My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

In our introduction to this psalm, we considered the Ziphites, those treacherous, man pleasing Israelites who sought to rat out David to king Saul. Since then, I have found that the Ziphites were a clan of one specific tribe of Israel. The tribe they belonged to was of the tribe of Judah, David’s own tribe!

This betrayal reminds me of the betrayal of Judas, in that David surely expected to have confidence in his own tribal family, and yet we find David once more reflecting the future greater King Jesus in his betrayal by a confidant. Truly the Ziphites are a picture of Judas, in that both were in close association with David/Jesus, and both the Ziphites/Judas used sensitive information for their own act of betrayal. They gave up their “friend” to a godless authority, who was a replacement for God in their lives.

But alas, I need to focus on the Psalm, for that is the purpose of our time together. Let’s consider David’s thoughts.

Psalm 54

1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?” O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah

David calls out to God in prayer, seeking salvation from the treachery of his clansmen. From those who were his very family! How this must have added to the emotional pressure to drive David into despair! Yet, he seeks salvation by the name of God, which is in my mind, a fantastic turn of phrase for David to record.

Save me by your name.

I am currently enjoying, by the providence of God, a study in the Names of God as revealed in the Scriptures, and when the term “name of God” comes up, multiple characteristics of our Savior are brought to mind. David, in looking to God for his rescue in this betrayal, depends on the character of God, the God he has understood, the God he has experienced. A saving God, not only from a bear and lion when he was in the fields, but from a giant named Goliath. He experienced God as a saving God, and to that “type” of God he called out to. It was no theoretical deity he was calling out to!

He also looks for vindication by the might of God. Vindication is an interesting term, for when I think vindication, I think revenge. Earlier in the Psalms, David has requested vindication (See Psalms for Psome – Ps 43.01). Based on these earlier studies, I am not convinced David is simply looking for a one sided judgement against the Ziphites, for though he states “vindivcate me”, using the term vindicate is a request to judge, or to execute judgement. David is allowing God to make a judgement on who is the guilty party, and though David may have a clear conscience in the circumstance, yet he is allowing God to teach. He is not simply pointing a finger to the Ziphites and seeking God to condemn them, to pass some sentence on them. He is asking for God’s judgment on both parties!

Centuries later another man seeking God’s will, provides this humble attitude for our instruction, reminding us that God is the ultimate Judge, and that we all shall be judged by Him, and not by our own feelings, confidence or reasonings!

1 Corinthians 4

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

But who were those whom David sought salvation from? How did David describe his fellow clansmen?

Strangers

Those Ziphites were strangers. David, how can you say that? They are men of Israel, even of your own clan of Judah! Yet even in this description, we are given a chance to remember that bloodlines mean nothing in the family of God. True, they came from the same father, from Israel’s fourth son Judah, many years ago, but that did not guarantee their standing before God. Numerous passages in the Old Testament contain this Hebrew word, and the word is translated sometimes as “foreigners” with some ominous implications. Two passages, from the prophet Isaiah, may provide this understanding.

Isaiah 1:4, 7

Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.

Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.

Note in the first verse, the very nation of Israel is called out a utterly estranged. They have become as foreigners the the very covenant of God they belonged to. Not three verse later, the same term describes the foreigners/strangers are those who devour the land. The Ziphites are described in the same manner as the Babylonians who destroyed the nation of Israel, taking them into captivity.

Ruthless

David continues to describe the Ziphites as ruthless men. These men had sensitive information for the king of Israel, and calling them ruthless describes their intent and actions. They we influential, and had the information to destroy the future king of Israel. As we often hear nowadays, “Information is power”! So true for the Ziphites and they used this information ruthlessly.

David’s last description in verse 3 simply states the source of this decision by the Ziphites to betray their own brother. They do not set God before themselves! Selah, or take a moment to consider this statement!

Those who seek favor from a God replacement must not be setting the True God before themselves. How could someone seek a man’s favor when they know God actively in their lives? David is giving us the source of the Ziphites core condition in this short phrase. They have decided (whether actively or passively) to not set God before their eyes!

Conversely, the believer will set God before their eyes in a purposeful, intentional way. Without this core action on the part of the believer, we will fall into justifying socially acceptable deeds, such as informing on an enemy of the state, or simply gossiping about a work mate, instead of understanding God’s ways and seeking to follow His will.

As believers, we need to know the will of God and be willing to reject the attraction of socially acceptable behavior. What think ye?Shall we not, as believers, seek to avoid looking like strangers to the covenant God has provided, and acting as ruthless men?

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