Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 56
The lvi. PSALM.
David being extreamly persecuted by Saul and his complices, and driven to fly out of Israel, amongst the Philistines his deadly enemies, praies God to stand his friend, promises to trust in him worst come that can come, hoping his enemies shall not always escape punishment, nor he always be oppressed; magnifieth God for his great deliverance out of Gath, and concludes thence Gods future protection of him.Psalm lvi. To the chief musician, upon Jonath-elem-rechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.
To him that is most skilful upon the instrument Jonath-elem-rechokim, signifying the dumb dove in a far Countrey, (a denomination significant and proper to Davids behaviour and condition at Gath of the Philistines, where he was in imminent danger: and a remarkable deliverance, 1 Sam. 21.10, &c. by counterfeiting himself mad and speechless, which is the occasion and subject matter of) this Psalm, being chiefly set to it, and committed to him, by David that made it, to be sung to the special tune of Michtam, played on that instrument.
1 O Lord God be thou my helper,1BE merciful unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. and vouchsafe me merciemercy, or else I am in a miserable condition, and sure to be undone; for I have no friends nor can find no favour on earth, but on all hands am beset, readie to be devoured and praid upon by cruel-minded men, I am forced to flie to my very enemies for refuge, and to use my wits to get from them as soon as I am come to them, being driven into those inextricable straits by Saul and his complices my bloudy enemies, who will let me rest no where seeking my life, and with open war and professed enmitie persecuting me continually.
2Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me. O thou most High.2 So bitterly enraged are mine enemies against me, that they think every day a year, till they have destroyed me, greedily affecting it; and they are a numerous company of them, all set by might and main to mischief me, that am a poor innocent lonely man, thus pursued and persecuted by Saul, and his men of war. But my confidence and hope is in thee, that art of power and might above them, to whom onelyonly I make my moan.
3What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.3 And in assurance of thy power and good will to help me, whensoever I am in extream danger, and in never such fear and perplexitie of mind, by reason thereof, yet such hath been my experience of thee at all times, as that when I can flie no whither, nor be safe no where, I will yet then flie to thee by faith and hope.
4 And my confidence is, that I shall allwayes find that word and promise of thine which thou hast made concerning me,4In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. to be faithfully performed by thee, thy grace and power shall answerably appear for me, and that I shall never have other cause but to praise thee for thy truth, and to thank thee for thy goodness, notwithstanding all my dangers, and therefore as I have hitherto believed on thee, so I will still, and whilest I have thee (that art God) on my side, and they be but men that are mine enemies, I will never so fear them, nor the harm they can do me, as not to trust and hope in thee for preservation and deliverance from them.
5 What I say or do be it never so well meant, and be I never so innocent, I am sure to be belied and perverted by them,5Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. as if I plotted and practised nothing but treason, when as I do, nor think nothing less, and as they falsly surmise, so they wickedly conspire, and complot my ruin.
6 They both secretly advise,6They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps when they wait for my soul. and openly associate themselves together against me, a single friendless man, they have stratagems and designs against me, which they carrie covertly, least I should discover and avoid them, as by thy goodness to me I have strangely done hitherto, and they have spies upon me to pick all advantages against me, that they may have whereof to accuse me, and a fit opportunitie to cut me off, and murder me, which notwithstanding they could never yet compass.
7 Lord,7Shall they escape by iniquitie? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. how long shall these wicked wretches practise iniquitie, and not be punished, nay, prosper in such courses, O God, manifest at last in thine own good time thy just displeasure upon such vile reprobate people as these are, by bringing them and their wicked devices to nought.
8 How ever I am hated by mine enemies,8Thou tellest my wandrings, put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? and persecuted from place to place, yet am I regarded and preserved by thee, that hast pitie on mine unquiet condition, and by thy special providence, and secret guidance goest along with me to protect me. Let my manifold tears which I shed in my manifold miseries, when no eyes sees me but thine, be heedfully taken notice of by thee, to remember me according to them, yea, Lord, I know, and find they are so.
9 Though my peril be imminent and seemingly inavoidable,9When I crie unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know, for God is for me. yet I have found, and doubt not still to find it so, that if I put up a faithful and fervent prayer unto thee, thou wilt in instanti some way or other disappoint and defeat mine enemies, and shew me a way to escape them, this I know to be true by former experience, and shall find it so always; for thou, O Lord, art every whit as careful and vigilant over me to preserve me, as mine enemies are to destroy me.
10In God will I praise his word, in the Lord will I praise his word.10, 11. See the fourth verse of this Psalm, which, specially the former part of it is here repeated to shew the strength of Davids faith,11In God will I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. in the truth of God, and his promises, and that it rather increaseth than diminisheth by his dangers.
12Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.12 Such and so great have been my deliverances, that they have drawn solemn vows from me, of solemn praise and thanks to be given thee in most exact manner of performance, according to thy Law in such cases, which though at present I cannot perform in the ceremonies and formalities thereof, being banished from the place of thy worship, yet I hope and promise to bear them in mind till the time that thou shalt restore and inable me so to do; and in the mean time mine heart and lips shall not be wanting to give thee praise in spirit and truth.
13For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver… my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?13 For though thou hast vouchsafed me many a deliverance, from many a danger, yet none was ever more imminent, nor thy goodness and power more conspicuous than in this at Gath, where I was discovered and my life endangered very near; and shall not I gather from this, (surely I will and do,) that thou wilt never let me be a prey to mine enemies, nor worship any other God but thee? which I was in danger to have done amongst the Philistines, hadst not thou speedily brought me thence, but wilt still preserve my life, and give me to enjoy the happiness of serviving thee, the onelyonly true and living God, amongst thine own people, who onelyonly of all the world, that every where lies in darkness and in the shadow of death, have the light and knowledge to worship thee aright.