Psalm 56 – Walking With Giants

For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rechovim style; a prayer of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

According to the yonath-elem-rechovim style – lit. ‘silent dove, distant ones’, possibly referring to a style or tune. Ash’s suggestion…

‘The dove may suggest a link with Psalm 55:7; some (e.g., LXX) have taken the dove as a symbol of Israel. If the early identification of the dove with the people of God is correct, it may be that just as David is identified with the dove in Psa 55:6–7, so here the Messiah speaks for all his far-off people, whether they are “silent” in sorrow or perched on faraway trees. Perhaps the combination of “dove” and “far-off” suggests a mournful or plaintive tune, as would be appropriate.’

…seems a bit far-fetched, given the uncertainty surrounding this phrase.

Written when the Philistines captured him in Gath – 1 Sam 21:10-15 provides the background. David had fled from Saul to Gath, the home town of Goliath (carrying Goliath’s sword with him!). He found himself alone and under house-arrest, presumably as a VIP hostage. He feigned insanity, and was freed. In desperation, he had fled hostility in Israel, only to find it in Philistia. David’s fear, mentioned in 1 Sam 21:12, is a major theme in this psalm. But the main focus is not on his fear, but on his trust in the face of fear. Psa 34 celebrates the end of this crisis.

As Boice notes, David was alone (he was without soldiers, food or weapons). He was desperate (otherwise, why would he return to the home town of the hero he had killed, carrying that hero’s sword?). He was afraid.

Wilcock asks:

‘Why did he go to the land of the Philistines? Did he think that as a rebel against their enemy Saul they would welcome him? Apparently not, for he seems at first to have hoped that he would not be recognized, though in the event he was (1 Sam 21:11). They saw him, as perhaps he had feared, not as a welcome defector but as a valuable hostage. ‘While he was in their hands’ he was in effect under house arrest, and eventually escaped only by a ruse (1 Sam 21:12–15).’

According to Tanner, the text is quite problematic, leading to a wide variety of translations.

Tanner thinks that this psalm could apply to:

‘any circumstance where the person praying feels surrounded and pursued by those wishing harm.’

Christopher Ash, with his rigorously Christocentric interpretation, insists that the dominant context is that of the King who has been anointed (1 Sam 16), but is still persecuted while awaiting his coronation.

Lest we ascribe complete innocence to David, remember that in Psa 51 he has laid bare his terrible sin and has cried out for forgiveness.

Outline (following Motyer):

David, though the object of human hostility (1f), is the object of divine care (vv9-11).
David’s trust counters fear (v3f), and issues in prayer (v7f).
David, though oppressed by man (v5f), is under vow to God (v13f).

Ash, following David Dickson, proposes:

56:1–2 First conflict in prayer

56:3–4 First victory by faith

56:5–6 Second conflict against his enemies

56:7 Second victory by faith

56:8 Third conflict, setting forth “his mournful condition”

56:9–11 Third and greatest victory by faith

56:12–13 Response of thankfulness

According to Boice, there are several allusions to this psalm elsewhere in Scripture:

‘Verses 4 and 11 are picked up in Psalm 118:6 and quoted by the author of Hebrews in Heb 13:6. Verse 9 is referred to by Paul in Romans 8:31. The first part of verse 13 is quoted in Psalm 116:6 with only slight alteration, and the last phrase, “the light of life,” reappears in the third of Jesus’ “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).’

56:1 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me!
All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me.
56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long.
Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.

Have mercy on me, O God – Better, perhaps, ‘be gracious’, capturing the sense of unmerited favour (Eveson).

As Motyer observes, there is a single cry to God, while dwelling primarily on the surrounding danger. Contrast v12f, where there is one reference to danger, while dwelling primarily on God. Such is the effect of trust (v3f) and prayer (vv9-11). When the eye is turned upon Jesus, ‘the things of earth will grow stangely dim’.

This is the psalm of an innocent man. If David’s fear was connected to a guitly conscience, he would have prayed otherwise (cf. Psa 51).

Attacking me – or, ‘trampling me’ (CSB, ESV, NASB, NRSV); ‘hotly pursue me’ (NIV). They are attempting to crush him into submission.

Those who anticipate my defeat – ‘My slanderers’ (NIV).

O Exalted One – Unlikely, according to Eveson, to be used as a divine name. Perhaps best understood as enemies attacking from ‘on high’ or (figuratively) proudly (NIV).

56:3 When I am afraid,
I trust in you.
56:4 In God—I boast in his promise—
in God I trust, I am not afraid.
What can mere men do to me?

When I am afraid, I trust in you – The key verse of this psalm, and therefore suitable as the focal text of a sermon based on the psalm.

There are various kinds of fear: irrational fear (phobia), natural fear, godly fear.

As Williams notes:

‘Fear…propels us to fight. It urges us to flee. It makes us freeze. It throws us into panic. Here, however, fear activates David’s faith.’

Fear and trust are contrasted. If fear were not a possibility, trust would not be necessary.

Also contrasted are God and mortal men. The latter are ‘enemies, accusers, persecutors, slanderers of the servants of God and the people of the LORD’ (Mays)

‘Faith must always be in exercise’:

‘ There are times when some graces may be out of use, but there is no time wherein faith can be said to be so. Wherefore faith must be always in exercise. Faith is the eye, is the mouth, is the hand, and one of these is of use all the day long. Faith is to see, to receive, to work, or to eat; and a Christian should be seeing or receiving, or working, or feeding all day long. Let it rain, let it blow, let it thunder, let it lighten, a Christian must still believe.’ (Bunyan)

A maxim for all occasions:

‘It is a good maxim with which to go into a world of danger; a good maxim to go to sea with; a good maxim in a storm; a good maxim when in danger on the land; a good maxim when we are sick; a good maxim when we think of death and the judgment.’ (Barnes)

Mk 10:32 – Those who followed Jesus to Jerusalem were ‘afraid’; but his trust in his heavenly Father was unwavering. He knew that his future lay in God’s hands, not man’s. Lesson: stop thinking about what human beings can do to you; start thinking about what God can do for you.

When I am afraid…I am not afraid – a paradox which ‘expresses the heart of the psalm’ (Motyer, NBC).

Spurgeon:

‘It is possible, then, for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment. We are strange beings, and our experience in the divine life is stranger still. We are often in a twilight, where light and darkness are both present, and it is bard to tell which predominates.’

David’s fear is mentioned in:

1 Samuel 21:12 (NET) — ‘David thought about what they said and was very afraid of King Achish of Gath.’

I trust in you – Boice asks:

‘Do you trust God? If you are a Christian, you have trusted him in the matter of your salvation. That is the greatest thing. God has saved you from sin, hell, and the devil. If you are a Christian, you believe he has done that. But if he has done that, can you not also trust him in lesser things like loneliness or even those sometimes dangerous circumstances that cause fear and desperation?’

Christian faith is not mere intellectual assent: it is trust.

Christian fearlessness is not bravado, naivitie, wishful thinking, an act of will-power, or ‘whistling a happy tune’ (Song sung by ‘Anna’ in ‘The King & I’).

I boast in his promise – ‘whose word I praise’ (NIV).

Either, God’s general promises in Scripture about caring for his people, or else trust in some specific promise he has given. Either way, we do well to know Scripture well enough to be able to call those promises to mind in a crisis. (Goldingay)

‘Trust is not a “feeling” that all will work out for the best. It is a conviction arising from what God has himself said, a confidence in promises.’ (Motyer)

David repeatedly points to God’s promise, to God’s word, as his source of his confidence:

‘This is very important, because apart from the Word of God we do not know what God is like, and we certainly do not know what he has promised to do for us.’ (Boice)

What can mere men do to me? – ‘mortal man’ (NIV). Implied: ‘nothing that God does not permit’ (Ryrie).

Boice: the true answer would seem to be: ‘A lot!’ They could kill him! The news bulletin on any day would report multiple instances of cheating, cruelty, neglect, murder and miscarriages of justice:

‘Man can oppress, slander, hurt, hate, maim, and murder me, for starters. But, of course, that is not the answer David is giving us in Psalm 56. His answer is: Nothing! Not if God is for me and stands against the opposition.’

Wilkins agrees:

‘Obviously, mortal men had been able to make the psalmist’s life miserable. They twisted his words, plotted, conspired, and lurked, waiting eagerly to pounce and destroy (Psa 56:5–6). He had every reason to be afraid. Yet trust in God’s word rendered those fears obsolete.’

It would seem that mortal humans can do rather a lot of harm to me:

‘They can ruin my reputation with slander. They can fire me from the job I need to support myself and family. They can commit adultery and then abandon me in divorce. Human fathers can even abuse their defenseless daughters.’ (Wilkins)

‘Mere men’ – ‘mortal man’, in contrast to immortal God.

Luke 12:4–7 (NET) — 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

Romans 8:31 (NET) — If God is for us, who can be against us?

Hebrews 13:6 (NET) — So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

56:5 All day long they cause me trouble;
they make a habit of plotting my demise.
56:6 They stalk and lurk;
they watch my every step,
as they prepare to take my life.
56:7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape!
In your anger bring down the nations, O God!

All day long – Mentioned three times in the first 5 verses. The threat is continuous; there is no let-up.

They cause me trouble – or, ‘they injure my cause’ (ESV, NRSV); or, ‘they twist my words’ (NIV; similar: AV, NLT). With the latter interpretation in mind, Dickson writes:

‘Let the godly say or do whatsoever they can, how justly, how innocently soever they carry themselves, yet their adversaries will put another face upon their words and deeds than what is right.’

Spurgeon, similarly:

‘This is a common mode of warfare among the ungodly. They put our language on the rack, they extort meanings from it which it cannot be made fairly to contain. Thus our Saviour’s prophecy concerning the temple of his body, and countless accusations against his servants, were founded on wilful perversions.’

Consider ways in which the words of our Lord were misrepresented.

They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life – Wilson likens this to a boxer who bobs and weaves, waiting for the right opportunity to strike the knockout blow.

In your anger bring down the nations – or, ‘these people’ (Motyer).

But most commentators think that this is indeed a reference to ‘the nations’. If so, it represents a broading of perspective, from the specific to the more general. For Wilson, this reflects a post-exilic perspective, where the Jewish diaspora was suffering in the midst of a largely non-Jewish popoulation.

Ash, however, remains committed to his Messianic perspective:

‘This wider horizon strengthens our conviction that David is not asking for personal revenge but praying, as the king, for victory on behalf of his people over the enemies of the Messiah and his God; in the end, this is a prayer that only the King can pray.’

56:8 You keep track of my misery.
Put my tears in your leather container!
Are they not recorded in your scroll?

You keep track of my misery – or, ‘of my wanderings’ (as a fugitive). In this case, there may be an echo of the wanderings of Cain in Gen 4:14,16 –

‘Like Cain in his punishment but unlike Cain in his deservings, the Messiah wanders in a weary world. God watches and keeps loving count of each such fugitive movement.’ (Ash)

Spurgeon also thinks in terms of God keeping track of David’s ‘wanderings’:

‘Every step which the fugitive had taken when pursued by his enemies, was not only observed but thought worthy of counting and recording. We perhaps are so confused after a long course of trouble, that we hardly know where we have or where we have not been; but the omniscient and considerate Father of our spirits remembers all in detail, for he has counted them over as men count their gold, for even the trial of our faith is precious in his sight.’

NIV – ‘Record my lament’.

Put my tears in your leather container – Not, ‘list my tears on your scroll’ (NIV). As Wilson explains:

‘The image seems to reflect the practice in the arid climate of ancient Israel to preserve precious liquids—like water, wine, milk, etc.—in a leak-proof leather bag. Its small opening allowed the liquid to be dispersed efficiently into cup or mouth in a thin stream but inhibited evaporation. Although there is no clear evidence of a practice of saving tears in ancient Israel, the image is a potent one: The psalmist’s tears of lament are so precious to God that he collects and preserves them as he would water or wine.’

The implication is, of course, that David’s tears have been copious; but God take account of each one, just as he numbers each hair on the head of his beloved. Many of our tears are shed in private, unnoticed by anyone else: but God takes note of every one of them. And he remembers them.

Are they not recorded in your scroll? – God keeps a record of our griefs and sorrows. He will not forget them. He will come to our aid in his own way and in his own time.

‘Lamenters often complain that God is absent or fails to notice their suffering. The psalmist expresses confidence that God watches over him, even in the midst of his suffering.’ (FSB)

56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help;
I know that God is on my side.

I cry out to you for help – How often do we make prayer a last resort, rather than our first port of call. As someone once said: there is a great deal we can do after we have prayed, but nothing before we have prayed.

Jesus entrusted himself to the One who judges justly:

1 Peter 2:21–23 — 21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth.23 When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly.

As followers of Jesus we may be wronged for being Christians, or we may be wronged as Christians. Either way, justice will be done, whether through normal human means, or through the consequences of sin, or through God’s final judgement.

I know that God is on my side – ‘I will know that God is for me’ (NIV).

David had fled from Saul into the hands of the Philistines – from the frying pan into the fire. So have cannot have been reading this from his circumstances: he bases it on God’s promises (vv 4, 10).

The following is thought to be an allusion to v9b:

Romans 8:31 (NET) — ‘What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?’

What adversaries and aversities did Paul have in mind?

In our own day, UK legislation may be ‘against us’. In China, the Communist regime may be ‘against us’. In various parts of the world, militant Islam may be ‘against us’.

In the ITV series ‘Long Lost Families’, a recurring theme is: ‘Now I know that I was loved’.

56:10 In God—I boast in his promise—
in the LORD—I boast in his promise—
56:11 in God I trust, I am not afraid.
What can mere men do to me?
56:12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God;
I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve,
56:13 when you deliver my life from death.
You keep my feet from stumbling,
so that I might serve God as I enjoy life.

I boast in his promise – ‘In God, whose word I praise’ (NIV).

Against the wounding words of his enemies, David sets the promise of God.

Wilkins:

‘God’s Word is a source of confidence to those who are beset by enemies. When we are attacked, we need to be able to draw on the stable assurance of God’s Word rather than the wavering perspective of public opinion. In the midst of trouble, even our own words can be twisted and be made to condemn us. Attack by the enemy, fickle public opinion, our own wavering sense of self, guilt, and weakness—all these represent an inadequate measure of reality. Only God sees the true state of our affairs. Only he is able to pronounce a true judgment of righteousness and failure.’

The same writer continues:

‘That is why a ready familiarity with Scripture is one of the most serious lacks in many contemporary Christians’ lives. Too much of our faith is based on emotion and feeling. When the emotions fall—destroyed by the attacks of enemies, the misunderstanding of those around us, or our own failure of self-confidence—our sense of relationship with God can be undermined. At those moments we need to hold our emotions up to the clear testimony of God in Scripture.’

I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve – Wilson explains that such vows were usually promises to give something to God:

‘Fulfillment of a vow normally took place in the context of public worship and was accompanied with a sacrifice of thanksgiving.’

You deliver my life from death – Ultimately, this is the deliverance of eternal life, with the resurrection of Christ as the firstfruits, and the promise of our own resurrection as the unassailable hope.

Jesus, though cruelly and unjustly treated, was vindicated by his resurrection.

That I might serve God as I enjoy life – or, ‘That I may walk before God in the light of life’ (NIV, ESV, NRSV, etc.) – conjuring up the beautiful idea of the light of resurrection life.

John 8:12 (NET) — “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Boice: The fact that Jesus alludes to this verse in Psa 56 points to his enlightenment of the believer and the life which he imparts to us by his Spirit.

Eveson:

‘We look forward to the day when we shall be for ever in that new world where there is no more curse and no night for the Lord God gives his people light (Revelation 22:4–5).’

Futato:

‘This life-giving light is the Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:12). He experienced more severe opposition than we ever will. He trusted the promises of his Father. He was rescued from death, not by being kept from dying but by triumphing over death through his resurrection. He did all of this for us, that through faith in him we might appropriate Psalm 56 as our own, that we might move in our own troubles from fear to confidence and from lamentation to praise.’

For Wilkins, this speaks of communion with God as an antidote to fear:

‘When we walk consistently and faithfully in the light of life, we learn to trust God in the times of difficulty and challenge. God’s light illumines the way that we go. That is because in that regular contact with God, we experience life-giving light that keeps our feet from stumbling and gives us that “abundant life” God wants us to have in Christ (John 10:10). Again, suffering does not disappear, but the experience of God causes the pain of living to recede as we begin to fit within the broader perspective of God’s gracious love for us and his purposes for us and his world.’

For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rechovim style; a prayer of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

56:1 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me! All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me. 56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long. Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.

56:3 When I am afraid, I trust in you. 56:4 In God—I boast in his promise— in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

56:5 All day long they cause me trouble; they make a habit of plotting my demise. 56:6 They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life. 56:7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! In your anger bring down the nations, O God!

56:8 You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container! Are they not recorded in your scroll?

56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side.

56:1 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me!
All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me.
56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long.
Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.

56:3 When I am afraid,
I trust in you.
56:4 In God—I boast in his promise—
in God I trust, I am not afraid.
What can mere men do to me?

56:5 All day long they cause me trouble;
they make a habit of plotting my demise.
56:6 They stalk and lurk;
they watch my every step,
as they prepare to take my life.
56:7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape!
In your anger bring down the nations, O God!

56:8 You keep track of my misery.
Put my tears in your leather container!
Are they not recorded in your scroll?

56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help;
I know that God is on my side.