Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life. Fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for not fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Awake! Come meet me and see! (Vs. 1-4)
The ruddy, handsome shepherd boy came with three smooth stones and felled Goliath with the first of them. One shot. No armor. Just expertise with a sling-shot and the anointing of his mighty God. The crowds cheered! The army was saved by a little would-be-king snip of a kid! What's a tall and swarthy valiant fighter king of Israel going to do with the upstart who made him look like a weakling? Kill him, of course. Especially since David went on to win the hand of Michal, Saul's daughter who loved the shepherd boy, by killing two hundred Philistines to avenge the king's enemies. An overachiever, David had only been commanded to kill one hundred of them and bring back their foreskins as proof of his conquests. King Saul, however, thought the Philistines would kill David and he would be rid of his nemesis.
Battle after battle followed in which David conquered. Saul feared for his crown. Jonathan, the king's son, even tried to talk his dad out of his rage against David saying that killing David would be shedding innocent blood. Instead, Jonathan reasoned, his father should be grateful to the kid. This line of reasoning appeased King Saul until there was war again. David struck such a great blow against the Philistines that they actually ran away in fear. And the king seethed. Sat in his house with a spear in his hand just waiting for David to come play that lyre of his! The music usually soothed the king. Calmed his nerves. But on one particular day it only made him more wrathful. David, sitting close by strumming hymns on the guitar, was prey for an angry monarch. Swoosh! Crack! The spear of the king narrowly missed the heart of the shepherd warrior.
David ran home to his wife, Michal. But their house was soon surrounded by the king's men who were instructed to kill David on sight. Bloodthirsty and fierce, these troops were ready to murder him for nothing. He had done absolutely nothing wrong! Michal let him down through an obscure window and he fled. She dressed up an idol, laid it on a pillow, put goat hair for a head so that when the guards came in the next day to seize David, they were momentarily fooled.
This is why David wrote this psalm. Lamenting the plight of the innocent caught in a trap, surrounded by those who would destroy him or her. Knowing that he was the next anointed king of Israel was of little consequence when David's life was being threatened. Just as Saul thought he could circumvent God's will by killing David, David probably thought he heard wrong, or God had changed his mind, or the king was powerful enough to change the course of history. So, the first thing he did was run to Samuel, the prophet for encouragement. Got a fresh word from God. And an experience he would never forget seeing. But that is for tomorrow.
Today some of us are surrounded by perhaps different kinds of enemies than David's, but they taunt us just the same. Fear. Doubt. Debt. Illness. Loss. Creeping around, stalking our lives and endeavoring to bring us to ruin. Homes foreclosed upon. Jobs gone. 401K depleted. Hope for the future seized. And they yell at us that we are going to be ruined. Worked all our lives only to be told we have months to live. Saved every penny only to have our nest egg forfeited. Done nothing wrong..maybe even everything right...and still you are pressed against the wall. And we might feel that God has gone to sleep on us. David must have. "Wake up, God! Meet me here and look at what is happening to me!" he cried.
Life is difficult. It is not a straight line. And there are going to be times when it veers out of control. And we weren't driving the car. But Someone is and that is our hope. That God steers us back under His wing and gets us around the trouble, through the catastrophe, or into His arms as a result of it. It is what makes our handling of life's vicissitudes different from the world's. We have a Father Who will meet us in the middle of what is happening and walk in the fire with us. He understands perfectly the suffering of the innocent. Just take a look at the scars in His hands, feet and side. Not only was He not crushed, Jesus was victorious over sin and death. He now lives in those of us who have bid Him into our little lives. Shares His greatness with our smallness. Traded our penalty for His purity. Takes us through, around or beyond all that assails us today.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed , but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4 Italics mine.
Hallelujah!!! Happy Monday!
For behold, they lie in wait for my life. Fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for not fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Awake! Come meet me and see! (Vs. 1-4)
The ruddy, handsome shepherd boy came with three smooth stones and felled Goliath with the first of them. One shot. No armor. Just expertise with a sling-shot and the anointing of his mighty God. The crowds cheered! The army was saved by a little would-be-king snip of a kid! What's a tall and swarthy valiant fighter king of Israel going to do with the upstart who made him look like a weakling? Kill him, of course. Especially since David went on to win the hand of Michal, Saul's daughter who loved the shepherd boy, by killing two hundred Philistines to avenge the king's enemies. An overachiever, David had only been commanded to kill one hundred of them and bring back their foreskins as proof of his conquests. King Saul, however, thought the Philistines would kill David and he would be rid of his nemesis.
Battle after battle followed in which David conquered. Saul feared for his crown. Jonathan, the king's son, even tried to talk his dad out of his rage against David saying that killing David would be shedding innocent blood. Instead, Jonathan reasoned, his father should be grateful to the kid. This line of reasoning appeased King Saul until there was war again. David struck such a great blow against the Philistines that they actually ran away in fear. And the king seethed. Sat in his house with a spear in his hand just waiting for David to come play that lyre of his! The music usually soothed the king. Calmed his nerves. But on one particular day it only made him more wrathful. David, sitting close by strumming hymns on the guitar, was prey for an angry monarch. Swoosh! Crack! The spear of the king narrowly missed the heart of the shepherd warrior.
David ran home to his wife, Michal. But their house was soon surrounded by the king's men who were instructed to kill David on sight. Bloodthirsty and fierce, these troops were ready to murder him for nothing. He had done absolutely nothing wrong! Michal let him down through an obscure window and he fled. She dressed up an idol, laid it on a pillow, put goat hair for a head so that when the guards came in the next day to seize David, they were momentarily fooled.
This is why David wrote this psalm. Lamenting the plight of the innocent caught in a trap, surrounded by those who would destroy him or her. Knowing that he was the next anointed king of Israel was of little consequence when David's life was being threatened. Just as Saul thought he could circumvent God's will by killing David, David probably thought he heard wrong, or God had changed his mind, or the king was powerful enough to change the course of history. So, the first thing he did was run to Samuel, the prophet for encouragement. Got a fresh word from God. And an experience he would never forget seeing. But that is for tomorrow.
Today some of us are surrounded by perhaps different kinds of enemies than David's, but they taunt us just the same. Fear. Doubt. Debt. Illness. Loss. Creeping around, stalking our lives and endeavoring to bring us to ruin. Homes foreclosed upon. Jobs gone. 401K depleted. Hope for the future seized. And they yell at us that we are going to be ruined. Worked all our lives only to be told we have months to live. Saved every penny only to have our nest egg forfeited. Done nothing wrong..maybe even everything right...and still you are pressed against the wall. And we might feel that God has gone to sleep on us. David must have. "Wake up, God! Meet me here and look at what is happening to me!" he cried.
Life is difficult. It is not a straight line. And there are going to be times when it veers out of control. And we weren't driving the car. But Someone is and that is our hope. That God steers us back under His wing and gets us around the trouble, through the catastrophe, or into His arms as a result of it. It is what makes our handling of life's vicissitudes different from the world's. We have a Father Who will meet us in the middle of what is happening and walk in the fire with us. He understands perfectly the suffering of the innocent. Just take a look at the scars in His hands, feet and side. Not only was He not crushed, Jesus was victorious over sin and death. He now lives in those of us who have bid Him into our little lives. Shares His greatness with our smallness. Traded our penalty for His purity. Takes us through, around or beyond all that assails us today.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed , but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4 Italics mine.
Hallelujah!!! Happy Monday!
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