Psalm 54 David's Data Breach in Ziph

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After the epigraph, which helps to set the specific context of this psalm, this short, seven-verse psalm gets right after it. There is no gradual build-up, no extended metaphors or subtle poetry. David had a problem and was quite direct in his prayer to the only one who could save him.

The initial epigram reminds us that the Ziphites took David’s personal information and sold it on the dark web to the bad actor, King Saul. They did it twice! The first time was recorded in 1 Samuel 23.

Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.” (1 Sam. 23:19-20)

A Ziph-like shot of the Judean Mts. Photo: Greg K. Dueker2011

King Saul commended them for this breach and asked them to keep spying on David (v.22-24). This information dump allowed Saul to hotly pursue David ‘round the mountain until reports of a Philistine raid arrived and Saul had to break off the chase. David named that place seh'-lah hammakh-lek-oth' or “The rock of escape.”

Later, in 1 Samuel 26, the Ziphites informed Saul about David again.

Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. (1 Sam. 26:1-3)

The Ziphites, by their treachery, violated the universal law of hospitality they should have kept toward the anointed one who lived in their midst. Understandably, David felt utterly betrayed, yet his focus was on the help of the Lord being better than the help of humanity.

From the beginning of this psalm, he mentions “your name” in parallel with “your might” as the answer to his cry for salvation and longing to be heard.

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

If God doesn’t do anything in answer to our prayers, then why would David pray so fervently that God would hear his prayer? He prayed that God would “hear” his prayer and give ear to his words because he fully believed that when God hears us, he acts as is natural for him to act—by saving his people, sharing his goodness, and bringing justice down upon the wicked! As I was thinking about the parallel structure of David’s request in v.2, “Hear my prayer/ give ear to the words of my mouth” it caused me to wonder how much of what we say is prayer and even how much of what we say do we want the Lord to hear? Ouch! Instead of ignoring God in my speech, what if “all the words of my mouth” were a prayer?

In v.3 the psalmist refers to “strangers/ ruthless men” … not so much foreign adversaries but those in Israel who did not practice the protective hospitality of God. Instead, they seek to kill the supplicant, which in this case was the young pre-king David. Why would they be so unneighborly? I would say it was the natural result of their selfishness… “They do not set God before themselves.”

Photo by Maël BALLAND on Unsplash

Will we struggle alone trusting our own strength and wisdom to contend for our rights, the respect we feel we deserve, and even a good return on our retirement accounts? Or will we like David trust God to be our “helper/upholder” (v.4)?

Behold, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.

Being a helper is not just women’s work (as some misinterpret Gen 2:18,20) it is the faithful work of God! We need more warrior-helpers today! We can all appreciate those who encourage us in our difficulties with their words and actions. What if we, as the body of Christ, were more concerned about upholding others than knocking them down?

Some people are evil and thus unjust. Some show themselves to be our enemies, but it is not our job to destroy them, God will bring their wicked plans back upon them. Their evil intentions will come back to bite them... hard! This is less a Davidic imprecation than a statement of fact about how God works in the lives of his people.

He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your faithfulness put an end to them. (v.5)

I am reminded of a verse in Proverbs that says, “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.” (Prov. 26:2) In their case there is cause in abundance!

The psalmist confidently declares that he will worship the Lord in an overflow of gratitude for deliverance… even though the deliverance has not happened yet. Let us not miss the “freewill offering” aspect of v. 6. The psalmist sees such sacrificial giving as joyful worship, not a begrudgingly compliant obligation.

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. (v.6)

If we wait for everything to be perfect before we worship with our giving, it will likely never happen. There will always be one more problem to face, one more crisis to conquer, one more debt to pay, one more day to wait. The blessing available to us is that we can enter into victorious living even amid hardship if we choose a life of generous gratitude! We can enter the joy of the Lord right now! To this point, Paul commended the glad generosity of the Philippian church in Macedonia who gave despite severe circumstances.

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord… (2 Cor. 8:1-3)

In concluding my comments on this psalm, I would say that once we confess, pray, put our trust in the Lord, gratefully worship, and by faith see the future victory we should not forget our testimony. We should be bold in telling the good things that God has done for us. Even if today’s issue has not yet been resolved in our experience, we can testify to how God has delivered us in the past.

For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (v.7)

What the enemy intends for evil, God in his amazing love can coopt and use for good. Waiting is hardly ever enjoyable, but trusting the Lord can smuggle contentment into almost any difficulty... even this election season. 

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How will we prepare for the coming week? 

Will we proactively ask for God’s help? 

Will we talk to the Lord about all that is happening in our lives? 

Will we respond to the challenges we face this week by committing them to the Lord’s justice and mercy? 

I hope so.

 

Psalm 47 Celebrate by Singing Praises!

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I love the exuberance of this psalm! The whole psalm is like a spiritual endzone celebration
after a BCS bowl game win or after a walk-off home run in the World Series. 

Previously I have shared devotional thoughts on both the first strophe (v.1-4) and the third strophe (v.8-9). But until now I have not specifically targeted the second strophe (v.5-7), the very heart of this psalm. In this post, I will correct this omission as I briefly summarize my thoughts on each section(strophe) of this psalm and tie them all together devotionally with a contemporary application.

Psalm 47 is classified as an “enthronement psalm” celebrating the coronation of a righteous king and the beginning of his just reign. Such psalms look beyond the historical enthronement of any particular Israelite king to that of the coming Messiah, who will be the King of kings. We are quite good at celebrating inaugurations and opening ceremonies, touchdowns, goals, and home runs. If only we were so invested in the work of the Spirit!

I) The Shout of Victory (v.1-4)

"Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves."

Photo by Keith Luke on Unsplash

As I write this at the New Year, crowds of people are clapping and cheering for their favorite football teams in bowl games or playoff games. Basketball fans are clapping and cheering for their teams too. However, more importantly, there is so much to shout and applaud God for! Not the least of which is the things we have seen Him do in our lives. I am also amazed that "He chose our heritage for us." He placed us on this planet and in our families on purpose. But when was the last time we clapped and shouted to God with loud songs of joy? It doesn't take us very long to forget what awesome things he has done for us...but the more we rehearse what he has done the more we will remember his goodness and lovingkindness and be filled with abiding joy! The joy of the Lord cannot be taken away by another team’s touchdown or a referee’s missed pass interference call. This is a bigger-picture joy and celebration of the victory of the Lord God and his vindication of his people.

II) Responding in Chorus to the Assent of the King (v.5-7)

God ascends among shouts of joy,
the Lord, among the sound of trumpets.
Sing praise to God,        sing praise;
 sing praise to our King,  sing praise!
Sing a song of wisdom,
                  for God is King of all the earth.

Photo by Joshua Eckstein
on Unsplash

In verse 5 we see the king ascending to be enthroned with great shouts of joy. As a Christian, it is hard to read this without thinking of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of passion week. While the victory that set us free was unexpectedly won on the cross through the willing death of the Messiah rather than by a military or political victory, he rose from the dead on the third day, and on the 40^th day, he ascended into heaven! Oh, how we should celebrate his ascension! Christians throughout history have used Psalm 47 to celebrate Ascension Day in the church calendar. Yet this is more about living in light of his past victory and current enthronement than about celebrating one day in the year.

In verses 6-7 the psalmist uses a single Hebrew word (zāmar) five times which is translated as “sing praise!” The early Greek translation (LXX) of this verse uses the word psallo to interpret zāmar, this is no surprise since it also means to sing praises. However, the root of this word refers to the process of making music on a stringed instrument. How might such music be made? By plucking, strumming, twanging, bowing, etc. I would suggest that this call to sing praise is more than mere singing, but certainly not less.

Photo by Terren Hurst on Unsplash

So let me ask, how can we live our entire life in a way that what we do resounds with divine praise and celebration? What if all that we do strums the joyful chords of gratitude for a loving redemption, the healing notes of peace, mercy, and righteousness that flow from our being forgiven, the sustaining notes of faith and hope in the person of the Great King? Indeed, this speaks to the way we sing in our worship services and gatherings, but it also calls to us in our work situations, inviting and even urging us to work and live as an instrument of praise.

Perhaps, if you are like me, this will require some tuning and some practice!

III) The Reign of the King and

God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on His holy throne.
      The nobles of the peoples have assembled
                     with the people of the God of Abraham.
For the leaders [lit., shields] of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted. (CSV)

Nations where readers of this Psalms blog live... 

I am so glad that God is not subject to the whims of any individual nations, or even to groups of nations such as the UN; rather, he is sovereign over all nations and peoples. I look forward to the still-future day when we see v. 9 come to pass in all fullness, the day when the nobles of the peoples will gather as the people of the God of Abraham (i.e., by faith)! Certainly, this would make the world a better place!

Another aspect of this passage is that it reveals that God wants to include all nations in his kingdom. Will we come and encourage others to come with us?

Photo by Larisa Birta on Unsplash

This psalm urges us to respond to the victory of our God and King by living out a life that accurately declares who our God is and by our work we participate in his symphony of goodness.

In my last post, we saw the nations raging against God (46:6), but here we see them coming in peace as the people of the God of Abraham! Don't you long for the day when world leaders come to God by faith recognizing that he alone is our great king and defender? I do.

Several things jump out to me here: 1) God reigns over all the nations, not just one of them. 2) The rulers of multiple peoples will be gathered together under the banner of the Abrahamic covenant. 3) The defenses of the earth are ultimately in God's hands—not Captain America's for Yahweh is sovereign over the earth. 4) He is highly exalted whether we admit it or not.

This psalm focuses not on the nation per se, but on celebrating and living lives of worship before the victorious king. As a result, allow me to speak briefly about the troubling issue of nationalism. 

The following is not a politically partisan statement but a biblical call to align ourselves and our faith communities with the larger purposes of the Kingdom of God rather than worldly empires.

The Smallness of Nationalism, even Christian Nationalism

While I love my country and appreciate the great diversity of countries around the world, as people of God we have higher citizenship and greater loyalty than could ever be tied to an earthly nation. Though I am not an expert in this area of socio-political theory, I think there are a few things simple enough for me to point out.

While the common history, language, and cultural heritage of a nation can be a community strength and helps maintain unity and peace for its people, it is ultimately too weak, too small, and too temporary, to become the primary focus for followers of Christ. Here are several ways that nationalism is less than God’s best for us.

• 

  Photo by Filip Andrejevic on Unsplash

  It assumes entitlement and exceptionalism and seeks its own good over the good of
  others.
• It claims a primary loyalty from its people that should be given only to Christ.
• It assumes a right of ownership over land, language, wealth, and power of which we can only be stewards.
• It belittles the sovereignty of God by taking credit for both the building up and the pulling down of nations. This is pervasive in all political factions.
• It dims our views of the imago Dei in others for it magnifies differences between the members of the select in-group and all others (out-groups).
• It gives its adherents an ample excuse for not loving their enemies.

Having said these things, it may surprise you that while I am in favor of immigration reform I am not in favor of open borders, election tampering on any level, or a weak national defense. However, these national distinctives should be used in a way that benefits citizens and sojourners alike and humbly works for the good of all. Heaven, the Kingdom of God, no matter what your view is/will be made up of every tribe, tongue, and nation (e.g., Isa 66:18; Rev. 5:9-10; 7:9-10)—not just one, or a politically select few.

While contending for righteousness in society, the American church has often not thought as broadly as it should as “world Christians” and has narrowed its focus to making the most change for its "me and mine."

So much more could be said, so many more questions could be asked and attempted to answer, and so many objections could be entertained. Yet, this post is overlong already.

Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

I will suggest the following "rapid test" to indicate whether our hearts have been exposed to and infected by earthly nationalism, which is highly contagious. If we took a nasal swab that somehow captured trace DNA of our recent speaking, sniffing, snorting, and even breathing out forcefully, what would such a test reveal? 

For which of the following 3-Rs would we test positive?

• Passion for demanding and/or defending our own rights?
• Fomenting rebellion against some perceived political power, moral standard, or people?
• Consistently rejoicing in the reign of the King who will not show partiality but will make all things right?

Such a 3-R test is not comfortable, but it is needed if we are to heed the call to “sing praises” to our God and King Jesus Christ. One day, Psalm 47 will be fulfilled and its strains incorporated into the heavenly song! As it is written,

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, 

                and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,
    O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
    O King of the nations!
 Who will not fear, O Lord,
    and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
    All nations will come
    and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Rev. 15:3-4)

Psalm 8: "Humble Glory?"

Psalm 8:5-6

"Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet..."

Comments:

I have commented on v. 1 and v. 3-4 three times each, so here is something different. (Note: Although psalms should generally be taken as a whole unit, after reading the whole psalm I will generally just comment on a couple of verses.)

Man is the apex of God’s creation and has been “crowned him with glory and honor” but we too often think that glory is ours to seek and grasp, as I began my poem, Humble Glory,

Born to share glory, not seek it.

Yet sniffing, climbing, grasping, fighting, expecting,

We hunt along a different path

Twisted we claim it, kill it,

Poisoned by pride…

Just as the Bible speaks of the spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:3), I have found its fraternal twin, which I call anti-glory. After mankind turned away from a dependent relationship with the Glorious and fell into sin, he sought to replace that lost glory through his own efforts or images (Romans 1:23; Philippians 3:19). But this imitation glory—this vainglory—leaves a bitter aftertaste. Dr. Ron Frost uses Augustine’s relational metaphor to describe the tragic consequences of that first temptation to be like God,

"It is the adultery of the heart, the lust for human glory, the idolatry of greed, and the careless self-absorption of pride that Jesus condemns. The behavioral dimensions of sin are merely barometric indications of the hurricane of death that destroyed and destroys hearts through their desire to be like God."^[1]

The serpent lied. We are not God and never could be divine, except through humble participation in Christ’s love. As IBottom of Form later poetically described (again from Humble Glory),

Glory is given not grasped,

Belonging to God—Father, Son, Spirit—

Shared in his Trinitarian community of love.

Yet he invites us in as family, to eat once again

What we once lost by taking.

The psalmist here worships the Lord fully, recognizing that any humble glory he had, any dominion he exercised was what had been given him by God. I am no king nor psalmist, but I have a share in the glory of the King…because he died for me!

---

[1] Paul L. Metzger, ed. Trinitarian Soundings in Systematic Theology (New York: T & T Clark, 2005), 105.  

Psalm 132 "We heard of it in Ephrathah"

Psalm for Today = 132:3-7

³ I will not enter my house

    or get into my bed,

⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes

    or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵ until I find a place for the Lord,

    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.

⁶ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;

    we found it in the fields of Jaar.

⁷ “Let us go to his dwelling place;

    let us worship at his footstool!”

Comments:
The pilgrims sang out these words in remembrance of David’s heart commitment to building the temple as a place for God’s name to dwell. I can see how David’s example might have even served to spur on the weary travelers (and to challenge lazy ones) on their way to Jerusalem. Actually, it still serves to motivate me to make sure that I don’t go to bed without making sure that I have spent time with the Lord who dwells in my heart.  

v. 6 “Ephrathah” and “the fields of Jaar” are used synonymously, most likely to refer to David’s hometown (Expositor’s Bible Commentary notes that “Ephrathah by itself could refer to the vicinity around Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2) or to Kiriath Jearim (cf. 1 Chronicles 2:19, 24, 50); but with the further description of "the fields of Jaar"--a reference to Kiriath Jearim (Jearim is a plural of "Jaar")” it favors Kiriath Jearim where the Ark had been kept in the home of Obed Edom until David brought it to Jerusalem.). In effect, David’s devotion had become well known to those in his hometown town and they had caught the vision of going to worship the Lord in that place. As David had been an example to those in his hometown, those people, in the words of this psalm, had become an example to the pilgrims who were singing it.

Daybreak approaching the Old City & Mt. of Olives

As I have noted on other occasions, we don’t have to travel to the site of the former Temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, for we can come into God’s presence even more fully by faith in the delivering work of Jesus Christ.

Despite the fact that we have better access to God, we do well to learn the lesson of Psalm 132 and spur each other on lest we neglect to make the communal pilgrimage of faith.

As Hebrews 10:19-25 says,

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (ESV) 

Despite Western cultural influences, biblical Christianity is not an individualized and independent faith, but a relational response to the love of the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Because God is relational at his core, we should be as well. As the ancient Israelites traveled in large bands of family and neighbors to the feasts in Jerusalem, we would do well to embrace the collective nature of Christian faith in the way we do church. Let’s not neglect to meet together to worship the Lord!