Psalm 56 When I am Afraid...

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This psalm addresses what we should do when we are afraid.

Though it is short (13 verses) Psalm 56 contains a powerful statement of faith and a key concept that allowed David to make such a faith statement again and again. Another unique aspect of this psalm is it’s one of the few that is specifically tied to a recorded event in the life of David… “when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” This brief narrative is found in 1 Samuel 21:8-15.

From the superscription, we know that the psalm was to be sung with the tune “The Dove on Far-off Terebinths.” Is it a coincidence that the previous psalm speaks of the desire for the wings of a dove so that the psalmist might fly away from trouble and be at rest (55:6)? I doubt it. David, having fled from Saul into exile, having “flown like a dove”, wrote Psalm 56 as an individual lament, when he found that flight had not brought the desired rest but only further oppression. I also wonder if the psalm’s tune mimicked the soft yet plaintively distinct sound of a distant mourning dove. When there is one in the area, it is hard to ignore its lament!

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Not only had David been forced to repeatedly flee from Saul’s murderous jealousy, but this time, as he fled Nob, he took Goliath’s huge sword (that had been stored there) and fled to the Philistines in Gath… the very place that Goliath had called home. Crazy where fear directs us! In the West, we have the saying, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire!” This would certainly have applied to David’s situation.

Let’s follow the path of fear that led to this moment.

After David’s victory over Goliath and the Philistines in 1 Samuel 17, as they were coming home the women of Israel sang a celebratory song that caused a lot of trouble.

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands.” (1 Sam. 18:7)

This song made Saul angry and jealous, both masking emotions for his fear that he would lose the kingdom to David. It drove Saul crazy, and he tried to kill David from the next day on. Fast forward several chapters and we find David in his fear fled once again from Saul the promise-breaker right into the city of Goliath. Even there in Gath, that horrible repetitive chorus caused him grief as the Philistine king's servants brought up that refrain...

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands.” (1 Sam. 21:11)

At that moment David became “much afraid of Achish the king of Gath”. I can imagine him suddenly snapping out of his funk and asking himself "How did I get here and what am I carrying this?" We could argue that David should not have been afraid since he had won many victories over the Philistines and Achish was no giant like Goliath. However, exhaustion, grief, and hunger probably shaped David’s emotional response. He feigned madness (21:13) and Achish told his servants that he had enough madmen already and David was allowed to depart to hide in the cave of Adullam (approx. 10 miles away).

David might have written this psalm in the cave as he processed all that had happened in Gath, or perhaps the words of this psalm were actually on his lips as he feigned madness before the Philistines. Such a repeated declaration of faith in the city of the Philistines would have seemed like madness to them! 

Now that we have considered the context, let’s take a brief, devotional, look at the psalm.

David began with a poetic lament describing the severity of his situation and the aggressive and continuous attacks of prideful enemies.

"Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
                      all day long an attacker oppresses me;
                                       my enemies trample on me all day long,
                                                    for many attack me proudly.” (v.1-2)

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As we conclude a long and bitter election season in the US, it would seem almost all candidates could say the same thing as David, though not all would ask God for mercy/grace. As an average person, I know that I have felt something of the “all day long” oppression if only from political commercials! 

David’s next statement was imperfect, indicating that he has to do it repeatedly as a continuous practice. They are words we may have heard before but are very important for us in days such as these. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." (v.3)

Will we learn to put our trust in God when we are afraid or will we turn to other things for help? Here is David’s statement of trust in v. 3-4…

When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

I think many can relate to this cry from the Psalmist's heart... but I wonder how often we think about how we might be the one who tramples on another—if not directly, we may be indirectly a participant in a structure that does. I wonder if we lived out verse 3, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you" instead of trying to control those we fear, it might make the world a better place. This week, at least half the country will have a chance to practice this, if they are willing to do so.

Ironically, fear can prompt us to trust in God, and the more we trust in God the less we fear.

Though David began his lament by saying, “Man tramples me” (v. 1) I have always loved the rhetorical question at the end of v.4, "What can flesh do to me?"(See also v. 11). However, if we read on in v. 5-6, we find that quite a lot can be done to us.

All day long they injure my cause;
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk;
    they watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.

Though the way forward may be painful and well acquainted with suffering, God knows and remembers. He has stored our tears in a bottle... and He delivers us!

You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me." (v.8-9)

While God doesn't store time in a bottle, he does keep track of all our tears! He has shared in our sufferings, for he took them upon himself at the cross. It is in Christ alone that we are delivered, healed, and find peace.

How did David keep trusting? Certainly, he was not perfect and knew his failures well, but David knew something about God that gave him the confidence to continue to trust God!

If there was something that the psalmist knew even when all around him might be madness, it was "This I know, that God is for me.”

Such an understanding that God is not primarily a judge but a loving Father who rewards those who seek him is a key principle of faith. In Hebrews 11, what is called the “Hall of Faith” chapter, we read that faith goes beyond believing God exists to knowing that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). He is for us, to the end of the line and beyond!

Other people may delight to hound us and belittle us, but our hope is not found in their fleeting approval. We can get distracted, and embrace plans we think are right, but ultimately it is God’s plan that will be established.

So what do we do with our afflictions that hurt so much? Are they a sign that God is angry with us or has turned his back on us? Certainly not! When we are afflicted, we are in a blessed place, a place where we can receive the comfort of Christ, as Paul encouraged the church in ancient Corinth.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Cor. 1:3-5)

I don’t know what the future holds but Jesus does, and he will walk with us through whatever comes until we safely reach the other side where there is no more sorrow! So, instead of being motivated by fear that not only steals our joy but leads to bad decisions and even worse behavior, let us put verse 3 into practice, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." because verse 9 is still true, God is for us!