Psalm 56

Psalm 56 Psalm 56 The Chapiter: To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. A. Jonathelemrechokim denotes “the silent dove of far-off places.” 1. David, like the dove, was forced to take flight from his homeland to save himself. A. Saul had determined evil against David and intended to slay him. 1SAM 20:33. B. David sought refuge amongst the Philistines and eventually found it. 1SAM 27:1-4. (1) Elijah would later be received by a Zidonian widow when he was not welcome amongst his own brethren of Israel. 1KI 17:9. (2) It is a perilous time when there is more refuge found in the world than in the church where false brethren imperil the righteous. 2CO 11:26. C. Curiously, David would have had the sword of Goliath with him when he first appealed to the Philistines. 1SAM 21:8-10. 2. He was silent, not murmuring and complaining to men about his predicament and so was in the spirit of Christ. ISA 53:7. B. What David wrote here was intended to be put to music. Such psalms are meant to be instructive for us. COL 3:16. vs.1-2. A. David needed mercy and he here boldly sought it from its only source. HEB 4:16. 1. God's mercies are a greater refuge than the hand of man. 1CH 21:13. 2. God's mercy is “...from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him...” (PSA 103:17). 3. By contrast, “...the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel” (PRO 12:10). B. David's appeal was basically that God would not hold His tongue “...when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he” (HAB 1:13). C. David's enemies (Saul being chief) sought to devour him daily, every day. 1SAM 23:14. 1. Every day they wrested his words. v.5. 2. Every day provided David an opportunity to slam God and deny his faith. 3. But David accounted God worth the daily bearing of a cross. LUK 9:23. 4. David's prayer here would suit our circumstance as new creatures in Christ which have to deal yet with an old nature that fights daily to oppress us. God's mercies are the proper appeal. 1JO 1:9. D. He pleaded, “...they be MANY that fight against me...” 1. The reason that they were his enemies is because he stood for what was good and right. PSA 38:20 c/w GAL 4:16. 2. Even proclaiming the gospel where God has opened a door can produce many adversaries. 1CO 16:9. 3. The numbers of enemies are no match for God and His mercy. PSA 34:19. PSA 55:18 c/w 2KI 6:16-17; ROM 8:31. a. “...Her sins, which are MANY, are forgiven...” (LUK 7:47). b. Where sin abounded, grace much more abounded. ROM 5:20. vs.3-4. A. David knew what to do when afraid of devouring enemies: trust God. PSA 27:1-2; 23:4. Psalm 56 Page 1 B. God designs to put His children through troubles that they might not trust in themselves. 2CO 1:8-9. C. David here (and vs.10-11) associates his trust in God with God's word. c/w ROM 10:17. 1. David is standing on God's promises. 2. “IN GOD will I praise his word...” (v.3). a. Only if a person is “in God” can he praise His word. JOH 4:23-24; 8:47. b. God's word is to be praised. 2TH 3:1; ACT 13:48; PSA 138:2. D. Compare “I will trust in thee” with “in God I have put my trust...” 1. David had previously trusted God for deliverance and received it. 1SAM 17:37. 2. Past deliverances are earnests of future deliverances for the faithful. 2CO 1:10. E. David's example is improved to us in Christ. HEB 2:13; 13:5-6. vs.5-6. A. Every day David's enemies wrested (turned, twisted) his words; they put a spin on whatever he said. B. God could say the same thing about foolish men. 2PE 3:16. C. Wicked men show themselves for what they are when they prey upon the innocent speech of the righteous. ISA 29:20-21; LUK 11:54; GAL 5:11; ROM 3:8. D. “All their thoughts are against me for evil” (v.5). No amount of good works or good words will satisfy someone who is determined to find fault. The best thing then is prayer for deliverance from such. 2TH 3:2. E. “They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps...” (v.6). 1. This smacks of a cabal whose actions will not stand the light of scrutiny. c/w PSA 64:5-6. 2. Christ faced this kind of cabal. MAT 26:3-4; LUK 20:20. 3. Paul faced this kind of cabal. ACT 23:12-13. v.7. A. “Shall they escape by iniquity?” David's question is rhetorical irony. PSA 94:20-21; ECC 8:8, 12-13. B. “...in thine anger cast them down” God can not only deliver the righteous, He can and will recompense tribulation to their troublers. 2TH 1:6. v.8. A. David had been upheaved from his home, from Saul, from his wife, from Jonathan and now from Israel. But God takes note of the forced wanderings of the righteous. HEB 11:38. B. God also sees the tears of oppressed saints. 2KI 20:5; 2TI 1:4. 1. Christ wept in compassion (JOH 11:35) and in agony. HEB 5:7. 2. Paul wept over the abominations done in Christ's name. PHIL 3:18. C. A book of remembrance is written for them that fear God. MAL 3:16. D. Sooner or later, sowing in tears will be reaping in joy. PSA 126:5; REV 21:2-4. vs.9-11. A. David knew from recent experience that crying unto God availed much. PSA 34:6, 19. B. David's plea and expectation is grounded in the knowledge that he belonged to God. PSA 119:94. C. The faithful may yet cleave to such a promise. ROM 10:13. vs. 12-13. A. David made a much wiser vow than did Jephthah. JDG 11:30. Psalm 56 Page 2 B. Again, God's faithfulness to deliver in the past is the grounds for certain expectation of more deliverance. C. David desired deliverance that he might walk before God in life, not that he might walk after the flesh. GAL 5:13-16.