Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Psalm 54:1) (To the Chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, "Does not David hide himself with us?") Save me, O God, by Your name, and judge me by Your strength.
This psalm appears to more properly chronologically follow historical events than the last one. David specifically wrote that he composed this psalm when the Ziphites told Saul that David was hiding among them. That is what led Saul to having David surrounded when he was suddenly called away from pursuing David because a messenger had come and told him the Philistines were invading his land.
"Neginoth" is probably a stringed instrument on which David wished this psalm to be played. "Maschil" is the name David gave some of his psalms, but its meaning is somewhat obscure. It appears to come from a root word meaning "circumspect, intelligent," so perhaps it meant a psalm offering wisdom and instruction. David prayed that the Lord save him by His great name that encompassed all the perfections and attributes properly implied in His name, and that He judge his cause and vindicate him by the Lord's perfect and righteous judgment.
(2) Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
David had already put out his petitions to the Lord, to save him and judge him; now he pleaded with the Lord to hear his requests.
(3) For strangers are risen up against me and oppressors seek after my soul; they have not set God before them. Selah.
Not only were Saul and his army and servants pursuing David, but now strangers, the men of Ziph, who did not personally know him and his circumstances with Saul, also rose up against him. They had not set God before them, which I believe meant they had not consulted God to know if they acted according to His will. They rather acted according to their own will and to save their own skins being more afraid of what Saul might do to them than what their Lord might want and do. Selah was a pause for reflection.
(4) Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with them who uphold my soul.
David knew that God helped him, and he had faith that the Lord was with those who defended David's life, like his dear friend Jonathan and his small army of defenders.
(5) He shall reward evil to my enemies; cut them off in Your truth.
The original word "shub" which was translated as "reward" actually more precisely means "turn back." David had faith that the Lord would turn back the evil that his enemies intended for him, and yes, that might mean turning it back on themselves, therefore rewarding them with the evil they had intended for David. David prayed that his enemies be cut off according to the Lord's truth in the promises He had made to David regarding his reign as king.
(6) I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
David proclaimed that he would freely sacrifice to his Lord. He did not mean ritual sacrifices as that was impossible in his present circumstances but rather sacrifices of himself. As Paul said in Romans 12:1, David presented his body as a living sacrifice to God. At this time he offered freewill offerings of his mouth in the form of praise and thanksgiving for His name and His nature and being were all good.
(7) For He has delivered me out of all trouble, and my eye has seen it upon my enemies.
David acknowledged that God had delivered him out of all his troubles up to that point, and he had seen his enemies thwarted each time. And for that, David freely praised the Lord, and he had faith that the Lord would deliver him again. C. H. Spurgeon in The Treasury of David wrote, "He turns to God in prayer, and so strong was his faith that he soon sang himself into delightful serenity."
William Hill Tucker, who published a commentary on Psalms in 1840, wrote that this psalm was seen as a prophecy of Christ. "Read thus, it is very plain and intelligible, requiring little more than the first idea to exhibit a perfect correspondence with the life and feelings of the Messiah." I took the "challenge" and re-read it that way:
(1) Save me, O God, by Your name, and judge me by Your strength.
With the help of Matthew Henry and his commentary on this psalm, I now see the Ziphites as a representation of Judas Iscariot. They were of David's tribe, his own people, and they turned him in to the king. Jesus came to His own people, and they plotted against Him and went to the head of the government to have Jesus crucified. In John 12:27, Jesus actually used the words, "Save Me from this hour..."
(2) Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
Jesus prayed to God on different occasions. The most famous is His prayer in Gethsemane asking that the present cup be passed from Him (Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42), but of course, He went on to say that God's will be done. However, in His human flesh, He did agonize. Again in John 12:27, He first said, "Now is My soul troubled..." Hebrews 5:7 spoke of Jesus in the flesh who "had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears..." So these words in the psalm could be seen as the words of Jesus.
(3) For strangers are risen up against me and oppressors seek after my soul; they have not set God before them.
Absolutely strangers and oppressors sought after Jesus's soul and did not look to God.
(4) Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with them who uphold my soul.
Of course, God, and the part of Jesus who was God, gave Him strength to do the Father's will. And the Lord was with those who were His friends and His defenders.
(5) He shall reward evil to my enemies; cut them off in Your truth.
Just as the Lord would turn back the evil that David's enemies intended for him, certainly the evil intended by killing Jesus did not have the desired effect. Jesus conquered death and His movement grew. Satan's evil plans had certainly been cut off by God's truth in that through Jesus's death and resurrection, the whole world could be saved from death.
(6) I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, and He did it willingly.
(7) For He has delivered me out of all trouble, and my eye has seen it upon my enemies.
And of course, Jesus was delivered from all His earthly troubles and now sits at the right hand of the Father. And His will is being done on earth as He sees millions being saved from their enemies, and even previous enemies coming to repentance in Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment