In this psalm, David is hounded on all sides by his enemy, but he makes that time as good as ever to break out the harp and the praise and worship. It seems that often David’s greatest psalms are from the most difficult circumstances of His life, and perhaps that would and should be the same testimony of our own worship.

“You give and take away… my heart will choose to say…”

Perhaps this is why this is called a “michtam” of David, or a “golden psalm” of David. Historically, David is running for His life from Saul and ends up in Gath, the Philistine (enemy) capital. The tune that accompanies the psalm is “A Dove Afar Off” - an almost prophetic statement of David and even the Lord Jesus.

Matthew Henry notes - “Some apply this to David himself, who wished for the wings of a dove on which to fly away. He was innocent and inoffensive, mild and patient, as a dove, was at this time driven from his nest, from the sanctuary (Psa_84:3), was forced to wander afar off, to seek for shelter in distant countries; there he was like the doves of the valleys, mourning and melancholy; but silent, neither murmuring against God nor railing at the instruments of his trouble; herein a type of Christ, who was as a sheep, dumb before the shearers, and a pattern to Christians, who, wherever they are and whatever injuries are done them, ought to be as silent doves.”

Jesus of all people was “a dove” (picture of a pure vessel) “afar off” as he left His home in heaven to be with us. And then again, He is the “word of God” that came down from heaven.

It is interesting to note that David focuses His praise on “the word” of God in verse 4 and twice in verse 10. Usually when we are in a rough spot, the word of God is one of the first things to go, because the promises therein all of the sudden feel distant, unconcerned with us, unable to help us at all. But it is in these very times, when David is being pursued unto death, that He chooses to stake His claim anew on the Word of God and the promises there.

I believe it is most important to take the promises of God when we are in distress. Then we get the raw experience and the spiritual history of trusting in God for the moment. Many of us feel that if we never have such moments of distress then we are embracing a life of such promises, but it is not primarily so, for it is a life full of often difficult things that will allow the promises to more brilliantly gleam in our lives. Even Jesus “learned obedience by the things he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Not merely the promises, but the character of God and His heart come more clearer into view as we learn to praise “the word of God”, even Christ, in the midst of difficulty. Look at the confidence of David in verse 9 - “on the very day I call unto you for help, my enemies WILL retreat.” Wow! In fact, David is so sure of His victory in God that He praises God in the past tense for it at the end of the psalm, as if it had already occurred. Talk about relying on the promises and taking them seriously!

Oh, Lord, give me that depth of seeing, that true, real vision that is so confident in your word that I pray for something and leave knowing FOR SURE it will happen, so much so that it is pronounced as already done because you have said it!

Probably my favorite part of this psalm is found  in verses 7 and 13. In verse 7 David says “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

David knew the heart of God. So much so that he wrote it down, by the Holy Spirit, and God says yes, that’s eternally correct about me, and I’m going to put it in my Holy Word.

God is not a man that he should lie, so when the word of God says that God records every sorrow and tear that we have in a book, he means it! There is actually a book in heaven with my tears recorded! Have you ever thought about that? Seriously!

And that’s the God that I worship, one that knows me so deeply, understands me so intimately, and longs for my friendship so passionately, that he, the creator of the universe, by the way, meticulously takes account of my every sorrow - so as to know my heart and in doing so invite me to know His.

Why does He do that? Because He is not the God of islam, which demands rote obedience for a possible reward (if your lucky) sans relationship. He is not the God of the greeks, afar off on some mountain waiting to be pleased by someone while playing games with other gods. No! Jesus is a lover, a pursuer of His creation, so passionately in love with who He made that He intimately records every tear that falls, even the minute details of life!

What a friend I’ve found! Closer than a brother! Jesus!

The Holy Spirit records these things so that we can have a glimpse into this God who is outside of time. We can have a window into the eternal God, what He feels like and what He acts like. And David had this revelation because in the midst of his hardship, he took a simple stance on the word of God, trusting it and singing about it.

Lastly, David knew that God rescued Him for a reason. Why? Was it because David had enough merit, was it because God was having a good day and said “Ok, this time I will.” NO! Verse 13 says “So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.”

God’s word is His invitation to be with Him, as He really is, to give us the light of real, authentic, life.

I don’t know about you, but I’m glad to have a friend like that.

There’s something hidden and great inside these psalms of David that are filled with expressions like “Help, Lord!” and “My enemies rise against me!”. I know in my own humanity I’ve often brushed aside these passages as for “people who are at war, like David was”, or those whose lives are threatened physically.

This, albeit true, forfeits me a far greater reality, and that which I believe God has intended me to taste and understand about His character and purpose here on earth.

“O LORD, oppose those who oppose me.
Declare war on those who are attacking me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
and block the way of my enemies.
Let me hear you say,
“I am your salvation!”" (vs.2-3)

I’m pondering on the reasons why I would typically skim through verses like these, where as I wouldn’t other psalms such as “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked…”. (psalm 1)

I think at the surface level it is because I do not feel oppressed by “war” and “those who are attacking me”. I don’t feel like I have people “waiting to eat me alive” (vs. 25), and “shouting profanities at me” (vs. 16). So, because I don’t feel like this really applies to me, I don’t pay too much in-depth attention to it.

Now, the obvious thing that I overlook here is that, WOW, I am missing something altogether! The devil and his minions are indeed here to “steal, kill, and destroy” and surely are waiting for me behind corners to bring me to ruin. So, I can then in some sort of cursory way look over the passages again and pray them as some sort of spiritual warfare exercise, but EVEN YET I think I have missed the point.

I think the point here is this: The deeper reason why I don’t (insert “we” as is appropriate) feel connected, if you will, to passages such as these, is because my DESIRE to see the Lord show Himself in such ways is altogether lacking!

And why? Let me examine. Let’s say something was happening and I was being attacked on all sides, enemies snarling at me, talking behind my back saying all sorts of horrible things about me. You know what I would think my “be-a-good-christian” response would be? It would be this - to simply gut it up, gird it up, be strong, and not let it seem to affect me, ESPECIALLY not in front of God!

For what if God were to see me as the man of weakness that I really am, afraid of my enemies, worried about their attacks, their arrows actually wounding my heart? Well, then, surely the Almighty God would look down upon me with arms crossed and say “You weak, pathetic soul! Get it together! C’mon already!” - to which I would, with a few yes sirs! along the way, get it together.

Now, this may be a bit exaggerated even in our response, but is there not a hint of this in your life as there is in mine? A hint of that which views God as “Christianity Coach” and me as “good young, and in need of much learning student”? And what I am saying is to the degree that this hint of “let me suck it up” is in us - to that same degree we are missing out on the REVELATION of the man Jesus as protector, defender, and “the Lord who fights for us”.

Because when we just “gird it up” and “be strong” in the name of “being a good christian”, we are missing golden oppurtunities to hear Jesus say “I AM YOUR SALVATION!” (vs.3) and see Him lifting up His spear and javelin!

David says “Then I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be glad because he rescues me.” I will be glad because He rescues me! Not because I feel strong in no need of rescue because im that mature already! Ha! Jesus says.

David says, “I will praise him from the bottom of my heart “LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the weak and helpless from the strong? Who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them?”(vs. 10)

This isn’t mere head knowledge for David,because He was unwilling to cry out to Jesus for even the sake of His pride, but this was powerful revelation from the Throne, words that still speak Holy Spirit Life unto our souls almost 3000 years later!

So lets realize that the situations that we are in,may be situations and circumstances sometimes sent not from the devil, but from the Lord Himself, that we would learn to call on His name like David did, and experience first hand the revelation of a Christ who rescues still today!

Hallelujah!