Psalm 62

¹ My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
² He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will never be shaken.
³ How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
⁴ They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah
⁵ Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah
⁹ Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
¹¹ One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,
¹² and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

As I read this psalm today it shed a lot of light on the verse found in Matthew:13:23 “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.” What is the seed? It is the word of God. Therefore, the harvest that is spoken here is not lost souls, or works that one does for the Lord; but your own personal growth in God’s word. Verse eight in this psalm points to three areas that a Christian needs to focus on: walk in faith and lean not on your own understanding (trust Him), a life devoted to prayer (pour out your heart to Him), and applying Romans 12:19 in your life “Dear friends never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.” so make God your refuge. Ask these questions to yourself today: did I let God’s word grow in me today? Did I surrender to sinful acts or ways or did I look to God’s Word for direction in my decision making today? And last of all did I really believe his word even when I read a sentence like verse twelve in this psalm “Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.”

This sentence from Oswald Chambers’ book My Utmost for His Highest from the reading on December 9 “It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence and self-assertiveness, and this is where the battle has to be fought” reflects the life that we must live. The last part of verse twelve reads “Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done” points to the direction we must live our life as we go about our day by day activities. Are we living our life for the rewards that the world heaps upon us or are we heeding the words of I John 2:15,16 ” Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. Going back to the Psalm one we must realize that there are only two directions in which we walk; the way of the righteous or the way of the wicked. Therefore, if we are reward for what we do look at this chapter considering this verse.

1. My soul finds rest in God This verse points to our faith. Do we trust God and lean not on our own understanding.
2. My salvation comes from Him, I cannot earn it nor deserve it
3. I will never be shaken because I trust in him.

Psalm 61

¹ Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
² From the ends of the earth will I call unto you, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
³ For you have been my refuge, a strong tower from the enemy.
⁴ I will dwell in your tent forever I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah
⁵ For you O God have heard my vows, you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
⁶ Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations.
⁷ May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
⁸ Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

This is another Psalm that David wrote during one of the times that he was facing opposition from his enemy. It is interesting as one studies David life how much of his struggles dealt with those close to him, such as Saul, his own family, and his own group of advisors. Yet as we look at the struggles we face in live, they are usually with the close circles of family, whose whom we work with, neighbors, or the groups that we associate with in our free time.

As I study this psalm today, I realize the importance of a King in my life. Aging is a process in which we see the world of an infant expand from a small family unit into the community around him and then deflate in the later years back to the small family unit or a close inner circle of friend. In this process, man moves from a secure environment to a world of uncertainty and then tries to move back to a secure environment in his later days on this earth. Security is the second level on Maslow’s Hierarchic Pyramid of Needs. It is this area that people seek to conquer once their Physiological needs are met. However, the Psalmist realizes that it is the good Shepherd that meets both our Physiological needs as well as our secure needs. This good shepherd person is also our King Christ Jesus.

As we study the gospels we are introduced to Christ. So, as I study this psalm today my prayer is simply to be more like Christ. My prayer is to abide in him. John writes these words to us in I John 3:6-8:

Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither knoweth him. My little children let no man lead you astray: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous: he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Yes, I know I need a King in my life and that King is Christ. He is the one I praise and the one to whom I will seek to fulfill my vows. The key to serving him is for me to put off the old nature and strive to put on his nature. This starts by striving to live a blameless (however not perfect) life.

Psalm 60

¹ You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry-now restore us!
² You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
³ You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
⁴ But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Selah
⁵ Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
⁶ God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.
⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.
⁸ Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
⁹ Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
¹⁰ Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?
¹¹ Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.
¹² With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

This psalm is similar to Psalm 108.

1 My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

3 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

6 Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

7 God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

9 Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

11 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?

12 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

13 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

You should study the places mentioned in this psalm. They will help you grasp a greater understanding of God’s redemption plan for mankind.

• Shechem is used about 60 times in the Bible. It was the place of Joseph’s tomb
• Succoth is used about 17 times in the Bible.
• Gilead is used about 129 times in the Bible. It was the land that the Gadites and Reubenites settle on the east side of the Jordan.
• Manasseh is used about 136 times in the Bible. The name of the first born of Joseph in Egypt and one of the thirteen tribes of Israel.
• Ephraim is used about 147 times in the Bible. The name of the second born of Joseph, but the one that Jacob blessed as the first born. Joshua was from this tribe. Referred to as the tribe of Joseph in Joshua 18:11 and Revelation 7:8.
• Judah is used about 797 times in the Bible. The tribe of David and of Christ.
• Moab is used about 181 times in the Bible. Moab was the son of Lot and his oldest daughter. Ruth, David’s great grandmother was a Moabite.
• Edom is used about 131 times in the Bible. The name of the descendants of Esau the son of Isaac and the twin brother of Jacob (Israel).
• Philistia is used about 10 times in the Bible. It is the land of the Philistines.

Psalm 59

¹ Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
² Deliver me from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men.
³ See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
⁴ I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight!
⁵ O LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors. Selah
⁶ They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.
⁷ See what they spew from their mouths they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, “Who can hear us?”
⁸ But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations.
⁹ O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress,

¹⁰ my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
¹¹ But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget. In your might make them wander about, 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 wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
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 O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

This was probably written when Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. This was when David had to flee from Saul
1 Samuel 19

10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

11 And Saul sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be slain.

12 So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.

13 And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair at the head thereof, and covered it with the clothes.

14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

15 And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.

16 And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at the head thereof.

17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, so that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

18 Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

Psalm 58

1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge uprightly among men?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; tear out, O LORD, the fangs of the lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted.
8 Like a slug melting away as it moves along, like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns whether they be green or dry-the wicked will be swept away.
10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then men will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

As you read these verses, you will see that even an unjust ruler or government will one day have to stand before God and answer for their actions. As I read, verse three “even at birth the wicked go astray”, I ask myself who are the wicked. In Psalm one the wicked are described as one who does not delight in the law of the Lord, but walk in the counselor of the wicked, stands in the way of the sinners and seats among the seat of the mockers. The difference between the righteous and the wicked is simply their delight in the law of the Lord. In I Samuel 16:7 when Samuel was starting the process of anointing one of Jesse’s son as the next King of Israel God revealed to him that God looked on the heart on a man and not on the physical characteristic of a person. David was anointed to take Saul’s place. But why? The answer can be found in I Samuel chapter fifteen.

Samuel delivered to Saul a command from the Lord to utterly destroy the city of Amalek and not spare anything in the city. However, Saul spared Agag the king, best of all the livestock, as well as all that was good. When Saul was questioned by Samuel on why he did not follow the command of the Lord he stated he saved them to sacrifice to the Lord. When questioned about it again he answered, “but the people took the spoil to sacrifice to the Lord”. When Samuel made known to Saul that he had rejected the words of the Lord, Saul acknowledged his sin, because of he feared of his men. He wanted pardon, but he approached this pardon with the attitude of “OK, I did wrong nothing bad happen, let’s forget it and move on”. This is seem in the way he responded to Samuel after Samuel rejected his confusion of the wrong doings. Samuel let Saul know that their relationship was over since Saul had rejected God’s Word and he turned to walk away. Saul then grabbed Samuel to force him to return back to the victory celebration and tore his robe. Saul responds was “I have sinned: yet honor me now before the elders and the people and go with me so that I may worship your God”. Why did Saul join the ranks of the wicked? Because his delight was not in God’s way, but in Saul’s way. Saul placed his honor above God’s honor. With this decision, the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord was sent to trouble him.

When man make the decision to place his honor above God’s honor he also includes in this decision his desire not to walk in God’s way. Paul describes this decision in detail in Romans 1:18-32:

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness;

¹⁹ because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them.

²⁰ For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse:

²¹ because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.

²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

²⁴ Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:

²⁵ for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature:

²⁷ and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error, which was due.

²⁸ And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things, which are not fitting;

²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

³⁰ backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹ without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful:

³² who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them.

As I study the psalms and God’s Word on why men rejection of God the one theme that is at the heart of this rejection is their purpose in life verses God’s purpose in life.

Psalm 57

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
² I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.
³ He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness.
⁴ I am in the midst of lions; I lay among ravenous beasts men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
⁶ They spread a net for my feet I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
⁸ Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
⁹ I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

This is another psalm of David as he fled from Saul into the caves. David’s starts out this psalm off in the same manner as he did in psalm 56. He asks for God’s mercy as he takes refuge in him.

Key Facts:

We must ask for mercy because we have no righteousness to stand on.

God has provided a refuge for us and that is where we need to hide.

God has his purpose for me.

God does save me.

He rebukes those who are against his chosen.

David’s faith was steadfast and so must our faith in God.

The wicked will fall in their own traps.

I will praise Him. Why?

For great is His Love.

Great is His faithfulness

And He alone is exalted.

As I read verse two “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me” it takes me back to Matthew 26:39 where Jesus prays “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” as his purpose. Yes, David became king as God purposed him to be as we will someday be made Christ-like when Christ appears the second time. However, until this event takes place, we must that refuge in the shadow of God’s wing and pray the same prayer that Christ our example prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. It is God who fulfills his purpose, not us fulfilling the purpose that God has given us. As a good soldier puts his life on the line to fulfill the military commander’s objectives so must we put on life and our dreams on the line to serve Christ.

When studying David’s life at this time we must realize that he was going through a period of self-examination. Everything that he believed was being tested. At this time, he was surrounded by a small band of followers who like him was running and hiding. It is a setting like this that even when you are part of a group you still feel like you are alone with God. It is in these times of testing that God will slowly work to conform us to his purpose.

Psalm 56
¹ Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.
² My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.
³ When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
⁴ In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
⁵ All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me.
⁶ They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.
⁷ On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.
⁸ Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll are they not in your record?
⁹ Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will 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 will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
¹² I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.
¹³ For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

This psalm was written by David when the Philistines had seized him in Gath. This was the period in the life of David when he was running from Saul. David’s life has been given to us as an example of how we must face the issues that we encounter on our journey in this life and how to address these issues. In this example, David is fleeing from Saul not because of wrongdoing but because of Saul saw him as a threat to his kingdom. This threat was not caused by David’s decisions but by God’s decision that the Lord had made in I Samuel 15 and 16 when He rejected Saul and chose David. God made this decision but how David reacted to it affected others around him. This holds true for us today. If we make yourself available to God, his plans for us can have an impact on our relationship to those around us. Just the simple belief that God is our creator and we are his creation will cause others around us to form an opinion about us. Saul rejected God’s decision to make David the next King and placed himself against God and chose to kill David. David accepted it but waited for God to intervene and make him king. So, as you read this psalm study David’s reactions to Saul’s attack on him. Waiting is not easy however; it does strengthen on faith in the Lord.

The first thing David does is to make an appeal to God’s mercy. He places himself before the judge of the universe as one that is willing to accept his verdict because David knows that God alone has absolute power. He states his case before God: (1. men hotly pursue me 2. they attach me 3. They slander me) because of their pride. They have twisted David’s words, they are plotting against him, they lurk about him and watch his steps.

After this appeal for mercy, David states to God “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” David praises God’s word and trust in his judgment and at the same time, David does not fear man. Why? Because Samuel had anointed him king of Israel and God had not changed this. Sometimes we seem to forget God’s promises that he has made. We seem to forget that he will never leave us or forsake us. We seem to forget my daughter Alex’s favorite verse Romans 8:28 “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.” So, remember and trust in God’s promises in times of trouble. The second thing to remember is not to fear man.

Next, we see the results of David’s prayer “Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me”.  I love I John 5:14-15 where one of the five evidences of Christ in you is this: “And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us: and if we know that he hears us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked.” Yes, God does answer our prayers, he protects us along the way and the true believer can also repeat what David states in verse thirteen of this psalm. However, we must also understand from these verses that answer prayer is in accordance to His will. As we grow in Christ we must realize to that God wants to transform the innermost part of us. Events happen either every day in our life that will bring us closer or farther from the transformation that God wants to happen in our life. If we stay in the Word and walk in His way, then these events will bring us closer to the transformation that God desires for us and we will see answer prayer in our life.

As we read this psalm, we can also compare it to the life that Christ lived during his ministry on the earth. For as David the anointed king to take Saul’s place was pursued and hunted so was Christ the promise Messiah from God pursued and hunted. During Saul’s reign David was the rejected King just as Christ was during his ministry on this earth was the rejected Messiah. Just as David became King after Saul’s death, so will Christ become King of Kings when he returns to the earth. Are you looking forward to that Day?

Psalm 55

of David.
¹ Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;
² hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
³ at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.
⁴ My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.
⁵ Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest-
⁷ I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah
⁸ I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”
⁹ Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹ Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.
¹² If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,
¹⁴ with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.
¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them.
¹⁶ But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them. Selah

Men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.
²⁰ My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.
²¹ His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.
²² Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
²³ But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.

As I read this psalm as well as others written by David, I usually ask myself when David wrote this psalm. The beauty of old age is that you can look back on the experiences of your past to better understanding the events happening around you at the present. As I read this, I would have to agree with Charles Spurgeon that it was written at the time of Absalom‘s rebellion. This psalm reveals that David is honest with the Lord. Yes, his thoughts trouble him and he is not sure what course of action to take in this situation. When you’re our son and one of your closest friends (in this case one of his advisors Ahithophel) turn against you and tries to destroy you how do you react? This psalm is also similar to the thoughts that Christ probably had about Judas when he betrays him in the garden.

Some of David’s feelings:

• my thoughts trouble me
• I am distraught
• my enemy brings suffering on me
• my enemy revile me in their anger
• my heart is in anguish
• terrors of death assail me
• fear and trembling have beset me
• horror has overwhelmed me

David’s prayer and his plea:

• I will flee to my place of shelter
• confuse the wicked
• confound their speech
• let death take my enemies by surprise
• let them go alive to the grave
• Lord save me
• Lord ransom me unharmed from this battle

David’s enemies:

• they bring suffering on him
• they are violence
• they bring malice and abuse within the city
• they are my friends my companions
• they refuse to change their ways
• they have no fear of God
• they violate their covenant
• they speak lies
• their ways are set on war

David’s actions:

cast his cares on God

looks to God to sustain him

acts in righteous knowing God never let the righteous fall

and the key to everything that David does he trusts God

As we walk with the Lord daily and study, his Word this psalm will help us trust in him more. We do not live in a perfect world and more importantly, we cannot create the perfect world around us. We might try to control our surroundings and those around us to make our world perfect to us, but sin has a way of entering in and destroying that perfect world. We tend to focus too much on finding a purpose driven life instead of having a walk that is blameless before the Lord. In times of trouble, David left judgment in God’s hand and trusted God to lead him though the green pastures. Even when he was walking through the valley of death, he knew God was with him. So, if you are facing times when your world is collapsing and even your friends turn against you, just know that God is there. However, if it is you who are rebelling against God and his righteous ones, and you have no fear of God, but say in your heart I have no need of God then be warned that God will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption.

Psalm 54
¹ Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.
² Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.
³ Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life men without regard for God. Selah
⁴ Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.
⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good.
⁷ For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?” A theme I was developing today as I was studying the psalms is it is God who seeks after us, not us after God. However, once we reach out to the seeking God then it should become our desire to seek after Him. The New American Standard Bible titles Isaiah fifty-five as “The Free Offer of Mercy”. This chapter presents the center of God’s message to the world “Everyone who thirsts, come…and delight yourself in abundance”. The focus of seeking changes however when we have heard the Word and open the heart door to accept God’s mercy. The message of verses three and six found in Isaiah fifty-five is clear “Give ear and come to me” “Seek the Lord while he may be found” clearly points us to seek after God. Why? Isaiah answers this in verse eight “My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not our ways”. To seek God then should become the desire for all Christian. And in this process, we will become more Christ-like in everything we do. But as the reader of this psalm will notice this is not the theme of this psalm. The theme of this psalm is for God to save David and vindicate him from those who are trying to destroy him. However, in this psalm we see how David handles the events those ruthless men who seek to destroy him. David’s way has to turn it over to God to handle. David’s prayer to God is to sustain him and to let God to destroy them. This is God’s way, not the way of men. So how do you react to those who try to slander and destroy you? How do you handle the attaches that you face from the godless people in your life who does not know God’s way? It can even get harder when ungodly men turn the grace of God into lasciviousness and makes it look like they are the godly ones and you are the wicked one. David answers this with verse seven of this psalm “for he has delivered me from all my troubles and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes”. Wherefore when we seek after God, we will see his way becomes our way as we wait on him to complete His purpose in us. How do we know this is happening? When the peace of God that passes all understanding is within you and you know that everything is working together to make you more Christ-like in your daily walk.

Psalm 53

of David.
¹ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.
² God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
³ Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
⁴ Will the evildoers never learn those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?
⁵ There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.
⁶ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Who is a fool? According to Merriam-Webster, the word means a person lacking in judgment or prudence. In verse, one of this psalm the psalmist describes a person first as one that rejects God. In other words, this person is Godless someone who has rejected and denies that God exist. The psalmist then describes them as being corrupt and their ways as being vile. This is the state of a man who rejects God. This psalm of David along with Psalm fourteen is used by Paul in Romans chapter three. Paul’s conclusion is found in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” As I study this psalm, I realize the truth found in Hebrews 2:3 “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.” The first step in grabbing hold of this great salvation knows God.

The theme of the seeking God is clear in this Psalm. The fool is the one that rejects God, the one who denies God, and his way. Then God look down from heaven he saw that the sons of men did not seek Him. So, as we see in the Gospels that God, send his Son to us as the way, the truth and the life.