You Are Not the Only One

#Sacrifice #SaveMe #Deliverance Psalm Chapter 54

(Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures in this study are from the King James Version of the Bible – Public Domain.)

Context: Conceited Enemies Are Attacking Me.

This psalms is a psalm of lament. David laments the ongoing attacks on his person by his conceited enemies and cries out to God to save and redeem him. 1 Samuel 23:19  shows the persons who were attacking him. David was fleeing from Saul, who was determined to take his life. “Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?” At the end of the psalm, the reader sees David proclaiming his confidence is God.

Dear God Save Me From My Enemies.

Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.² Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. ³ For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. 

David is fearful for his life, so he prays to God not just to deliver him. He specifically asks God to listen intently to his prayer for rescue and liberate from his enemies. He does not ask God to do it for him (David) he asks God to do it for his name’s (thy name) sake and as a demonstration of his (strength.) Sometimes we pray, and we pray for our problems to be solved, but the reality is that we should be praying that through the resolution of our issues may His name be glorified. Saul was going to kill David. He wanted to ensure that his name was carried on through his children. He was determined to take David out before God could make him king. David did not attempt to make himself king. God ordained that to happen. He is reminding God that this was his plan.  Legally he was not a usurper, he was not treasonous. Sauls suspicions were false. He did not betray Saul, and the Ziphites had no right to imply it.  David used the Hebrew legal term (from dîn ) that is generally used for a court setting (Longman 2014, 226). The psalmist was not in a formal court, but he was pleading his case to God.

Has that ever happened to you? Has someone falsely accused you of something to make themselves look good in the eyes of others? What did you do and how did God deliver you? We live by what Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.” There have been times in my life because I have always tried to do what the Lord has called me to do when I have been persecuted, lies were posted on FB when we had to rework our ministry team. It meant sticking to our standards and not backing down. I knew that God called me to be a beacon of light.  Light and darkness can’t work together in His name. It broke my heart to tell some folks that they were not suited for leadership positions because of their belief system. I was relentlessly stalked. But I knew that “God [was my] helper.

⁴ Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. ⁵ He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth. 

My Help Comes From the Lord.

David does not try to gang up on Soul and his attackers. Instead, he takes the high road and puts his trust in God. He knows that God is his helper. Longman stated that for contextual purposes, we must understand that the word help “‘ozer’ is a military context can mean ‘ally’ (224). Here is the proof of the pudding so to speak. He had peace because he knew that he knew that God was on his side. So he asks God to “reward [his enemies with the ] evil [they had planned for him]. He even goes so far as to tell cut to wipe them out “cut them off in thy truth” and separate them from his presence and His holy word. Proverbs Prov. 1:18– 19; 9:15; 35:7– 8 all talk about the evil that people have planned for others falling right back on them. Today we say ‘ when you dig a ditch for your brother you must dig it for yourself too. Back to my story about my group.  The same thing that the person tried to do to me was also done to them. They were thrown out of the group that they left our ministry for. They were attacked by the same persons who attack me. Their heart was broken like my heart.  I tell you, friends, that when God vindicates His children, it is well done.  That team no longer exists as a viable team. Many of the teams that were in existence when our team began no longer exists.  We are still there because we did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. No, it was not the popular thing to do. Yes, people posted strange things about us on social media, but the God whom we serve is a problem solver. What did we do? We praised and still praise Him for deliverance, just like David.

I Will Worship You

David acknowledges God’s deliverance by praising him. Before he was delivered, he worshipped him.  How does he worship God? He “freely” gives him a “sacrifice.” He did not do it because he had to, he did it because he wanted to. It was an act of gratitude. Today, we hear people say, “I am not going to support any ministry. If they are really doing God’s work, then let him support them.” Friends, we are blessed to be a blessing. David wanted to show God how much he appreciated the deliverance he received. See Lev. 7:16; cf. Exod. 35:29; 2 Chr. 31:14). If you feel that you are under attack right now just remember that God has never failed his people. If your attackers are relentless, know that God will see you through. Just believe that he wants to help you and praise Him in advance for the help that you will and are receiving.

Prayer: Lord, I just want to thank you that as my life progresses and as you walk me through these trials, I will be able to look back on them and see your hand of deliverance. Give me a heart that is willing to praise and serve you even when I cannot see the end of the trial. Serving you and your people is my heart’s desire.