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Weds 31 March - Psalm 59

Psalm 59

Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
    be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
Deliver me from evildoers
    and save me from those who are after my blood.

See how they lie in wait for me!
    Fierce men conspire against me
    for no offence or sin of mine, Lord.
I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
    Arise to help me; look on my plight!
You, Lord God Almighty,
    you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
    show no mercy to wicked traitors

They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,
    and prowl about the city.
See what they spew from their mouths –
    the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
    and they think, ‘Who can hear us?’
But you laugh at them, Lord;
    you scoff at all those nations.

You are my strength, I watch for you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
10     my God on whom I can rely.

God will go before me
    and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,
    or my people will forget.
In your might uproot them
    and bring them down.
12 For the sins of their mouths,
    for the words of their lips,
    let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
13     consume them in your wrath,
    consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
    that God rules over Jacob.

14 They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,
    and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food
    and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.

17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
    my God on whom I can rely.

- - -

Meditation on Psalm 59

Before you start looking at the Psalm, read the following verses for some context:
1 Samuel 18:11

1 Samuel 19:1

1 Samuel 19:10
1 Samuel 19:11

And this last scenario is where our Psalm comes in. Its background is when Saul sent these men to David’s house so they could kill him in the morning.

Pause for a moment and think of the people of God – individuals, families and communities who may be trapped today, wherever they are, with God’s enemies waiting outside to kill them.

This Psalm consists of:

  • urgent and desperate prayer
  • accusations against his ‘enemies’
  • trust and confidence in God

Verses 1-2

Here is a longing for deliverance – twice repeated. Here David is trapped.
He longs to be in a safe place – ‘be my fortress’ literally means ‘raise me to a high, secure place.’ Just at this moment in time, home does not provide that security.

‘Save me…’ These are prayers in a desperate situation. 

We know, from the story in 1 Samuel 19 that David’s wife, Michal, helped him to escape and this meant that David was on the run until he was crowned king of Israel.

How many times will our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted around the world cry out ‘Deliver me (deliver us); Save me (save us)’? God hears but He doesn’t always answer in the way we might want. Sometimes the silence of God is louder than the cry of our heart. 

Verses 3-8
When David says, “I have done no wrong…” he is not claiming sinless perfection. He is just saying that as far as king Saul is concerned, he is innocent of any wrongdoing towards Saul.

David is very descriptive of his enemies – ‘fierce men.’

There is no doubt that David is afraid – why shouldn’t he be? Imagine you heard a noise outside your window at home and when you looked out of your window you saw a growing group of people surrounding your home calling for you to come out. Afraid? Or would you take it all in your stride and go and make a cuppa? I don’t think so. (At least we have 999.)

He calls on the ‘LORD God Almighty’ to rouse Himself and to act against these marauding men without mercy.

And, what’s more they come back again and again – verses 6 and 14

And, their threats are verbal as well as physical – verse 7

But David is confident that God will take action. These people and nations are not a problem to Him because He is the one omnipotent God.
Verse 8 reminds us of Psalm 2:4-6

Verses 9-13

David’s focus is on his God. Here he shows his personal relationship with the LORD God Almighty.

  • my strength
  • my fortress
  • my shield

This gives him confidence to pray – and yet it’s a strange prayer, ‘do not kill them… or my people will forget.’  He wants the people of God never to forget how God has rescued them time and again.

The ultimate outcome for David is that ‘it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob (i.e. Israel).’  Read 1 Samuel 18:45-47

Verses 14-17

In the midst of all these troubles David has this confidence…

“But I will sing …

  • of your strength
  • of your love”

Why? Because you are …

 

  • ‘my fortress’
  • ‘my refuge’
  • ‘my strength’

 


And here is the personal testimony for each of us – “my God on whom I can rely.”

He is the faithful, unchanging God and He is “my God.”(Roger Purdom)

 

Daily Readings

Thursday 1 April - Psalm 60

Friday 2 April - Psalm 61

Saturday 3 April - Psalm 62

Sunday 4 April - Psalm 63

Monday 5 April - Psalm 64

Tuesday 6 April - Psalm 65

 

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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