“To the Chief Musician. Set to “Lily of the Testimony.” A Michtam of David. For teaching. When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.” Psalm 60:1
The lily is an emblem of beauty. Triumph blooms as a lily when the Lord gives Israel a military victory over their foes.
In Psalm 60, the Lord teaches us to rely on Him during times of war. During the Reformation era, Martin Luther composed hymns to teach people theology, Scripture, and faith. These hymns replaced complex Latin liturgy with accessible songs, shifting worship toward congregational participation and teaching doctrine through music, particularly on justification by faith. [1]
In 2 Samuel 8:1-8, God gave David victory over the Philistines, the Moabites and the Syrians. David and his men killed 22,000 attacking Syrians in one battle. They confiscated large amounts of gold and bronze from them. They also received ongoing tribute from the Moabites. 2 Samuel 8:13 records that David killed 18,000 Syrians in the Valley of Salt. However, 1 Chronicles 18:12 clarifies that it was Abishai, under David’s command, who led this attack. Besides these 18,000 dead Edomite combatants, the introduction of Psalm 60, records that Joab and his men killed an additional 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. Did Joab and Abishai divide the troops and fight on two fronts? They did! In 2 Samuel 10:9-14, during their very next victory over the Syrians, Joab and Abishai divided the troops between them and attacked from two directions.
“O God, You have cast us off. You have broken us down. You have been displeased. O, restore us again! You have made the earth tremble. You have broken it. Heal its breaches, for it is shaking. You have shown Your people hard things. You have made us drink the wine of confusion. You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah! That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.” Psalm 60:1-5
In his book, “Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks,” Walter Brueggemann writes: “The prophetic tasks of the church are to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion, grieve in a society that practices denial, and express hope in a society that lives in despair.” In his book, “The Prophetic Imagination,” he emphasizes that “without death, there is no resurrection.” God’s prophets urged people to relinquish the wrong way to receive the right way.
Are you familiar with “Celebrate Recovery” (CR)? CR teaches in accordance with Psalm 34:18 that “the Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” “Admitting powerlessness over ‘hurts, hang-ups, and habits’—is the necessary starting point, or precursor, to finding wholeness, healing, and restoration through Jesus Christ.” [2]
Before David went to war with Israel’s foes, he expressed to God on behalf of his nation their sense of distance, brokenness and rejection. They had seen hard things. They were feeling unstable. They were confused. He wanted God to fly the banner of truth over them so that they would not think that He abandoned them. Then, he straight out asked God to deliver His beloved nation with His right hand – an allusion to Messiah who sits at God’s right hand.
Yes, salvation is of the Lord! Our Lord Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lord must win the battle.
“God has spoken in His holiness: ‘I will rejoice! I will divide Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine. Ephraim also is the helmet for My head. Judah is My lawgiver. Moab is My washpot. Over Edom I will cast My shoe. Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.’” Psalm 60:6-8
David rejoiced because God had spoken to him in His holiness – a holiness that never tells lies. God’s Word is a firm foundation for hope and joy for believers. [3]
In Matthew 5:5, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The Lord placed Shechem and Succoth into David’s hands. The Lord called men from the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim and Judah to help David. Ephraim supplied David with soldiers. Judah supplied David with judges (lawgivers) for his courts of justice. [4] The greatest lawgiver and law keeper in the family line of David is Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
“Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.” Psalm 60:9-12
Who could lead David to victory over a strong city and over Edom? The answer was God. At first, when the surrounding nations gathered against Israel to attack them, it appeared that God had forsaken them, but, no, God helped them to do valiantly and to tread down their enemies with a great slaughter.
Though it is God that performs all things for us, yet there is something to be done by us. We are to go forth to battle with strong hope in our hearts that we will return home victoriously. [5] Perhaps, even singing God’s praises as we march towards our enemy. That’s what King David’s descendant – King Jehoshaphat – did. In 2 Chronicles 20:21-22, he sent singers of praise out before his army. They sang, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” As they sang God’s praises, the Lord caused their enemies to turn against each other. God defeated their enemies!
It is through God that we do valiantly. Glory, honor and power be to His holy Name. Amen!
[1] https://www.reformedworship.org/resource/luthers-musical-reformation
[2] https://celebraterecovery.com/
[3] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid
Please pray that God will use 21st Century Jeremiah publications to help prophetic speakers to accurately align their messages with the Scriptures even as the prophet Jeremiah sought to do in his day.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Monday, May 4, 2026
Persecuted for Speaking the Name of Jesus Christ – Psalm 59
“To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘Do Not Destroy.’ A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.” Psalm 59:1
The back story of Psalm 59 is recorded in 1 Samuel 19. In David’s day, he was like one of the reformers in the days of Martin Luther. The religious authorities who should have applauded Luther’s revelation from God about salvation by God’s grace through faith in Christ, sought to kill him. Before he became king, David was mischaracterized by his enemies as an evildoer.
In 1 Samuel 19:1, Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. In 1 Samuel 19:9-10, David was back with Saul and playing music for him. Suddenly a distressing spirit came upon Saul and he threw a spear at David. David escaped in the night. In Samuel 19:11-17, Saul sent messengers to David’s house to kill him, but Michal, his wife, knew of the plan and warned him to escape. Afterwards she felt obligated to lie to her father lest he execute her. She told Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”
Jesus was persecuted by the very people who should have been for Him. In Zechariah 13:6, there’s a prophecy about Jesus, where “One will say to Him, ‘What are these wounds in Your hands?’ Then He will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.’”
Have you ever been literally wounded or betrayed to corrupt authorities by a friend? Many of God’s servants including His own Son experienced such treatment. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Philippians 2:7-9 says that Jesus made Himself of no reputation... humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life. The mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me and behold! You, therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations. Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah! At evening they return, they growl like a dog and go all around the city. Indeed, they belch with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, for they say, ‘Who hears?’” Psalm 59:1-7
The persecution against David was intense. His assassins wanted to see his blood. They continuously laid traps for him. Each hunter hoped to be the hero who killed him. David had done them no wrong. Their pursuit of him stemmed from a selfish ambition to claim the reward for his capture and death. David’s mention of growling dogs, belching men and lips like swords causes me to think of a hunting party of beer guzzling and vulgar mouthed men on a hunting expedition. They have their hound dogs with them. David prayed to God, “Awake to help me!”
In Psalm 22:16, the persecutors of Jesus are compared to dogs. The words of their lips stabbed and wounded Him like swords. According to Isaiah 53:4, they esteemed Him smitten by God.
“But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them. You shall have all the nations in derision. I will wait for You, O You his Strength, for God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me. God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.” Psalm 59:8-10
God says in 1 Peter 4:14, “If you are reproached for the Name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” God’s Spirit strengthened David.
Once, when a friend named Mark Franzen and me were witnessing to a man. He suddenly turned violent and threatened to shoot us with his gun. In that moment, I could sense that Franzen and me were aglow with God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit of glory rested on us. It felt great! Glory to God! And the very next day, that man professed faith in Jesus Christ through the ongoing witness of others.
David foresaw the Lord laughing at the pride of those who insult Him. In Psalm 24:1, he wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.” In Isaiah 40:15, God’s Word says, “Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the scales.” In Isaiah 40:22, The Lord “sits above the circle of the earth [yes, the earth is round], and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers...”
David waited on the Lord, and the Lord gave him instructions. Rather than making decisions based on pride in himself, David inquired of the Lord. For example, in 1 Samuel 23:2-4, David asked God if he should attack the Philistines and, even after God’s receiving approval, he asked God again to ensure he understood God perfectly.
David called God’s mercy his mercy. The Lord said to His people in Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—the sure mercies of David.” God’s mercy was on the linage of David because the Christ child was born on earth from his family tree. [1]
“Do not slay them, lest my people forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be and let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah!” Psalm 59:11-13
If the execution of David’s enemies had been swiftly done, the impacts of their deaths would have been small. “Swift destructions startle men for the present, but they are soon forgotten.” So, David prayed that their decline would last long. “Scatter them.” Thus Cain, though a murderer, was not immediately slain, God sentenced him to be a fugitive and a vagabond. [2]
David wanted God to make his persecutors as monuments of divine justice. Indeed, the stories of David’s victories over Goliath and King Saul have been memorialized in works of art, in songs, in books and in modern day movies.
David speaks of his enemies uttering curses, lies, and arrogant boasts. God made our tongues to speak edifying words of comfort and exhortation to one another. Our tongues should speak words of God’s love to those around us. We also use our tongues wisely when we use them to give God thanks for all the many blessings that He gives to us.
“And at evening they return, they growl like a dog and go all around the city. They wander up and down for food, and howl if they are not satisfied.” Psalm 59:14-15
Those who hunted for David in the wilderness, returned to their city empty handed. I thank God that when I preached the Gospel and made disciples in China, that those who hunted for Christians did not find us. Once, due to having fever, I ended my Bible teaching early. After everyone departed, Public Security Bureau agents showed up and asked our host where everyone was. He acted as though he had no clue about what they were saying. They searched the room for Bibles but found none. Praise God! Those dogs found nothing.
David wrote that after the hunt, the dogs growled all around the city. They searched for food and howled when they were not satisfied. In Isaiah 56:11, the Lord speaks of the misguided spiritual leaders in Isaiah’s day, saying, “Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough.
And they are shepherds who cannot understand. They all look to their own way. Every one for his own gain, from his own territory.” Their mission was not in submission to the Lord’s mission.
“But I will sing of Your power. Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises, for God is my defense, my God of mercy.” Psalm 59:16-17
David was not growling or howling. He was singing of God’s mighty power. It was a reality to him. In the morning, he was singing aloud of God’s mercy. He had survived to see another day. God defended him. During the day of trouble, he rested in God. God had revealed to David His strength, His defenses and His mercies. David was at peace. God prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies. God’s goodness and mercy was following David.
[1] Comments derived from Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[2] Ibid
The back story of Psalm 59 is recorded in 1 Samuel 19. In David’s day, he was like one of the reformers in the days of Martin Luther. The religious authorities who should have applauded Luther’s revelation from God about salvation by God’s grace through faith in Christ, sought to kill him. Before he became king, David was mischaracterized by his enemies as an evildoer.
In 1 Samuel 19:1, Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. In 1 Samuel 19:9-10, David was back with Saul and playing music for him. Suddenly a distressing spirit came upon Saul and he threw a spear at David. David escaped in the night. In Samuel 19:11-17, Saul sent messengers to David’s house to kill him, but Michal, his wife, knew of the plan and warned him to escape. Afterwards she felt obligated to lie to her father lest he execute her. She told Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”
Jesus was persecuted by the very people who should have been for Him. In Zechariah 13:6, there’s a prophecy about Jesus, where “One will say to Him, ‘What are these wounds in Your hands?’ Then He will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.’”
Have you ever been literally wounded or betrayed to corrupt authorities by a friend? Many of God’s servants including His own Son experienced such treatment. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Philippians 2:7-9 says that Jesus made Himself of no reputation... humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life. The mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me and behold! You, therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations. Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah! At evening they return, they growl like a dog and go all around the city. Indeed, they belch with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, for they say, ‘Who hears?’” Psalm 59:1-7
The persecution against David was intense. His assassins wanted to see his blood. They continuously laid traps for him. Each hunter hoped to be the hero who killed him. David had done them no wrong. Their pursuit of him stemmed from a selfish ambition to claim the reward for his capture and death. David’s mention of growling dogs, belching men and lips like swords causes me to think of a hunting party of beer guzzling and vulgar mouthed men on a hunting expedition. They have their hound dogs with them. David prayed to God, “Awake to help me!”
In Psalm 22:16, the persecutors of Jesus are compared to dogs. The words of their lips stabbed and wounded Him like swords. According to Isaiah 53:4, they esteemed Him smitten by God.
“But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them. You shall have all the nations in derision. I will wait for You, O You his Strength, for God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me. God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.” Psalm 59:8-10
God says in 1 Peter 4:14, “If you are reproached for the Name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” God’s Spirit strengthened David.
Once, when a friend named Mark Franzen and me were witnessing to a man. He suddenly turned violent and threatened to shoot us with his gun. In that moment, I could sense that Franzen and me were aglow with God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit of glory rested on us. It felt great! Glory to God! And the very next day, that man professed faith in Jesus Christ through the ongoing witness of others.
David foresaw the Lord laughing at the pride of those who insult Him. In Psalm 24:1, he wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.” In Isaiah 40:15, God’s Word says, “Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the scales.” In Isaiah 40:22, The Lord “sits above the circle of the earth [yes, the earth is round], and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers...”
David waited on the Lord, and the Lord gave him instructions. Rather than making decisions based on pride in himself, David inquired of the Lord. For example, in 1 Samuel 23:2-4, David asked God if he should attack the Philistines and, even after God’s receiving approval, he asked God again to ensure he understood God perfectly.
David called God’s mercy his mercy. The Lord said to His people in Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—the sure mercies of David.” God’s mercy was on the linage of David because the Christ child was born on earth from his family tree. [1]
“Do not slay them, lest my people forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be and let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah!” Psalm 59:11-13
If the execution of David’s enemies had been swiftly done, the impacts of their deaths would have been small. “Swift destructions startle men for the present, but they are soon forgotten.” So, David prayed that their decline would last long. “Scatter them.” Thus Cain, though a murderer, was not immediately slain, God sentenced him to be a fugitive and a vagabond. [2]
David wanted God to make his persecutors as monuments of divine justice. Indeed, the stories of David’s victories over Goliath and King Saul have been memorialized in works of art, in songs, in books and in modern day movies.
David speaks of his enemies uttering curses, lies, and arrogant boasts. God made our tongues to speak edifying words of comfort and exhortation to one another. Our tongues should speak words of God’s love to those around us. We also use our tongues wisely when we use them to give God thanks for all the many blessings that He gives to us.
“And at evening they return, they growl like a dog and go all around the city. They wander up and down for food, and howl if they are not satisfied.” Psalm 59:14-15
Those who hunted for David in the wilderness, returned to their city empty handed. I thank God that when I preached the Gospel and made disciples in China, that those who hunted for Christians did not find us. Once, due to having fever, I ended my Bible teaching early. After everyone departed, Public Security Bureau agents showed up and asked our host where everyone was. He acted as though he had no clue about what they were saying. They searched the room for Bibles but found none. Praise God! Those dogs found nothing.
David wrote that after the hunt, the dogs growled all around the city. They searched for food and howled when they were not satisfied. In Isaiah 56:11, the Lord speaks of the misguided spiritual leaders in Isaiah’s day, saying, “Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough.
And they are shepherds who cannot understand. They all look to their own way. Every one for his own gain, from his own territory.” Their mission was not in submission to the Lord’s mission.
“But I will sing of Your power. Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises, for God is my defense, my God of mercy.” Psalm 59:16-17
David was not growling or howling. He was singing of God’s mighty power. It was a reality to him. In the morning, he was singing aloud of God’s mercy. He had survived to see another day. God defended him. During the day of trouble, he rested in God. God had revealed to David His strength, His defenses and His mercies. David was at peace. God prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies. God’s goodness and mercy was following David.
[1] Comments derived from Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[2] Ibid
Sunday, May 3, 2026
After the Last Great Battle – Love, Joy and Peace – Psalm 58
“To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David.” Psalm 58:1
Psalm 57-59 and Psalm 75 “are characterized by a plea for safety from enemies, trusting in God’s protection, and the ultimate, destruction of the wicked while the righteous are preserved. All four Psalms are set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” “Do Not Destroy” or “Destroy Not” is believed to be a popular song or musical phrase of the era.” [1]
In Revelation 9:11, the name of the king of the bottomless pit is Apollyon in Greek and Abaddon in Hebrew. His name means Destroyer. In what ways are destructive forces at work in your life and in the world?
In 1 John 5:5, the Apostle John asks and answers a question about overcoming the destructive forces in the world. He wrote, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” When we believe in and profess Jesus Christ, God saves us.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? I do. I hope that you do too.
“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent one’s? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? No, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.” Psalm 58:1-2
In Psalm 58:1-2, David, not as a king, for he had not yet come to the throne, but as a prophet, declares his judges guilty. He does so with the gavel of God’s Word. He judges them with more authority and justice than they showed in prosecuting him. [2]
Saul’s government was evil. In 1 Samuel 22:6-23, he gave the orders for an entire village of godly priests and their families to be put to death by the sword, and those orders were carried out without hesitation. Saul’s congregation was a collaboration of corrupt officials. His department of justice was a department of injustice. His convention was a convention of criminals. His learned lawyers were masters at vindicating criminals and prosecuting the innocent.
According to 1 Samuel 22:7, Saul incentivized men to hate David. “He said to them, ‘Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?’”
In Ecclesiastes 3:16, God expresses His grief over the miscarriage of justice, saying, “I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there.”
According to Romans 13:3, God authorizes earthly governments to be a terror to those who do wrong but not to those who do right. In Romans 13:4, the Word of the Lord says, “They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
“The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming ever so skillfully.” Psalm 58:3-5
In Matthew 3:7, when John the Baptist “Saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?’” In Matthew 23:33, Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” Apart from Christ, religious leaders deceive their followers because Jesus is the Truth. In Romans 3:13, Paul wrote of his own people, the ones who rejected Christ, saying, “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
The Pharisees focused their listeners on symbolic acts of holiness rather than conversion and transformation by God. In John 3:5, Jesus told one of them named Nicodemus, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Salvation is not solely based on a formula that one follows. It is based on a relationship with the living God. God must do the converting and transformation. We must abide in Christ to be holy.
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Jesus is the Seed from which justice, mercy and faithfulness grow. Without Him, crime, cruelty and betrayal spring up like weeds, and takeover.
“Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! Let them flow away as waters which run continually. When he bends his bow, let his arrows be as if cut in pieces. Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.” Psalm 58:6-8
David asks God to defeat enemies of righteousness. Remove their teeth! Sanction their food intake! Change the course of their stream! Let them be thirsty! Make their arrows miss their mark so they doubt the validity of their actions. Let them crawl and melt away! Hinder their advances! Let them not see the light of day! Disorient them!
In Acts 13:6-12, a false prophet tried to stop Barnabas and Paul from sharing the Gospel with a Roman official. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at him and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” He immediately did become blind. Then, the Roman official believed in Christ.
“Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, as in His living and burning wrath.” Psalm 58:9
“The Hebrew of these lines is difficult but the thought may be that David considered how quickly a bunch of dry thorns burn in a fire under cooking pots. David prayed that God’s judgment would come upon his enemies like a flash of fire.” God’s judgment is sudden, unavoidable, and complete. [3]
God is able to bring down a mighty empire in a moment.
For example, in Daniel 5:1-6, King Belshazzar was having a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles. “As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.” God’s Word to Belshazzar was that his days were over. Daniel 5:30-31 states, “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.”
“The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that men will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous. Surely He is God who judges in the earth.’” Psalm 58:10-11
The imagery here is of the righteous walking victoriously with God at the end of a bloody battle. The wicked seemed invincible. Their propaganda promised a better life, but behind the scenes, they used bribes, blackmail and torture to ensure their agenda was accomplished. They killed millions of preborn people. They enslaved millions with drug and sexual addictions. They sent greatly loved children off to die in their wars. Finally, after one great battle, they ceased to exist.
In Revelation 12:17, God reveals to us that the devil is at war with those who keep His commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
In Revelation 20:8-10, God reveals to us that Satan will deceive the nations to gather against “the camp of the saints.” But at the very moment, when all seems lost for Christ’s faithful followers, fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour them. Then, the devil, who deceived the nations, will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where he “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
In Revelation 21-22, after the devil’s days of destroying people are over, Christ’s followers enjoy a new heaven and a new earth. We shall live in a kingdom that is eternal. Perfect in splendor! A paradise where hatred, crime and death no longer exists! We will never hunger nor thirst again. God will abundantly provide for our eternal existence. In God’s presence, there is love, peace and joy forevermore. God will be to us as a loving Father. God does delights in our happiness.
[1] Enduring Word Commentary
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[3] Enduring Word Commentary
Psalm 57-59 and Psalm 75 “are characterized by a plea for safety from enemies, trusting in God’s protection, and the ultimate, destruction of the wicked while the righteous are preserved. All four Psalms are set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” “Do Not Destroy” or “Destroy Not” is believed to be a popular song or musical phrase of the era.” [1]
In Revelation 9:11, the name of the king of the bottomless pit is Apollyon in Greek and Abaddon in Hebrew. His name means Destroyer. In what ways are destructive forces at work in your life and in the world?
In 1 John 5:5, the Apostle John asks and answers a question about overcoming the destructive forces in the world. He wrote, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” When we believe in and profess Jesus Christ, God saves us.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? I do. I hope that you do too.
“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent one’s? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? No, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.” Psalm 58:1-2
In Psalm 58:1-2, David, not as a king, for he had not yet come to the throne, but as a prophet, declares his judges guilty. He does so with the gavel of God’s Word. He judges them with more authority and justice than they showed in prosecuting him. [2]
Saul’s government was evil. In 1 Samuel 22:6-23, he gave the orders for an entire village of godly priests and their families to be put to death by the sword, and those orders were carried out without hesitation. Saul’s congregation was a collaboration of corrupt officials. His department of justice was a department of injustice. His convention was a convention of criminals. His learned lawyers were masters at vindicating criminals and prosecuting the innocent.
According to 1 Samuel 22:7, Saul incentivized men to hate David. “He said to them, ‘Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?’”
In Ecclesiastes 3:16, God expresses His grief over the miscarriage of justice, saying, “I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there.”
According to Romans 13:3, God authorizes earthly governments to be a terror to those who do wrong but not to those who do right. In Romans 13:4, the Word of the Lord says, “They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
“The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming ever so skillfully.” Psalm 58:3-5
In Matthew 3:7, when John the Baptist “Saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?’” In Matthew 23:33, Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” Apart from Christ, religious leaders deceive their followers because Jesus is the Truth. In Romans 3:13, Paul wrote of his own people, the ones who rejected Christ, saying, “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
The Pharisees focused their listeners on symbolic acts of holiness rather than conversion and transformation by God. In John 3:5, Jesus told one of them named Nicodemus, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Salvation is not solely based on a formula that one follows. It is based on a relationship with the living God. God must do the converting and transformation. We must abide in Christ to be holy.
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Jesus is the Seed from which justice, mercy and faithfulness grow. Without Him, crime, cruelty and betrayal spring up like weeds, and takeover.
“Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! Let them flow away as waters which run continually. When he bends his bow, let his arrows be as if cut in pieces. Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.” Psalm 58:6-8
David asks God to defeat enemies of righteousness. Remove their teeth! Sanction their food intake! Change the course of their stream! Let them be thirsty! Make their arrows miss their mark so they doubt the validity of their actions. Let them crawl and melt away! Hinder their advances! Let them not see the light of day! Disorient them!
In Acts 13:6-12, a false prophet tried to stop Barnabas and Paul from sharing the Gospel with a Roman official. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at him and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” He immediately did become blind. Then, the Roman official believed in Christ.
“Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, as in His living and burning wrath.” Psalm 58:9
“The Hebrew of these lines is difficult but the thought may be that David considered how quickly a bunch of dry thorns burn in a fire under cooking pots. David prayed that God’s judgment would come upon his enemies like a flash of fire.” God’s judgment is sudden, unavoidable, and complete. [3]
God is able to bring down a mighty empire in a moment.
For example, in Daniel 5:1-6, King Belshazzar was having a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles. “As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.” God’s Word to Belshazzar was that his days were over. Daniel 5:30-31 states, “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.”
“The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that men will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous. Surely He is God who judges in the earth.’” Psalm 58:10-11
The imagery here is of the righteous walking victoriously with God at the end of a bloody battle. The wicked seemed invincible. Their propaganda promised a better life, but behind the scenes, they used bribes, blackmail and torture to ensure their agenda was accomplished. They killed millions of preborn people. They enslaved millions with drug and sexual addictions. They sent greatly loved children off to die in their wars. Finally, after one great battle, they ceased to exist.
In Revelation 12:17, God reveals to us that the devil is at war with those who keep His commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
In Revelation 20:8-10, God reveals to us that Satan will deceive the nations to gather against “the camp of the saints.” But at the very moment, when all seems lost for Christ’s faithful followers, fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour them. Then, the devil, who deceived the nations, will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where he “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
In Revelation 21-22, after the devil’s days of destroying people are over, Christ’s followers enjoy a new heaven and a new earth. We shall live in a kingdom that is eternal. Perfect in splendor! A paradise where hatred, crime and death no longer exists! We will never hunger nor thirst again. God will abundantly provide for our eternal existence. In God’s presence, there is love, peace and joy forevermore. God will be to us as a loving Father. God does delights in our happiness.
[1] Enduring Word Commentary
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[3] Enduring Word Commentary
Saturday, May 2, 2026
I will Sing and Give God Praise – Psalm 57
“To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.” Psalm 57:1 [1]
Who wants to destroy someone? Who wants someone to destroy them? Is anyone trying to destroy you? If so, how are you dealing with that?
This Psalm was set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.”
David did not destroy Saul when he had the opportunity to do so in the cave of Adullam. In 1 Samuel 26:10-11, he told his men, “As surely as the Lord lives . . . the Lord Himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.”
God did not allow Satan to destroy Job. In Job 2:6, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand but spare his life.’” Satan tested Job’s commitment to God. Job remained faithful to God.
God did not let Saul destroy David. Jesus Messiah was destined to be born from his family line.
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You, and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me.” Psalm 57:1-2
When on the brink of destruction, David cried out to God, “Be merciful to me” twice in a row. He entrusted his soul to God. He envisioned himself under God’s wing.
“God’s wing” may allude to the wings of cherubim which overshadowed the Mercy Seat on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. Those angel wings and that Mercy Seat on the Ark foreshadowed the scene at the empty tomb. On the day of Christ’s resurrection, Mary looked into the tomb of Jesus. John 20:12 says, “She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.”
David professed faith in the faithfulness of God. He professed that the calamities would pass. God would have mercy on him and save him. God Most High would perform the miracle.
“He shall send from heaven and save me. He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah! God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.” Psalm 57:3
Who did God send from heaven? He sent His Son. What does Jesus represent? He is God’s mercy. He saves us from our sins by His blood shed on the cross. Who is the truth? In John 14:6, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Him.
“My soul is among lions. I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” Psalm 57:4
David compared his enemies to lions. Lions sneak up on their prey and attack them ruthlessly so that they are instantly wounded and too weak to fight back. Throughout the Bible, the lion is characterized as a ferocious adversary. In Judges 14:5-6, Samson killed a lion. In 1 Kings 13:24, a lion killed a young prophet. In Daniel 6:16-22, God rescued Daniel from being devoured by lions. In 2 Timothy 4:17, Paul spoke of being rescued from the mouth of a lion. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter compared the devil to a roaring lion.
In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. In this passage, the lion is a metaphor for King Jesus who is more powerful than all the Judean kings who proceeded Him.
David compared his enemies to fire. Fire also consumes quickly. The pain it causes is intense. He compared the teeth of his enemies to arrows and their tongue to a sword. His enemies were both physically and verbally abusive. In James 3:6, James wrote, “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They have dug a pit before me. Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah!” Psalm 57:5-6
David sings the high praises of God. He envisions God in heaven and see His glory above all other glories. No other high achiever deserves as much praise as God does. When enemies prepared nets and pits for David, God caused those enemies to fall into their own traps.
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples. I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let Your glory be above all the earth.” Psalm 57:7-11
In Psalm 57:5, David began to turn his thoughts from his enemies and to exalt and glorify the Lord. In Psalm 57:6, he expresses faith that his enemies will fall into their own traps. Then, from Psalm 57:7 until the end of the Psalm, he is totally focused on praising and glorifying the Lord.
In Proverbs 15:13, the Lord says, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Thus, it is good when we feel ourselves slipping into despair due to the abusive behavior of others to stop, and look up to God, and begin to praise Him for all the good that He is doing in our lives despite the war that is raging against us.
Previously in Psalm 57:1, David made a double plea to God for mercy, now in Psalm 57:7, he states twice in a row, “My heart is steadfast.” David’s steadfast heart is evidence that God did have mercy on him.
In Acts 20:23-24, God gave Paul a steadfast heart. He said, “The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.”
Next, David warms up his vocal chords and prepares his music instruments. He is ready to sing and give praise to God. He says to himself, “Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples.” He wants to lead the people of earth to praise and worship the Lord. God inhabits the praises of His people.
Many years later, a descendant of David was led in a similar way to his forefather. In 2 Chronicles 20, the nation of Judah was surrounded by a coalition of enemies. At first, King Jehoshaphat bowed his face to the ground in prayer, but then, the Levites stood up and began to praise the Lord with loud and high voices. After that, King Jehoshaphat was led to send the singers of praise out in front of his troops. 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 says, “As they went out before the army, they were saying, ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.’ Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.”
“Holy Spirit, please fill us with the joy of the Lord. Please be the wind that propels our songs of praise to God. Thank You, Heavenly Father for bringing forth victories as we praise Your Name! For Your glory and for the blessing of Your people. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”
[1] Note: The name for the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew is “Tehillim” (תהילים) which means “praises.” The name “Psalms” comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, that is, the Septuagint. The Greek word, “Psalmos” (Ψαλμός) means “instrumental music” or “songs of praise.” Psalm 57:1 was set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.”
Who wants to destroy someone? Who wants someone to destroy them? Is anyone trying to destroy you? If so, how are you dealing with that?
This Psalm was set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.”
David did not destroy Saul when he had the opportunity to do so in the cave of Adullam. In 1 Samuel 26:10-11, he told his men, “As surely as the Lord lives . . . the Lord Himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.”
God did not allow Satan to destroy Job. In Job 2:6, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand but spare his life.’” Satan tested Job’s commitment to God. Job remained faithful to God.
God did not let Saul destroy David. Jesus Messiah was destined to be born from his family line.
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You, and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me.” Psalm 57:1-2
When on the brink of destruction, David cried out to God, “Be merciful to me” twice in a row. He entrusted his soul to God. He envisioned himself under God’s wing.
“God’s wing” may allude to the wings of cherubim which overshadowed the Mercy Seat on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. Those angel wings and that Mercy Seat on the Ark foreshadowed the scene at the empty tomb. On the day of Christ’s resurrection, Mary looked into the tomb of Jesus. John 20:12 says, “She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.”
David professed faith in the faithfulness of God. He professed that the calamities would pass. God would have mercy on him and save him. God Most High would perform the miracle.
“He shall send from heaven and save me. He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah! God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.” Psalm 57:3
Who did God send from heaven? He sent His Son. What does Jesus represent? He is God’s mercy. He saves us from our sins by His blood shed on the cross. Who is the truth? In John 14:6, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Him.
“My soul is among lions. I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” Psalm 57:4
David compared his enemies to lions. Lions sneak up on their prey and attack them ruthlessly so that they are instantly wounded and too weak to fight back. Throughout the Bible, the lion is characterized as a ferocious adversary. In Judges 14:5-6, Samson killed a lion. In 1 Kings 13:24, a lion killed a young prophet. In Daniel 6:16-22, God rescued Daniel from being devoured by lions. In 2 Timothy 4:17, Paul spoke of being rescued from the mouth of a lion. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter compared the devil to a roaring lion.
In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. In this passage, the lion is a metaphor for King Jesus who is more powerful than all the Judean kings who proceeded Him.
David compared his enemies to fire. Fire also consumes quickly. The pain it causes is intense. He compared the teeth of his enemies to arrows and their tongue to a sword. His enemies were both physically and verbally abusive. In James 3:6, James wrote, “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They have dug a pit before me. Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah!” Psalm 57:5-6
David sings the high praises of God. He envisions God in heaven and see His glory above all other glories. No other high achiever deserves as much praise as God does. When enemies prepared nets and pits for David, God caused those enemies to fall into their own traps.
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples. I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let Your glory be above all the earth.” Psalm 57:7-11
In Psalm 57:5, David began to turn his thoughts from his enemies and to exalt and glorify the Lord. In Psalm 57:6, he expresses faith that his enemies will fall into their own traps. Then, from Psalm 57:7 until the end of the Psalm, he is totally focused on praising and glorifying the Lord.
In Proverbs 15:13, the Lord says, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Thus, it is good when we feel ourselves slipping into despair due to the abusive behavior of others to stop, and look up to God, and begin to praise Him for all the good that He is doing in our lives despite the war that is raging against us.
Previously in Psalm 57:1, David made a double plea to God for mercy, now in Psalm 57:7, he states twice in a row, “My heart is steadfast.” David’s steadfast heart is evidence that God did have mercy on him.
In Acts 20:23-24, God gave Paul a steadfast heart. He said, “The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.”
Next, David warms up his vocal chords and prepares his music instruments. He is ready to sing and give praise to God. He says to himself, “Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples.” He wants to lead the people of earth to praise and worship the Lord. God inhabits the praises of His people.
Many years later, a descendant of David was led in a similar way to his forefather. In 2 Chronicles 20, the nation of Judah was surrounded by a coalition of enemies. At first, King Jehoshaphat bowed his face to the ground in prayer, but then, the Levites stood up and began to praise the Lord with loud and high voices. After that, King Jehoshaphat was led to send the singers of praise out in front of his troops. 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 says, “As they went out before the army, they were saying, ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.’ Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.”
“Holy Spirit, please fill us with the joy of the Lord. Please be the wind that propels our songs of praise to God. Thank You, Heavenly Father for bringing forth victories as we praise Your Name! For Your glory and for the blessing of Your people. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”
[1] Note: The name for the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew is “Tehillim” (תהילים) which means “praises.” The name “Psalms” comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, that is, the Septuagint. The Greek word, “Psalmos” (Ψαλμός) means “instrumental music” or “songs of praise.” Psalm 57:1 was set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.”
Friday, May 1, 2026
Tears Turned to Triumph – Psalm 56
“To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.’ A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.” Psalm 56:1
The title, “The Silent Dove in Distant Lands” expresses how David felt while being persecuted by his government. He was as a muted dove driven from his homeland. [1] He began his prayer to God with tears but concluded it with words of triumph.
According to 1 Samuel 21:10, David fled from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. We learn from Psalm 56:1 that while in Gath, he was captured by the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 21:11, the Philistines said to Achish, “Is this not David the king of the land?” Thus, in 1 Samuel 21:12-22:1, David, out of fear, changed his behavior and pretended to be crazy. His act worked. King Achish let David go. David fled like a dove from Gath to a cave in Adullam. He nested there.
“Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up. Fighting all day he oppresses me. My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust, I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? All day they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps, when they lie in wait for my life. Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God!” Psalm 56:1-7
When under attack, David asked God for mercy. The truth is that all of us people have sinned. We deserve God’s wrath due to our mistreatment of Him and our neighbors, but we pray that God will be merciful to us for His Name’s sake. That He will look at us cross-eyed! That is through the perspective of what His Son Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.
Isaiah 53:5-6 says of Jesus, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” According to Galatians 3:13-14, Christ took the curses that were due to us because of our sin and gave us God’s blessing.
So, when the enemy comes at us like a flood, the banner that we raise against him is the Name of Jesus. In Romans 8:31-33, Paul wrote, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”
When under attack, remember what God did for you in sending His Son for you. God declares us to be JUST when we believe in His Son Jesus Christ. In Christ, it is just-if-I’d never sinned.
We should not interpret the way certain people treat us as though they are being led by God. David had people who twisted his words. They harbored evil thoughts against him. They hid like predators do and waited for the perfect moment to attack him. Then, they surrounded him like a pack of hounds to nip at him, wear him down and take him down... but failed, thanks to God!
In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul wrote of Christian trials as unjust treatments that are temporary and will not be forever. He wrote, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed. We are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” Then, in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, he concluded, “We do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
The Lord kept David encouraged. By God’s grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit, David was able to say, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust, I will not fear.”
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul wrote, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
Though David and Paul experienced trials, they rejected Satan’s lies about them. God loved them. The Lord was their shepherd, they would not lack anything they needed. They would have green pastures and still waters. They would walk on paths of righteousness. They would not fear. The Lord would comfort them. When their enemies prepared traps for them, the Lord would prepare a banquet for them. The Lord’s anointing and blessings were upon them. His goodness and mercy were following them and their destiny was to be with God forever.
“You, number my wanderings. Put my tears into Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8
God knew that David had to move often due to His calling on David’s life. David was still likely less than thirty years old. He left his father’s house to serve in his king’s court. Then, he lived in an army camp. In recent days, he had been hunted like a partridge upon the mountains.
Paul had a similar experience to David. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:11, “Even to this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, are naked, are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place.”
Jesus had a similar experience to David, in Luke 9:58-59, he said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Nevertheless, He says to us, “Follow Me.”
David was not a nomad by nature. Thus, he wept. He pleaded with God, “Put my tears into Your bottle.” “The custom of bottling the tears of mourners as a memorial, which has existed in some Eastern nations, may explain the figure.” [2]
In 2 Timothy 1:4, Paul wrote and told Timothy that he was mindful of Timothy’s tears, and that he greatly desired to see him. Paul assured Timothy that seeing him would give him great joy.
In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus wept over Jerusalem. They were heading toward a disaster and rejected His warnings.
David also asked God to keep a book of remembrance about his trials. God did! David’s trials and triumphs are recorded in the Bible. Thanks be to God for preserving his testimonies.
Yes, when we stand up for God in this world, the world likes to tell us to sit down and be quiet.
In Mark 10:46-52, when people rebuked blind Bartimaeus and told him to be silent, he cried out all the more intensely, saying, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” Jesus did have mercy on him. He made his blind eyes to see again.
In Acts 5:28-29, after a high priest of Israel told the apostles not to teach in the Name of Jesus anymore. They replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
The Bible is a book of inspiring testimonies of trials and triumphs of God and His people.
“When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back. This I know because God is for me. In God (I will praise His Word), in the Lord (I will praise His Word). In God I have put my trust! I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:9-11
God turned David’s tears into triumph. When the enemy sent trials to destroy David’s faith, God turned the trials into triumphs that strengthened David’s faith. Without trials, he might have questioned, “Where is God?” But after the triumphs, David knew GOD was FOR HIM.
“Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God. I will render praises to You,” Psalm 56:12
David did not consider his vows to God a burden. He considered them a blessing. He was committed to God and God was committed to him. Throughout his writings, David praises and glorifies God. His overall experience with God is very good.
In a similar way, the Apostle Paul considered being known as a servant of Christ as an honor. Jesus Christ is a good master. He takes good care of His servants. In Philippians 3:7-8, Paul wrote, “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
“For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” Psalm 56:12-13
The salvation of our soul is a super satisfying gift from God. According to 1 Peter 1:8, in heaven there will be joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Praise God! He keeps our feet from falling so that we continuously walk in the light of the living!
[1] My wording based on information from Jamieson-Fausset Brown Commentary
[2] Jamieson-Fausset Brown Commentary
The title, “The Silent Dove in Distant Lands” expresses how David felt while being persecuted by his government. He was as a muted dove driven from his homeland. [1] He began his prayer to God with tears but concluded it with words of triumph.
According to 1 Samuel 21:10, David fled from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. We learn from Psalm 56:1 that while in Gath, he was captured by the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 21:11, the Philistines said to Achish, “Is this not David the king of the land?” Thus, in 1 Samuel 21:12-22:1, David, out of fear, changed his behavior and pretended to be crazy. His act worked. King Achish let David go. David fled like a dove from Gath to a cave in Adullam. He nested there.
“Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up. Fighting all day he oppresses me. My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust, I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? All day they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps, when they lie in wait for my life. Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God!” Psalm 56:1-7
When under attack, David asked God for mercy. The truth is that all of us people have sinned. We deserve God’s wrath due to our mistreatment of Him and our neighbors, but we pray that God will be merciful to us for His Name’s sake. That He will look at us cross-eyed! That is through the perspective of what His Son Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.
Isaiah 53:5-6 says of Jesus, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” According to Galatians 3:13-14, Christ took the curses that were due to us because of our sin and gave us God’s blessing.
So, when the enemy comes at us like a flood, the banner that we raise against him is the Name of Jesus. In Romans 8:31-33, Paul wrote, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”
When under attack, remember what God did for you in sending His Son for you. God declares us to be JUST when we believe in His Son Jesus Christ. In Christ, it is just-if-I’d never sinned.
We should not interpret the way certain people treat us as though they are being led by God. David had people who twisted his words. They harbored evil thoughts against him. They hid like predators do and waited for the perfect moment to attack him. Then, they surrounded him like a pack of hounds to nip at him, wear him down and take him down... but failed, thanks to God!
In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul wrote of Christian trials as unjust treatments that are temporary and will not be forever. He wrote, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed. We are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” Then, in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, he concluded, “We do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
The Lord kept David encouraged. By God’s grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit, David was able to say, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust, I will not fear.”
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul wrote, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
Though David and Paul experienced trials, they rejected Satan’s lies about them. God loved them. The Lord was their shepherd, they would not lack anything they needed. They would have green pastures and still waters. They would walk on paths of righteousness. They would not fear. The Lord would comfort them. When their enemies prepared traps for them, the Lord would prepare a banquet for them. The Lord’s anointing and blessings were upon them. His goodness and mercy were following them and their destiny was to be with God forever.
“You, number my wanderings. Put my tears into Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8
God knew that David had to move often due to His calling on David’s life. David was still likely less than thirty years old. He left his father’s house to serve in his king’s court. Then, he lived in an army camp. In recent days, he had been hunted like a partridge upon the mountains.
Paul had a similar experience to David. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:11, “Even to this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, are naked, are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place.”
Jesus had a similar experience to David, in Luke 9:58-59, he said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Nevertheless, He says to us, “Follow Me.”
David was not a nomad by nature. Thus, he wept. He pleaded with God, “Put my tears into Your bottle.” “The custom of bottling the tears of mourners as a memorial, which has existed in some Eastern nations, may explain the figure.” [2]
In 2 Timothy 1:4, Paul wrote and told Timothy that he was mindful of Timothy’s tears, and that he greatly desired to see him. Paul assured Timothy that seeing him would give him great joy.
In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus wept over Jerusalem. They were heading toward a disaster and rejected His warnings.
David also asked God to keep a book of remembrance about his trials. God did! David’s trials and triumphs are recorded in the Bible. Thanks be to God for preserving his testimonies.
Yes, when we stand up for God in this world, the world likes to tell us to sit down and be quiet.
In Mark 10:46-52, when people rebuked blind Bartimaeus and told him to be silent, he cried out all the more intensely, saying, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” Jesus did have mercy on him. He made his blind eyes to see again.
In Acts 5:28-29, after a high priest of Israel told the apostles not to teach in the Name of Jesus anymore. They replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
The Bible is a book of inspiring testimonies of trials and triumphs of God and His people.
“When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back. This I know because God is for me. In God (I will praise His Word), in the Lord (I will praise His Word). In God I have put my trust! I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:9-11
God turned David’s tears into triumph. When the enemy sent trials to destroy David’s faith, God turned the trials into triumphs that strengthened David’s faith. Without trials, he might have questioned, “Where is God?” But after the triumphs, David knew GOD was FOR HIM.
“Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God. I will render praises to You,” Psalm 56:12
David did not consider his vows to God a burden. He considered them a blessing. He was committed to God and God was committed to him. Throughout his writings, David praises and glorifies God. His overall experience with God is very good.
In a similar way, the Apostle Paul considered being known as a servant of Christ as an honor. Jesus Christ is a good master. He takes good care of His servants. In Philippians 3:7-8, Paul wrote, “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
“For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” Psalm 56:12-13
The salvation of our soul is a super satisfying gift from God. According to 1 Peter 1:8, in heaven there will be joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Praise God! He keeps our feet from falling so that we continuously walk in the light of the living!
[1] My wording based on information from Jamieson-Fausset Brown Commentary
[2] Jamieson-Fausset Brown Commentary
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Victory Over Violence – Psalm 55
In Matthew 11:12, Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.”
Violence came to John the Baptist and to Jesus as a result of their proclaiming God’s kingdom.
In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul characterized the life of a proclaimer of Christ as a spiritual battle.
What kind of strategies and tactics do enemies use to defeat people? They identify and destroy their leaders. They destroy their target’s resources while building up their own. They recruit allies to help them. They use deception. They attack weak points. They project invincibility to discourage resistance. They don’t fight fairly. The seek to flip loyalists to their side.
In Psalm 55, David begs God to help him. The enemy is attacking him from every side.
“To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Attend to me and hear me. I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me. So I said, ‘O, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off and remain in the wilderness. Selah! I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.’” Psalm 55:1-8
David asked the Lord to listen to him. We can do that too! “Lord, please listen to me. Please intervene for me! I need Your help.” David explained how he felt to God. “I am restless.” I am fearful. I am trembling. I am overwhelmed with horror. He moaned and complained because of the relentless attacks of his enemy. His enemy hated him, caused him heartaches and terrorized him with death threats. He wanted God to give him wings to fly away so he could enjoy some rest. He was ready to live in the wilderness.
In Hebrews 4:15, Paul wrote, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.” Jesus knows what we are going through. Isaiah 53:3, says of Jesus, “He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
In the Old Testament, David’s son, Absalom, stirred up the people of Jerusalem to reject David as their king. David declared, “They cast iniquity upon me.” David had been a good king to them but they made him out to be evil. In the New Testament, the chief priests stirred up the people of Jerusalem to reject Jesus, the Son of David, from being their king. They shouted, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Isaiah 53:6 says of Jesus, “Yahweh has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
“Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls. Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. Destruction is in its midst. Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.” Psalm 55:10-11
Those who gathered against David were violent men. The kind that stir up strife in a nation. They enjoyed sin and wanted to normalize it. They preferred crime and deception over productive and honest work.
In 2 Samuel 16:21-22, Absalom slept with ten of David’s concubines in public view on the palace roof. This act was a calculated political move to say that he was now in control and that he was taking the nation in a different direction.
In Psalm 55:10, David prayed that God would destroy and divide their tongues. In 2 Samuel 15:31, he also prayed that the Lord would turn the counsel of Absalom’s advisor to foolishness. Absalom’s advisor was a man named Ahithophel.
In 2 Samuel 15:32-37, the Lord answered David’s prayer by helping one of David’s loyal advisors named Hushai to deceive Absalom. In 2 Samuel 16:15-19, Hushai gained Absalom’s confidence. In 2 Samuel 17:5-22, Hushai convinced Absalom that his advice was better than Ahithophel’s. Then, afterwards, secretly sent messengers to inform David of what Absalom was about to do.
“For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng.” Psalm 55:12-14
David’s father-in-law, his wife Michal and his son Absalom betrayed him. These once happy relationships turned sour really hurt David.
In John 13:10-11, Jesus could relate to David. Jesus told His disciples that one of them was not clean, but did not disclose to them which one. He was referring to Judas Iscariot who was about to betray Him. In John 13:18, Jesus added, “I am not referring to all of you. I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against Me.’” In Luke 22:47-48, when Judas led a mob of soldiers to Jesus, he approached Jesus and gave Him a kiss. Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Jesus experienced the painful feeling of being betrayed by someone close to Him.
In John 1:11-12, the Bible says, “He [Jesus] came to that which was His own [the Jews], but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
God adopts us into His family when we believe and profess Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
“Let death seize them. Let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.” Psalm 55:15
In 1 Samuel 26:10, David said about Saul, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.” He trusted the Lord to put an end to Saul’s demonic persecution of him.
In 2 Samuel 26:16-23, Michal, David’s wife, despised him when he danced before the Lord with all his might. She said to David, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” David replied to her, “And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” After that, the Bible says, “Michal had no children to the day of her death.”
In regards to his son, according to 2 Samuel 18, David did not want anything bad to happen to him. Despite Absalom’s rebellion and attempt to seize the throne, David specifically ordered his commanders, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, to “deal gently with the young man Absalom for my sake.” David loved his son dearly and was heartbroken when he was killed.
Ahithophel had been David’s advisor. Perhaps, he is the one David referred to when he wrote, “A man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng.” Perhaps, he is the one that David asked God to slay. If so, David’s prayer was answered. In 2 Samuel 17:23, “When Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to his house, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died.”
After Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, he also died. Matthew 27:5 says, “He hanged himself.” Acts 1:18 says, “Falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.” It is likely that the branch of the tree from which he hung broke. By that time, his body was bloated from decomposing and thus, popped like an overinflated balloon when it hit the ground. [1]
“As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.” Psalm 55:16-17
David’s strategy for victory was faith in God. He expressed his faith by praying to God, not just once per day, but morning, noon and night. He didn’t just think his prayers, he let God hear his voice. He cried aloud. As David committed his problems to God in prayer, God resolved them.
“He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.” Psalm 55:18
David had faith in God’s faithfulness. He proclaimed his redemption in advance. There were many against him, but God plus one is a majority. In Romans 10:13, Paul wrote, “Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”
“God will hear, and afflict them, even He who abides from of old. Selah! Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God. He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him. He has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.” Psalm 55:19-21
David expected God to bring them down because they had no respect for God, and they also betrayed the trust of those who made covenants of peace with them. By experience, David learned to watch what they do, not what they say. Their words were comparable to butter and oil which enhance food’s flavor, but their hearts had swords in them that were ready to kill.
Jesus also dealt with hypocrites in the New Testament. In Matthew 23:3-7, He said, “They do not practice what they preach.” They give people work to do but do not offer to help them. They wear clothes that project superiority over others. They like special titles. In Matthew 23:28, Jesus said to them, “On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary, “Because they have no changes (...no interruption to the constant course of their prosperity...) therefore they fear not God. They live in a constant neglect and contempt of God and religion... they are certainly marked for destruction.”
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
Similarly, in 1 Peter 5:5-7, Peter wrote, “Be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
“But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in You.” Psalm 55:23
When a mighty empire is run by a collaboration of liars and thieves, it is difficult for anyone to live for God among them. The deceivers take “protection” money from the people to purchase weapons and ammo, which they use against them. They violently crush verbalized dissent.
David relied on God to bring down Goliath, King Saul, Ahithophel and Absalom. Thus, God’s kingdom continued to expand and prosper via his humble service.
In a similar way, the Pharisees thought to bring the ministry of Jesus to an early end. They rejoiced when Jesus was crucified and buried. But then, Jesus Christ resurrected and appeared to over 500 witnesses. This happened over a period of 40 days. Then, He ascended to heaven.
The Gospel of Jesus has spread to all the nations. Soon, He will return. Praise the Lord!
Violence came to John the Baptist and to Jesus as a result of their proclaiming God’s kingdom.
In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul characterized the life of a proclaimer of Christ as a spiritual battle.
What kind of strategies and tactics do enemies use to defeat people? They identify and destroy their leaders. They destroy their target’s resources while building up their own. They recruit allies to help them. They use deception. They attack weak points. They project invincibility to discourage resistance. They don’t fight fairly. The seek to flip loyalists to their side.
In Psalm 55, David begs God to help him. The enemy is attacking him from every side.
“To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Attend to me and hear me. I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me. So I said, ‘O, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off and remain in the wilderness. Selah! I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.’” Psalm 55:1-8
David asked the Lord to listen to him. We can do that too! “Lord, please listen to me. Please intervene for me! I need Your help.” David explained how he felt to God. “I am restless.” I am fearful. I am trembling. I am overwhelmed with horror. He moaned and complained because of the relentless attacks of his enemy. His enemy hated him, caused him heartaches and terrorized him with death threats. He wanted God to give him wings to fly away so he could enjoy some rest. He was ready to live in the wilderness.
In Hebrews 4:15, Paul wrote, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.” Jesus knows what we are going through. Isaiah 53:3, says of Jesus, “He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
In the Old Testament, David’s son, Absalom, stirred up the people of Jerusalem to reject David as their king. David declared, “They cast iniquity upon me.” David had been a good king to them but they made him out to be evil. In the New Testament, the chief priests stirred up the people of Jerusalem to reject Jesus, the Son of David, from being their king. They shouted, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Isaiah 53:6 says of Jesus, “Yahweh has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
“Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls. Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. Destruction is in its midst. Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.” Psalm 55:10-11
Those who gathered against David were violent men. The kind that stir up strife in a nation. They enjoyed sin and wanted to normalize it. They preferred crime and deception over productive and honest work.
In 2 Samuel 16:21-22, Absalom slept with ten of David’s concubines in public view on the palace roof. This act was a calculated political move to say that he was now in control and that he was taking the nation in a different direction.
In Psalm 55:10, David prayed that God would destroy and divide their tongues. In 2 Samuel 15:31, he also prayed that the Lord would turn the counsel of Absalom’s advisor to foolishness. Absalom’s advisor was a man named Ahithophel.
In 2 Samuel 15:32-37, the Lord answered David’s prayer by helping one of David’s loyal advisors named Hushai to deceive Absalom. In 2 Samuel 16:15-19, Hushai gained Absalom’s confidence. In 2 Samuel 17:5-22, Hushai convinced Absalom that his advice was better than Ahithophel’s. Then, afterwards, secretly sent messengers to inform David of what Absalom was about to do.
“For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng.” Psalm 55:12-14
David’s father-in-law, his wife Michal and his son Absalom betrayed him. These once happy relationships turned sour really hurt David.
In John 13:10-11, Jesus could relate to David. Jesus told His disciples that one of them was not clean, but did not disclose to them which one. He was referring to Judas Iscariot who was about to betray Him. In John 13:18, Jesus added, “I am not referring to all of you. I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against Me.’” In Luke 22:47-48, when Judas led a mob of soldiers to Jesus, he approached Jesus and gave Him a kiss. Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Jesus experienced the painful feeling of being betrayed by someone close to Him.
In John 1:11-12, the Bible says, “He [Jesus] came to that which was His own [the Jews], but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
God adopts us into His family when we believe and profess Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
“Let death seize them. Let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.” Psalm 55:15
In 1 Samuel 26:10, David said about Saul, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.” He trusted the Lord to put an end to Saul’s demonic persecution of him.
In 2 Samuel 26:16-23, Michal, David’s wife, despised him when he danced before the Lord with all his might. She said to David, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” David replied to her, “And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” After that, the Bible says, “Michal had no children to the day of her death.”
In regards to his son, according to 2 Samuel 18, David did not want anything bad to happen to him. Despite Absalom’s rebellion and attempt to seize the throne, David specifically ordered his commanders, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, to “deal gently with the young man Absalom for my sake.” David loved his son dearly and was heartbroken when he was killed.
Ahithophel had been David’s advisor. Perhaps, he is the one David referred to when he wrote, “A man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng.” Perhaps, he is the one that David asked God to slay. If so, David’s prayer was answered. In 2 Samuel 17:23, “When Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to his house, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died.”
After Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, he also died. Matthew 27:5 says, “He hanged himself.” Acts 1:18 says, “Falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.” It is likely that the branch of the tree from which he hung broke. By that time, his body was bloated from decomposing and thus, popped like an overinflated balloon when it hit the ground. [1]
“As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.” Psalm 55:16-17
David’s strategy for victory was faith in God. He expressed his faith by praying to God, not just once per day, but morning, noon and night. He didn’t just think his prayers, he let God hear his voice. He cried aloud. As David committed his problems to God in prayer, God resolved them.
“He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.” Psalm 55:18
David had faith in God’s faithfulness. He proclaimed his redemption in advance. There were many against him, but God plus one is a majority. In Romans 10:13, Paul wrote, “Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”
“God will hear, and afflict them, even He who abides from of old. Selah! Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God. He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him. He has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.” Psalm 55:19-21
David expected God to bring them down because they had no respect for God, and they also betrayed the trust of those who made covenants of peace with them. By experience, David learned to watch what they do, not what they say. Their words were comparable to butter and oil which enhance food’s flavor, but their hearts had swords in them that were ready to kill.
Jesus also dealt with hypocrites in the New Testament. In Matthew 23:3-7, He said, “They do not practice what they preach.” They give people work to do but do not offer to help them. They wear clothes that project superiority over others. They like special titles. In Matthew 23:28, Jesus said to them, “On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary, “Because they have no changes (...no interruption to the constant course of their prosperity...) therefore they fear not God. They live in a constant neglect and contempt of God and religion... they are certainly marked for destruction.”
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
Similarly, in 1 Peter 5:5-7, Peter wrote, “Be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
“But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in You.” Psalm 55:23
When a mighty empire is run by a collaboration of liars and thieves, it is difficult for anyone to live for God among them. The deceivers take “protection” money from the people to purchase weapons and ammo, which they use against them. They violently crush verbalized dissent.
David relied on God to bring down Goliath, King Saul, Ahithophel and Absalom. Thus, God’s kingdom continued to expand and prosper via his humble service.
In a similar way, the Pharisees thought to bring the ministry of Jesus to an early end. They rejoiced when Jesus was crucified and buried. But then, Jesus Christ resurrected and appeared to over 500 witnesses. This happened over a period of 40 days. Then, He ascended to heaven.
The Gospel of Jesus has spread to all the nations. Soon, He will return. Praise the Lord!
[1] answersingenesis.org/contradictions-in-the-bible/how-did-judas-die
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Vindicated – Psalm 54
“To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, ‘Is David not hiding with us?’” Psalm 54:1
As is true with so many words recorded in the Bible, the words of this Psalm came to David when he was in great distress. 1 Samuel 26:1-2 says, “Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, ‘Is David not hiding in the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?’ Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having 3,000 chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.” King Saul employed his nation’s best resources to destroy his nation’s most patriotic servant, and the man whom God had anointed to replace him.
Each of us have troops pursuing us that are more professional and powerful than King Saul’s. They are Satan and the fallen angels. They are skillful at deceiving and destroying people. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter warned us, saying, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” In Revelation 9:11, the king and angel of the bottomless pit is called Apollyon, which means destroyer.
How did David survive the war that was waged against him? How do we survive the war that is being waged against us? The answer is to turn to God and ask Him to intervene and save us.
“Save me, O God, by Your Name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God. Give ear to the words of my mouth.” Psalm 54:1-2
David begged God to save him from his enemies. He wanted God’s strength, not his own, to be the strength that vindicated him. He let God fight the info wars for him. He believed 100% that in due season, God would win. He just needed God to heed his prayers and answer them.
David prayed, “Save me, O God, by Your Name.” The name that God has given us to call-on for salvation is the Name of His Son Jesus Christ. We pray in the Name of Jesus.
“For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life. They have not set God before them. Selah!” Psalm 54:3
The Ziphites were the strangers that rose up against David. Like King Saul, they were oppressors. They betrayed godly people in hope that their criminal activities could continue unchallenged. They were not for God. They were for worldly wealth and pleasures. [1]
“Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is with those who uphold my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.” Psalm 54:4-5
David was sure that he had God on his side. God was helping him. God was the one upholding his life. Time and time again, the Lord delivered David from capture by King’s Saul’s elite troops.
David did no evil to them because he gave his case over to God the righteous judge.
Saul and his army were following a lie that Satan had perpetrated against David. God cut them off from reaching David to preserve what was true and to preserve David.
“I will freely sacrifice to You. I will praise Your Name, O Lord, for it is good.” Psalm 54:6
David sacrificed to the Lord. Hebrews 9:22 says, “According to the Law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The devil’s fiery arrows of accusations against David were extinguished by the fact his sins were forgiven by God.
David praised the Name of the Lord. By praising God, David remained confident of God’s greatness, power, grace, love and His willingness to help him.
“For He has delivered me out of all trouble, and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.” Psalm 54:7
David speaks of his deliverance as a done deal. The Lord had delivered David from his troubles in the past, and he was confident the Lord would deliver him now and always.
The Lord gave to Paul a similar faith to David.
In 2 Timothy 4:14-18, Paul wrote of a coppersmith named Alexander who did much harm to him. At first, no one defended Paul from him. Everyone forsook Paul except the Lord. The Lord stood with Paul and strengthened him so that he could keep preaching God’s Word. Paul testified, “I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
I’m glad that in Hebrews 13:8, God’s Word says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The same Savior who saved David and Paul is saving us today, He doesn’t change. Saving people who trust in Him is what He does.
Praise God! We have a Righteous Judge! As with David, Paul and Jesus, the evil one attacks us who serve God. He hits us and our loved ones hard and then, places the blame on us. Thankfully, God judges righteously and vindicates us His servants.
[1] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
As is true with so many words recorded in the Bible, the words of this Psalm came to David when he was in great distress. 1 Samuel 26:1-2 says, “Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, ‘Is David not hiding in the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?’ Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having 3,000 chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.” King Saul employed his nation’s best resources to destroy his nation’s most patriotic servant, and the man whom God had anointed to replace him.
Each of us have troops pursuing us that are more professional and powerful than King Saul’s. They are Satan and the fallen angels. They are skillful at deceiving and destroying people. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter warned us, saying, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” In Revelation 9:11, the king and angel of the bottomless pit is called Apollyon, which means destroyer.
How did David survive the war that was waged against him? How do we survive the war that is being waged against us? The answer is to turn to God and ask Him to intervene and save us.
“Save me, O God, by Your Name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God. Give ear to the words of my mouth.” Psalm 54:1-2
David begged God to save him from his enemies. He wanted God’s strength, not his own, to be the strength that vindicated him. He let God fight the info wars for him. He believed 100% that in due season, God would win. He just needed God to heed his prayers and answer them.
David prayed, “Save me, O God, by Your Name.” The name that God has given us to call-on for salvation is the Name of His Son Jesus Christ. We pray in the Name of Jesus.
“For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life. They have not set God before them. Selah!” Psalm 54:3
The Ziphites were the strangers that rose up against David. Like King Saul, they were oppressors. They betrayed godly people in hope that their criminal activities could continue unchallenged. They were not for God. They were for worldly wealth and pleasures. [1]
“Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is with those who uphold my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.” Psalm 54:4-5
David was sure that he had God on his side. God was helping him. God was the one upholding his life. Time and time again, the Lord delivered David from capture by King’s Saul’s elite troops.
David did no evil to them because he gave his case over to God the righteous judge.
Saul and his army were following a lie that Satan had perpetrated against David. God cut them off from reaching David to preserve what was true and to preserve David.
“I will freely sacrifice to You. I will praise Your Name, O Lord, for it is good.” Psalm 54:6
David sacrificed to the Lord. Hebrews 9:22 says, “According to the Law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The devil’s fiery arrows of accusations against David were extinguished by the fact his sins were forgiven by God.
David praised the Name of the Lord. By praising God, David remained confident of God’s greatness, power, grace, love and His willingness to help him.
“For He has delivered me out of all trouble, and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.” Psalm 54:7
David speaks of his deliverance as a done deal. The Lord had delivered David from his troubles in the past, and he was confident the Lord would deliver him now and always.
The Lord gave to Paul a similar faith to David.
In 2 Timothy 4:14-18, Paul wrote of a coppersmith named Alexander who did much harm to him. At first, no one defended Paul from him. Everyone forsook Paul except the Lord. The Lord stood with Paul and strengthened him so that he could keep preaching God’s Word. Paul testified, “I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
I’m glad that in Hebrews 13:8, God’s Word says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The same Savior who saved David and Paul is saving us today, He doesn’t change. Saving people who trust in Him is what He does.
Praise God! We have a Righteous Judge! As with David, Paul and Jesus, the evil one attacks us who serve God. He hits us and our loved ones hard and then, places the blame on us. Thankfully, God judges righteously and vindicates us His servants.
[1] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Know God Know Peace – No God No Peace – Psalm 53
“To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘Mahalath.’ A Contemplation of David. The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.” Psalm 53:1
The Hebrew word for fool in this psalm is ‘nabal’ (נָבָל), a word which implies an aggressive perversity, epitomized in the story of Nabal which is recorded in 1 Samuel 25:25. [1]
In Romans 1:18, 28, Paul wrote that people who are not in a right relationship with God (the unrighteous) suppress truth. They do not retain God in their knowledge. They are intentional atheists. So what does God do? He gives them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. In this way, He makes it clear to them and others that something is wrong with their way of thinking.
In his books, “Mere Christianity” and “The Problem of Pain,” C. S. Lewis states that “A person’s morality deeply impacts their theology, spiritual perception, and openness to God.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “If we go astray in our doctrine, eventually our life will go astray as well. You cannot separate what a man believes from what he is.” Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” [2]
Hebrews 4:12 says that “The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God’s Word helps those who receive it to discern right thoughts from wrong ones. Psalm 119:130 says that the entrance of God’s words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.
Romans 2:4 states that the goodness of God leads us to repent. Repentance of sin is a gift of God to us. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, and He urges us to believe in and profess Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin and to be set free from its captivity. The death of Jesus on the cross was not merely a moral example for us, it was an absolutely necessary act of atonement to save our souls from going to hell, and to make a way for us to be with God.
“God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one.” Psalm 53:2-3
God is an eye-witness, “The Lord looked down from heaven.” Was there anyone who wanted to know God? God could not find one. Why were they corrupt? They did not want to know God. What is the first and great commandment? It is to love God with all one’s being.
In Noah’s day, God was about to destroy humankind due to our sinfulness, but “praise God,” Genesis 6:8 says, ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” God expressed grace through one man named Noah.
Noah was a type of Christ because Romans 5:12-15 states that God saves humankind from His wrath on sin via the grace of the one man Jesus Christ. “Just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world... much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”
Romans 5:20 states, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” There is more grace in the One Man Jesus Christ than there is sin in the entire race from Adam until the last person born, but we must believe in and profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior to receive His grace.
“Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? There they are in great fear where no fear was, for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you. You have put them to shame because God has despised them.” Psalm 53:4-5
Workers of iniquity err because they know not God. Iniquity is being unequal or unfair in one’s relationships with others. Taking in much! Returning little! The workers of iniquity devoured God’s people. They encamped against them. They made life difficult for the very ones who were trying to help them know God. The worker of iniquity refused to “call upon God.” In 1 Samuel 12:23, Samuel said to the people of Israel, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.”
What wage do workers of iniquity earn? They earn fear when there is no reason to be afraid. They earn division. Proverbs 13:10 states, “By pride comes nothing but strife.” They earn shame. In Romans 1:28, Paul wrote, “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”
“O, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” Psalm 53:6
“David knew that God was a refuge for His people and that the workers of iniquity would never win. Yet that was hard to see at the present time, so David expressed his great longing that God would bring the victory and deliverance He had promised to His people.” [3]
The captivity that David speaks of refers to any situation where God’s people are oppressed. [4]
Due to His faith in God’s faithfulness, David fully expected Israel’s salvation to happen. Thus, he called God’s people to rejoice and be glad in advance of it.
In the Bible, Zion primarily refers to Jerusalem and the site of the Temple Mount, but later, “Zion” expanded to symbolize the spiritual “City of God” or the heavenly kingdom. Salvation came out of Zion when Jesus Christ, God’s Son, gave His life there as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The triumph of Zion’s King JESUS is the joy of both Jew and Gentile believers in Him. JESUS fills us as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:8, “with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Amen! Hallelujah!
[1] Enduring Word Commentary with quote from Derek Kidner
[2] Enduring Word Commentary
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
The Hebrew word for fool in this psalm is ‘nabal’ (נָבָל), a word which implies an aggressive perversity, epitomized in the story of Nabal which is recorded in 1 Samuel 25:25. [1]
In Romans 1:18, 28, Paul wrote that people who are not in a right relationship with God (the unrighteous) suppress truth. They do not retain God in their knowledge. They are intentional atheists. So what does God do? He gives them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. In this way, He makes it clear to them and others that something is wrong with their way of thinking.
In his books, “Mere Christianity” and “The Problem of Pain,” C. S. Lewis states that “A person’s morality deeply impacts their theology, spiritual perception, and openness to God.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “If we go astray in our doctrine, eventually our life will go astray as well. You cannot separate what a man believes from what he is.” Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” [2]
Hebrews 4:12 says that “The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God’s Word helps those who receive it to discern right thoughts from wrong ones. Psalm 119:130 says that the entrance of God’s words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.
Romans 2:4 states that the goodness of God leads us to repent. Repentance of sin is a gift of God to us. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, and He urges us to believe in and profess Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin and to be set free from its captivity. The death of Jesus on the cross was not merely a moral example for us, it was an absolutely necessary act of atonement to save our souls from going to hell, and to make a way for us to be with God.
“God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one.” Psalm 53:2-3
God is an eye-witness, “The Lord looked down from heaven.” Was there anyone who wanted to know God? God could not find one. Why were they corrupt? They did not want to know God. What is the first and great commandment? It is to love God with all one’s being.
In Noah’s day, God was about to destroy humankind due to our sinfulness, but “praise God,” Genesis 6:8 says, ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” God expressed grace through one man named Noah.
Noah was a type of Christ because Romans 5:12-15 states that God saves humankind from His wrath on sin via the grace of the one man Jesus Christ. “Just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world... much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”
Romans 5:20 states, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” There is more grace in the One Man Jesus Christ than there is sin in the entire race from Adam until the last person born, but we must believe in and profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior to receive His grace.
“Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? There they are in great fear where no fear was, for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you. You have put them to shame because God has despised them.” Psalm 53:4-5
Workers of iniquity err because they know not God. Iniquity is being unequal or unfair in one’s relationships with others. Taking in much! Returning little! The workers of iniquity devoured God’s people. They encamped against them. They made life difficult for the very ones who were trying to help them know God. The worker of iniquity refused to “call upon God.” In 1 Samuel 12:23, Samuel said to the people of Israel, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.”
What wage do workers of iniquity earn? They earn fear when there is no reason to be afraid. They earn division. Proverbs 13:10 states, “By pride comes nothing but strife.” They earn shame. In Romans 1:28, Paul wrote, “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”
“O, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” Psalm 53:6
“David knew that God was a refuge for His people and that the workers of iniquity would never win. Yet that was hard to see at the present time, so David expressed his great longing that God would bring the victory and deliverance He had promised to His people.” [3]
The captivity that David speaks of refers to any situation where God’s people are oppressed. [4]
Due to His faith in God’s faithfulness, David fully expected Israel’s salvation to happen. Thus, he called God’s people to rejoice and be glad in advance of it.
In the Bible, Zion primarily refers to Jerusalem and the site of the Temple Mount, but later, “Zion” expanded to symbolize the spiritual “City of God” or the heavenly kingdom. Salvation came out of Zion when Jesus Christ, God’s Son, gave His life there as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The triumph of Zion’s King JESUS is the joy of both Jew and Gentile believers in Him. JESUS fills us as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:8, “with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Amen! Hallelujah!
[1] Enduring Word Commentary with quote from Derek Kidner
[2] Enduring Word Commentary
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
Monday, April 27, 2026
Preferring Good News – Psalm 52
“To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, ‘David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.’” Psalm 52:1
In 1 Samuel 22:8, King Saul said to his servants, “’All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.” In 1 Samuel 22:9-19, Saul’s servant Doeg informed him that a priest named Ahimelech prayed for David, provided food for him and gave him a sword. What did Saul do to Ahimelech? He massacred Ahimelech, his family, 85 priests in their families, as well as all their animals.
“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah! You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy you forever. He shall take you away and pluck you out of your dwelling place and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah!” Psalm 52:1-5
The Hebrew word for mighty man literally means, “hero.” [1] Doeg was a hero among news reporters. He was able to convince his listeners that good people were evil. He was the worst type of liar. He enjoyed destroying people with his tongue.
Doeg’s tongue caused pain like the cut of a sharp razor. He delighted in destroying servants of God’s Word! Doeg reported what happened between Ahimelech and David as a crime, whereas, Abimelech had no idea that King Saul had turned against David. David was Saul’s son-in-law. David killed Israel’s enemy Goliath.
Praise God! God eventually uproots, plucks up and destroys false witnesses forever. Praise God! The goodness of God toward His servants endures forever!
“The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, ‘Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.’ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” Psalm 52:6-8
Doeg was like the green bay-tree mentioned in Psalms 37:35. The green bay-tree has an abundance of large leaves but bears no useful fruit. [2] Some very wealthy and influential news networks are like green-bay trees. They have lots of foliage but produce no good fruit.
Psalm 2:1 speaks of people vainly plotting against the Lord and His anointed one. “ Psalm 2:4 says, “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.” As God laughs, so do His servants in Psalm 52:6. Not at them, but at their misguided notion that they can defy God’s commandment to love Him and people, and still prosper.
Evildoers believe they have an advantage over the righteous because they do not have to obey rules. They are totally deceived. In a moment, their self-imagined clever ingenuity will become their nightmare. They will lose everything.
The one who follows the Lord is like the green olive-tree, planted and rooted, fixed and flourishing. He is established in God’s dwelling place.
Green olive-trees live by faith in God and by embracing His grace. They trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever! Not in the world, but in God! Not in their own merit, but in God’s mercy! God’s mercy is constant and unchangeable. It is forever. We must therefore always trust in God and obey Him. Never depart from God and from His ways!
We obey God because we love Him and we love people. 1 John 5:2 says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus taught us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
“I will praise You forever, because You have done it and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your Name, for it is good.” Psalm 52:9
Anything good about us is only because of God’s grace. The Gospel of Jesus Christ helped us to feel our sinfulness and to believe in His forgiveness. Thus, we surrendered our lives to Him in the presence of others who did likewise. The life we now live is by His grace. We pray in the Name of Jesus because He is the one who made us right before God by dying on the cross for our sins. He gave us His Holy Spirit to help us wait when in our flesh we want to sin as others do. We have hope because just as Jesus resurrected from the dead and ascended to God, so shall we. We also have joy because His Spirit keeps us mindful and grateful of all our blessings. Thus, we praise the Lord now, and 10,000 years from now, we shall still be praising Him. Glory to God!
[1] Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
In 1 Samuel 22:8, King Saul said to his servants, “’All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.” In 1 Samuel 22:9-19, Saul’s servant Doeg informed him that a priest named Ahimelech prayed for David, provided food for him and gave him a sword. What did Saul do to Ahimelech? He massacred Ahimelech, his family, 85 priests in their families, as well as all their animals.
“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah! You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy you forever. He shall take you away and pluck you out of your dwelling place and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah!” Psalm 52:1-5
The Hebrew word for mighty man literally means, “hero.” [1] Doeg was a hero among news reporters. He was able to convince his listeners that good people were evil. He was the worst type of liar. He enjoyed destroying people with his tongue.
Doeg’s tongue caused pain like the cut of a sharp razor. He delighted in destroying servants of God’s Word! Doeg reported what happened between Ahimelech and David as a crime, whereas, Abimelech had no idea that King Saul had turned against David. David was Saul’s son-in-law. David killed Israel’s enemy Goliath.
Praise God! God eventually uproots, plucks up and destroys false witnesses forever. Praise God! The goodness of God toward His servants endures forever!
“The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, ‘Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.’ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” Psalm 52:6-8
Doeg was like the green bay-tree mentioned in Psalms 37:35. The green bay-tree has an abundance of large leaves but bears no useful fruit. [2] Some very wealthy and influential news networks are like green-bay trees. They have lots of foliage but produce no good fruit.
Psalm 2:1 speaks of people vainly plotting against the Lord and His anointed one. “ Psalm 2:4 says, “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.” As God laughs, so do His servants in Psalm 52:6. Not at them, but at their misguided notion that they can defy God’s commandment to love Him and people, and still prosper.
Evildoers believe they have an advantage over the righteous because they do not have to obey rules. They are totally deceived. In a moment, their self-imagined clever ingenuity will become their nightmare. They will lose everything.
The one who follows the Lord is like the green olive-tree, planted and rooted, fixed and flourishing. He is established in God’s dwelling place.
Green olive-trees live by faith in God and by embracing His grace. They trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever! Not in the world, but in God! Not in their own merit, but in God’s mercy! God’s mercy is constant and unchangeable. It is forever. We must therefore always trust in God and obey Him. Never depart from God and from His ways!
We obey God because we love Him and we love people. 1 John 5:2 says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus taught us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
“I will praise You forever, because You have done it and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your Name, for it is good.” Psalm 52:9
Anything good about us is only because of God’s grace. The Gospel of Jesus Christ helped us to feel our sinfulness and to believe in His forgiveness. Thus, we surrendered our lives to Him in the presence of others who did likewise. The life we now live is by His grace. We pray in the Name of Jesus because He is the one who made us right before God by dying on the cross for our sins. He gave us His Holy Spirit to help us wait when in our flesh we want to sin as others do. We have hope because just as Jesus resurrected from the dead and ascended to God, so shall we. We also have joy because His Spirit keeps us mindful and grateful of all our blessings. Thus, we praise the Lord now, and 10,000 years from now, we shall still be praising Him. Glory to God!
[1] Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
Sunday, April 26, 2026
The Joy of Forgiveness – Psalm 51
“To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” Psalm 51:1
In 2 Samuel 12:9-14, Nathan the prophet told David, “You despised the commandment of the Lord.” “Did evil in His sight! You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword. You have taken his wife to be your wife...” “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me...” “You have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.”
David’s response to the Holy Spirit’s conviction was, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Then, the Holy Spirit directed Nathan the prophet to tell David, “The Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die.” God was gracious to forgive David. He didn’t take His Spirit from David as He did to King Saul after Saul set up a monument to himself and disobeyed the Lord’s direct orders. [1]
However, just as the sin of Adam and Eve yielded negative consequences, so did David’s sin yield for him negative consequences. In 2 Samuel 12:10, 14, the Lord told him, “The sword shall never depart from your house.” “The child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
In Psalm 51, David’s main concern is to be right with the Lord once again.
God has created new hearts for multitudes of sinners who have turned to Him for salvation.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul wrote, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Paul described the kinds of sins that previously held them captive, but then, confirmed to them that God washed their sins away and sanctified them in the Name of Jesus.
In Luke 7:34, the enemies of Jesus accused Him of being a friend of sinners. They meant this in a derogatory way, as though He approved of sin. Jesus doesn’t approve of sin. He delivers captives of sin from its captivity and gives sinners a new heart to walk with God in holiness.
In John 8:3-11, Jesus forgave a woman’s sin whom the religious leaders wanted to execute. Jesus said to the religious leaders, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” They left. Jesus asked the woman, “Has no one condemned you?” She answered, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you, Go and sin no more.”
David’s sin is a warning to us all to take heed lest we fall. We may not think of ourselves as sinners, but except for the grace of God, we will fall prey to it. Abiding in Christ is the key to avoiding the temptation to sin. 1 John 3:6 says, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin.”
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness. According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.” Psalm 51:1-4
David did not deny his sin. He kept it in front of him and professed it as evil in God’s sight. He knew that he had been unjust toward God. He had no one to blame for his sin but himself. God was right to convict him.
In Luke 18:10-14, in His parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus said that the man whom God justified stood at a distance from God, would not lift his eyes to heaven, beat his chest, and prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” David used words like these to repent. [2]
Sin defiles us and renders us unfit us for communion with God. [3] When God pardons sin, he cleanses us from it, so that we have peace with God and with ourselves once again.
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” Psalm 51:5-6
In Psalm 86:16, David refers to his mother as God’s handmaid, but here he says that she conceived him in sin. Though by grace she was God’s handmaid, she was by nature, a daughter of Eve. Every one of us is born into the world with us a corrupt nature. This is what we call original sin. Original sin is that foolishness which is bound in the heart of a child. It is proneness to backslide from God and to do evil. [4]
God desires truth in our inward parts. Thanks be to God for His grace! The Lord also is ready and willing to give us wisdom in the hidden part, that is, in our inner being. God’s wisdom helps us to make good choices that lead to blessings not curses.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.” Psalm 51:7-9
In Exodus 12:22, hyssop was used by God’s people to spread blood on the doorposts of their homes so that the angel of death might not claim their firstborn sons. In Numbers 19:17-20, hyssop was dipped into water and used to sprinkle water onto a tent where someone had died.
David wanted to be ceremonially clean in the sight of God.
God’s forgiveness yields joy and gladness. God’s forgiveness replaces brokenness with rejoicing.
The pain of a heart broken by sin is comparable to a broken bone. But praise God, the same Spirit that smites and wounds also heals and binds up.
David asked the Lord to hide His face from his sins. He did not want God to be provoked by them into action against him. He wanted God to blot them out forever. [5]
Since Christ has come into the world, and took our sins upon Himself, we now ask God that the blood of Christ His Son be applied to us. 1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” His blood turns our darkness into brightness that is whiter than snow.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12
I have a special personal connection with Psalm 51:10-12. In the early morning hours of June 10, 1973, the Lord gave me a dream in which I saw great light and heard angels singing the words of Psalm 51:10-12. When I woke up, I told my brother about the dream. He said to me, “You should write it down and see what happens.”
Later that day, my father was suddenly taken to heaven, after he died of a heart attack. Then, at his funeral, I heard the Gospel and understood that my father, who professed faith in Jesus Christ, was with God in heaven. I was greatly comforted. But something more happened! I had an impression from the Lord that someday I would either take the Gospel to China or Africa, or both nations. However, before the Lord sent me out, He created in me a clean heart by giving me His steadfast Holy Spirit, and the joy of His salvation. Glory to God!
Between 1985-1997, the Lord had me in China sharing the Gospel with people and since then, He has connected me with people from 39 of Africa’s 54 nations. Praise be to God for His grace!
God’s Spirit helped David to realize how unclean his heart was, and yet, how clean God was able to make it. Nothing is impossible with God. God created the world. He can create a new heart in us. In Ezekiel 36:26, the Lord says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
The Holy Spirit renewed David. After he repented, he did not commit adultery or murder again. In fact, later, when his caregivers chose a beautiful woman to lay next to him to keep his old frail body warm, 1 Kings 1:4 explicitly states that he did not have intimate relations with her.
The Lord did not cast David from His presence. He did not take His Spirit from David as He did with King Saul. Towards the end of his life, in 2 Samuel 23:2, David wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me. His Word was on my tongue.”
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalm 51:13
In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus told Peter that after he repented, he should strengthen his brothers. He was to apply the same grace which God applied to him to others. That is what David did! [6]
One of sin’s ill effects is sadness. Thus, David prayed, “Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation.” Psalm 126:5 says, “Those that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Another of sin’s ill effects is weakness. Thus, David prayed, “Uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” [7]
“Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it. You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:14-17
David needed God to save him from the guilt of bloodshed. He had killed many enemy soldiers in battle, but likely refers here to the blood guilt of executing Bathsheba’s innocent husband Uriah. He intentionally setup Uriah to be killed in battle so he could steal Bathsheba for himself.
When a sinner knows that God has forgiven his sins, he is apt to sing of God’s righteousness. Christ made us righteous by His bitter sufferings and death on the cross. Such love is worth singing about. When he felt the guilt of his sin weighing heavy upon him, he did not want to speak, but now that his sins are forgiven, he prays, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.” Guilt silenced him. Forgiveness gave him a song.
David wrote to God. “You desire not sacrifices. You delight not in burnt-offerings.” Sacrifices blot out sin until the next sin is committed, but do not necessarily yield a change of heart. God looks for a broken spirit and a contrite heart. A person in such a case is ready to yield his or her spirit and heart to God. God creates new spirits and hearts out of broken and contrite ones.
“Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.” Psalm 51:18-19
Thanks to God’s redemptive work, David genuinely desired God’s good pleasure for people. “Build the walls!” “Be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness!” He was experiencing closeness with God. He desired the same for everyone else. Glory to God!
[1] 1 Samuel 13:13-14; 15:11-12; 16:14
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibid
In 2 Samuel 12:9-14, Nathan the prophet told David, “You despised the commandment of the Lord.” “Did evil in His sight! You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword. You have taken his wife to be your wife...” “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me...” “You have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.”
David’s response to the Holy Spirit’s conviction was, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Then, the Holy Spirit directed Nathan the prophet to tell David, “The Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die.” God was gracious to forgive David. He didn’t take His Spirit from David as He did to King Saul after Saul set up a monument to himself and disobeyed the Lord’s direct orders. [1]
However, just as the sin of Adam and Eve yielded negative consequences, so did David’s sin yield for him negative consequences. In 2 Samuel 12:10, 14, the Lord told him, “The sword shall never depart from your house.” “The child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
In Psalm 51, David’s main concern is to be right with the Lord once again.
God has created new hearts for multitudes of sinners who have turned to Him for salvation.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul wrote, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Paul described the kinds of sins that previously held them captive, but then, confirmed to them that God washed their sins away and sanctified them in the Name of Jesus.
In Luke 7:34, the enemies of Jesus accused Him of being a friend of sinners. They meant this in a derogatory way, as though He approved of sin. Jesus doesn’t approve of sin. He delivers captives of sin from its captivity and gives sinners a new heart to walk with God in holiness.
In John 8:3-11, Jesus forgave a woman’s sin whom the religious leaders wanted to execute. Jesus said to the religious leaders, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” They left. Jesus asked the woman, “Has no one condemned you?” She answered, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you, Go and sin no more.”
David’s sin is a warning to us all to take heed lest we fall. We may not think of ourselves as sinners, but except for the grace of God, we will fall prey to it. Abiding in Christ is the key to avoiding the temptation to sin. 1 John 3:6 says, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin.”
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness. According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.” Psalm 51:1-4
David did not deny his sin. He kept it in front of him and professed it as evil in God’s sight. He knew that he had been unjust toward God. He had no one to blame for his sin but himself. God was right to convict him.
In Luke 18:10-14, in His parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus said that the man whom God justified stood at a distance from God, would not lift his eyes to heaven, beat his chest, and prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” David used words like these to repent. [2]
Sin defiles us and renders us unfit us for communion with God. [3] When God pardons sin, he cleanses us from it, so that we have peace with God and with ourselves once again.
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” Psalm 51:5-6
In Psalm 86:16, David refers to his mother as God’s handmaid, but here he says that she conceived him in sin. Though by grace she was God’s handmaid, she was by nature, a daughter of Eve. Every one of us is born into the world with us a corrupt nature. This is what we call original sin. Original sin is that foolishness which is bound in the heart of a child. It is proneness to backslide from God and to do evil. [4]
God desires truth in our inward parts. Thanks be to God for His grace! The Lord also is ready and willing to give us wisdom in the hidden part, that is, in our inner being. God’s wisdom helps us to make good choices that lead to blessings not curses.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.” Psalm 51:7-9
In Exodus 12:22, hyssop was used by God’s people to spread blood on the doorposts of their homes so that the angel of death might not claim their firstborn sons. In Numbers 19:17-20, hyssop was dipped into water and used to sprinkle water onto a tent where someone had died.
David wanted to be ceremonially clean in the sight of God.
God’s forgiveness yields joy and gladness. God’s forgiveness replaces brokenness with rejoicing.
The pain of a heart broken by sin is comparable to a broken bone. But praise God, the same Spirit that smites and wounds also heals and binds up.
David asked the Lord to hide His face from his sins. He did not want God to be provoked by them into action against him. He wanted God to blot them out forever. [5]
Since Christ has come into the world, and took our sins upon Himself, we now ask God that the blood of Christ His Son be applied to us. 1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” His blood turns our darkness into brightness that is whiter than snow.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12
I have a special personal connection with Psalm 51:10-12. In the early morning hours of June 10, 1973, the Lord gave me a dream in which I saw great light and heard angels singing the words of Psalm 51:10-12. When I woke up, I told my brother about the dream. He said to me, “You should write it down and see what happens.”
Later that day, my father was suddenly taken to heaven, after he died of a heart attack. Then, at his funeral, I heard the Gospel and understood that my father, who professed faith in Jesus Christ, was with God in heaven. I was greatly comforted. But something more happened! I had an impression from the Lord that someday I would either take the Gospel to China or Africa, or both nations. However, before the Lord sent me out, He created in me a clean heart by giving me His steadfast Holy Spirit, and the joy of His salvation. Glory to God!
Between 1985-1997, the Lord had me in China sharing the Gospel with people and since then, He has connected me with people from 39 of Africa’s 54 nations. Praise be to God for His grace!
God’s Spirit helped David to realize how unclean his heart was, and yet, how clean God was able to make it. Nothing is impossible with God. God created the world. He can create a new heart in us. In Ezekiel 36:26, the Lord says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
The Holy Spirit renewed David. After he repented, he did not commit adultery or murder again. In fact, later, when his caregivers chose a beautiful woman to lay next to him to keep his old frail body warm, 1 Kings 1:4 explicitly states that he did not have intimate relations with her.
The Lord did not cast David from His presence. He did not take His Spirit from David as He did with King Saul. Towards the end of his life, in 2 Samuel 23:2, David wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me. His Word was on my tongue.”
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalm 51:13
In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus told Peter that after he repented, he should strengthen his brothers. He was to apply the same grace which God applied to him to others. That is what David did! [6]
One of sin’s ill effects is sadness. Thus, David prayed, “Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation.” Psalm 126:5 says, “Those that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Another of sin’s ill effects is weakness. Thus, David prayed, “Uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” [7]
“Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it. You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:14-17
David needed God to save him from the guilt of bloodshed. He had killed many enemy soldiers in battle, but likely refers here to the blood guilt of executing Bathsheba’s innocent husband Uriah. He intentionally setup Uriah to be killed in battle so he could steal Bathsheba for himself.
When a sinner knows that God has forgiven his sins, he is apt to sing of God’s righteousness. Christ made us righteous by His bitter sufferings and death on the cross. Such love is worth singing about. When he felt the guilt of his sin weighing heavy upon him, he did not want to speak, but now that his sins are forgiven, he prays, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.” Guilt silenced him. Forgiveness gave him a song.
David wrote to God. “You desire not sacrifices. You delight not in burnt-offerings.” Sacrifices blot out sin until the next sin is committed, but do not necessarily yield a change of heart. God looks for a broken spirit and a contrite heart. A person in such a case is ready to yield his or her spirit and heart to God. God creates new spirits and hearts out of broken and contrite ones.
“Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.” Psalm 51:18-19
Thanks to God’s redemptive work, David genuinely desired God’s good pleasure for people. “Build the walls!” “Be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness!” He was experiencing closeness with God. He desired the same for everyone else. Glory to God!
[1] 1 Samuel 13:13-14; 15:11-12; 16:14
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibid
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Genuine Love – Psalm 50
“A Psalm of Asaph.” Psalm 50:1
In 2 Chronicles 29:30, God’s people praised Him with “words of David and of Asaph the seer.” Asaph penned Psalm 50 and likely set it to music as well. [1]
In Psalms 50:1-23, God instructs us about worship. He exposes hypocrisy. He warns the wicked. He promises to save those who praise Him. [2]
“The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.” Psalm 50:1-2
The Lord God Almighty calls us (all of us) to listen to His voice from the beginning of the day unto it’s end. In John 15:4, Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Close to our Good Shepherd, listening to His voice, following Him is safest place to be.
God shines forth in perfect beauty out of Zion. Zion is where God often spoke to and through His prophets. Thus, portions of the Bible were recorded and published there. Zion is where God’s Son, Jesus Messiah, would die and resurrect for the redemption of the world. Yes, out of Zion God shines forth, even from the morning unto the end of the day.
In Jeremiah 7:25, the Lord said to the people of Zion, “Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them.” As the prophets released the Word of the Lord to people, they were as the rising sun in the midst of darkness.
“Our God shall come and shall not keep silent. A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. ‘Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.’ Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah!” Psalm 50:3-6
The imagery of Psalm 50:3-6 is that of God giving His Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. According to Exodus 19:16-19, the descent of God onto Mount Sinai was accompanied by a thick cloud, loud thunder, flashes of lightning, a growing, loud blast of a trumpet, and fire. God’s Law helps His people to discern right from wrong. [3]
God gathered His people together. He made a covenant with them by a sacrifice. In the Old Covenant times, the blood of bulls, goats and doves were offered to atone for people’s sin. In the New Covenants times (now), the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. Removal of sin proceeds the flow of good communication between us and God. The removal of sin by Christ is the righteousness which “the heavens declare.” God is the Judge and His Son is our Redeemer. According to Deuteronomy 33:2, “The Lord came from Sinai... He came with ten thousands of saints. From His hand came a fiery law for them.” Who are these saints? Deuteronomy 33:3 says, “Yes, He loves the people. All His saints are in Your hand. They sit down at Your feet. Everyone receives Your words.” The saints are His disciples. They, unlike others, enjoy sitting at His feet and learning from Him as Mary of Bethany did in Luke 10:39.
In Psalms 50:5, the Lord says, “Gather my saints together unto Me.” In Mark 6:7, Jesus called twelve men to be with Him and to send them out. In Hebrews 10:25, the Lord says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some, but to exhort one another, and so much the more, as you see the day [of His return] approaching.”
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul wrote of the coming of the Lord, saying, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” In John 14:3, Jesus assured us, “I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also.” He wants us, who believe in Him, to be with Him forever.
In Psalms 50:6, the heavens declare God’s righteousness. In Revelation 19:2, a great multitude in heaven say with a loud voice, “True and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” In due season, God will repay those who have violently violated His Law and put His servants to death.
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you. I am God, your God! I will not justify you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you. For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” Psalm 50:7-13
According to the Jamieson-Fausset Brown Commentary, they gave to God His own with a degrading view of Him as needing it. According to Matthew Henry’s Commentary, “They took pride in them, and hoped by their offerings to procure a dispensation for their lusts.” In other words, they wanted God’s forgiveness to serve as a free pass to sin. They assumed that God was legally bound to accept their offerings. As though God was a debtor to them. God did not need their “middleman” services. He did not need them to feed Him. Everything that they sacrificed to Him belonged to Him.
God wants our love. The first and great commandment is to love God. When we sin, we break covenant with God. We fracture our relationship with Him. Asking God to forgive our sin is to express pain that we sinned against Him. Asking God to forgive our sin is to express our sincere desire to have a fully restored love relationship with Him once again.
“Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalms 50:14-15
God delights in thanksgiving. He enjoys covenant-keepers. He says to such, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you,, and you shall glorify Me!” When we are in a right relationship with God, He has no misgivings about anointing us to shine for Him.
In Hebrews 13:15, Paul wrote, “Therefore by Him [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.”
“But to the wicked God says: ‘What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My Words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him and have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent. You thought that I was altogether like you, but I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: whoever offers praise glorifies Me, and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:16-23
In Psalm 50:16, God addresses those who use religion to coverup evil in their hearts. Some think that Psalm 50:16-23 speaks prophetically of the Pharisees. They masked their exploitation of God and people with religious tapestry and vocabulary.
In the 1500’s, God revealed to Martin Luther via the Scriptures that Christ did everything necessary to restore us sinners to a right relationship with God. We don’t save ourselves. God saves us. God saves us by graciously placing the merits of Christ into our account when we simply believe in Him and profess Him with our mouths as our Lord and Savior.
“Martin Luther objected to Pope Leo X largely due to his exploitation of people through the sale of indulgences. Indulgences were an unbiblical practice that falsely guaranteed the remission of sins for money.” [5]
Hypocrites are common to all religious and political groups. Evil people use shiny lures for their self-serving ambitions. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul wrote, “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
In Psalm 50:16-23, God describes religious imposters as thieves, adulterers, liars, and slanderers of their own brothers. He tells them that He has been watching them. They falsely assumed that God was like them. God promises to rebuke them and set them straight. He warns them, “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.”
In 2 Peter 3:7-9, Peter had a prophetic word. He wrote, “The heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
The Lord suffers long with hypocrites because He wants them to be saved. In Matthew 24:48-51, Jesus said that hypocrites end up “where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That is for all eternity! Thus, the Lord suffers long with them. In fact, in the Gospels, Jesus often spoke with the Pharisees about their need to repent and believe in Him. They repaid Him with crucifixion, but from the cross He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Praise God! He is able and does convert fake lovers into genuine lovers via Christ. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were part of the hypocritical council that called for the crucifixion of Christ, but at the end of the Gospels we find them serving Him. [5] In Philippians 3:5-8, Paul testified that he was a Pharisee but that he counted that former life as rubbish compared to his new life of knowing Christ. In Philippians 3:9, Paul wrote, “I want to be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
“Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive us and cleanse our hearts from hypocrisy. Please Holy Spirit flood our hearts until they overflow with genuine love for God and for our neighbor. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”
[1] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[2] Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
[3] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[4] worldhistory.org/article/1902/medieval-indulgence--martin-luther/
[5] Matthew 27:57–60; Mark 15:42–46; Luke 23:50–53; John 19:38–42
In 2 Chronicles 29:30, God’s people praised Him with “words of David and of Asaph the seer.” Asaph penned Psalm 50 and likely set it to music as well. [1]
In Psalms 50:1-23, God instructs us about worship. He exposes hypocrisy. He warns the wicked. He promises to save those who praise Him. [2]
“The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.” Psalm 50:1-2
The Lord God Almighty calls us (all of us) to listen to His voice from the beginning of the day unto it’s end. In John 15:4, Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Close to our Good Shepherd, listening to His voice, following Him is safest place to be.
God shines forth in perfect beauty out of Zion. Zion is where God often spoke to and through His prophets. Thus, portions of the Bible were recorded and published there. Zion is where God’s Son, Jesus Messiah, would die and resurrect for the redemption of the world. Yes, out of Zion God shines forth, even from the morning unto the end of the day.
In Jeremiah 7:25, the Lord said to the people of Zion, “Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them.” As the prophets released the Word of the Lord to people, they were as the rising sun in the midst of darkness.
“Our God shall come and shall not keep silent. A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. ‘Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.’ Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah!” Psalm 50:3-6
The imagery of Psalm 50:3-6 is that of God giving His Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. According to Exodus 19:16-19, the descent of God onto Mount Sinai was accompanied by a thick cloud, loud thunder, flashes of lightning, a growing, loud blast of a trumpet, and fire. God’s Law helps His people to discern right from wrong. [3]
God gathered His people together. He made a covenant with them by a sacrifice. In the Old Covenant times, the blood of bulls, goats and doves were offered to atone for people’s sin. In the New Covenants times (now), the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. Removal of sin proceeds the flow of good communication between us and God. The removal of sin by Christ is the righteousness which “the heavens declare.” God is the Judge and His Son is our Redeemer. According to Deuteronomy 33:2, “The Lord came from Sinai... He came with ten thousands of saints. From His hand came a fiery law for them.” Who are these saints? Deuteronomy 33:3 says, “Yes, He loves the people. All His saints are in Your hand. They sit down at Your feet. Everyone receives Your words.” The saints are His disciples. They, unlike others, enjoy sitting at His feet and learning from Him as Mary of Bethany did in Luke 10:39.
In Psalms 50:5, the Lord says, “Gather my saints together unto Me.” In Mark 6:7, Jesus called twelve men to be with Him and to send them out. In Hebrews 10:25, the Lord says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some, but to exhort one another, and so much the more, as you see the day [of His return] approaching.”
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul wrote of the coming of the Lord, saying, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” In John 14:3, Jesus assured us, “I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also.” He wants us, who believe in Him, to be with Him forever.
In Psalms 50:6, the heavens declare God’s righteousness. In Revelation 19:2, a great multitude in heaven say with a loud voice, “True and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” In due season, God will repay those who have violently violated His Law and put His servants to death.
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you. I am God, your God! I will not justify you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you. For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” Psalm 50:7-13
According to the Jamieson-Fausset Brown Commentary, they gave to God His own with a degrading view of Him as needing it. According to Matthew Henry’s Commentary, “They took pride in them, and hoped by their offerings to procure a dispensation for their lusts.” In other words, they wanted God’s forgiveness to serve as a free pass to sin. They assumed that God was legally bound to accept their offerings. As though God was a debtor to them. God did not need their “middleman” services. He did not need them to feed Him. Everything that they sacrificed to Him belonged to Him.
God wants our love. The first and great commandment is to love God. When we sin, we break covenant with God. We fracture our relationship with Him. Asking God to forgive our sin is to express pain that we sinned against Him. Asking God to forgive our sin is to express our sincere desire to have a fully restored love relationship with Him once again.
“Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalms 50:14-15
God delights in thanksgiving. He enjoys covenant-keepers. He says to such, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you,, and you shall glorify Me!” When we are in a right relationship with God, He has no misgivings about anointing us to shine for Him.
In Hebrews 13:15, Paul wrote, “Therefore by Him [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.”
“But to the wicked God says: ‘What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My Words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him and have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent. You thought that I was altogether like you, but I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: whoever offers praise glorifies Me, and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:16-23
In Psalm 50:16, God addresses those who use religion to coverup evil in their hearts. Some think that Psalm 50:16-23 speaks prophetically of the Pharisees. They masked their exploitation of God and people with religious tapestry and vocabulary.
In the 1500’s, God revealed to Martin Luther via the Scriptures that Christ did everything necessary to restore us sinners to a right relationship with God. We don’t save ourselves. God saves us. God saves us by graciously placing the merits of Christ into our account when we simply believe in Him and profess Him with our mouths as our Lord and Savior.
“Martin Luther objected to Pope Leo X largely due to his exploitation of people through the sale of indulgences. Indulgences were an unbiblical practice that falsely guaranteed the remission of sins for money.” [5]
Hypocrites are common to all religious and political groups. Evil people use shiny lures for their self-serving ambitions. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul wrote, “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
In Psalm 50:16-23, God describes religious imposters as thieves, adulterers, liars, and slanderers of their own brothers. He tells them that He has been watching them. They falsely assumed that God was like them. God promises to rebuke them and set them straight. He warns them, “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.”
In 2 Peter 3:7-9, Peter had a prophetic word. He wrote, “The heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
The Lord suffers long with hypocrites because He wants them to be saved. In Matthew 24:48-51, Jesus said that hypocrites end up “where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That is for all eternity! Thus, the Lord suffers long with them. In fact, in the Gospels, Jesus often spoke with the Pharisees about their need to repent and believe in Him. They repaid Him with crucifixion, but from the cross He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Praise God! He is able and does convert fake lovers into genuine lovers via Christ. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were part of the hypocritical council that called for the crucifixion of Christ, but at the end of the Gospels we find them serving Him. [5] In Philippians 3:5-8, Paul testified that he was a Pharisee but that he counted that former life as rubbish compared to his new life of knowing Christ. In Philippians 3:9, Paul wrote, “I want to be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
“Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive us and cleanse our hearts from hypocrisy. Please Holy Spirit flood our hearts until they overflow with genuine love for God and for our neighbor. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”
[1] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[2] Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
[3] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[4] worldhistory.org/article/1902/medieval-indulgence--martin-luther/
[5] Matthew 27:57–60; Mark 15:42–46; Luke 23:50–53; John 19:38–42
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