Psalms 64

“The first quality for a commander-in-chief is a cool head to receive a correct impression of things,” said Napoleon I. “He should not allow himself to be confused by either good or bad news.” David was probably serving in Saul’s court when he wrote this psalm (1 Sam. 18—20). He knew that Saul was his enemy and wanted to kill him and that most of Saul’s officers were in a conspiracy against him. Though he was the anointed king, David had no authority to oppose Saul, and eventually he had to flee and hide in the wilderness. People give us all kinds of trouble, but our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his hosts (Eph. 6:10ff.). This psalm instructs us what to do in the battles of life.

Frequently David addressed the Lord by saying, “Hear my voice” or “Hear me when I call,” not because God wasn’t paying attention but because David was in earnest (4:1; 5:3; 27:7; 28:2; 39:12; 54:2; 55:17; 61:1; 64:1; 140:6; 143:1). The word translated “prayer” (v. 1 kjv) also means “complaint” or “trouble” (see 142:2). David didn’t ask God to change the circumstances but to fortify his own heart and deliver him from fear. The fear of the Lord mobilizes us, but the fear of man paralyzes us. As a young courtier, loved by the people but envied and hated by the king, David face two problems: the secret conspiracy of Saul and his officers, and the open “tumult” (v. 2 nasb) of those who wanted to please Saul by oppressing David. “Insurrection” in verse 2 (kjv) doesn’t suggest Absalom’s rebellion, but rather what is described in 2:1–2 and 31:13. Lies about David were being passed from person to person, and David knew he wasn’t safe in Saul’s court. Both his life and his reputation were being attacked, and only the Lord could rescue him.

David knew exactly what the enemy was saying and doing, and we need to know the strategy of Satan when he attacks us (2 Cor. 2:11). As a lion, he comes to devour (1 Peter 5:8), and as a serpent, he comes to deceive (2 Cor. 11:1–4), and one of his chief weapons is accusation (Rev. 12:10; Zech. 3). David compared his enemies’ tongues to swords (55:21; 57:4; 59:7) and their words to poisoned arrows (57:4; Prov. 25:18; 26:18–19; Jer. 9:8). But they also set traps for him, confident that nobody knew what they were doing, not even the Lord (10:11, 13; 12:4; 59:7). (For some of Saul’s traps and how the Lord frustrated them, see 1 Sam. 18—19.) David knew that the human heart is “deep” (“cunning,” niv; see Jer. 17:9) and that there are always new dangers to avoid, so he constantly sought the Lord’s wisdom as he made decisions. James 1: is a great promise to claim!

By depending on the Lord and obeying His directions, David was confident that God would defeat his enemies. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Eph. 6:10). David’s enemies shot arrows at him suddenly (vv. 3–4), so the Lord suddenly shot arrows at them (v. 7). They tried to trip him and trap him (v. 5), so the Lord caused David’s enemies to stumble and fall (v. 8 ). God would use their own sword-like tongues to fight against them, and they would end up in shame and disgrace (v. 8). The very weapons that the enemy uses against us, the Lord uses to defeat them.

As the nation watched the defeat of David’s enemies and his exaltation as king, it all brought great glory to the Lord. Some people stood and shook their heads in disbelief (v. 8a). Dr. Bob Cook used to say, “If you can explain what’s going on, the Lord didn’t do it.” Faith expects to see God do the impossible! The nation had a new fear of the Lord as they saw sin judged and their godly king vindicated (59:9–13). The people praised the Lord for what He had done, and as they worshipped, they meditated on His character and His purposes. It isn’t enough to know the works of the Lord; we must also seek to understand His way and learn how to please Him (103:6–7). David’s great concern was that the Lord be glorified, and that was why God blessed Him. Rejoice!