Psalms of David
When we read the Bible prayerfully the Bible reads us, penetrating beneath the well-polished exterior to inside to what only God sees. I simply ask that you read the passage below prayerfully and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you about how you are inside.
Psalms in Book 2 are like Book 1 in that they are mostly lament and distress although they now include a communal voice in addition to the singular voice of the first book.
The books of Psalms are roughly themed like this:
Book 1: Psalms 1 – 41: God is beside us.
Book 2: Psalms 42 – 72: God goes before us
Book 3: Psalms 73 – 89: God is all around us.
Book 4: Psalms 90 – 106: God is above us.
Book 5: Psalms 107 – 150: God is among us.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
54 O God, save me by your name,
Psalm 54 ESVUK
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4 Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Ziphites were people who lived in Ziph, a town in the mountains of Judah that was difficult to get to.
Saul was the king, but David had already been anointed king because of Saul’s sinfulness, Saul knew of the anointing and thought that if he got rid of David he could keep the kingdom. David and his followers were on the run. Saul was trying to thwart God’s plan that David become king.
The Ziphites told Saul that David was hiding near Ziph twice. The first time, told in 1 Samuel 23, Saul and his army arrived. From there the story reads like a comedy. Saul needs to “uncover his feet,” a euphemism for needing the restroom or dropping off the kids at the swimming pool. Yes we still use euphemisms for taking a dump. So Saul goes into a cave, the same cave that David and his men are in. David’s men tell David that he can stop his troubles there and then. Kill Saul. David said no. Instead he creeps up on Saul and cuts a piece of his garment away. When Saul leaves the cave David somes out holding the piece of cloth. Saul realises David could have killed him and promises not to persue him again. Which he does …
… for a short while. In 1 Sam 26 Saul makes a second attempt to kill David. David is still hiding near Ziph, whose people seem to enjoy betraying him. Saul and his 3,000 strong army af elite fighters arrive and during the night God puts a deep sleep on the whole army. David and his assistant Abishai go into the camp. David again refuses to use Human methods to get rid of Saul, and instead takes saul’s spear and the water jug thatwas by his head. At a safe distance Davis wakes the army and shows them that he could have killed Saul. Saul again repents and David runs away to hide amonst the Philistines. If Saul had time to change his mind he did not have time to chase David again, he dies shortly after in battle.
That is my very brief summary of 9 chapters in the Bible.
How to deal with your Ziphites
Who are your Ziphites? They are the people who welcome you and conspire against you behind your back. You do not know who your Ziphites are. Be like David, fall on God’s protection.
David makes two requests in Psalm 54 which God answers.
The first request in verses 1 and 2 are for deliverence, vindication and for God to hear him
The second in verse 3 is to present your troubles to God.
He then reminds himself of God’s care and that God blesses those who help him. (Verse 4). The Lord is the upholder of my life can also be read as the Lord upholds those who protect my life.
God answers the second request first in verse 5. God will make things right.
The answer to the first question never comes. Things have not been put right. David is still a fugitive and now needs to seek asylum in another country. What happens is a change in the attitude of David.
Psalm 54 is not a spontanious outpouring from David at the time of the incidents between himself Saul and the Ziphites. This is a well structured song and was probably written looking back on the events. That does not mean it was not written during Saul’s reign when David was seeking asylum. If the answer had already come would it not be mentioned?
So why does this song by an inocent fugitive fleeing for his life to eascape injustice end the way it does? In pre-emptive praise, David stating that he will return to offer sacrifices. He’s not back yet but he concluses the song as if his vindication has happened.
The message is cry out for God, he is on the side of right living. Cry to God in the unfairness of life.
As for Saul, the Ziphites and those like them: The moral of this story is that you cannot thwart God’s plan.
< Psalm 53 | Psalm 54 | Psalm 55 >
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Making an ass of myself 