David opened the psalm with “Lord—Jehovah,” and now he addressed God once more, this time as “Lord— Adonai—Master.” He will use both names in verses 15 and 21–22. For a brief moment, he took his eyes off his own sufferings and looked to the Lord, knowing that God saw his heart and knew all his longings. God knows what we want, but He also knows what we need. Then why pray? Because God has commanded us to pray, and “you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4: nkjv). Furthermore, as we pray, God works in our hearts to give us a clearer understanding of ourselves and of His will for us. Prayer isn’t a theological concept to analyze and explain; it’s a privilege to cherish and a blessing to claim.
David’s focus now was on the people around him, and he felt abandoned and lonely. The people who should have encouraged and comforted him—his loved ones and friends—kept their distance, along with his enemies, who wanted him to die. David expected his enemies to plot against him (v. 12), gloat over his fall (v. 16), hate him, slander him, and return evil for the good he did to them (vv. 19–20), but he didn’t think his friends and relatives would turn against him. (See 31:11–12; 41:9; 69:8; 88:8, 18; Job 19:13–19.) “Sore” in verse 11 means “a stroke, a blow” and is sometimes translated “a plague,” the word used to describe leprosy. David’s family and closest friends were treating him like a leper and keeping their distance. They didn’t want to be contaminated! But before we criticize them, have we been obeying Galatians 6:1–2 and 2 Corinthians 2:5–11?
As he grieved over his sins and over the unconcern of his loved ones, David realized that his enemies were plotting to get him out of the way (v. 12). They talked about his ruin and destruction, and he heard what they were saying; but he did not reply to their threats or their false accusations. He knew he had sinned, so why put up a feeble defense? But he also knew that his accusers were sinning and really had no cause for deposing him. But suppose he did win his defense and then fall again (v. 16)? His enemies would then have a stronger case against him. So, the wisest course was to remain silent. That being the case, he kept quiet and turned the matter over to the Lord. He followed the instructions he had given in Psalm 37.
We Can Focus on the Lord and Experience Sin’s