Daily Meditations

Psalm 59:3 Stirring up the enemy Who is it who lies in wait? This image is drawn from a time when life was less technological than now, if you wanted to catch someone out you did not have CCTV or tracking devices, you had to lie in wait for them. Deer hunters, wildfowlers, fishermen and others know the routine, it can be time-consuming but there is only one thing on the mind of hunters, of any generation, it is to catch their prey. Either literally or just to observe. Most kinds of prey do not know that they are being stalked or that their enemy is lurking close by, but David knew. He knew the tactics of his enemies. He knew that he was being closely watched and he knew that danger surrounded him on all sides. Mighty men, men of influence and power were biding their time, awaiting the opportune moment when they would pounce and kill their prey.  In the midst of this relentless hounding, David turns to the Lord and pleads his innocence. He knows that he has done nothing to deserve this,

Psalm 59:2 Hills of responsibility When we ascend the hills of responsibility and power, a number of things happen. The opportunity “to be something” increases and we are noticed by more people. It’s not surprising, at the bottom of the hill we can get lost in the masses, as we ascend, we become more conspicuous. Some use this ascent to sustain their egos and to trample upon those who are below them. Power and responsibility are both dangerous and also fulfilling. If we use them to serve ourselves, they are extremely dangerous and the higher we climb the greater the fall will be. If we use power and responsibility to serve others then they are a wonderful gift, the means to a fulfilling life journey that benefits mankind. All jobs, careers, elected positions and organisational structures etc have opportunities for individuals to make the choice, do I use this to serve others or to serve myself? Unfortunately, there is another downside to ascending the hill of responsibility, for some r

Psalm 59:1 A Prayer for deliverance This Psalm is not dissimilar to Psalm 55 where David is cowering from the murderous intentions of King Saul and is constantly under watch. Like some of the preceding Psalms, this one finds the fugitive suffering particularly from the malicious talk and slanderous accusation of his enemies. The lies that are being spread and the rumours that are deliberately started bring shame but also stir up righteous anger, for David is convinced of his innocence and he knows that every falsehood is meant to diminish his status before the people. Saul is so driven by his jealousy and hatred that even if he cannot unearth David, he intends to make sure that his reputation is tarnished forever. In Saul’s mind, no one in Israel ever will look up to the anointed upstart and ever trust him to lead them.   v1        It is to David’s credit that he has learned to trust the Lord for his deliverance and for his future safety. The lessons in the wilderness, being on the run

Psalm 58:11 Surely there is a God who judges I do not believe that the Lord has to vindicate Himself for reasons of self-gratification. Nor does He do so in order to win the hearts of the human race! God has to be vindicated because He is righteous, true and just; His essential character determines His actions and because of that, wickedness cannot be allowed to prevail and those who are godly must be liberated. This fundamental truth lies at the heart of all the Lord’s dealings with mankind from the very beginning. Adam and Eve’s sin had to be punished because justice demanded it. Abel’s death had to be vindicated and his brother suffered the consequences. Throughout history, those who persecute and abuse the righteous will themselves be penalized just as their victims will be rewarded. This Policy is founded on the eternal premise that truth and justice must always be the cosmic winners and selfishness, pride, greed and all other forms of evil must be disciplined.  Yes, there is a Go

Psalm 58:10 The righteous avenged Yet another bloodthirsty verse, using language that we would normally shrink away from! Firstly, notice it is the righteous who will be avenged. It’s not clear if this includes all those who fear and put their faith in God or if it refers to those who are “not guilty” but have been wrongfully accused and abused. In other words, is it a spiritual term or a legal one? Perhaps it does not matter, our God is so big and so full of justice that will He not avenge all unrighteousness? The Scriptures certainly point to a time of judgement when the wicked must face the consequences of their actions and all wrongs will be redressed. Those who have willingly and knowingly turned against the Lord God and abused and exploited His creation, and their fellow men, are going to face an eternity full of bitter regret. The final phrase of this verse takes us to the battlefield. Such is the destruction of enemy forces that the ground has become a sea of blood. Those men o

Psalm 58:9 Some wilderness cooking tips I loved lighting fires as a young man and because I spent many of my formative years on a farm, I had plenty of opportunities to build them and light them! In addition, the only source of heat at home was an open fire and so it was natural to learn different techniques and the way that flames react to wind, weather conditions and to the various combustible materials. In Bible times people were equally dependant on fire for heat and for cooking, and for keeping wild animals at bay during the night! One of the best materials for starting a fire, and that was in plentiful supply, was the humble thornbush. It’s not hard to imagine the wilderness travellers gathering sticks and branches from the bushes and getting their pots ready for an evening meal. Obviously, dry twigs burned faster and more easily, green ones were added to subdue the flames and keep the heat in for the cooking process.  David is imagining here that his enemies, the wicked rulers,

Psalm 58:8 Some slug facts!  Cool weather, rain and fog is the best weather for slugs because since they don’t have an outer shell to protect them, they may dry out in dry and warm weather. When the weather is warm and dry, slugs will try and find a cool, dark and damp area to hide in. However, if there is a long dry spell then slugs will encase themselves in a papery, cocoon-like structure and attach themselves to a wall or a tree and wait it out. When they move, slugs leave a slimy trail that is both an oil and a glue. Somehow, they absorb moisture from the air and produce this shiny track that tells us where they have been and where they are going.  David uses the analogy of the slug to describe his enemies, the wicked rulers who are the subjects of this Psalm. In a hot country slugs would find it difficult to secret themselves away and presumably many would be dried up by the sun’s heat. The analogies keep coming and the next one is particularly gruesome and painful for anyone who

Psalm 58:7 Arrows that fall short As I write Germany and central Europe have been badly affected by serious floods and many have died, and this in high summer! Unlike the oceans and seas and the lakes and the ponds which collect and retain their water, floods soon subside, and the water drains away, often into the ground. The affect is short-lived but can be disastrous. David appears to be saying something like this about his enemies and the corrupt leaders. Their reign is often temporary, they appear without warning and just as quickly disappear, but the devastation they leave behind affects many and for a long time.  “Let them vanish liker water that flows away!”  Let us pray this prayer against those who are controlling and abusive and who rule others with contempt and disdain, who profit from the poverty of their subjects and who are ruthless and wicked in all their ways. “ When these evil men and women make their malicious pronouncements may their barbed arrows fall short of their

Psalm 58:6 Break their teeth! Some of the targets of David’s diatribe here, are obvious. He’d had a fair dose of Saul’s malevolence and he had suffered at the hands of the Philistine rulers. There were plenty of other Canaanite rulers who had given him grief too. But I suspect that his anger was also vented at some of the elders and judges in Israel who abused their power and twisted the rules for their own benefit. What is most notable is that David does not intend to personally bring retribution upon these men, he cries out to the Lord God “ Break their teeth in their mouths”  and to  “Tear out the fangs of those lions.”  This imagery is probably not what we would use against even our worst enemies but it shows the strength of David’s feelings and his fury at those who are doing so much damage to the land. Isn’t it time we got furiously wound up about the abuses that go on in the church of Jesus Christ? We are not called to defend a land mass, but we are asked to pray for the saints,

Psalm 58:4-5 All about snakes! If you do not like snakes, you may want to skip over this reading! To be fair, most people do not like them, for good reasons. They are secretive, ugly, venomous and highly dangerous. They can move like lightening and the larger ones wrap themselves around their prey and crush them to death. But there is also a primeval fear and loathing too in man that I suspect connects us back to our roots, the Garden of Eden and the serpent who beguiled the woman. The Scriptures do not encourage us to love snakes! The only occasion when a snake did good was when Moses hung one on a pole and all who looked to it were healed of a plague.  In the light of the above, we can conclude that any human being who is likened to a snake is bad news. The Apostle James writes that we all have a snake instinct within us, he says that our tongues are like venomous snakes, (James 3:8) and I have to agree that it is very easy to secretly hiss and strike a victim and within seconds thei

Psalm 58:3 Wicked from birth It’s an observation that I have made so many times and yet it still grieves me. You don’t have to teach children to sin! My own children, my grandchildren, everyone else’s children all tell lies, disobey and take what is not theirs and yet none of us ever taught them how to do this. If ever we wanted evidence that what the Bible says about the inbuilt tendency of the human race to sin, all we have to do is watch our children. None of them are perfect, none of them are tuned to always do good and none of them can go through childhood without punishment either!  However, there are some children who learn respect, who recognise the wisdom of obeying their elders, who pursue honesty and truth and who allow their characters to be moulded. They usually do well at school, do well in the workplace and become good parents and grandparents. This verse is not talking about them. There are certain individuals who were born, not just sinful, but evil. Most children do w

Psalm 58:2 Devising injustice The rulers being addressed here in the Psalm fell way short of the standards that God not only expects, bur orders. All human beings, as we saw yesterday, are under His command, we are His subjects. It’s no good people complaining one day and saying, “I never knew.” It’s no good their challenging the Lord God by asking why He did not get more involved. We are made in His image, we all have His stamp upon us. Our misery and waywardness come from disobedience and unbelief, it’s our choice, He will be there if we allow Him to be. There will be no excuse. The full force pf God’s judgement will come particularly on those who abused their position who, according to this verse, devised injustice. You do not need me to tell you that the world is ruled by injustice; as we have already commented, the struggle for justice is usually between the poor and the powerless against the rich and the powerful. There are very few leaders who buck the trend, most eagerly grasp

Psalm 58:1 Introduction David echoes, in this Psalm, the heartfelt cry of all who have been abused, who have been victims or who have suffered injustice in some way by those who rule over them. This is a plea, to the heart of a righteous, holy God, to right wrongs, to judge those who are corrupt and to protect the innocent. In Old Testament times the struggle for justice was usually between the poor and the powerless, against the rich and the powerful. Power and riches are very dangerous possessions and yet so many seek to attain them, almost inevitably at the cost of others. Nothing has changed, this Psalm is written for today, it is another Psalm where God is showing us that He understands, He knows the ways of men and He will exercise true justice one day.  As we study the Psalm we will see that verses 1-2 ask questions of the rulers of the day. Verses 3-5 set out the complaint against them. Verses 6-8 call upon the Lord to act in judgement against these wicked ones and verse 9-11 a

Psalm 57:11 Be exalted, O God The previous verse of this Psalm reminded us that the love and faithfulness of our God reach up to the skies and the heavens. In other words, these divine qualities echo around the circumference of the earth. Man could not fly when David wrote this song, (or more correctly, had not invented machines that could fly!)  Telescopes could not see beyond the confines of the heavens above. David is telling us here that love and faithfulness are attributes of God that are experienced by and directed towards mankind and to the created world. In this last verse of Psalm 57 we are invited to lift our sights even higher.  “Be exalted, O God , above  the heavens. ” There was an awareness in ancient times that the place where God dwelt was one of glory and exaltation, these believers had received glimpses, through Abraham and Jacob and Moses and others, that beyond the skies was a celestial heaven where the glory of the Lord never faded and where angelic beings offered

Psalm 57:10 His love reaches to the heavens Imagine that you have been trapped in a cave for weeks. You hardly dare go out because your face is known and the “powers that be” are intent on tracking you down and ending your life. The cave is gloomy and oppressive, no matter how hard you try it is a poor substitute for the wide-open spaces and the unfettered freedom of those who can dance and delight under the blue sky. This was not possible for David, he was writing these words while incarcerated in a prison of fear and darkness. No wonder he delighted in the joy of open spaces and the thought of reaching up to the heavens and dancing before the Lord. Yet, in the midst of his imprisonment, David knew that the Lord God was with him, that liberation would come and that he had a God who would take him out to the open spaces once more. The love of our God and the faithfulness of God can never be confined to the prisons of our bodies or of our souls. Our God’s love and faithfulness are so va

Psalm 57:9 I will sing among the peoples This sentence could easily be overlooked; I mean it is just an embellishment is it not? The kind of line that appears in praise songs and we all glibly sing along while we wait for the meat of the text to be revealed. This is a kind of fill-in, no one really sings among the nations and the peoples, do they? David did. Locked away in the gloom of the Cave of Adullum, alone and cut off from his people, a stranger in his land and a fugitive among the foreign nations around, he was making a statement of intent.  “When I get out of here, they are all going to hear it! When the Lord restores me and I am King of Israel, the whole world will become aware whom I serve and worship. I am going to praise You, Lord, and every nation will know about it. I am going to sing such songs that they will be repeated for ever and all the peoples will hear them. And every song will give You praise.”  And here we are, 3,000 years later, still singing the praises of our

Psalm 57:8 Awake my soul! This verse calls on three different elements to wake up! It follows on from the previous statement that David intends to sing and make music. We can imagine him opening his eyes one morning and all is silent and dark. The first birds have not yet started to sing, and the eastern sky is not yet pink. In contrast to the days of despair and defeat David is ready for this day and he is going to celebrate. He may be living in a gloomy, dank cave but hope is at hand, God is with him and he will triumph over his enemies. Maybe some of his companions got a shock that morning as their leader launched his early morning praise assault on the kingdoms of darkness! ·        Awake my soul. ·        Awake, harp and lyre. ·        Awake – the dawn. Sometimes we have to address the inner man and let our minds take control of our emotions and our desires. The negatives can be defeated, the whispering doubts can be silenced, the tide of fear and trepidation can be driven back. A

Psalm 57:7 Steadfast hearts We have talked before about this enigmatic part of you and me that the Bible writers call the “heart.” It seems that the word describes the human spirit, that part of us that includes our emotions and thoughts and inner desires that make us what we are. Every person has a heart, the “essential me” that defines our character, our goals, our personality and our morals. That inner being is either dead to God or alive in Him.  David has programmed his mind and his intentions to trust the Lord God. He will not be controlled by outer forces or the intimidation of his enemies. He is determined to focus completely on the Lord and in so doing he finds courage, resilience and a new sense of purpose. He determines also to use praise as a weapon and to sing and make music. This is a powerful lesson for us. Sometimes we have to call a halt to the fear and trepidation, to the “woe is me” attitudes. We have to take a stand against the parrot sitting on our shoulders that t

Psalm 57:6 We reap what we sow We’ve been here before! Wicked and foolish people spreading nets and setting traps and then being caught be their own devious schemes. (See Psalm 7:15 and Psalm 9:15). David admits to being threatened by the attempts to entrap him, and the threats were not just made up of animal pits dug in a forest. The snares were lies and falsehoods, innuendo and gossip. They were attempts to persuade loyal followers to act as double agents and spy out his intentions. The traps came from deals with other leaders and communities and nations, all intended to bring about the downfall of the fugitives and the end of David’s life. He had every reason to  be “bowed down in distress.”  What should he do? Who could he trust? Where could he go? These attempts to track him down and bring about his demise never succeeded, and his enemies ultimately paid the price – their own downfall! They fell into the pit they had dug for him. Thinking about it, I have rarely seen plotters and

Psalm 57:5 Be exalted, O God It’s time for some words of praise stimulated by the content of this verse: - ·        “Be exalted in Your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise Your might.”  Psalm 21:13 ·        “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10. ·        “The Lord is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?”  Psalm 113:4-6 The birth, the life, the death, the resurrection, the ascension and the glorification of Jesus Christ is all the historic evidence that we need that God is God. He is to be feared by the wicked and adored by the righteous. In His saving power He has revealed His true character; His patience, His faithfulness, His love of mankind and the truth of His Word. However, that is still not enough for the world to acknowledge and honour Him and, as they will

Psalm 57:4 Ravenous lions Lions and other wild beasts were not uncommon in Israel, especially in the wild places - the hill country and the wilderness. As a young shepherd, David had grappled with a lion and a bear and had prevailed over them in order to save his flock. He is qualified therefore to see his human enemies as no more than the wild predators, they are aggressive warriors with animal instincts, possessing no morals and having no thought for the safety of their prey. David points out that their most dangerous weapons are not their javelins and their bows and arrows but their teeth and their tongues. What is in their mouths and comes out of their mouths betrays them as no better than wild animals. I don’t know if you have suffered at the hands of human beasts or if you have hidden away from certain people because of the ferocity of their tongues? Sometimes, our spiritual journey throws us into a den of lions and a pit of vipers and it’s a frightening experience. No amount of

Psalm 57:3 Love and faithfulness The Psalms are very good at personifying the attributes of God. So, for instance, Psalm 23 talks about “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”  I have sometimes thought that goodness and mercy are the Shepherd’s sheepdogs who are always on the job and faithfully herd the errant sheep! This Psalm adds two more qualities to the process, “ God sends forth His love and His faithfulness – He sends from heaven and saves me. ” Perhaps this time we are in the realm of Air Ambulances, coming from the skies to rescue us! Whatever the imagery, let us be clear that the Lord our God is not aloof, neither is He detached or uncaring, His character surrounds us and whilst we cannot see Him, His care is represented in so many ways. In David’s recent experience, his enemies were not shot down or blown apart, although God has been known to destroy enemies. No, at this time, the Lord has made Himself known by pouring love and faithfulness upon the fug

Psalm 57:2 God Most High! In Genesis 14:18-20, we read these words.  “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine and he was the priest of  God Most High . And he blessed Abram and said, “Blessed be Abram of the  Most High God , Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to the  Most High God  who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”  We need to remember that the nations and people that Abram encountered in Canaan worshipped a plethora of gods and deities. They were pagan, superstitious and devoted to their images, gods and goddesses to whom they constantly sacrificed and who they worshipped. Every one of these deities was an invention of the devil, foisted upon ignorant people whose souls yearned for spiritual satisfaction. The God of Abram and Melchizedek is thus singled out as greater than them all. A true God of infinite power and wisdom, the only Creator God whose name was higher than all others.  And so it is to this v

Psalm 57:1 Do not destroy I have borrowed the title of this Psalm from David himself. So, what was the background? Do you remember from Psalm 56, that David was a fugitive, with his friends? He had been on the run from jealous King Saul for a long time and had even taken his chances by crossing over into Philistine territory. Now he was holed up in a dark and dank cave near the Canaanite town of Adullum where he hid for 3-6 months. (See I Samuel 21.) It seemed that everyone was his enemy and that everyone wanted him dead. However, that is not quite true for we read in 1 Samuel 22:1-2 that his brothers and his father’s household went to him there.  “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him and he became their commander. About 400 men were with him.”  Maybe it was this company that helped to give David strength, for the words he now writes are positive and full of faith. Obviously, David has had time to stop and ponder the mercy and deliverance of the

Psalm 56:13 That I may walk before God The Psalm ends by explaining the reason for David’s celebration and for his bringing his thank offering to the Lord; he has been delivered from circumstances and saved from death. As good a reason as any, I would venture, for having a feast and a celebration. The man had been a fugitive, as we have noted throughout this Psalm. His situation had been life threatening and his future had looked bleak, but now the young man can celebrate, he is safe, the enemy threats have ended, his life can resume and, best of all, David is not about to be killed. When he talks of being delivered from feet that stumble, he is referring to the circumstances of his plight, not to some sinful stumble. And what is David’s greatest anticipation now that the trouble has passed? You have delivered me that, “ I may walk before God in the light of life.” Light and life are constant companions in the Scriptures. In Genesis 1, they are closely linked at the creation of the wor

Psalm 56:12 Presenting thank offerings We have commented before on the role of Thank Offerings in the religious life of the Israelites. The Thank Offering was similar to the Fellowship Offering and involved taking a young lamb or a fatted calf to the temple to be sacrificed to the Lord. This was an additional offering to the regulation ones, and it could be made as a means of fulfilling vows. It was a public demonstration of gratitude to the Lord for His deliverance and for His keeping His promises; it was a joyful offering and the offeror often took some of the meat home to be eaten at a feast with friends and family that evening. I suspect that David had made vows and promises to the Lord that hinged on his being kept safe and eventually returning to Jerusalem and to his home. In fact, Psalm 66:13-14 supports this view, the fugitive had indeed promised to return to the Temple with burnt offerings and to fulfil the vows made when in trouble.  This practice seems to be a bit out of pla

Psalm 56:10-11 In God I trust Let me remind you that this Psalm was written by David at a time of great fear in his life. So fearful was he, that he had taken his chances with the Philistines rather than hang around in Israel, where Saul would almost certainly uncover his hiding place and then kill him, along with his loyal supporters. But the Psalm is headed, “Fear versus Trust,” and this verse perfectly sums up the state of mind of the writer. During these times of intense fear and anguish he cried out,  “In God I trust and am not afraid.” This is another chapter in God’s Counselling Manual. He is telling is that when circumstances and problems completely overwhelm us, when fear and anxiety cause us to shake with terror, when every emotion in our souls and every thought in our heads is driven by dread, then is the time to speak out. To learn and repeat these very verses if you like. Memorise them and then speak them out into the atmosphere. Speak them out when every cell in your body

Psalm 56:8-9 God's Charge Sheet It’s probably not wise to suggest that the Lord must write things down, lest He forget them! God never forgets, but He does choose not to remember.  “Remember my sins and iniquities no more.”  Hebrews 8:12. So, David’s request that his tears and his memories be recorded in a scroll is not as an aid to God’s memory. It could be argued that the only reason for writing things down is to remember them! But I think a deeper reason is being suggested here. When the Lord God gave the 10 Commandments, they were written on tablets of stone and yes that was so the Israelites, and us, would never forget them. However, when God writes things it is also a statement of intent, a record that He will never renege upon. His records are an “Action list” if you like that is not an aide memoir so much as a declaration of purpose. David wants his sorrows recorded so that His enemies will never be able to refute the justice that God will, one day, bring upon them. Thus, w