December 27
Reading: Psalm 55
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
from the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst; oppression
and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
then I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
within God’s house we walked in the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
let them go down to Sheol alive;
for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
16 But I call to God,
and the LORD will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old,
Selah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.
20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;
he violated his covenant.
21 His speech was smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you;
he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
Hove you ever been betrayed by a friend? Have you ever had someone you trusted and confided in turn on you and became an enemy? Jesus did. David did.
Psalm 55 is a prayer of David after having a dear friend become a treacherous enemy. We do not know exactly who this person or persons were. Maybe it was Saul. Maybe it was one of his advisors or generals. Maybe it was his son, Absalom. David was betrayed a few times at least. It deeply hurt him. You can tell that from this psalm.
The first eight verses let us know that so hurt is David that he can hardly think about anything else. He is scared and horrified and wishes that he could be transported to another place and time.
Then in verses 9-11 David asks God to divide them and destroy them. David is seeing the results of their betrayal in the lives of many people. There might be times when someone thinks it is a clever idea to betray a friend, to sow pain among people he doesn’t like, to carry out his own idea of vengeance upon another person, but the results are never good. Turning on a friend or fellow follower of God has long lasting effects on one’s character and relationships.
The immediate effect of this betrayal we can see in David’s heart in verses 12-15. You can feel the hurt in David’s words written here. And, so, David turns to God for salvation, redemption, a listening ear, and justice.
In the final two verses, David is preaching. He is urging us to trust in the Lord. When someone betrays you or hurts you deeply, do not seek your own revenge. Hand them over to God. This is important for you, and God is the only one who knows what they need.