Psalm 56
David went through trial after trial in his life. Over the years many people not only wished bad for him, they tried to capture and kill him. When we are friends with God, when we belong to Him and our hearts align with His, people will come up against us. They will try to hurt us in any way they can. Their prince, Satan wants us stifled. The accuser of the brethren doesn’t want us to use the power of God at our disposal. He prefers us to sit ignorant or terrified. But he can’t touch us spiritually. He can only hurt us physically through the lost who belong to him. (1 John 5:18-19). The more of God’s gifts, power and authority we exhibit and the more we resemble Christ, the more eager Satan is to suppress us.
When David wrote this Psalm called a Miktam, he had been captured by the Philistines at Gath. Verses 1-4 read,
“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?”
When we are afraid because it seems no matter where we turn enemies surround us, like David we put our trust in God. We can trust Him. We can praise Him in the midst of troubles. We can thank Him for our deliverance. We can do all that because we know who God is. We know what He has done and what He has promised He will do. We know we can trust Him so thoroughly because God’s promises are so certain we can count them as already done. After all what can people do to us? They can’t separate us from God. They can’t steal our joy or rob us of salvation. Why should we be afraid of mere flesh and bone? Why should we be afraid of Satan and his weak attempts to stop us?
David’s enemies went after him with the intent to stop him permanently. They knew he was a powerful military leader. They knew he was gifted, smart, and clever. They could see God’s anointing and calling on him. It made them more determined to stopping him. Verses 5-7 tell us some of the evil people did to David.
“All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!”
David had reason to fear for his life. In 1 Samuel 27:1 David’s fear is expressed. He kept this fear to himself. It was between David and The Lord.
“Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
The Lord answered David. He cared deeply about David and He cares deeply about us. He doesn’t enjoy the suffering we experience. He doesn’t abandon us while we suffer. Verses 8-11 say it like this,
“You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”
God knows when we struggle and He doesn’t forget the difficulties we face. He knows we cry. He cares. We can know that the enemy will not win. The enemy will pay for his reign of terror over the earth, for his attempts to hurt us, and for his hatred of The Lord and His children. In verse 9 David said, “This I know, that God is for me.” Believer, God is for us too! And we know if that we know we have nothing to fear at all. In Romans 8:31-39 Paul says it this way,
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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?33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul quoted Psalm 44:22. It is for The Lord’s sake we are being hunted and killed. Satan wants to destroy us, not because of who we are but for who we are in Christ. But he can only accuse us. He can only tempt us. He cannot take our victory, he cannot take our salvation, and he cannot take us away from God.
We have already won. Satan was conquered when Jesus laid down His life on the cross. Satan’s hope, death and eternal separation from God was conquered when Jesus rose from the dead. Satan’s schemes were made futile when Jesus ascended and gave us The Holy Spirit.
David put his trust in God and thanked Him for his life and rescue even before it happened. Verses 12-13 read,
“I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.”
God did the same for us. We act out our vows to God. We vowed to make Jesus our Lord. God vowed to forgive us, make us righteous, and conform us to Jesus image. We actively and intentionally walk in that knowledge of God’s redemption of us, in our deliverance from death, sin, and Hell. Our part of the contract is that we make Jesus our Lord. God does all the rest. God keeps us walking, protects us from the enemy, destroys the enemy, and makes us new creations with His heart, His mind, His nature, and His Spirit.
What is it you have to fear? Nothing, because God your Father protects you. Zilch, because God, your Savior delivered you. Nada, because God, your Comfort indwells you. God loves you, He adores you. You can trust in Him and have nothing to fear.
David went through trial after trial in his life. Over the years many people not only wished bad for him, they tried to capture and kill him. When we are friends with God, when we belong to Him and our hearts align with His, people will come up against us. They will try to hurt us in any way they can. Their prince, Satan wants us stifled. The accuser of the brethren doesn’t want us to use the power of God at our disposal. He prefers us to sit ignorant or terrified. But he can’t touch us spiritually. He can only hurt us physically through the lost who belong to him. (1 John 5:18-19). The more of God’s gifts, power and authority we exhibit and the more we resemble Christ, the more eager Satan is to suppress us.
When David wrote this Psalm called a Miktam, he had been captured by the Philistines at Gath. Verses 1-4 read,
“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?”
When we are afraid because it seems no matter where we turn enemies surround us, like David we put our trust in God. We can trust Him. We can praise Him in the midst of troubles. We can thank Him for our deliverance. We can do all that because we know who God is. We know what He has done and what He has promised He will do. We know we can trust Him so thoroughly because God’s promises are so certain we can count them as already done. After all what can people do to us? They can’t separate us from God. They can’t steal our joy or rob us of salvation. Why should we be afraid of mere flesh and bone? Why should we be afraid of Satan and his weak attempts to stop us?
David’s enemies went after him with the intent to stop him permanently. They knew he was a powerful military leader. They knew he was gifted, smart, and clever. They could see God’s anointing and calling on him. It made them more determined to stopping him. Verses 5-7 tell us some of the evil people did to David.
“All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!”
David had reason to fear for his life. In 1 Samuel 27:1 David’s fear is expressed. He kept this fear to himself. It was between David and The Lord.
“Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
The Lord answered David. He cared deeply about David and He cares deeply about us. He doesn’t enjoy the suffering we experience. He doesn’t abandon us while we suffer. Verses 8-11 say it like this,
“You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”
God knows when we struggle and He doesn’t forget the difficulties we face. He knows we cry. He cares. We can know that the enemy will not win. The enemy will pay for his reign of terror over the earth, for his attempts to hurt us, and for his hatred of The Lord and His children. In verse 9 David said, “This I know, that God is for me.” Believer, God is for us too! And we know if that we know we have nothing to fear at all. In Romans 8:31-39 Paul says it this way,
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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?33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul quoted Psalm 44:22. It is for The Lord’s sake we are being hunted and killed. Satan wants to destroy us, not because of who we are but for who we are in Christ. But he can only accuse us. He can only tempt us. He cannot take our victory, he cannot take our salvation, and he cannot take us away from God.
We have already won. Satan was conquered when Jesus laid down His life on the cross. Satan’s hope, death and eternal separation from God was conquered when Jesus rose from the dead. Satan’s schemes were made futile when Jesus ascended and gave us The Holy Spirit.
David put his trust in God and thanked Him for his life and rescue even before it happened. Verses 12-13 read,
“I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.”
God did the same for us. We act out our vows to God. We vowed to make Jesus our Lord. God vowed to forgive us, make us righteous, and conform us to Jesus image. We actively and intentionally walk in that knowledge of God’s redemption of us, in our deliverance from death, sin, and Hell. Our part of the contract is that we make Jesus our Lord. God does all the rest. God keeps us walking, protects us from the enemy, destroys the enemy, and makes us new creations with His heart, His mind, His nature, and His Spirit.
What is it you have to fear? Nothing, because God your Father protects you. Zilch, because God, your Savior delivered you. Nada, because God, your Comfort indwells you. God loves you, He adores you. You can trust in Him and have nothing to fear.
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