Author: Hannah Thacher

David starts this passage by describing all of the reasons he has to be afraid: His enemies are in hot pursuit, his words are being twisted, and his life is in danger. Things aren’t looking good for him! In fact, David is so scared that he writes this chapter while in tears (v. 8). This is a reminder to us that there will be times in life when we can’t just put a smile on and move forward. We will have moments that shake us to our core. However, Psalm 56 is a reminder to us that we don’t have to stay in that terror. 

While David’s situation is dreadful, he shows us the process of finding faith amidst the fear. After he lists out of all the ways that humanity is working against him, David also lists out all the ways that God is working for him! God has recorded David’s tears. God has delivered David from death. God has kept David’s feet from stumbling. So with this in mind, David is able to declare “In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” (v. 11). 

When our days feel dark, it’s easy to list out the ways in which our situation is scary. Maybe our finances aren’t adding up. Our relationships aren’t fulfilling. Our job makes us feel like a failure. But on those days when we find ourselves listing out the fears of life, start listing out our reasons for faith in God. In the midst of our fear, our faith can still shine through. We can remind ourselves that even when our world feels uneasy, we never found our peace in this world anyway! In the unsteadiness of life, we must recall the steadfast nature of our Savior. Even if the worst comes our way, we can trust that God has promised us everlasting life. So with the promises of God in mind, what can man do to us? 

Here we have another lament from David as he is in great anguish over the betrayal of a close friend. That close friend could have been his son, Absalom, or his counselor, Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15:1-14, 16:15-23). These two men conspired to overthrow and humiliate King David.

Have you ever had a friend betray you? While we might expect betrayal from an enemy, when our closest friends turn on us, it often hurts the worst. Sadly, this is a reality of our fallen world. People we think of as a brother or sister can betray or attack us in some way. But isn’t it great that we have a God who is never-changing? Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Our God is steadfast in His love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15). In this psalm, David rightly calls on the Lord to save him because he knows who God is (v. 16-19).

We can put our faith and hope in God because He is constant. While people will let us down, God’s love and the presence of the Holy Spirit are forever. 

Verse 22 is one that we often hear when talking about anxiety. Reading it in its full context offers depth into its meaning. David writes while living through an incredibly hard season of intimate betrayal, even attack. Yet, he still proclaims with confidence that God will sustain him and “never let the righteous be shaken” (v. 22). Even in the darkest valley, David trusts in God, knowing that He will bring justice in due time.

Trusting in God can be difficult when it seems like our world is caving in around us, but we can take heart in knowing that despite “anguish,” “terrors of death,” “fear and trembling,” and even “horror,” that “the LORD saves” (v. 4, 5, 16). God hears our voice (v. 17). Our God is not far off in a distant place when we hurt. Rather, He is near to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18). Like David, we can trust Him. 

In Psalm 54 David cries out to God for help. It reminds us of what we are up against, how we can better love others, and who is really fighting our battles. 

During the first half of the psalm, David asked God for help and explained his situation. In verse 3 he sings, “for strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves.” Meditating on that verse and what follows can transform how we look at our conflict and difficulties. David clarifies that his oppressors do not know God; they embrace lives of sin and evil. In any conflict, it’s easy to direct our anger or fear towards a person or a group—in this case David was fearful of the Ziphites betrayal in 1 Samuel 23. But Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

When we realize that we are not fighting against men but against evil, we are empowered to do two things. First, we are empowered to truly love our enemies. Second, we are empowered to trust God for our victory. 

Remembering that our battles are not against people, but against evil is fundamental to living out the Christian call to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deeply understood the necessity of “hating the evil and loving the man.” He often preached about the destructive nature of viewing our oppressors as enemies—it bars our ability to see them as humans, created in the image of God. And it “scars our hearts over in hate.” He reminds us that, “It is evil we are seeking to defeat, not the persons victimized by evil.” This understanding empowers us to complete the second part of Matthew 5:44, which is to pray for those who persecute you. Understanding the broken nature of our oppressor as well as their need for God allows us to pray diligently for their salvation.  

As we are fighting against evil we can truly trust God for the victory. Because our conflict is of a spiritual nature, we can operate in the confidence that God has already overcome. He has already defeated death! When we truly believe this, our anxiety, stress, and worry can dissipate. As Proverbs 21:31 reminds us, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.” We can do our best to prepare, but the outcome and the victory ultimately rest with God. 

For us to best understand this psalm, we first need to dig a little deeper into its background. The terrible events that prompted this chapter are recorded in 1 Samuel 21 and 22. Doeg informed Saul about David’s presence at the tabernacle of God and the help he received from the priest there. Saul had Doeg kill the priests (85 of them to be exact) and others at the tabernacle (1 Samuel 22:18-19). Therefore, this psalm comes as David’s contemplation of the root of Doeg’s evil and the horrors it birthed. Recognizing the context of this psalm allows us to understand better the biblical process of contemplation that concludes in trusting, thanking, and waiting on the Lord. 

David humorously begins the psalm by calling out Doeg for his cowardice. Now, he calls him a “mighty hero,” but really, how heroic is killing 85 priests who have vowed not to pick up a sword? Rather than trust the Lord, Doeg “would not make God his refuge but trusted in the abundance of his riches” (v. 7). We, like David, should trust in the steadfast love of God (v. 8). May we be the kind of people who depend upon the Lord, regardless of our circumstances. 

He then testifies, “I will thank you forever because you have done it” (v. 9). David’s trust in God’s future faithfulness was rooted in gratitude for God’s past faithfulness. May we praise God in the present for what is to come. This is a call for us to be people who, in gratitude, trust in the goodness of God.

David concludes this psalm by saying, “I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly” (Psalm 52:9). A trusting and thankful heart will be marked by patience. Although his circumstances had not changed and his prayers remained unanswered, David patiently waited for the Lord. However, waiting is not for the sluggard. Waiting involves constant movement forward. May we be people who continue to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). 

As we have learned through the previous fifty chapters, some psalms are heavy. Some are joyful. Some are a mix of both. Psalm 51 is weighty and is a model of confession for us to follow.  Several key lessons stick out in this powerful psalm from King David after his infidelity with Bathsheba.

The first thing we learn is that we’re not alone. Every one of us can relate to David in Psalm 51. While we may not have been a king, slept with someone who wasn’t our spouse, or arranged for the murder of a close friend, we all know what it’s like to sin and do evil in the sight of God (v. 4). Whether you struggle with lust, anger, people-pleasing, gossip, alcohol, or any other hurt, habit, and struggle, we need our iniquity blotted out (v. 9). We all hold in common a need to be cleansed by our merciful and compassionate God (v. 7).

Our second takeaway is that we can’t fight sin on our own. When we sin, we often seek to make things right by getting rid of the bad and adding the good. We white-knuckle it and commit to stopping the wrong and starting the right. David reminds us in this psalm that God is the one who creates in us a pure heart and renews a steadfast spirit within us. On our own we can do nothing (John 15:5). With our pure heart and spirit, we can sing of his righteousness and declare his praise (v. 14-15).

Our final lesson is to not keep it to ourselves. David challenges the reader to teach others about the goodness of God and His redemptive ways. King David commits to teaching transgressors the ways of God so that sinners will turn back to Him (v. 13). In the same way, when we struggle, we confess to others, bring them in to carry the burden with us (Galatians 6:2), and encourage them to share their own struggles. We mutually disciple one another within the body of Christ.

We all can find great comfort in Psalm 51. The very same God who welcomed King David welcomes you and me today. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” In a way we can’t fully understand, Jesus longs for us to come to Him, confess our sins to Him, and find our rest in Him. You are not alone, don’t fight your sin on your own, and help encourage others.

In Psalm 50, we see a picture of the coming judgment day. The psalmist first sets the scene by highlighting the fierce and awesome glory of the Lord as He calls all of heaven and earth before Him to experience His righteous judgment. If we are not intimidated and fearful of this coming reality, we are missing what the psalmist and other writers have tried to communicate about the holy, righteous, and awesome God. We are reminded again that on that day, there are only two categories of individuals: those made holy by sacrifice and those who are not.  

What distinguishes the two groups? It appears that both groups recite God’s laws and, at least, give lip service to being in covenant with Him. However, those in the first group have been accepted by God because they have entered into a covenant with Him through sacrifice, not simply saying the right things. Nevertheless, the psalmist reminds us that even the sacrificial offerings by the Israelites are not needed by God. He has everything at His disposal already and has no need for anything they can do or give Him. 

What did they sacrifice that the Lord hadn’t already given them? Is it really a sacrifice on their part if it all belongs to the Lord already? As we come to grips with the fact that we have an opportunity to be in covenant with the almighty, righteous Creator of heaven and earth by “sacrificing” what is already His, we should be left with an overwhelming attitude of thankfulness. As Jim Elliot, the well known missionary, once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Of course, because of the gospel we now have the ability to be in a covenant relationship with the Lord due to another kind of sacrifice. But, just like the Israelites, we are beneficiaries of the covenant without it costing us anything. Further, if the Lord accepted the Israelites’ sacrifices of burn offerings as sufficient, how much more confidence can we have knowing that our covenant is based upon the sacrifice of the Holy Lamb of God? Our only right response is one of trying to honor our King with thanksgiving and a desire to walk blamelessly.