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.

Deliverance

 

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen!  2 Timothy 4:18 (NKJV)

When we recite the Lord's Prayer, we come upon this phrase:  "deliver us from evil."  It can mean deliver us from sin, as we all fall into temptation daily.  It can also mean deliver us from the evil one, meaning the devil or from men who are opposed to God. 

When we read Psalm 54, the preamble tells us the specific event in which David prayed for deliverance from men who were focused on his destruction.  We read about this event in 1 Samuel 23, beginning in verse 15:

David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life.  David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.  And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.  And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you.  You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you.  Saul my father also knows this."  And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord.  David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.  Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?  Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand." 

We see that the residents of Ziph were willing to give up David to Saul so that he could be killed.  It is interesting to note that the Ziphites were Israelites.  They were not foreigners like the Philistines or Edomites.  In fact they belonged to the very tribe that David belonged to, the tribe of Judah.  He was one of them, yet they were willing to betray him into Saul's hand.  This was a foreshadowing of Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees.

Knowing this, David prayed this prayer in Psalm 54

O God, save me by Your Name, and vindicate me by your might.  O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.  For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves.  Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.  He will return the evil to my enemies; in Your faithfulness put an end to them.  With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your Name, O Lord, for it is good.  For He has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

I. DAVID'S COMPLAINT

A.   My Enemies Are Malicious

After calling on God to hear him, David calls these men "strangers" and "ruthless men".  The Hebrew word "stranger" here can mean "estranged" or "strange men," even "the insolent."  Technically, they were David's kinsmen, as they were all from the tribe of Judah.  Yet to David they showed a rude and arrogant lack of respect.  They called for David's life to gain favor with the king.  They were looking out for themselves at David's expense.

David also calls them ruthless.  This same Hebrew word is also translated terrible, oppressor, mighty, strong, and violent.  It can mean awe-inspiring or terrifying.  This was no small thing.  David feared for his life.

At times, we also may be fearful.  We may be in physical danger like David was, or we may fear for our family, our friends, or our finances.  1 Peter 5:8-10 says, "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you."  In times of distress, may we call out to God like David did.

B.  My God Is Mighty To Save

On whom does David call?  He calls out for salvation and for vindication, not from the soldiers who were in his ranks, but from God.  David specifically calls on the name of the Lord--not that he called God by name, but he invokes the reputation, fame, and glory that His name implies.  Romans 10:13-14 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?"  God's reputation precedes Him.

Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary, "He appeals to God's strength, by which He was able to help him, and to His name, by which he was engaged to help him, and begs He would save him from his enemies and judge him, that is, plead his cause and judge for him. David has no other plea to depend upon than God's name, no other power to depend upon than God's strength, and those he makes his refuge and confidence. This would be the effectual answer of his prayers (v. 2), which even in his flight, when he had not opportunity for solemn address to God, he was ever and anon lifting up to heaven: Hear my prayer, which comes from my heart, and give ear to the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 18:10 says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."  Jeremiah 15:21 says, "And I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless."  Isaiah 49:25 says, "Thus says the Lord: even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant shall be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children."

II. DAVID'S COMFORT

A.  The Proclamation

"Behold, God is my helper," David says in verse 4.  He goes on: "The Lord is the upholder of my life.  He will return the evil to my enemies."  Then in verse 7, is this confident conclusion.  "For He has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies."  There are three separate statements of faith.

1.  God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.  Someone asked Fred Rogers about his response to a particular tragedy.  "When I was a boy," he said, "and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers.'  You will always find people who are helping."  While it is always good to see people helping other people after a tragedy, David was not calling on other people.  His help was in God and God alone.

Unbelievers often accuse Christians of using God as a crutch.  I don't think this is what David meant by helper.  God is not there to assist me to do something I could do when I was younger, or that I could do on my own if only I had more strength.  No, God's ability is not limited like that.  The term "upholder of my life" is not a crutch; it's not even a stretcher, although that is more in line with the original meaning--one on whom I can lean, can find rest, can lie down on while He carries me.  This is why God could say in Exodus 14:14, "The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still." God is sovereign; He will work out His will and His way, and deliver us in the process.

Now God may use people to work out His will and His way.  In our reference passage in 1 Samuel 23, we see that when Saul did pursue David, he was very close to finding him and bringing him to trial.  Verse 26 says, "Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men to the other side of the mountain."  Suddenly, in verse 27 a messenger came to Saul, and said, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land."  Saul had to call off his search for David because it was more important to fend off a foreign attack from the Philistines.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

2.   He will return the evil to my enemies.  God is able to turn the tables, to bring the same measure of trouble to evil men that they themselves were trying to bring to the godly.  Matthew 7:1-2 says, "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."

In the book of Esther, the evil Haman built a gallows on which to hang Esther's uncle Mordecai; in the end, it was Haman himself who was executed on that same structure, while Mordecai lived. In Judges 11, Jephthah was looked down upon by his half-brothers because he was the son of a prostitute.  They all rose to positions of power in the army, but looked down on Jephthah because of his lineage.  In the end, however, when the people were in dire straits, they came to Jephthah and asked him to lead them against their enemies.

And this brings us to our third point.

3.  He has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.  God is faithful.  He is unchanging.  David knew from experience what God could do.  Why would he doubt God now?  Psalm 37:25 says, "I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or His children begging for bread."

Our own experience can testify to the goodness of God.  We have seen His mighty works, not only in scripture, but in our own life experiences.  Does that mean He will always keep us from danger? No, but it does mean He will deliver us, just as He has done so many times before.

B.  The Prayer

"In Your faithfulness," David prays, "put an end to them.  With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your Name, O Lord, for it is good."  Because of God's nature, David can rest assured that He will work all things out for His glory.  If we remain faithful to Him, then it may also work out for our good.  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."  If we are called according to His purpose, then when God works His purpose in us we will be better off.  We may not be where we wanted to be, especially if our desire was to benefit ourselves.  God may not have purposed us to be wealthy or famous, or to have anything resembling success in the eyes of the world; but if He works out His purpose in us and we are called to that very purpose, then we are to be envied.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."  This is the reason that David could bring a freewill offering, a sacrifice that was not required to fulfill a vow, or to pay for a sin that had been committed.  In the book of Exodus, when God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle, the people brought freewill offerings.  That is, God did not command for them to give anything toward the building of the Tabernacle.  There was not some giant building fund or giving campaign like you see in so many churches.  As God moved in their hearts, so they gave, and the result was a mobile Temple that was more ornate and beautiful than any of the tents in which they dwelt.

Notice the verb tense in the promise that David makes.  I will give You praise.  He knew that whatever the outcome, he would end up praising God, both in this life and the next.  Like Job, he knew that God's name would be praised whether he lived or died; but somehow I think this was a statement of faith.  When God delivered Him from the hands of his enemies, David would give God praise, no matter how long it took.

When I was growing up in a Baptist church, we would sing this hymn by W. A. Ogden

1 ’TIS the grandest theme through the ages rung;
’Tis the grandest theme for a mortal tongue,
’Tis the grandest theme that the world e’er sung,
“Our God is able to deliver thee.”

-refrain-  He is able to deliver thee,
He is able to deliver thee:
Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest;
Our God is able to deliver thee.

2 ’Tis the grandest theme in the earth or main!
’Tis the grandest theme for a mortal strain,
’Tis the grandest theme, tell the world again,
“Our God is able to deliver thee.”

3 ’Tis the grandest theme, let the tidings roll
To the guilty heart, to the sinful soul,
Look to God in faith, He will make thee whole,
“Our God is able to deliver thee.”

How to avoid scorn and derision from the Righteous One

 

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  --Psalm 2:4

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Princess Bride.  Although it is not a religious film in any way, shape, or form, there is divine imagery throughout.  Westley, the hero, is pure of heart, with an undying love for Buttercup.  His love is sacrificial, and he veritably comes back from death's door to rescue her and save her from a fate worse than death.

I hope you won't think less of me when I tell you that one of the many reasons I love this film is its use of insults.  When Buttercup is announced as the bride-to-be of Prince Humperdinck, all the people bow down except one wretched woman who dares to speak the truth.  "Boo!  Boo!!" she hisses.  "Bow to the queen of slime, the queen of filth, the queen of putrescence!  That's what she is.  The queen of refuse."  The point is well taken, for to have been taken in by this sham marriage would not only have meant that Buttercup had turned her back on True Love, but as we find out later in the film, would have led to her demise in a political plot thought up by Humperdinck to have her killed and then to use her death to foment a war against their enemies.

When Humperdinck does confront the (mostly) resurrected Westley, he accuses the farm boy of being too weak to fight.  Westley counters, "It's possible, pig.  It's conceivable, you miserable vomitous mass."  He goes on to explain what would happen to Humperdinck if he did not surrender. "I'll explain," he says," and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog-faced buffoon."  You remember the scene.  Westley does not want to fight to the death, but rather what he calls "to the pain."  He promises to defeat Humperdinck, then cut off his feet below the ankles, then his hands below the wrists, followed by his nose.  Then he promises to gouge out his eyes one by one.  Humperdinck interjects, as if to show he has no fear, "And then my ears.  I understand, let's get on with it."  Westley retorts, "Wrong! Your ears you keep and I’ll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, “Dear God! What is that thing,” will echo in your perfect ears. That is what ‘to the pain’ means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever."

I could not help but recall this scene when I read Psalm 52.  Read it with me now.

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.  Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right.  You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.  But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you and tear you from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living.  The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, "See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!"  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.  I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.  I will thank You forever, because You have done it.  I will wait for Your Name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.

We have been studying those particular Psalms with a back-story, ones that point to a particular time in the life of David that he wanted memorialized in song.  The superscription to this Psalm says "To the choirmaster.  A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, 'David has come to the house of Abimilech'."  If you have been following my blog recently, you will recall this reference, for it is from 1 Samuel 22.  Psalm 34 makes reference to it, but here in Psalm 52 it serves as a direct indictment of a man named Doeg, who was aligned with Saul.

David had been fleeing from Saul, and Saul was always one step behind.  In frustration, Saul whines that everyone in his royal court is in on the conspiracy.  "No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse.  None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day." (1 Samuel 22:8).  There was a man in Saul's court named Doeg. We have seen in 1 Samuel 21:7 that he had witnessed David at the house of Abimilech the priest in the city of Nod.  It is not clear how much time had elapsed between chapters 21 and 22; it could be that Doeg held onto this information until it would benefit him.  In other words, he may not have gone straight to the king and said, "I have seen David at this place."  Instead, he only divulged this information when it appeared that Saul may have been willing to pay for it.  At the very least this information would have gained Doeg a prominent place in Saul's court.

Unfortunately, this pledge of loyalty caused Doeg to commit even more egregious sins.  1 Samuel 22:11-17 says that Saul summoned Abimilech and demanded to know why he had committed treason, by giving aid and comfort to his enemy.  Abimilech the priest protested his innocence--why wouldn't he help David, who was the king's son-in-law?  How could he have known that Saul now counted David as his enemy?  Saul ordered his soldiers to kill not only Abimilech, but all of the priests.  When the soldiers refused to touch the men of God, Saul ordered Doeg to kill them all.  Doeg then killed 85 priests, along with their women and children. (1 Samuel 22:18-19.)

It was this tragedy that David wrote about in Psalm 52:1-4.

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?....Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.  You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right.  You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

Matthew Poole wrote in his book A Commentary on the Holy Bible, vol 2 Ezra to Psalms (1968), “O mighty man! he speaks ironically. O valiant captain! O glorious action! to kill a few weak and unarmed persons in the king’s presence, and under the protection of his guards! Surely thy name will be famous to all ages for such heroical courage.”  The English translation probably masks the vile names that David was calling this coward Doeg the Edomite.

Before you recoil at calling people vile names, thinking that it is not very Christ-like, remember the words of Jesus Himself when He called out the Pharisees, calling them a "brood of vipers" (see Matthew 12:34 and 23:33).  These men were supposed to be keepers of the Temple, where the people went to meet God Himself, yet they had put up costly barriers for the people and then shared in the profits.  In the same way, Doeg provided military intelligence to Saul in his war against David, then took the priests captive and slew them as an act of war, in hopes of gaining wealth from Saul, the king.

David then pronounces judgment on Doeg.

But God will break you down forever; He will snatch and tear you from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living.  The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, "See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction." --Psalm 52:5-6

Surely God would punish Doeg for his deeds.  And when his life had been required of him, the righteous would read of him and laugh at his legacy.  The Hebrew word for laugh used here means to laugh mockingly, to jeer and deride.  Here I think we can insert the insults from the movie: "See the pig, the miserable vomitous mass, the one who would not take refuge in the Almighty!  He trusts in his riches, this prince of putrid, this son of slime, the mercenary of muck!"

Doeg showed loyalty to Saul in a way that would make him famous, just not in the way that he had wanted.  He would forever be seen as one who strapped on a sword against those who strapped on the Ephod, killing innocent people for personal profit.  David points out that God would not allow it, but would break him down forever, tear him from his tent, and uproot him from the land of the living.  Moreover, when he stood before God in judgment, he would be cast into hell.

Finally David contrasts his own righteousness under the grace of God.

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.  I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.  I will thank You forever, because You have done it.  I will wait for Your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.  --Psalm 52:8-9

David was not innocent in this scenario, and not without guilt.  First of all, he had lied to Abimilech the priest, hiding from him the fact that he was fleeing from Saul.  David make another admission of guilt in 1 Samuel 22:22, when one of the sons of Abimilech escaped and told David that Saul had killed the priests.  "David said to Abiathar (the son of Abimilech), 'I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul.  I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house'."

Yet David trusted in God, not gold, for his protection.  Twice in this Psalm he uses the Hebrew word hesed, once in verse 1 (the steadfast love of God) and again in verse 8.  This is one of my favorite words in the Bible, because it is so rich.  It can mean goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.  It can also mean a reproach, and shame.  To David the steadfast love of God meant mercy, forgiveness and favor.  To Doeg, the steadfast love of God meant reproach for a wicked thing. 

Circling back to Christ-likeness.  Many people take the verse out of context that says "Judge not, lest you be judged." (Matthew 7:1)  They forget the very next verse, which says, "For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."  In context, this is a warning against hypocrisy.  Let's look at John 7:24, where Jesus said, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."  Further, in John 8:26, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him."  If we are to truly be like Jesus, we will declare to the world what we have heard from Him, and judge people according to His righteousness.  But we must also bear in mind his grace and mercy, His hesed, so that by His grace we can draw others to Him.  For those who reject His message, Jesus gave a parable in Matthew 25 about separating the sheep and the goats.  His sheep, who had gone about on earth doing good and trusting God's faithfulness will be given a reward and will live with Him in heaven.  The goats, who had gone about on earth denying goodness and not trusting in God, will be separated from Him forever.  By their fruits we shall know them (Matthew 7:20).

Those trees that bear good fruit will be pruned so they can be more productive.  Those trees that do not bear good fruit are taken down and burned.  David likens himself to a green olive tree, vibrant and full of life, bearing good fruit for all to see.  Doeg was uprooted and was like a tree destined for the burn pile.

He disciplines those whom He loves

O Lord our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.  --Psalm 99:8

Have you ever had somebody love you so much that they would sincerely tell you if you were wrong?  Having our shortcomings pointed out is never pleasant.  Our pride might get bruised, our self esteem may be damaged, but if we are truly in the wrong, wouldn't we want somebody to let us know?

2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 reveal a major sin that David the king of Israel committed.  God loved him enough to send a prophet, Nathan, to set him straight.  Here is a synopsis:  In the spring, when kings go out to battle, David stayed home.  He sent his generals to fight his battle for him, but he was fighting an internal battle that no one knew about--the battle of lust.  He liked to take walks on his roof or balcony, and he spied his neighbor's wife while she was bathing.  He asked around, and found out her name was Bathsheba, and that she was the wife of one of his generals named Uriah.  

David knew that Uriah was out fighting, because David himself had ordered his generals to go wage war without him.  Having both motive and means for mischief, David sent for Bathsheba.  When she visited the king's house, David seduced her.  Later, Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant, and the baby had to be his, because her husband was out fighting battles against Israel's enemies.  David sent word to the front lines to send Uriah home.  However, Uriah was an honorable man, and would not go home to his own bed and his own wife, because the other soldiers and officers were at war and could not afford that luxury.  David saw that Uriah did not sleep with his wife, so David sent word to the other generals to have Uriah killed.  He asked that Uriah be put on the front lines of the battle, and then had the army retreat, leaving Uriah vulnerable.

The plan worked.  With Uriah dead, David made Bathsheba one of his wives.  No one questioned whether the child that she bore months later might not be David's (at least not out loud).  God knew the truth.  In His own time, after David might think he had gotten away with it, God sent the prophet Nathan to the king.

Nathan told David a parable.  "Once upon a time," he said, "There were two men, one rich and the other poor.  The rich man had many flocks and herds.  The poor man only had one little ewe lamb, that he loved dearly.  A traveler came to visit the rich man.  Rather than take from his own flock, the rich man stole the little ewe lamb from his poor neighbor, and slaughtered the animal so that they might prepare a feast for the visitor.  What do you think should happen to this rich man?"

David was indignant.  With an oath, he declared that the rich man should die for this crime against the poor man.  At the very least, he should observe Jewish law and restore fourfold what he had stolen from the poor man.  Nathan looked squarely in David's eyes, pointed an accusing finger, and said, "You are the man!"  He described how David had been given the kingdom, and multiple wives and concubines, but he was not satisfied.  David took the wife of Uriah, an honorable man, and dishonored her.  David lusted after that woman whom Uriah had truly loved.  Therefore God would judge David severely.

This is the background to the writing of Psalm 51.  This is a psalm of penitence, of repentance and remorse.  It is so powerful that many prominent people have spoken it as their last words.  Historians note that this psalm was recited in full by Sir Thomas More and Lady Jane Grey when they were about to be hanged during the violent reign of Henry VIII and Queen Mary.  Missionary William Carey, who pioneered a ministry to India, requested that this psalm be the text of his funeral sermon.

Let's look at this psalm together, and try to unpack its pearls.

A Prayer of Repentance

A Plea for Mercy

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  --Psalm 51:1-2

In the opening lines of this psalm, David owns up to his shortcomings.  Three times he references my transgressions, my iniquity, my sin.  There is no blaming others.  There is no playing the victim.  He alone was responsible for his actions.

I think there is a greater spiritual truth here, one that David will revisit a number of times in later verses.  That universal truth is that we are wretched sinners, unworthy of the attention of a holy God.  Assumptions are made about God here, as well.  Yes He is holy, without question.  But He is also merciful, able to overlook our sins because He desires fellowship with us.

Acts 3:19-20 says, "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you--Jesus."  In the Old Testament, God instituted a system of animal sacrifices for the sins of the people.  Under the New Covenant, Jesus became a sacrifice for us, the Anointed One sent by God.  He took on our sin so that we could take on His righteousness. Colossians 2:14 says He forgave our sins "by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This He set aside, nailing it to the cross."

A Prayer of Confession

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against You and You only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment.  --Psalm 51:3-4

David had turned a blind eye toward his sin before being confronted by Nathan the prophet.  Once his eyes were opened, however, he saw there were many reminders of his sinful act.  There was Bathsheba's pregnant belly when he took her into his house.  There was the child, who died as God's judgment for the sinful acts.  There was Nathan's convicting sermon culminating in the accusing phrase, "You are the man!"  David doubtless played that scene over and over in his mind. 

When David said, "Against you only have I sinned," he did not mean to discount the sins committed against Uriah (murder, adultery), against Bathsheba (seduction, adultery, being responsible for the loss of her son), against the nation of Israel (betrayal, failure to lead righteously), and the army (not leading them into battle, making them complicit in Uriah's death).

1 Corinthians 8:12 says, "Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."  Our sin has a ripple effect that sometimes we don't even see.  Ultimately, however, the sin against God is the most damning.

Plunging the depth of David's need

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.  Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart.  --Psalm 51:5-6

There were no scandals surrounding David's birth.  Most commentators believe that David was making reference to Original Sin.  Romans 5:12 says, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned."  We are all under Adam's curse.  Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden and more importantly out of the presence of God because of his sin.  We are all sinners in need of a Savior.

But God is faithful.  I don't want to leave this passage without going back to a phrase used in verse 1.  David pleaded for God's mercy because of His "steadfast love".  The Hebrew word here is ḥeseḏ which is variously translated merciful goodness, loving kindness, Godly faithfulness or favor.  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our since and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Without the faithful mercy of God, we would be surely lost.

Prayer for Restoration

Restoration through the blood of sacrifice

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that You have broken rejoice.  Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.  --Psalm 51:7-9

The word purge implies more than just an outward whitewashing of sin.  It literally means to "de-sin me."  This is usually commemorated with a religious rite.  Hebrews 9:19 says, "For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people."  Blood was sprinkled on the people as a sign of their obedience.  Under the New Covenant, baptism is a way that this sign of obedience is commemorated.

Why would David say that he rejoiced in his brokenness?  Charles Spurgeon said, "A broken heart can never long be divided from the broken Savior."  We are brought low so we can look up to Him.  We are broken and spilled out for our good and His glory.

Restoration of the Heart

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  --Psalm 51:10-11

Augustine wrote, "Our hearts are restless til they find their rest in You."  We all need to be cleansed from the inside out, no matter our nationality or language or culture.  Acts 15:9 says, "He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith."  Ephesians 4:23-24 says, "Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."  Surely we cannot do that with our old hearts.  We were born sinful; we must be born again.

We long to be in the presence of Christ.  It is a tragedy to be shunned from His presence.  Romans 8:9b says, "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ."  There is diversity of thought in God's kingdom, and diversity of peoples, but not diversity in the Spirit.  There is only one true faith.

Restoration of the Joy of Salvation

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to you.  --Psalm 51:12-13 

Thank God for second chances through repentance.  Think how Peter must have felt when he denied Jesus three times.  But Jesus singled him out in Luke 22:32.  "But I have prayed for you, Simon," Jesus said, "that your faith may not fail, and when you have returned, strengthen your brothers."

Before God's mercy is bestowed on us, sin separates us from God.  After we are met with His mercy, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.  Our salvation is secure, but sin can separate us from the joy of our salvation.  God can restore our joy if we confess our sins and repent.

Restoration of Praise

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.  --Psalm 51:14-17

Our unrighteousness separates us from God.  Jesus came to be our sacrifice, to shed His own blood for our bloodguiltiness, so that His righteousness could be counted on our behalf.  1 John 1:9 again: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

David recognized this when he was confronted with his own sin.  He responded with remorse and repentance in hopes of restoration into God's embrace.  We should have someone in our lives who loves us enough to confront our own sins, so that we can repent and be restored in our hearts to joy and praise.

Desperado

 

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  --1 Corinthians 1:18

 Many stories in the Old Testament read like a Hollywood action movie script.  One such story is found in 1 Samuel chapters 21 and 22.  Let me set the scene for you.

Young David works in the court of King Saul, but Saul is very jealous of him.  Saul vows to kill David.  Saul's son, Jonathan, warns David of his father's intentions.  David escapes with only the clothes on his back.  He runs to an outpost in a village called Nob and meets the priest there.  The priest comes to meet David, but is afraid because David is travelling alone--no one in the king's court would travel without an army or an entourage of some kind.

David lies to the priest, saying that the king has sent him on a secret mission, but he has no supplies--no food, no weapons.  He asks the priest for bread, and the priest gives him the bread off the altar.  David also asks for a weapon of some kind, for he has no spear or sword of his own with which to defend himself.  The priest probably suspects that something is up.  He says the only weapon he has is the sword from Goliath, whom David had killed in battle (and the most likely reason that Saul is jealous of him).  One of those going in and out of the place of worship there is a man named Doeg, who is an ally of Saul.

David flees to the country of Gath, where Goliath was from.  He seeks asylum from the king of Gath, but someone in the king's court recognizes David.  "Isn't this David who works for the king of Israel?" he asks. "In Israel they sing, 'Saul has killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands'."  They fear that David has come with an advance army to make war against Gath and defeat them, making the nation a vassal state of Israel.

David sees that they aren't going to help him, and that fleeing there was probably a mistake.  He can't sneak away, so he starts drooling, and making marks on the doors of the king's gate, and acting all crazy.  The king of Gath sees his behavior, does not believe he is a military threat, but doesn't want to welcome him into the court or grant him asylum, either.  "Don't I have enough madmen around me?" he asks.  "Why have you brought this madman into my presence? Get him out of here."

So David escapes from there and makes camp in a cave near a region called Adullam.  When word gets out, David's brothers and all his father's house come to meet him there (remember they were the ones who had made fun of David when he arrived at the battlefield where Goliath had threatened Saul's army).  Not only did David's family show up there at the cave, but so did 400 other desperate men and women.  "Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him."  Like Robin Hood, David attracted those who had been disenfranchised by the king.

Meanwhile Saul get's word that David has escaped.  He gathers his people around and demands intelligence from them. Doeg says that he saw David with the priest at Nob.  Saul sends people to kill the priest, and David sends his mother and father to Moab to be safe.

Thrilling couple of scenes, right?  Would work right into an action film; with the right director and cast, it would make people sit on the edge of their seat.  So how does this fit in with our current study of the Psalms?  I'll tell you.  Psalm 34 has a preamble that cites this passage, indicating that David wrote it with these events in mind.  In fact, Psalm 34 may have been a song composed right there in the cave off Adullam, and sung to the 400 desperate followers to teach them of the Providence of God.  The psalm was written as an alphabet acrostic, meaning that each verse starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and was presented in alphabetical order.  This was likely done so that they could remember the lessons more easily.

Desperate People Need a Savior

Let's look at the first lesson David gave to the people.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.  The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them.  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack.  The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  --Psalm 34:1-10

Winston Churchill once said, "History is written by the victors."  Indeed, many of history's great leaders wrote glowing accounts of all their victories and all their accomplishments.  But Solomon wrote, "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127).  We all know the poem Ozymandias where Shelley wrote, "...And on that pedestal, these words appear:/ 'My name is Ozymandias, King of kings;/ look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'/  Nothing beside remains.  Round the decay/ of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare/ the lone and level sands stretch far away."

David did not magnify himself.  He did not share the story of how he fled from Saul, and escaped the king of Gath by relying on his wits and quick assessment of the situation.  Instead he magnifies the Lord, giving Him glory.  The people fled to David because they thought that he could save them from their situation.  David reminds them that God is their refuge.  David compares himself to a young lion, who was left hungry and in want.  In his desperation, he cried out to God, and God delivered them.  The people who were so desperate that they fled King Saul and his house to meet David in a cave in the wilderness also need to cry out to God, for He alone can save them.

Desperate People Need to Repent

Let's look at David's next lesson to the desperados in that cave.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?  Keep your tongues from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.  Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.  The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  --Psalm 34:11-18

Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  David imparts wisdom borne of experience when he shares these words to the people.  We all desire a long, fulfilling life; we all want good for ourselves and our family; we all want peace and prosperity.  To do that, we must repent; we must turn from evil and do good.  Evil men will be cut off, but the Lord gives grace to the humble.

Jesus told a parable about a pretty desperate fellow in Luke 15:17-24.  You remember the story of the Prodigal Son.  This guy found himself in dire straights, and he repented.  He went from feeding pigs, and being so hungry that he was starting to eye the scraps and husks in the pig's trough, to deciding to go to his father and humbly ask for a position as a household servant.  You remember the father's reaction?  When he saw the son afar off, he ran to greet him.  The father restored him as a son and an heir, and clothed him with a new robe and put new sandals on his feet.  The father threw a banquet in honor of the son who was so desperate that he came home humbled.  This is the idea of "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

Desperate People Need to Remain Faithful

David was not promising a panacea.  Good people see their fair share of evil.  Let's look:

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.  Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.  The Lord redeems the life of His servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.  --Psalm 34:19-22

Taken to its logical conclusion, we might miss the point of David's lesson.  If bad people get bad things and good people get good things, then all we have to do is be good and we will get good things always, right?  We all know better than that.  Good people will see sickness and sorrow and sadness.  That's life.  The good news is that we have a Savior who will ultimately come through for us.

Jesus is our Savior.  He remained faithful unto death.  We must look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, "who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:2).  Jesus is our model and our guide, not David, not any man.

I want to quickly point out one thing about this passage, when it mentions not one of his bones will be broken.  This is a Messianic verse, prophesying how Jesus is our Passover Lamb.  You may recall that in Exodus, when God gave Moses instructions on preparing the Passover, the people were to prepare unleavened bread and roast the lamb whole.  They were specifically instructed not to break any of the lamb's bones.  When Jesus was crucified, the Roman guard was instructed to break the legs of the men on the crosses that day, to speed along their deaths.  When the guard came to Jesus, he saw that Jesus was already dead--Jesus did not need to have His legs broken, because He was not clinging desperately to life.  He gave up His life willingly so that we might be saved.

Desperate men need Jesus.  I hope you will forgive the image of the movie poster above--no, Antonio Banderas is not a messianic figure.  It just reminded me that David was a desperado; he was a warrior, and had weapons to use, but he also had a musical instrument.  David's instrument was a harp, not a guitar, but you get the point.  David composed and sang songs of desperation.  And this reminded me of the Eagles hit song written by Done Henley and Glen Frey.

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You've been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you
(Let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it's too late

David the desperado sought shelter from those who would hurt him; instead of kingly riches he sought the heart of God.  The desperate men and women who joined him in that cave were motivated by their pain and hunger.  David's song to them was that God could turn their rain into a rainbow if they would let Him love them.