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Spiritually Speaking => Pastor Al Moak's Study => Manna For The Soul => Songs of Worship & Psalm 119~Psalms Studies => Topic started by: Al Moak on April 12, 2003, 01:46:39 PM

Title: Psalm 56
Post by: Al Moak on April 12, 2003, 01:46:39 PM
Psalm 56

The key to this wonderful song of faith is in verses 3, 4, where we read, "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?" As often was the case with David, the fires of affliction were the inspiration for the psalm.  But what he was learning was that those fires couldn't hurt him!  He wrote the song so that his people might learn from his experience.

To understand, we need to realize that at the time to which this psalm points David's affliction couldn't have been any worse. In fact, he was in mortal danger.  He makes that clear when he says, "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."  But what made it bearable was that he had recourse to One Who can change things, to One Who is over all the works of men, to One Who hears him when he prays, and, above all, to One Who CARES. 

And with the added realization of the total righteousness of such a God, David could pray, "Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God!"

Finally, not only is God a righteous God, but David knew that God remembers all.  David can therefore pray, "You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?" 

It all leads to a reiteration in Vs. 11: "In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?"  The repetition just tells us that this is a lesson David has learned  well.  His focus is upon the unseen God rather than upon the enemies around him.  The conclusion is that God, Who is unseen, is able to do far more than man who can be seen.  In fact, when in God's protection, David cannot ultimately be harmed.

It was the same in Christ's day.  Consider that greater Son of David, when He was surrounded by the Sanhedrin and by Pilate's court. Even all those enemies could do no more than what God allowed them to do.  The unseen God, the unseen eternity - these were the facts that were perfectly real and visible to His faith.  The result was that nothing ultimately harmful WAS done to Him - even at the Cross, for even that awful experience only resulted in the destruction of Satan's power, the freeing of His people, and His ultimate rule at the right hand of the Father!

So it must ever be for all God's dear people.  Because of Christ's ultimate triumph, because of His present reign, because of His intercession - man can do nothing ultimately harmful to any of them.  Let David's trust be ours as well in every emergency.