Year One, August 24

The LORD Has Become My Stronghold1

This Psalm is called A Golden Psalm of David.

WHEN SAUL SENT MEN TO WATCH HIS HOUSE IN ORDER TO KILL HIM.

  

Psalm 59

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

protect me from those who rise up against me;

They had the house surrounded, they were armed with orders from the king and they had enough soldiers to capture him. Yet David had enough faith to pray and to not be discouraged and give up. God has ways for his birds of paradise to escape, even when the most expert hunters are trying to catch them.

2 deliver me from those who work evil,

and save me from bloodthirsty men.

When a house is surrounded by thieves, the good man of the house sounds the alarm. We hear it sounded loudly in these verses: “Deliver me,” “protect me,” “deliver me,” “save me.” David could not be defeated by Saul while he prayed this way.

3 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,

4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

Awake, come to meet me, and see!

5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel.

Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;

spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.     Selah

Be merciful to them as humans, but not as lawbreakers. Mercy to such criminals would be cruelty to those who do not break the law.

6 Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city

7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths

with swords in their lips--

for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”

The most brutal and out of control people are those who think that God has deserted the world and no longer pays attention to what people say or do.

8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them;

you hold all the nations in derision.

9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,

for you, O God are my fortress.

Is the person who persecutes me strong? Then for this very reason, my God, I will pray to you and leave the entire situation in your hand. We are wise to realize that the greater our difficulties are, the more reason we have for trusting ourselves to the Lord.

10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;

God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;

make them totter by your power and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield!

Enemies help to keep God’s servants alert. Therefore let them live, but let them have no power to do the evil they desire.

12 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,

Those who curse and swear are usually liars.

13 consume them in wrath;

consume them till they are no more,

that they may know that God rules over Jacob

to the ends of the earth.     Selah

14 Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

15 They wander about for food

and growl if they do not get their fill.

David is speaking here as a prophet and not as an unforgiving spirit seeking revenge. This is not the character of the man who often spared his enemies when he had the power to harm them. His only vengeance was his overwhelming kindness to them. These passages should be read as predictions rather than wishes.

16 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.

17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,

for you, O God, are my fortress,

the God who shows me steadfast love.

David felt sure he would escape, because he believed his prayer was approved by God. Then he began to sing to his Deliverer. This was not easy to do. What would we have done if we were in David’s place? Furious murderers were in the street around the house, thirsting for the good man’s blood, and yet his faith enabled him to sing praises to God. Oh that we could believe in God like David did!

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¹ Psalm 94:22