Sunday, January 20, 2008

Psalms Sunday - Psalm 59







Psalm 59
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Defend me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

3 For look, they lie in wait for my life;
The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.
4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.

Awake to help me, and behold!
5 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

6 At evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
Swords are in their lips;
For they say, “Who hears?”

8 But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the nations in derision.
9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength;[b]
For God is my defense.
10 My God of mercy[c] shall come to meet me;
God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
Scatter them by Your power,
And bring them down,
O Lord our shield.
12 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.
13 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

14 And at evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
15 They wander up and down for food,
And howl[d] if they are not satisfied.

16 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.
17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.


Look at verses 9 and 17, they both call God, O my strength.
In fact throughout the Psalms, we can see David address God in that way. Here are a few examples:

I love you, O LORD, my strength. Psalm 18:1

But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Psalm 22:19

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14

You are God my stronghold. Psalm 43:2

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalm 54:4

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.Psalm 18:32


As I studied the word, strength, found throughout the Psalms, I found that in some instances, it meant rock. In others, it meant
refuge.

In Psalm 59, it is used as might.

David knew that he couldn't handle his enemies with his own strength. He knew that God is all mighty and all powerful.
He found his strength in bringing it all to the feet of God and trusting in Him to take care of it.

Not only do you have to believe and know that God is your rock, refuge and might, but you have to also TRUST.
And when you are taken out of those pits, by His mercy and His love. When the time has passed and you see how God handled things, how God helped you, how God used the circumstances for His glory, it is incredible.

Don't fight it on your own, for you are not strong enough. Let God fight for you, let Him sustain you.

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