote it in his Psalter, which was revised and printed in America in 1785.  Before that, in 1748 Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Militia marched under a banner with a coronet and a plume of feathers with the motto "In God We Trust."  Franklin spent time in Europe in his younger years, and may have been familiar with Watts and his Psalter; or, as historian Thomas Kidd wrote, this official motto may have been traced to Psalm 56:11.  The motto officially became a political theme during the Civil War, and was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956.

The prayers of a nation become more fervent in times of war or pestilence.  Franklin's militia fought for American independence with their trust in God.  Union war officers professed their trust in God when it appeared the nation was being torn in two.  I remember on September 11, 2001 there was a great surge of people returning to places of worship for prayer after the first foreign attack on American soil since Pearl Harbors.  On whom did they trust?  Their prayers turned to God.  We need to pray for grace and mercy for our nation today, because most people have turned their back on Him, and mock Christians for our faith.

B. Plan for mockery

David goes on to tell God about his troubles, but he knows that God knows our troubles.

All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil.  They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life.  For their crimes will they escape?  In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!  You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in Your bottle.  Are they not in Your book?  Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.  This I know, that God is for me.  --Psalm 56:5-9

People will mock you; they will persecute you; they will spread malicious gossip and lies about you; they will tear down your reputation and even take your life.  What are we to do?  "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord."  We can pray for their redemption, but while they are hurting us we can weep and share our sorrows with God.  

18th and early 19th century theologian and amateur historian Adam Clarke wrote of this passage, "Here is an allusion to a very ancient custom, which we know long obtained among the Greeks and Romans, of putting the tears which were shed for the death of any person into small phials, called lacrymatories or urnae lacrymales and offering them on the tomb of the deceased. Some of these were of glass, some of pottery, and some of agate, sardonyx, etc. A small one in my own collection is of hard baked clay.”  Whether this was what David referenced or not, we know that God knows our hearts and hears our cries.

The Apostle Paul refers to the tenet that "God is for me" in Romans 8:31-34, where he adds another thought: "If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?  Who can bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn?"  He is our Rock, our Comforter, a very present help in times of trouble.

When I am confronted, remember God's word

A.  In God I trust

In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can man do to me?  --Psalm 56:10-11

In other psalms, David relied on his memory of God's deliverance in prior times of trouble. Here, he relies on God's written word to give comfort and counsel.  Don't you think Moses and the Isrealites were afraid when the Red Sea was before them and Pharaoh's army was behind?  Yet God intervened and saved them.  Weren't Joshua and the fledgling Israeli army afraid when they came up against the fortified city of Jericho? But God went before them and the fortified walls fell.

The Bible shows that God has a pretty good track record when His people cry out to Him.  It is good for us to remember this: my obstacle may look overwhelming, but God!  God is able to deliver.  He is worthy of our trust, and our praise.

B.  To God I give praise

I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.  For You have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.  --Psalm 56: 12-13

David referred to the sacrifice he would offer for the deliverance he knew God would bring. He was a long distance from God’s altar so the sacrifice could not yet be made; but in David’s heart it was already done, as was the anticipated rescue.  Alexander Maclaren wrote, "David referred to the sacrifice he would offer for the deliverance he knew God would bring. He was a long distance from God’s altar so the sacrifice could not yet be made; but in David’s heart it was already done, as was the anticipated rescue."

David said that God is the light of life.  Jesus said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)  Was David foreshadowing the coming of Jesus?  Jesus was definitely identifying Himself as God.  He is the light of the world.  We should walk in the light, as He is in the light.  We give praise to Him, as we place our trust in Him.  He gives grace and mercy, and is with us even when we are in a fearful situation.