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.
Psalm 54
4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them.
We discussed the Ziphites, and the type of character these clans men of David had in these men in our last post. In this current writing, we will consider how David understands God.
God our Helper
He begins with a description of God as his helper. This particular word provides the image of the helper surrounding the helpless one, of protecting the one in need. Our God is One who is a helper, One who protects those who fear Him. I can not help but think of Psalm 91:4 as a similar sentiment in this description of our God as our protector, helper.
Psalm 91
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
As a mother eagle covers her helpless chicks, so our God covers his people with his love. Consider that the mighty eagle has far greater abilities (as does our God) than to simply provide a defensive cover for her chicks, but the protection described here is an act that gives security, a sense of safety, a nearness of strength and an experiential comfort for the chicks.
Also, this position of covering by the mother eagle is a stance of self sacrifice. Any intruder or attacker will have to go through the mother before they get to the helpless chicks!
God our Upholder
Not only is God David’s protector, but God is the upholder of his life. A term that is synonymous with upholding is sustainer. God is not simply protecting his children that have no other needs. He is not simply a protector, but He sustains us. We can claim nothing in us as independent of God, for He is the source of life. Not only is He the source of life, but the continual provider of life, for He is as a river of life providing a continual source of life for his children. He is not One who provides life to His child and then says “Good luck with that”, or “Hope everything turns out while I look the other way”. He sustains us, upholding our heart, soul and body for His pleasure.
Regarding verse 5, David declares, based on the faithfulness and righteousness of God, that evil will return on these foreigners, these men who claim to be of the nation of God. There is little said in the future passages of King David’s reign regarding the Ziphites. One passage recounts these treacherous, ruthless men trying a second time to betray David – yes they betray him a second time – (See 1 Samuel 26:1-4) but after that disgraceful act, Scripture seems silent on this family of the tribe of Judah.
History though, speaks of the land of the Ziphites becoming a royal estate/vineyard. The true King redeemed the land from these treacherous men, just as our King will redeem this earth from the clutches of betrayers, becoming a fruitful vineyard and a place for royalty, as it should be, for the King has the right to rule over His Kingdom!
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Considering the Bible 