Jim Peters

Psalm 56

Written by King David – For the Choir Director
A Maskil (which possibly has to do with understanding or pondering OR may be to do with performance – (to the tune of)[1] Jonath elem rehokim (which means “the silent dove of those who are distant”.  It was written) after the Philistines took him in Gath 

¹ God, show me mercy (because) people[2] have crushed me.

They[3] fight (with me) all day and oppress me.

² My enemies have crushed me all day

And there are many who fight proudly against me.

³ At the time I’m afraid

I will trust in you,

⁴ I’ll (trust in) God, and I’ll praise your word

I trust in God

I won’t be afraid.

What can a human[4] do to me?

⁵ All day they twist[5] my words.

All their plans against me are evil.

⁶ They attack, they hide,

They watch (every) step I take and they wait (to take) my life.

⁷ Will they escape because of their wickedness?

God, take (those) nations down in anger.

⁸ You have recorded my wandering,

You have put my tears in your bottle.

Aren’t they in your book?

⁹ Then my enemies with turn back on the day I call.

I know this: God is for me.

¹⁰ God (whose) word I praise,

The Lord (whose) word I praise.

¹¹ I trust in God and I won’t be afraid,

(So) what can people[6] do to me?

¹² Your promises are to me, God.

I will repay you with a “thank you” sacrifice.

¹³ You have rescued my soul from death,

My feet didn’t stumble,

So that I can walk in God’s presence

In the light of the living.

Application

There is an enemy that’s trying to pull me down and ruin every plan that God has for my life.  If I don’t recognise that I’m in the battle, then I stand in great peril.  The fight may come through people or it may be spiritual and, in our society today, we tend to play down the supernatural.  However, the fact that I don’t acknowledge something doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.  I need to stand against powers and principalities.  I need to bring down every argument that would exalt itself against the name of Jesus Christ.  I need to take a stand for God and his righteousness.

If I get scared, that’s the time that I remember my trust is in God and not in circumstances.  I am to praise God and his Word, remembering that Jesus himself was called the Word of God.

The enemy won’t pull any punches or let go.  He hates me and he does no deals that will make my life easier if I don’t fight.  My only chance for peace is to fight!

God is for me.  If God is for me, what can happen to me?  Nothing!  God is my protection and my rescuer.  Scripture even says that he fights for me as I fight.  I can trust God and therefore I don’t need to be afraid of anything.  God supports me, saves me, protects me, not only so that I can be with him for eternity but so that I can walk with him here on earth.

Prayer

I choose to trust you God.  There is no one like you and there is no other hope for me.  Thank you that you fight for me.  Thank you that you send angels to protect me and minister to me.  Please make me strong to continue the fight and bold to go into the enemy’s camp and plunder them.

God, you are my strength and my fortress.  You are my hope and in you I put my trust.  Show me where you want me in the battle so that I only fight for you and don’t get mixed up in things that I should avoid.  Fill me Holy Spirit.

IJN Amen

© & (P) IJN Publishing & Production 2009
All rights reserved – This material may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher

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Psalm 55:14-23

¹⁴ We, who had a sweet friendship together,

walked to God’s house with the crowd.

¹⁵ Let death deceive them.

Let them go down alive into the grave

Evil has its home among them.

¹⁶ I will call on God

And the Lord will save me.

¹⁷ Morning, noon and night I will complain and cry aloud

And he will hear my voice,

¹⁸ He will buy back my life in peace and safety from the battle.

Many (are against me).

¹⁹ Mighty God will hear and answer them.

He has sat (on the throne) from the ancient times.

[Stop and think about that!][1]

He (answers those) who never change

And who aren’t afraid of God.

²⁰ (My friend) has stretched out his hands against (those) who were at peace with him.

He has broken[2] his legally binding agreement with me.

²¹ His mouth is smoother than butter

But his inner being (wanted) war;

His words were softer than oil

But they were drawn swords.

²² Throw everything that is given to you onto the Lord and he will support you.

He will never let[3] (those who) do what is right to be overthrown

²³ But God will bring men who lie and shed blood down to the pit of destruction.

They won’t live out half their days.

But I will trust in you.

Application

People may betray me, hurt me, offend me, criticise me or persecute me. However, I will call on God and he will save me.  This has to be the one pillar in my life.  People are bound to fail me at some time, but God is always true and always faithful.  I may fail God, but God will never fail me.

When I call to him, even in the complaining and murmuring, he listens to me. In addition, He not only saves me but he invests in my salvation.  The psalmist probably had little idea as he wrote, but God paid for that salvation with the life of his one and only perfect Son.  He didn’t just bring me back from the peril of the battle, he paid a price so that I could be restored to peace and safety.

Those who are against God’s people will have to answer to God.  So I need to ensure that I’m one of God’s people.

God is eternal.  He has always been sitting on the throne and he never changes because he’s perfect.

However, if I never change and if those who are against God never change, his judgement and punishment are sure.  I need to have a healthy respect for God.  I must be in awe of him and his power.  I can then throw EVERYTHING onto god and he will carry me. There is nothing too difficult and nothing that falls outside his willingness to help.  I just need to submit to him and I need to trust him

Prayer

Father, thank you that even when everything seems to be going wrong you are still in total control.  Thank you that you are always true and always faithful, that you always keep your promises.  Thank you that all the promises of God are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus.

Father, lead me into your way today.  I throw EVERYTHING onto you.  I confess that I am out of control and that I want you to be in control of my life.  I willingly hand it all over to you.

Please come and save me.  Please show me what to do and what not to do. Fill me Holy Spirit and make me more and more like Jesus.

IJN Amen

© & (P) IJN Publishing & Production 2009
All rights reserved – This material may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher

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Psalm 55:1-13

Written by King David – For the Choir Director
A Maskil (which possibly has to do with understanding or pondering OR may be to do with performance.)  For stringed instruments.

 ¹ God, listen to my prayer and

don’t hide from my request for favour and mercy.

² Hear and answer me. 

I am restless (with) anxiety and shaken up

³ because of the enemy’s voice and

because[1] of the pressure of the wicked. 

They drop trouble on me.

They’re angry (with) me and hate me.

⁴ I am twisted up in my inner being and

the terror of death has fallen in me.

⁵ I have started to fear and tremble[2]. 

Horror is covering me.

⁶ I said, “(If only) someone had given me wings like a dove

and I could fly away and settle down.”

⁷ See, I would run far away

and stay in the desert.

[Stop and think about that!][3]

⁸ I would hurry to my place of escape

from the fierce wind and the storm.

⁹ Lord, swallow them up. 

Divide their language.

I have seen cruelty and fighting in the city.

¹⁰ They go around on (the city) walls

day and night

and wickedness and trouble are among them.

¹¹ Destruction is among them. 

Oppression and lies don’t (ever) leave here streets.

¹² It’s not an enemy (who is trying) to disgrace me. 

I could take that. 

It’s not (someone who) hates me (who has) made himself great over me.

(Then) I could hide from him.

¹³ But it’s you, a person equal to me,

my friend (who) I know.

Application

I love the honesty in the psalms but I can’t help recognising what a privilege I have to live in a county with relative peace and safety.  I can only imagine the trauma and pain that David was suffering as he wrote this psalm in fear of his life.  I can only imagine the threat of death that he was under and the fact that it was from a close friend.

In this state, he calls out to God, possibly because he recognised there is no other hope when things are that bad.  I need to learn to call out to God whether things are bad or not.  When abundance flows, as it does in our society, it’s just too easy to fall into sin and away from God.  Perhaps ours is the more dangerous place to be in after all.

Even David says he would rather live in the desert than to live in this fear and danger.  I need to prefer the desert to the things that would endanger my life and lead me away from God.

Certainly I live in a city where the people go around entertaining every kind of wickedness.  There is violence in some places and there is immorality everywhere.  My city needs to be rescued from the lies and destruction that is coming on her and God has called me for this purpose.  I need to remember this every day and not be so intent on living in my own safe house.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the safety and peace that you have given me.  I am so grateful for the security that I live in.  Father, you know the areas in which I am oppressed and have need and I call on you to bring victory in those areas of my life.

Please also stir up my heart so that wickedness and lies are overthrown in this city and wherever you take me.  It’s such an immense task and I need you to lead me where you want me to be.  Enable me to be persuasive in convincing others to join the fight against evil and against you enemies.

IJN Amen

© & (P) IJN Publishing & Production 2009
All rights reserved – This material may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher

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