Psalm 142:7

Psalm 142:7

Negative and Positive

Neg: This verse contains a dark image of the oppression that troubles bring and two potential outcomes of God’s deliverance. We will call them the negative and the positives. Firstly, the negatives, David is in prison from which he cannot free himself! The Cave of Adullum seems like a prison cell and the eyes of Saul’s men lurking outside are the jailors who are watching his every move. The walls of the cave are closing in and every day he feels oppressed and claustrophobic. How can David and his friends escape, when every exit is being watched and the forces beyond are overwhelming?

Sometimes life feels like this, we are oppressed on every side, and our liberty and way of life seem to be under attack. It is particularly humiliating when there are other people hell-bent on restricting our freedom and intending to trap us whenever we lift our heads up. The enemy can set snares like this, the Satan is a master of such unjust trickery and weaves webs of deceit that are like prison cells. It is at such times we must cry out to the Lord and tell Him honestly what is going on and how we feel. Believe me, we are His children, and He does not like to see us suffer unjustly. 

 

Pos: Now to the climax of this painful Psalm. Have you noticed how David gives us two reasons why he wants the Lord to free him from his prison? Neither of these are selfish. The first is so that “I might praise Your name” Deliverance brings praise and heart-felt gratitude to our Deliverer. When we are freed from the assaults of the enemy and are once again on the road to freedom and liberty, the least we can do is to sing the praises of Him who saved us! 

The second of David’s desires is that the “righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me.” Notice that he believes that he will no longer feel alone or be alone, godly men and women will gather around him, and they too will reflect in the glory of all that the Lord has done. In other words, when we are delivered from our battles and our dark dungeons of despair it is good to gather others around us and to tell them what the Lord has done so that, they too, may share in celebration of His goodness. The journeys of the righteous should never be completely solitary, as followers of Yeshua we should always gather around us others who believe and who will share the journey and also share the victory. Praise the Lord! What a lovely way to end the Psalm . Hallelujah!

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