David Spares Saul's Life

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 24:1) And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi."

When we last left David, before the interlude of psalms, Saul had left off from pursuing David because he was told that the Philistines were invading the land, and he went to take care of them.  Meanwhile, David had moved on to En Gedi, but Saul was informed that he was hiding out there.

(2) Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

Saul took three thousand choice men out of his army and went to search out David and his men upon the rocks of En Gedi which, it seems, were the delight of the wild goats.

(3) And he came to the sheepcotes by the way where there was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet, and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

A sheepcote was a pen or covered enclosure for sheep which could have been a cave for them to get out of the heat of the sun during the day or rest at night.  Saul came to such a place and went into a cave to relieve himself, which was the meaning of the phrase to cover one's feet.  I suppose it comes from the fact that if one crouched to relieve himself, his garments would cover his feet.  David and his men happened to be hiding in the sides of that cave, obviously in deep recesses not visible to Saul.

(4) And the men of David said to him, "Behold the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.

Although there is no record of the Lord saying those exact words, David's men told him that this was evidently the day the Lord had delivered Saul into his hand to do what seemed right to him.  David just arose and secretly came up behind Saul and cut off the skirt of his robe.

(5) And it came to pass afterward that David's heart struck him because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

After David had done what he had done, he felt guilty about cutting off Saul's skirt, probably because he realized he had taken advantage of the king, his sovereign, in a compromising and undignified position.

(6) And he said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord."

David told his men that he could not consider taking the life of his king, as he was the anointed king of the Lord.

(7) So David stayed his servants with these words and did not allow them to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way.

Thus David stayed his men from rising up against Saul with his words.  And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

(8) David also arose afterward and went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed himself.

After Saul went out of the cave, David also rose up and went out after Saul.  He spoke to him, and when Saul looked back at him, David bowed before the king.

(9) And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to men's words, saying, 'David seeks your harm'?"

David then asked Saul why he listened to the people who said that David sought his harm.  Actually, it was Saul who stirred men against David, but David chose to lay the blame on others rather than to accuse Saul. 

(10) "Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord had delivered you today into my hand in the cave and bade kill you, but I spared you, and I said, 'I will not put forth my hand against my lord for he is the Lord's anointed.'"

David went on to tell Saul that he had just witnessed that the Lord had delivered Saul to him by bringing him into the very cave where David was hiding.  It was not the Lord who bade David to kill Saul, but rather he himself felt prompted to do it.  The original word "amar" that was transcribed as "bade" also means "to say in one’s heart, to think, to intend."  The fact that the Lord had sent Saul into the cave with David made his first impulse be that He was delivering him for him to kill him.  But that was only his knee-jerk reaction.  He spared Saul's life and told him that he had consciously decided he would not put forth his hand to do any harm to the Lord's anointed king.  

(11) "Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of your robe in my hand, for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that neither evil nor transgression is in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, yet you hunt my soul to take it."

David then showed Saul the edge of the skirt of his robe that he had cut off, demonstrating the fact he had had an opportunity to kill him, but he did not.  He reasoned that because of that, Saul should realize that David wished no evil against him and would not sin against him.  However, Saul was intent on killing David.

(12) "The Lord judge between me and you, and the Lord avenge me of you, but my hand shall not be upon you."

David told Saul it was for the Lord to judge between him and Saul, and if it was His will, it was for the Lord to avenge David of Saul, but he himself would not lay a hand upon him.  Once again, the Lord through David was giving Saul a chance to repent of his actions against David.

(13) "As says the proverb of the ancients, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked,' but my hand shall not be against you."

It's not one of the Biblical proverbs, but it was an old saying that wickedness proceeded from the wicked.  It could have been David's way of gently hinting to Saul that only a wicked man would choose to do wickedness as in Saul pursuing David for no good cause.  However, in David's case, he would do no evil against the king because he was not wicked.  Jesus spoke truth into this old saying when He said that a good tree could not produce bad fruit, and a corrupt tree could not bring forth good fruit (Matthew 7:18).  He also said that the evil could not speak good things, for out of the abundance of their hearts, their mouths spoke (Matthew 12:34).

(14) "After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog, after a flea."

David asked Saul who it was that he pursued.  In David's opinion, it was after one who was completely incapable of defending himself against the king and his vast army, one who could do no harm to the king, one as insignificant as a flea or a dead dog.  

(15) "The Lord therefore be judge and judge between me and you, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand."

David again called on the Lord to judge between him and Saul, to see the injustice of Saul's pursuit of him, take up his cause, and deliver him out of the hand of Saul.

(16) And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

Saul had stood still and heard David out.  I'm sure he was awestruck when he saw David come out of the cave he had just been in with the skirt of his robe in his hand.  He asked David a rather rhetorical question if it was truly him who spoke to him.  He called him his son, as David was his son-in-law.  He then wept aloud.

(17) And he said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded you evil. (18) And you have showed this day how you have dealt well with me, for when the Lord had delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me."

Saul told David that he was more righteous than he, Saul, was.  He recognized that David had only done good toward him, as he had only desired evil against David.  Specifically, Saul could see how David had dealt with him that very day, when the Lord had delivered Saul right to him, and he did not kill him.

(19) "For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go well away? Therefore the Lord reward you good for what you have done to me this day."

Saul's point was that it was highly unusual for a man to find his enemy and then to let him go away safely.  Therefore he offered a blessing to David that the Lord bless him mightily for the good he had done to Saul.  David had often prayed to the Lord to take out his enemy (Psalm 17:13, Psalm 140:10), so it would have been reasonable for David to assume that the Lord had answered his prayers and had delivered Saul into his hand to kill him.  However, David chose a spiritual Godly response.  

This reminds me of the time in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas had been beaten and thrown in prison, and they prayed and sang praises to God.  Their prayers were answered, and a great earthquake came and broke all the prison bars.  However, Paul and Silas did not leave.  The prison guard had awakened, and when he saw all the prison cells opened, he took out his sword to kill himself, knowing that he would have been killed for letting all the prisoners escape.  Paul stopped him, saying they were still there, and he was converted.  He then took them home with him, and his whole household was saved.  The next day the magistrates sent word to let Paul and Silas go free.  Had Paul and Silas run free thinking very reasonably that the Lord sent the earthquake to answer their prayers and free them, a man and his entire household would not have been saved.  And isn't that the ultimate will of God, that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)?  And as it was also still His will that Paul and Silas be freed, that was still done.  When we do the right thing according to God's will, He will bless and protect us.  And even if it doesn't seem to us that we were saved or protected from harm, I guarantee that God works all things together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  

Back to David and Saul, God was giving Saul another chance to repent, but it was up to Saul to follow through.

(20) "And now, behold, I know well that you shall surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand."

Saul admitted to David that he was now truly convinced that David was to be king, seeing that the Lord had preserved him from Saul's hand.  He probably also recalled the prophecy of Samuel that the Lord had torn his kingdom away from him and had given it to a neighbor of his (1 Samuel 15:28).  Interestingly, it was after Samuel had turned to leave Saul, that Saul laid hold of the skirt of Samuel's robe, and it tore.  That is when Samuel told Saul that his kingdom would also be torn from him.  And back to the present time, David had torn the skirt of Saul's garment, reinforcing God's will that David would take over the kingdom from Saul.

(21) "Swear now therefore to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house."

Saul then asked David to swear an oath that he would not destroy his descendants after him, thereby destroying his name out of his father's house.  That had been the usual custom at the time.  When one advanced to the throne of another, he usually destroyed all remaining descendants so that there would be no rivals with him.

(22) And David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

David did swear to Saul that he would not cut off his posterity, and Saul went back to his palace in Gibeah.  Interestingly, David and his men went back to their stronghold.  It seems he wisely did not trust Saul not to reverse his thinking and go back to trying to kill him.  After all, had there been a true repentance on Saul's part, he might have invited his son-in-law back to his palace and back to David's home with David's wife, Saul's daughter.

In the Shadow of Your Wings

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Psalm 17:1) (A Prayer of David) Hear the right, O Lord, attend to my cry, give ear to my prayer not out of feigned lips.

David was still hiding out from Saul in strong holds at En Gedi when we last left him.  He may have composed this psalm at that time.  He prayed that the Lord hear the cry of the righteous, which is how the word that was translated as "right" is usually interpreted.  He asked that the Lord hearken to and regard his prayer that came from honest lips, not deceitful ones.

(2) Let my sentence come forth from Your presence; let Your eyes behold the things that are equal.

David asked God to pronounce a sentence in his case.  He prayed that the Lord consider what was just and right.

(3) You have proved my heart; You have visited in the night; You have tried me and shall find nothing; I am purposed my mouth shall not transgress.

David said that the Lord had examined his heart, even in the secret quiet times of the night.  The Lord had tried David.  The word translated as "tried" meant more precisely "refined."  The Lord had tried and refined David as he was subjected to many trials.  I believe there is always something sinful to be found in us flawed humans, like perhaps pride in the fact we think we are sinless.  As 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  However, I believe that David meant in this case he had done nothing wrong to deserve his enemies' treatment of him.  In fact, he had purposed within himself not to do or say evil against Saul and his men who sought his life.

(4) Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept from the paths of the destroyer.

With respect to the works or doings of men, God's word had preserved David and had kept him from falling into the hands of the destroyer, the devil and his evil minions.

(5) Hold up my goings in Your paths, that my footsteps do not slip.

David prayed that the Lord uphold and support him in His ways, in the way he should go, that he not slip and fall into sin and danger.

(6) I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, my speech.

David called upon the Lord because he knew He would hear him.  He had confidence that the Lord would hear the words that he spoke.

(7) Show Your marvelous lovingkindness, O You who save by Your right hand those who put their trust from those who rise up.

David asked that the Lord show His "marvelous" loving kindness, more precisely "distinguished, separated," as only the Lord could do, over and above what could be imagined by mere men, the Lord who saved those who put their trust in Him against those who would rise up against them.

(8) Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Your wings, (9) From the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies compassing me about.

David asked that the Lord protect him as one would protect the tender pupils of their eyes, hide him under His protective wings as a mother hen would protect her chicks.  David asked for that protection from the wicked men who oppressed him and surrounded him.

(10) They are enclosed in their own fat; with their mouth they speak proudly.

Fat often referred to wealth and power, which Saul certainly had, but I believe David referred more to their pride and vanity.  They were puffed up with pride and self-righteousness as the stomach might be with fat, and therefore they spoke proudly.

(11) They have now compassed us in our steps; they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth, (12) Like as a lion is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

David's enemies surrounded him and his small army wherever they went, intently following their tracks like a hunter or like a lion tracking its prey, lurking in secret places ready to pounce and seize its prey at once.

(13) Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down; deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword. 

David prayed that the Lord rise up and frustrate or thwart his enemy's plans.  He asked the Lord to deliver him from the hand of his enemy with His sword which could mean any divine instrument or method the Lord used.  

(14) From men Your hand, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure; they are full of children and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

David prayed that the Lord deliver him by His hand from men who had their portion only among the living, meaning they had nothing to look forward to in the afterlife.  The Lord gave them what they wanted.  All things either come from the Lord or are permitted by Him, so in that respect He filled them with secret treasures on earth to be left to their children, but they had laid up no treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

(15) As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with Your likeness.

In contrast to his enemies who sought only worldly goods, David would look to the Lord.  He would be completely satisfied to awake every morning to His Lord.  However, the meaning is surely deeper, in that David would be more than satisfied to awake from the dead in the presence of His Lord.

David's Prayer for Defense Against His Enemies

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.

Complaining Leads to Praying Leads to Faith Leads to Rejoicing

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

Saul had been pursuing David relentlessly, and David had just narrowly escaped Saul when Saul and his army had David and his small army surrounded.  However, a messenger suddenly had come to Saul and told him their land was being invaded by the Philistines, and Saul left off from pursuing David and went back to fight the Philistines.  It is believed that David could have composed the following psalm at that time:

(Psalm 13:1) (To the chief musician, A Psalm of David) How long will you forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

I find it hard to believe that David would have composed this psalm so soon after God had delivered him out of the hand of Saul.  But then again, in his weakened state of despair, did he even realize that it was God keeping him out of Saul's hands?  God had obviously not forgotten David, but why did he prolong his suffering at the hands of Saul?  God could have taken Saul out at any point.  He could have never sent the evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14) to trouble Saul.  But God's actions are always perfect; He can be nothing other than perfect.  His judgment is completely righteous and just; it can be no other way, as it is His very nature.  Saul had rejected the will of God in preference to his own; he had sinned against God.  God was completely righteous in punishing Saul's sin; however, He was actually providing a way for Saul to repent.  When Saul was plagued by the evil spirit, he was soothed by David's harp.  But rather than reflect on what had brought him to such circumstances and repent for his sins, he was arrogant and jealous of David and driven to hatred of him.

In the case of David, God was teaching David to have complete reliance on Him.  David had already demonstrated that he could lie and rely on trickery to save his skin.  He had lied and had Jonathan lie for him when he failed to appear at the king's table during a feast (1 Samuel 20:6), and that almost got Jonathan killed by Saul (1 Samuel 20:33) when he cast his javelin at him.  The priests at Nob did get killed when Ahimelech helped David after he lied to him about his circumstances (1 Samuel 21:2).  David's methods were not the best, and God wanted David to depend solely on Him, so He allowed David to be pursued relentlessly by Saul in order for him to realize it was only by God's grace and protection that Saul did not succeed in killing him.  Of course, God had not forgotten David or hidden His face from him.  God was refining David to be His chosen king, the man after His own heart, and the father of the line from which the Messiah would come.

(2) How long shall I take counsel in my soul, sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

David felt so sad and forgotten by the Lord that he felt he must devise his own plans to save himself.  He wondered how long he would have to live like that with his enemy exalted over him.  But I believe that was the point, to have David reach the point when he knew that his own personal counsels and devices were useless and that only God could save him.  David knew that; that's why he lamented the fact that God seemed not there for him.  Perhaps God had indeed pulled back for a time to have David earnestly seek Him, let go of his own ego, and patiently wait on the Lord.  Let go and let God, as they say.  

(3) Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep death.

David prayed that the Lord hear him and consider his agony.  Lightening David's eyes could have different meanings.  Perhaps his eyes were actually darkened, clouded with much grief.  He wished them to be lightened and brightened with renewed strength.  Perhaps it was more a metaphor of how dark things felt, and David wished them to be lightened.  Or perhaps he meant that he wanted the Lord to enlighten his eyes and himself to see God's plan.  In whatever respect, David felt that if his eyes were not lightened, he would die.  He had a dread of dying.  Contrast that to Paul in the New Testament who looked forward to dying because he would be in eternity with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:8).  Of course, David did not have the full knowledge of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice at this point, but I believe the Lord was teaching him not to fear death but to depend on Him.

(4) Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him;" those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

Another reason that David prayed that the Lord hear him was that his enemy would think he had prevailed against him and would rejoice.  Is that a bit of ego speaking that David wanted to be the winner?  No one wants to lose to someone who deceitfully and unjustly won.  I think injustice bothers us more than losing.  And God is not unjust.  David appealed to the righteousness of God that evil not be allowed to win.  And the Lord does care about that in some instances depending upon what His will is at that time.  In Deuteronomy 32:27, He said He didn't want to punish His people so harshly that the enemy would have faith in their own strength and believe that He had been unable to save them.

(5) But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

David turned from complaining to proclaiming his faith in the Lord and His mercy and His salvation.  I love the way Dr. John Gill described David's transition in his Exposition of the Bible:

The faith, hope, and comfort of the psalmist grew and increased by prayer; from complaining he goes to praying, from praying to believing; he trusted not in himself, not in his own heart, nor in his own righteousness and merits, but in the mercy of God; and not in the bare absolute mercy of God, but in the grace and goodness of God...

And of course, faith in the salvation of Jesus Christ.

(6) I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me.

And finally from believing to rejoicing!  And in that I finally come to realize the lesson of this psalm.  Throughout this short psalm, I have tried to reconcile David's complaints about a God whom he accuses of forgetting him when He had done so much for him with the man after God's own heart.  How were David's complaints any different from the complaints of the Israelites in the desert whom God often punished?  As always, it comes back to the heart of man.  God knows the heart, and He also knows human weakness.  In his weakness, David complained, but then he prayed to the One who could resolve his complaints, and in praying, he began to have faith in God to save him, and finally he rejoiced in God, who inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).  This psalm is a perfect representation of the weakness of man in times of trouble and a guide for what to do about it.

Saul Pursues David

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 23:14) And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

David had come out of hiding to fight the Philistines in Keilah, but when God told him that the men of Keilah would turn him over to Saul, he fled again.  He hid out in the strong rocks and caves of a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph, a city in the southern part of Judah.  Saul sought him every day, but God did not allow him to find him.

(15) And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

It appears that David may have heard or seen Saul coming near to where he was, and he hid out in the woods of Ziph.  He had 600 men with him; perhaps the forest was a better place for them to hide.

(16) And Jonathan Saul's son arose and went to David in the wood and strengthened his hand in God. (17) And he said to him, "Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you, and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you, and that also Saul my father knows."

Saul's son, Jonathan, came to David in the woods.  He encouraged and strengthened David's faith in the Lord.  That is what good Christian friends are supposed to do, lift each other up in times of trouble and build them up spiritually.  He told David not to fear Saul because he would not find him, that he would be king over Israel.  Whether Jonathan received a revelation that that would indeed happen, or he had faith that it would happen, he was sure that David would be king, and that he, Jonathan, would always be next to him, not wishing to be the next king which would have naturally been the case as the son of Saul, but next to David, God's chosen king and his best friend, to aid him in whatever was needed.  And his father knew that to be the case, also.

(18) And they two made a covenant before the Lord, and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

Jonathan and David renewed their covenant of friendship and loyalty, and David stayed there in the woods while Jonathan went back to his home.

(19) Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Does not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the woods in the hill of Hachilah which is on the south of Jeshimon? (20) Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down, and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand."

Saul had returned to his usual residence in Gibeah, and the people of Ziph came to him there and informed him that David was hiding in the woods there, specifically in a hill called Hachilah, south of Jeshimon in Judah.  These were men of David's own tribe of Judah who were turning him in.  It's just as David had said in the last post in Psalm 31:11, he was a reproach even to his neighbors.  The Ziphites encouraged the king to go down to Ziph, and they would deliver David to him.

(21) And Saul said, "Blessed are you of the Lord, for you have compassion on me. (22) Go, I pray you, prepare yet and know and see his place where his haunt is, who has seen him there, for it is told me that he deals very subtly."

Saul commended the Ziphites for telling him where David was hiding and considered them blessed of the Lord because they had compassion on him on account of his troubles with David.  It always turns my stomach when evil people call on God to help them in their evil schemes, as if God wanted Saul to kill His anointed.  Talk about using God's name in vain!  I suppose as Saul was once a follower of God, perhaps he didn't even realize how far he had dropped out of God's favor.  He told the Ziphites to go back and make sure they knew exactly where David was, as he knew him to be quite crafty in his hiding.

(23) "See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and come again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you, and it shall come to pass, if he is in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah."

Saul continued, telling the Ziphites to go and learn all of David's hideouts, and when they returned to him with certainty, he would then go with them to Ziph, and he would search him out throughout all the thousands of people in Judah.  This delay of Saul's may have actually been of the Lord to give David time to get away.

(24) And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul, but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.

The Ziphites returned to their land, but David and his men had moved to the wilderness of Maon in the plain rather than on the hill where he had been; he was now even further south of Jeshimon.

(25) Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David; therefore he came down to a rock and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

Saul and his men then went to seek David, perhaps because the Ziphites had returned and informed him of where David was, or maybe because he got impatient, we aren't told.  Then it was told to David that Saul and his men had come down to get him, and he went to a rock, probably a rocky cave, to hide in the wilderness of Maon.  Then Saul heard David was there and pursued him there.

(26) And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul, for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them.

Saul and his men went to the very mountain where David was hiding.  They were on one side of the mountain, and David was on the other.  David ran to get away from Saul, but by then Saul and his men had him and his men surrounded.

(27) But there came a messenger to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!" (28) Therefore Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.

At that moment, certainly designed by God in His perfect timing, a messenger came to Saul to tell him that the Philistines had invaded their land.  So Saul left off his pursuit of David and returned to fight the Philistines.  Afterward, the place was called Sela Hammahlekoth, which literally meant "rock of divisions," which I suppose referred to the fact that Saul was on one side of the rocky mountain and David on the other, with just the top of the rocky mountain between them or dividing them.

(29) And David went up from there and dwelt in strong holds at En Gedi.

So David left the wilderness of Maon and went to En Gedi which was a deserted and cavernous place at the Dead Sea, and he likely dwelt in the caves there.

God is My Rock and My Fortress

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 23:7) And it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand, for he is shut in by entering into a town that has gates and bars."

David had come out of hiding to fight against the Philistines in Keilah.  When Saul heard that David was in Keilah, he saw it as a good thing because the city was surrounded by gates and bars, and David would be shut in.  However, it had been God who told David to go to Keilah to save them from the Philistines.

(8) And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

Saul called all the people to war.  Saul had a huge army of subjects except for those 400 who were disgruntled with Saul and had joined David (1 Samuel 22:2).  Saul called for his people to go to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

(9) And David knew that Saul secretly practiced mischief against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring here the ephod."

David knew that Saul was secretly scheming against him, as he always was.  He told Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, the only priest to have escaped Saul's slaughter in Nob, to bring the ephod with which he might inquire of the Lord on his behalf.

(10) Then said David, "O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. (11) Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech You, tell Your servant." And the Lord said, "He will come down."

David cried out to the Lord that he had heard Saul was coming to Keilah and that he would destroy the whole city just to get David.  He asked the Lord if the men of Keilah would deliver him into Saul's hand to save their city.  He asked if Saul would indeed come to Keilah, and the Lord answered through means of the Urim and Thummim in the high priest's ephod that Saul would indeed come.

(12) Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the Lord said, "They will deliver you up."

David then repeated his other question about whether or not the men of Keilah would deliver him into Saul's hands.  The Lord said that they indeed would, which is sad considering David had just saved them from the Philistines.

(13) Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go. And it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, and he ceased to go forth.

It appears that David's band had now grown to 600, and they all departed out of Keilah because the Lord had said that the men of Keilah would deliver David into Saul's hands if they stayed.  They went wherever they could go, where they might feel safe from Saul.  When Saul heard that David had left Keilah, he did not go there.

David had been forced to run away again because Saul pursued him.  My chronological study suggests that David may have composed the following psalm at that time:

(Psalm 31:1) (To the chief musician, a Psalm of David) In You, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in your righteousness.

I can't imagine that at times like these, David would be thinking of how the chief musician was to play his songs, so I have to believe that he referred to this and other psalms later when he was in a position to direct songs of worship.  David began this psalm by telling the Lord that he put his trust in Him.  He wanted never to be ashamed.  That can have so many different meanings.  May the Lord keep him from sinning so that he be not ashamed of his sin.  May he never be ashamed to publicly declare and call on his Lord.  May the Lord deliver him so that he never be ashamed of having trusted in the Lord.  It's not that David would ever be ashamed of his faith in the Lord, but I believe it was a way of saying let his victory be so that his enemy would never have occasion to try to shame him because of his faith in the Lord.  David prayed for deliverance because the Lord was righteous, not because there was any righteousness in him.

(2) Bow down Your ear to me; deliver me speedily; be my strong rock for a house of defense to save me.

David implored the Lord to hear his need and deliver him quickly as he must have felt he was in immediate danger.  He prayed that his Lord be his strong defense and protection against his enemies in order to save him.

(3) For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore for Your name's sake lead me and guide me.

David declared that the Lord was indeed his strong defense and protection.  For the sake of the Lord's own honor, David prayed that the Lord lead him and guide him in ways that would honor his Lord.  Let him always be a good witness for the Lord.

(4) Pull me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for You are my strength.

David prayed that the Lord deliver him out of the trap his enemies had secretly laid for him, for it was the Lord upon whom David depended on to be his strength in his time of trouble.

(5) Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

David vowed that he had committed his soul into the hand of his Lord and Savior because He alone had redeemed him.  These were the prophetic words that Jesus would later cry on the cross (Luke 23:46) right before He breathed His last breath.  Through His plan for Jesus Christ taking upon Himself the sin of the world, David was redeemed as would all Christians be.

(6) I have hated them who regard lying vanities, but I trust in the Lord.

As Jesus would say in Matthew 6:24, no man can serve two masters; he will naturally love one and hate the other.  David said he hated those who followed the deceitful vanities, as idols were often called.  He trusted and served only the Lord as his Master.

(7) I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, for You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, (8) And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large room.

David would always be glad, joyful, because of the Lord's love and mercy.  The Lord had always been merciful to David in his troubles; He had seen and known him in all circumstances of his life.  Nothing takes God by surprise; He is in control even in the midst of adversity.  Indeed, the Lord had not allowed David to be completely shut off by his enemies with no way to escape.  He had set his feet in a large space, making him free to escape his enemies.

(9) Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye is consumed with grief, my soul and my belly.

David prayed for mercy because of the trouble he was in, and his eyes were probably full of tears.  He was consumed with grief, in his belly where one feels strong emotion, and in his very soul.

(10) For my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

David felt that his whole life was consumed with grief and his time was spent in sighing or groaning because of grief.  He said his strength, his ability, failed because of his iniquity.  David had praised the Lord for His mercy and protection, so perhaps the iniquity he speaks of is his lack of faith in his present situation.  The Lord had always delivered him out of the hand of the enemy, so his lack of strength may have been because he was letting his grief overcome his faith that the Lord would again deliver him.  His body had given way under his excessive grief.

(11) I was a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to my acquaintances; they who saw me outside fled from me.

David was reviled by his enemies, but even more so by his neighbors, and he was a fear to his acquaintances when he came out of hiding.  Indeed, this could be said of the men of Keilah who would have delivered him into the hand of Saul if he had stayed there.  Ahimelech had been fearful when David approached him alone.  He had become a reproach to everyone.

(12) I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.

A man who was once very alive and virile and held in high regard by all was now forgotten as if he were dead.  He was out of sight and out of mind.  He was like a broken vessel, useless and irreparable.

(13) For I have heard the slander of many, fear on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

David had heard the slander and lies from all sides, from enemies and neighbors.  He feared everyone from all sides as they schemed together against him and devised ways to take away his life.

(14) But I trusted in You, O Lord; I said, "You are my God."

David had always trusted God, and it seemed his faith was revived again under all the discouraging views he had of things.

(15) My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.

David acknowledged that the times of his life and death were all in God's hand.  He prayed that God deliver him once more from the hand of his enemies and those who persecuted him and sought his life.

(16) Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; save me for Your mercies' sake.

David prayed for the presence of God in his life, with all His love, mercy, and blessings.  These are the words of the blessing that Aaron was instructed to give to the children of Israel in Numbers 6:25, "The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you..."  David asked the Lord to save him, not for his own iniquitous sake, but for His mercies' sake, because of who He was and because He was so loving and merciful to sinners.

(17) Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; let the wicked be ashamed, let them be silent in the grave.

Once again, David prayed that he never be ashamed to publicly declare and call on his Lord.  May the Lord deliver him so that he would never be viewed as ashamed of having trusted in the Lord.  Rather let the wicked be ashamed because they did not trust in Him.  Let the wicked be silenced in their graves so that they did not triumph in their wicked ways.

(18) Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

David continued to pray that those lying lips of the arrogant wicked who so proudly and contemptuously slandered the righteous, be put to silence, in their graves, if must be.

(19) How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for them who trust in You before the sons of men!

How great is the Lord's goodness which He has laid up as treasure to be used for those who reverently fear and follow Him.  The greatest single goodness that the Lord wrought was planned and created by Him from the beginning, in the human form of Jesus Christ who made a way for all who trusted in Him to be saved, even in the midst of a wicked world.

(20) You shall hide them in the secret of Your presence from the pride of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

I get a picture of the Lord hiding His people under His mighty wings of protection from the arrogant pride of wicked men.  He shall protect them and keep them in the safety of His tent, away from contentious and slandering tongues.  To quote Paul in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  Even David said in another one of his psalms, "In God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do to me." (Psalm 56:4)

(21) Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city.

When we are blessed by the Lord, we are divinely favored and fortunate to have what we have.  When we bless the Lord, it's in adoration, reverence, worship, and thanksgiving.  David worshiped his Lord in thanksgiving for His marvelous kindness to him in a strong city, which may have referred to Keilah where he was walled in by gates and bars.  The Lord had led him out of there.

(22) For I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before Your eyes;" nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to You.

In his first knee-jerk reaction David felt he had fallen into his enemies' hands; he had not held strong to his faith in God to deliver him.  Yet, even in his weakness, when he cried out to God, He heard him.

(23) O love the Lord, all you His saints, for the Lord preserves the faithful and plentifully rewards the proud doer.

David called on all the Lord's children, His followers, the Christians, to love the Lord for His goodness and providence.  The Lord always preserved His faithful, if not in this life, always in the next in eternity, and He justly rewarded the proud evil-doers.

(24) Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

David called on those who had their hope in the Lord to be encouraged that He would not leave or forsake them, but would strengthen their hearts, keeping them from being disheartened.  Give the Lord all you can, and He will meet you where you are and carry you through.  It reminds me of the man who brought his son to Jesus because he was possessed by an evil spirit (Mark 9:17).  Jesus told him if he believed, all things were possible, meaning even the healing of his son.  The man cried out, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul, and He will give you more of what you need.

Prayer for Protection Against the Wicked

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Psalm 140:1) (To the chief musician, a Psalm of David) Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man; preserve me from the violent man.

David had been in hiding from Saul who wanted to kill him.  He may have written this psalm at that time.  He prayed to God to deliver him from the wicked and violent man, which surely meant Saul, and all wicked in general who were seeking to destroy him, specifically Saul's servants.

(2) Who imagine mischiefs in their hearts; continually are they gathered together for war.

The wicked plotted evil schemes against David, and they were gathered together for war against him and his small band of companions.

(3) They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.

The wicked used words as sharp, piercing, and poisonous, as the sting of poisonous snakes.  They lied virulently about David.  Selah meant a pause for reflection.

(4) Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man who has purposed to overthrow my goings.

David prayed that the Lord keep him from falling into the hands of the wicked and preserve him from violent men who sought to thwart his plans to prevent him from doing whatever he endeavored to do.

(5) The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set traps for me. Selah.

Proud, arrogant, and oppressive men had laid traps for him.  As with cords and nets, they waylaid him as he went along his way.  They set all sorts of traps for him.

(6) I said to the Lord, "You are my God; hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord."

David declared to the Lord that He was his God, his only help in time of trouble, and he asked the Lord to hear his prayers for help.

(7) O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.

In God alone was David's salvation, and he acknowledged that the Lord had always protected him in battle.

(8) Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; further not his wicked device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah.

David prayed that the Lord not allow the wicked's evil plans to succeed.  If they were able to prosper in their evil schemes, they would attribute it to their own skill, wisdom, and valor, and would pride themselves on their success. 

(9) The head of those who compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

Let their evil plans and schemes fall upon the wicked's own heads, those who surrounded David.

(10) Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

This seems to be one of those times when God speaks of His righteous judgment through David.  As David wished for the evil's schemes to fall on their own heads, God would have burning coals fall upon them as in Sodom and Gomorrah.  He would have them cast into the fiery pits of hell that they never rise up in eternal life.  Except by inspiration of God, I don't think David would have judged his enemies so reprobate that there was no hope of repentance in them, and they should be cast into hell forever.

(11) Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth; evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

Do not let the man with an evil tongue, one who speaks only lies and slanders, be successful in the world.  Rather let evil come upon the wicked, another way of saying that his plans for evil fall upon his own head.

(12) I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, the right of the poor.

David had full faith and confidence that the Lord would always be on the side of the oppressed, the afflicted, and the wronged.

(13) Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence.

It's a confident statement that the righteous would have occasion to give thanks to the Lord because of what the Lord had done for them.  They would dwell in His presence, guidance, and protection, on earth, and would dwell forever with Him in heaven.

Righteous Judgment of the Lord

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Psalm 109:1) (To the chief musician, a Psalm of David) Hold not Your peace, O God of my praise, (2) For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

In the last post, David had composed Psalm 52 after he learned that Doeg had told Saul about him meeting with Ahimelech, and then Saul killed all the priests at Nob because he believed they helped David.  This psalm begins with the same message as Psalm 52, so it may have been composed at the same time.  David asked the Lord whom he praised and worshiped, not to be silent, but to defend his cause.  The mouth of the wicked and deceitful had spoken against him with lies.

(3) They compassed me about also with words of hatred and fought against me without a cause.

Those wicked and deceitful men, especially Doeg and Saul and his servants, surrounded him with their lies and hate and fought against him without cause.

(4) For my love they are my adversaries, but I pray. (5) And they have rewarded me evil for good and hatred for my love.

In return for David's love toward them, especially Saul and his servants, they had become his adversaries.  They had rewarded his good toward with them with evil against him.

(6) Set a wicked man over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand.

David prayed that a wicked man be set over his adversary.  His meaning may not be as harsh as it sounds.  Satan here may not have been a name, as "satan" means "adversary, opponent," so he may have meant that he wished his adversary be opposed and thwarted in his purposes against David.

(7) When he shall be judged, let him be condemned, and let his prayer become sin.

Again, this might sound harsher than what David meant.  When his adversary was judged, he wanted his wickedness to be made manifest.  Shine the light on his wickedness; let it be known.  Let his prayer be sin.  The fact that an evil man prays to God against the righteous is already sin.  Attempting to use God to fulfill his evil plans is a sin against God!  

Then again, as so many of David's psalms are said to be prophetic, these could be the words of the Lord against a rebellious people who had turned away from God.  In that case, the words are just and right as they are as they are coming from the righteous Judge.

(8) Let his days be few; let another take his office. 

While David may have meant these words to be about Saul and his desire that he be removed from his office and no longer a threat to David, through inspiration of the Lord, these words and the following verses definitely seem to refer to Judas Iscariot.  Peter referred specifically to Judas and this psalm in Acts 1:20, "For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell in it, and his bishopric let another take.'"  The bishopric is the diocese or office of a bishop.  These and the following words could also be Jesus's and applied to the scribes and Pharisees.

(9) Let his children be fatherless and his wife, a widow. (10) Let his children be continually vagabonds and beg; let them seek bread also out of their desolate places.

If a wicked man is taken out of the land of the living, his children will naturally become fatherless and his wife a widow.  They may then become poor and have to beg for their food.  This was not meant to be a curse upon his wife and children, but a natural occurrence of what would follow if an evil man was taken out.  This could have referred to Judas, as well, as some of the disciples did have families.

(11) Let the extortioner catch all that he has, and let the strangers spoil his labor.

This curse upon the wicked might be said of Judas who may have died in debt after throwing away the thirty pieces of silver he had been given to betray Jesus.  It surely might be said of the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the extortioners, the Roman soldiers.

(12) Let there be none to extend mercy to him, neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children.

This is a judgment in general to the wicked and may be well applied to Judas and to the destruction of Jerusalem when the Israelites were shown no mercy.

(13) Let his posterity be cut off; in the generation following, let their name be blotted out.

Let the posterity of the wicked be cut off and their name blotted out.  Interestingly, Adam Clarke wrote in his Commentary on the Bible, "It is a fact that the distinction among the Jewish tribes is entirely lost. Not a Jew in the world knows from what tribe he is sprung; and as to the royal family, it remains nowhere but in the person of Jesus the Messiah. He alone is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Except as it exists in Him, the name is blotted out."

(14) Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. (15) Let them be before the Lord continually, that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

This is akin to the verse before.  Not only should the posterity of the wicked be cut off, but the iniquity of their fathers should be continually remembered by the Lord and the memory of them cut off.  This would be in line with the fact that no Jew knows from which tribe he came.  His ancestors have been forgotten.

These verses could be attributed to Jesus.  When all the people cried out for the crucifixion of Jesus, they said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  In addition, the Lord said in His commandments, "For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me."  While this may seem harsh, I believe it just reinforces the fact that children learn from their parents and continue in the evil ways of their parents.  Although that was the natural progression of sin through the generations, it didn't have to be that way.  God always provided a way out through repentance (1Samuel 12:10-11).  And of course, that continues now through Jesus Christ.  A Christian is a new creation, and the old is passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17).  A child of God is no longer under a generational curse:  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).  

(16) Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

The Lord would remember the iniquity of the wicked because he showed no mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy and desired to kill the broken in heart.  This could definitely be David's feelings about Saul, but it also can be attributed to Judas, who did not care for the poor (John 12:6) and betrayed Jesus to have Him killed.

(17) As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

As the wicked seemed to love curses as they continually did things that would bring curses upon them, David's prayer was that curses come to them.  As they had no pleasure in blessing others, let blessing upon them be far from them.  These could be prophetic words of the Lord against the wicked, perhaps specifically Judas, as he scorned the woman who poured ointment on Jesus's head (John 12:5).  So the chief priests and scribes were displeased with the children crying praises to Jesus in the temple (Matthew 21:15).

(18) As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water and like oil into his bones. (19) Let it be to him as the garment covering him and for a belt with which he is girded continually.

As the wicked one clothed himself in cursing, wearing it continually as he would his garments, so let cursing penetrate his body through and through continually.

(20) This the reward of my adversaries from the Lord and of them who speak evil against my soul.

Those were the desires for David's adversaries that he sought from the Lord, to those who spoke evil against him.  These words definitely seem to be prophetic words of Jesus and a lesson to us about who is behind all the wickedness against us in general.  The word translated as "adversaries" here is "satan."  This original Hebrew word is not always used to mean adversary.  Often the word used is "tsar" or "tsarar."  The adversary who speaks against Jesus's soul is Satan, and he is behind all enemies of the Lord and Christians.

(21) But You do for me, O God the Lord, for Your name's sake; because Your mercy is good, deliver me. (22) For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

David prayed that the Lord do for him, help him and fight for him, for His own glory and honor because He was faithful in His promises to be there for His saints.  Because the Lord was so loving, kind, and merciful, David had faith that He would deliver him from his troubles, because he was one of the poor and needy and broken in heart (verse 16), and the Lord would remember his enemies.

(23) I am gone like the shadow when it declines; I am tossed up and down as the locust.

David felt like his life was soon disappearing like the shadow when the sun was gone.  He was tossed about like a locust in the wind.

(24) My knees are weak through fasting, and my flesh fails of fatness.

David was weak from lack of food, and he had become very thin with no more fatness of his flesh.

(25) I became also a reproach to them; they looked upon me, they shaked their heads.

David had become an object of scorn and contempt to his enemies, although this seems more an allusion to Christ on the cross.  Matthew 27:39 says, "And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads."

(26) Help me, O Lord my God, O save me according to Your mercy, 

David cried out to the Lord to save him.  According to God's mercy, is the only way we should dare to ask for His help.  It's because of His loving kindness and mercy; it has nothing to do with what we deserve.  We sinners do not deserve God's help but deserve only death.  However, because He loves those who look to Him and do their best to follow Him, in His mercy, He will help them.  

(27) That they may know that this Your hand, You, Lord, have done it!

David wanted all glory to go to God.  He desired that God save him in a way that left no doubt that the Lord God of the universe had intervened for him.  Once again, when thought of as the words of Christ on the cross, they take on a slightly different meaning.  Jesus had not been destroyed on the cross as the scribes and Pharisees and Romans thought they were accomplishing.  This was God's plan for salvation that was fulfilled in His dying on the cross.  And boy, did God show that that was His hand!  Immediately after Jesus died, the earth quaked with such violence that the veil of the temple was torn in two, and the graves of the saints were opened, and many of their bodies arose, demonstrating that Christ had conquered death and would raise all His saints (Matthew 27:51-52).

(28) Let them curse, but You bless; when they arise, let them be ashamed, but let Your servant rejoice. (29) Let my adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. 

Let his enemies curse him all they wanted, for he knew that God blessed him.  He wished for them to be ashamed, doing things that brought shame on themselves.  Let them be so confused that they became all wrapped up in it, as if they had wrapped a cloak of confusion around them.  Once again, the word for adversaries here is the Hebrew word "satan."  Satan is the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 4:4).

(30) I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise Him among the multitude.

David would greatly and vocally praise the Lord, publicly acknowledging His goodness and mercy.

(31) For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor to save him from those who condemn his soul.

And the reason David would sing the Lord's praises was because He was the champion of the poor and needy, and He would save them from those who wished to destroy them.

This psalm is one of the imprecatory psalms.  To imprecate is to call down a curse on someone.  It definitely appears to be pure inspiration of God prophesying what Jesus would endure and God's righteous judgment.  From the beginning of the psalm, it spoke of "satan" who fought against Him without cause.  Jesus came for only good to save the world, but Satan rewarded evil for good and hatred for His love.  We can see how Judas Iscariot may have been meant in many of the verses.  Satan had entered into Judas according to Luke 22:3.  And of course, many of the verses reflecting on His persecution sound as if they could have been spoken by Jesus on the cross.  But in the end, Christ is victorious against Satan and death.  The last verse that speaks of "the right hand" may be an allusion to Christ at the right hand of the Father who saves the poor from condemnation of their souls.