Enemies Conspire Against David

Commentary

Many Bible scholars think this Psalm was written by David when he was fleeing from Saul and in very serious trouble. The king of Gath had put David under arrest and was considering putting him to death. In the previous Psalm David’s troubles were caused by his family and friends; here they are caused by his foes. In Psalm 55 he was depressed; here he is optimistic.

The Philistines oppressing David on this occasion seemed numberless (I Samuel 29:2-9). They gave no time for relief as they were oppressing him daily (vv. 1-2).  David was certainly no coward but neither was he hesitant to admit the great fear that he had in his heart (v. 3).  However, the natural inclination he had to fear was overshadowed by his trust in the Lord. In these times of distress he is driven to the Scriptures. He had great confidence that what God promises He will perform (v. 4).

David’s enemies kept the pressure on him (vv. 5-7). It was the kind of persecution that we might expect out of communist regimes in our day. We call it brainwashing; where there is no sleep, continual threats and severe physical abuse. Sooner or later most people break down under it. David simply told the Lord about it. With great courage he carefully weighed his present circumstances there in this Philistine prison against divine certainties and concluded that they could not destroy him because God had promised him the throne of Israel. David simply prayed that the Lord would destroy those who conspired to kill him and God answered his prayers.

Application

I need to remember that no matter what my circumstances are God is watching. No matter if it is a sick loved one, a wayward child or a threatened layoff He is mapping out my footsteps and gathering up my tears. My courage needs to come from the Lord and from no man.