June 22 - 28 Daily Meditations in the Psalms
June 22
Psalms 54:1-5
1. Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.
2. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3. For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.
4. Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
5. He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.
Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.” God has given One, who is a mighty Savior by His very nature, a Savior and Deliverer from start to finish. We call upon Him for salvation and He cannot do other than respond. He would be untrue to his name, if he did not answer.
As the plaintiff and defendant come before the judge, so David appears and presents his adversary, asking for the Lord to pronounce judgment. God’s part in the matter is not only to state a verbal decree, but to actually carry out the punishment against the guilty and in favor of the innocent. “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.” He rains down retribution and often it comes before the final, end-time judgment.
This is a prayer and prayer moves heaven. It is the means used to touch God. It causes Him to open his hall of judgment and implores Him to action. David begs God’s ear, in a desperate cry, and gets it.
June 23
Psalms 54:3-7
3. For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.
4. Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
5. He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.
6. I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.
7. For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.
David’s home government opposes him and he is forced to hide out and face the elements of nature. He finds no relief among the general public. Nabal wouldn’t give him relief and the Ziphites reported his whereabouts to Saul. Outside of Israel, he is a famous enemy. No wonder David said, “God is my helper” and He was his only refuge. So is the stranger and pilgrim on this earth, who is marked by God. The world, for no reasonable cause, turns against him. Thereby, it spews out its rebellion against his Master.
Did God hear David’s prayer? As Saul pursued David in the wilderness of Ziph, he was saved, when Saul received word that the Philistines were attacking Israel. On another occasion, David and Abishai invaded Saul’s camp and “borrowed” his water jug and spear, because the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon all Saul’s soldiers. Saul was shamed and disheartened and abandoned his pursuit. God faithfully answered the cry of his helplessly exposed “truster” and provided an escape, when there was none. As for Saul, David said the Lord would smite him or he would be slain in battle. As for David, he would freely serve the Lord and offer praise to the Lord for his goodness.
June 24
Psalms 55:1-5
1. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
2. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
3. Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
4. My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
5. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
Earth is ever a hostile environment for those who have their roots above. They raise a continual cry to heaven for help. It is easy for the devil to find adversaries for God’s people, because the conflict of opposite natures lends to the abhorrence of the righteous. There are struggles of life and death, great warfare that drives a soul to God.
Listen to the desperation in the cry: “Give ear…hide not Thyself… attend!” Feel the heat of the battle: “I mourn…my heart is sore pained….terrors of death are fallen…fearfulness…trembling… overwhelming horror.” Observe the opposition: “The voice of the enemy…the oppression…hateful wrath.” The Christian life is a battle and anyone who does not know that, has not yet come to grips with its reality, but is living in a dream world.
June 25
Psalms 55:6-15
6. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
7. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
8. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
9. Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
11. Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
12. For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
13. But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
14. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
15. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
David wants to fly away into the wilderness and, in fact, did so. The city was full of violence and strife. There was a spiritual storm brewing and the discerning spirit could sense it. It was civil war and mutiny from the inside. There was trouble brewing at the guard posts along the walls. On the street corners and in the shop, there were treacherous undertones and secret talk of insurrection. The city was ripe for it.
The force behind the trouble was not an outsider or even an opposition party from the far side of town. It came right out of the palace itself, from David’s council room. He was a friend, not an underling, but an equal, who had shared advice and had fellowshipped with David in the house of God. They had had sweet times together. This kind of opposition is a horror that falls upon God’s servant and he cries for it to be brought to swift destruction.
June 26
Psalms 55:16-23
16. As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19. God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
21. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
22. Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
Faith arises in the middle of David’s prayer and encourages him to know that the Lord had come to rescue him. His soul found peace. He covenants to mount further prayer efforts three times a day.
Here was a hypocrite, with which to deal. He had made a public covenant (decision or commitment) of peace, but his deeds did not correspond with his statements. His mouth was smooth, but his heart was crooked. His words had the texture of oil, but the destruction of a sword.
The lesson learned from dealing with this kind of people stands today: “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Who are the righteous? They are those who trust in Him.
June 27
Psalms 56:1-4, 11, 13
1. Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
2. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
4. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
11. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
13. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
Most of the last few Psalms and a few of the next ones are born as a result of incidents in David’s life and can be read in the books of Samuel. Divine inspiration is not armchair theology, but the result of life experience. A prophet is not one in word only, but he prophecies with his whole being. His day-by-day walk with God is a living epistle known and read of all men.
David had enemies on all sides. Saul was behind and the Philistines before him. Inside Israel, people were willing to turn him over to Saul and outside Israel, he was considered an enemy. It was daily oppression with little good news. Such are the trials in preparation for the throne (another example to consider is Joseph). Three times in this chapter, he affirms his trust and cements it into his soul. Out of fear, springs the will to trust – “When I am afraid, I will trust.” Out of trust, comes the will to renounce fear – “I will trust and not be afraid.” There is progression in faith and the results are light and life.
June 28
Psalms 56:5-13
5. Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
7. Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
8. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
9. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
10. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.
11. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
12. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
13. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
Those who have no light misinterpret David’s words. Prejudice twists their thoughts. They unite against truth and work undercover. They spy out David’s habits and then wait for his passage, in order to destroy him. Why is there such a concerted effort to destroy one man? Actually, it is a defense. The wicked know that God is pursuing them and think that by succeeding once in defeating God’s purposes, they can nullify the sentence that God declares against them.
All the moves of David - from the court of Saul to the cave of Adullam, from the wilderness of Ziph and on to the land of the Philistines - are recorded in the annals of God. We have them still. God is on David’s side and even his tears are preserved. His infinite attention is upon His anointed one and He has eternal purposes in mind. David will persevere before the Lord, crying, praising, trusting, and remembering his vows, until finally his soul is delivered. His feet were preserved that he might walk before God. When we line up with eternal purposes, we can count on divine aid. However, we must learn the lesson of perseverance.
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