December 28
Reading: Psalm 56
To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Psalm 56 continues the series of psalms, beginning in Psalm 52, written by David in trouble and under attack. The presence of enemies will continue to color David’s psalms through Psalm 64. It is clear that David often was under assault by foes, and even friends at times. (Psalm 55:12-14) His response is to cry out to God. From beginning to end in this psalm, David is addressing God.
Many of these psalms begin with an ascription that tells us what situation inspired the writing. Psalm 56 was written sometime during the events of 1 Samuel 21:10-15. David is feeling very much alone and helpless. So he prays.
Psalm 56 is a poem of trust in God. The entire message is one of trust in God amid troubles, slander, and assault. Moreover, three times in this psalm David says, “I put my trust in God.” (vss. 3, 4, and 11) Who or what do you trust in when under attack? Yourself? Friends? The law? Your trust is misplaced. Trust God to rescue you.
Consider how David describes his assailants. They trample upon him. They attack him. They are proud of their attacks upon him. They injure his cause. They wish evil upon him in their thoughts. They get other people to hate him. They lurk, watching him to catch him doing something that they can use against him.
How would you feel? Well, David says that God knows. (vs. 8) David’s enemies might be scheming and watching him, but God is watching them. God has plans too. And God’s plans will not go well for those who attack God’s people.
David knows that God will deliver him. Why? God will do this so that David can continue to honor and serve God.
Consider the repetition of verse 4 in verses 10-11. This is the point of this psalm, quoted again in Psalm 118:6 and Hebrews 13:6. If you trust in God, what can man do to you? You know the answer.