Psalms 55:0
¶ To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David.
It is noted that
this is another psalm of David sent to the chief Musician and designated to be
played on a stringed instrument (from Hebrew for Neginoth). Maschil makes
reference to an instructive poem.
Psalms 55:1
¶ Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
Psalms 55:2
Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
Psalms 55:3
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for
they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
As with many of
David’s psalms, this one opens as a prayer.
He is again asking God to pay attention to what he is saying. He knows that God can hear him, but it seems
to him that God is not listening. He is anxious
for his prayer to be answered. I can
relate!
As one
translation puts it, David is overwhelmed by his troubles. His enemies are treating him with cruel
injustice (from the Hebrew for “oppression”).
They are persistent in their wickedness because they hate him.
Sweet quote from
Spurgeon: “From
the Great Elder Brother down to the very least of the divine family, all of
them delight in prayer. They run as naturally to the mercy seat in time of
trouble as the little chickens to the hen in the hour of danger. But note well
that it is never the bare act of prayer which satisfies the godly, they crave
an audience with heaven, and an answer from the throne, and nothing less will
content them.”
Psalms 55:4
My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Psalms 55:5
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
I like the CJB for these two verses:
“My heart within me is pounding in
anguish, the terrors of death press down on me, fear and trembling overwhelm
me, horror covers me.”
David is in fear for his life.
Psalms 55:6
And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for
then would I fly away, and be at rest.
Psalms 55:7
Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.
Selah.
Psalms 55:8
I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
David expresses his
desire to escape; if only he had wings like a dove and could fly away and go
somewhere alone.
Selah – a pause,
an opportunity for meditation
David’s desire is
to escape from all his trouble as quickly as possible.
Good quote from Coffman:
“Who is there who never experienced such a yearning as this? Just
to say ‘good-bye’ to all the problems, just to walk out of the mess and never
return - attractive as such thoughts may seem to be, God's servants must stand
up to life like it is.”
Psalms 55:9
¶ Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence
and strife in the city.
Psalms 55:10
Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow
are in the midst of it.
Psalms 55:11
Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her
streets.
Regarding his
enemies, David asks God to destroy them and cause a split in their unity
against him.
I like the wording of the NLT: “…for I see violence and strife in the city. Its
walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is
wickedness within the city. Murder and robbery are everywhere there; threats
and cheating are rampant in the streets.”
How sad it is
that the truth for those that place their faith in the LORD is that the
greatest dangers often come from within—be it church, family or
friendships. Jesus warned us about this
truth.
Luke
12:51–53 “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay;
but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house
divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided
against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the
daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her
daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”
John
15:18 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me
before it hated you.”
Psalms 55:12
For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have
borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify
himself against me; then I would have hid myself
from him:
Psalms 55:13
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
Psalms 55:14
We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in
company.
David is
especially hurt because his enemy was one accounted among his friends, one with
whom he had enjoyed fellowship at the house of God. Ahithophel comes to
mind (2Samuel 15). In fact, the whole
psalm seems to fit that time in David’s life. Many commentators agree.
Psalms 55:15
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness
is in their dwellings, and among them.
We must remember
that David was a warrior that lived under the law. In his mind, his enemies deserved to die and
go to hell for all their wickedness.
Psalms 55:16
¶ As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
Psalms 55:17
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall
hear my voice.
Psalms 55:18
He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me:
for there were many with me.
David was
confident that God would answer his prayer and save him. He was determined to be constant in prayer as
he waited for God to answer him. He was
confident of God’s salvation, no matter how great the odds might be against
him.
Psalms 55:19
God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth
of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
David was just as
confident that God would answer his prayer to punish his enemies.
Selah – a pause,
an opportunity for meditation
These men would
never change; they had no fear of God.
That is still so
true today. Those that speak out against
God and blatantly defy His word have no fear of Him. Because He does not strike His enemies down
immediately, they seem to think He is powerless against them. Oh, how sad the day when they are made to bow
before Him!
Isaiah
45:22–23 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out
of my mouth in righteousness,
and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall
bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Romans
14:11–12 “For it is written, As
I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every
one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Psalms 55:20
He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath
broken his covenant.
Psalms 55:21
The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in
his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
These verses
describe the character of those that are his enemies. They are hypocrites and traitors. They speak flattering words of deceit, while
inside they are planning evil against you.
Sad to say, this
characteristic is prevalent throughout our culture today—especially in government
and politics!
Psalms 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer
the righteous to be moved.
What a beautiful
promise! David knew His Lord as his
sustainer, the One who protects those that belong to Him.
There is a
beautiful counterpart to this verse in the New Testament.
1
Peter 5:6–7 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he
may exalt you in due time: Casting all
your care upon him; for he careth
for you.”
It should be
noted that one can choose to continue to try to carry his/her own burdens. One has to make the choice to throw them off
and give them to the Lord. Only then
will one benefit from His willingness to carry the weight of those burdens for
us.
Important observation from the New
Bible Commentary: “Sustain, the promise is not to remove the burden but
to sustain the person.”
Psalms 55:23
But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and
deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
Just as surely as David knew that he could give all his
burdens to the Lord and experience His sustenance, he knew that God would
destroy the wicked; they will never truly experience a good life in God’s presence.
David was committed to trusting in God; he was unwavering
in his faith.