As David served the Lord, the Lord gave to him a song. David gave this song to his nation’s chief musician. The lyrics of the song contrast the deeds of the wicked with God’s goodness. [1]
David self-identifies as a servant of the Lord. He served the interests of God’s kingdom more immediately and more eminently than any other in his day. [2] As David served the Lord, the Lord revealed to David many things that otherwise he would have never understood.
“The transgression of the wicked” includes having no fear of God in his eyes. What he does have in his eyes is flattery for himself. In other words, he has a low opinion of God and a high opinion of himself. Rather than asking the Lord to purge his heart of iniquity and hatred, he flatters it. In this way, he sears his conscious with a hot iron so it no longer senses any guilt before God.
Paul wrote of this in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”
The transgression of the wicked involves self-deceit. He closes the door of his heart to wisdom and to good-doing. On his bed, where he should be thanking God for the blessings that he received that day and afterwards committing his soul to God’s keeping, what does he do? He devises wicked plans. He is determined to avoid the good path. He wants to keep breaking all the rules. He wants to take everything he can from people to satisfy his sinful flesh.
The devil rejoiced when Adam and Eve ignored their Creator’s warning and partook of the forbidden fruit. It pleased him when their firstborn son Cain became jealous and killed his brother Abel. His goal is to turn every person made in God’s likeness into an enemy of God. He says to transgressors, “There is no God. Serve and honor yourself.” His chattery is flattery.
Perhaps, King Saul came to mind as David composed this song. Saul pretended to be kind to David when he gave his daughter Michal to marry him. However, he demanded a depraved dowery from David... 100 Philistines foreskins! A demoralizing and dangerous task, but the Lord helped David to do it and gain his wife. Even so, later on, while David was on the run from Saul, Saul took Michal from David and gave her to another man. See 1 Samuel 18:25-27; 25:44.
“Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains. Your judgments are a great deep, O Lord. You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life. In Your light we see light. O, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.” Psalm 36:5-10
David could not find anything good to say about the wicked, but when he focused on the Lord, he saw mercy, faithfulness and righteousness as high as heaven, clouds, and great mountains.
God does not decree shallow judgments on matters. He describes the difference between right and wrong with thorough details. He renders judgments to preserve human and animal life.
Corrupt governments are not so. Corrupt governments protect their accomplices in crime and punish those who dare to speak a word against them.
Before God rains down calamities on evil nations, He says to His servants in Isaiah 26:20, “Come, My people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past.”
In Ezekiel 9:4, before God destroyed a city, He said to His angel, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” After that task was completed, the Lord said to other angels in Ezekiel 9:5-6, “Go after him through the city and kill. Do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.”
David rejoiced in the lovingkindness of the Lord towards those who put their trust under the shadow of His wings. The imagery here is of a mother hen protecting her young chicks under her wings. She places her life between them and harm. This is what Jesus did for us.
The Lord abundantly satisfied David with the fullness of His house. God welcomed David to continuously drink from the river of His pleasures. In Luke 12:32, Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
David said to the Lord, “For with You is the fountain of life.”
Jürgen Moltmann experienced “the fountain of life” while imprisoned in a British prisoner of war camp. He was never able to relate to God until he heard a message based on Psalm 22. He learned from this message that Jesus died so that people could live eternally. He learned that Jesus resurrected from the dead and commissioned His disciples to preach a message of LIFE.
Moltmann wrote, “Human life today is in danger. It is not in danger because it is mortal. This was always the case. It is in danger because it is no longer loved, affirmed and accepted. A life no longer loved is ready to kill and be killed. Deterrence functions only so long as all partners [nations] have the will to live and want to survive.”
This is why we need Jesus. He is the fountain of life. Jesus Christ fills our hearts with love. He gives us reason and power to live. He is merciful to us and helps us be merciful to others.
Instead of pleasing myself, Jesus empowers me to love God and people.
David wrote, “In Your light we see light. O, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.”
God’s light yields revelations. In His lovingkindness, He reveals to us helpful truth. If dysfunction has been our normal, how do we acquire a new life? The answer is God. We drink from the river of His delight. We receive new life from God by believing in His Son Jesus and receiving His indwelling Holy Spirit. In John 4:10–14 and 7:37–39, Jesus described His Holy Spirit as living waters. His Spirit quenches our soul’s thirst for God. He shines revelations of God into our souls.
“Let not the foot of pride come against me and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.” Psalm 36:11
David asked the Lord to keep him humble. He did not want pride to trample his faith in God underfoot. He cherished his communion with God.
“There the workers of iniquity have fallen. They have been cast down and are not able to rise.” Psalm 36:12
The Lord answered David’s prayers. Those who thought to make him fall and those who thought to throw him down, fell and did not get up. David was thankful that the Lord watched over his relationship with him. His relationship with the Lord was his greatest treasure.
[1] Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
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