Psalm 59
The God On Whom We Can Rely
Where is your safe place? When the world is falling in on top of you, where do you go? If you’re being attacked and harangued, to where will you flee?
In this Psalm, David invites us to the fortress on which we can forever rely.
For the director of music. To the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy’. Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
2 Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from those who are after my blood.3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire against me
for no offence or sin of mine, LORD.
4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight!
5 You, LORD God Almighty,
you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.6 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths –
the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
and they think, ‘Who can hear us?’
8 But you laugh at them, LORD;
you scoff at all those nations.9 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.
David, God’s anointed King, is cowering in his house, for Saul has sent assassins to murder him (see 1 Samuel 19.11-17). And this Psalm is a cry for deliverance.
Deliver is one of those words that is used in the Bible but maybe doesn’t quite capture the urgency or ardour we find here. When we think of deliver, it’s usually attached to a picture of someone in a Royal Mail outfit or sitting in a DPD van. This word could also be translated as rescue or release. Elsewhere, the word for deliver is translated as plunder or tear away. The picture is to be in a situation where only a strong ripping out motion could liberate us. And I think this brings us closer to the intensity of the emotion in this Psalm. David is calling on God to extricate him from a dangerous and frightening situation.
Did you notice two different phrases that are repeated as you read through the Psalm? This week, I want to focus on those refrains, but particularly what comes between them, as a way of opening up this song and making it our own prayer.
In v6 and v14, the enemies of God’s King are painted like dogs, who slink and skulk about at night. David describes them as returning at evening time. This is because at evening, they can travel under the cloak of night. As the sun recedes, the shadows grow longer and darker, easier for them to move about, as they seek out their prey. They are sent to ambush and exterminate their master’s foe. They target David, even though he is innocent, just like they targeted the Son of David, Jesus, who was sinless.
The devil is depicted in Scripture in similar language and imagery. He is portrayed as prowling in the long grass awaiting an opportunity to attack his prey (1 Peter 5.8). He is described as crouching, ready to pounce upon those who are not careful (Genesis 4.7). We know we are under attack from him and this Psalm is a good song when we feel overwhelmed by his schemes.
The refrain of 6&14 is followed by a refrain in 9-10&17 but in between both of those are two important uses of ‘but’.
First, even though they prowl with murderous intent, God laughs at the enemies of his Anointed One (v8). He sneers at their plots and chuckles at their schemes. This is the same as God’s response to the machinations of the nations in Psalm 2. Why does God laugh? Because their plans are more futile than thinking a newborn baby could defeat Magnus Carlsen at a game of chess. It is absurd to think we can foil or even slow down God’s plans. He is the one who rules and reigns with all authority.
Second, even though they prowl with murderous intent, the King will sing songs of praise for he knows that God will not be defeated (v16). David says he will sing of God’s strength and love. But notice when he says he will sing of it: the morning. They attack at night, but God will bring him through to the morning. With the morning comes the light, which pushes the darkness back. And on the morning of the third day after Jesus’s death, death was pushed back, as the tomb was found to be empty. And so we will sing of the strength and love of our sovereign God.
And so we come to this closing refrain. This praise to God is doubled up. When we are in Christ, we know God is our fortress. In him we are strong. He is our shield and refuge. He’s the one we can trust when assailed by the evil one, for from Satan’s grip we have been plundered and then delivered into the warm embrace of our Heavenly Father.
Glory be to God the Father, our fortress and refuge in times of trouble.
Glory be to God the Son, who delivers us from our fears and foes.
Glory be to God the Spirit, on whom we can rely now and forevermore.
Ever three and ever One.