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 59
3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
David continues in our passage speaking of his enemies as lying in wait for his life. These enemies have been previously described as bloodthirsty, and in following verses as fierce, even as dogs. They are on the hunt for a victim, but not just any victim. They aren’t seeking blood of just any victim. They have their eye on the future King of Israel. They are looking for innocent blood, blood that has no cause of death in it, but that he is the future king.
David is speaking relatively, for he is not claiming sinless perfection in front of God, but that in relation to the current king of Israel, he has brought no reason for this persecution. He has committed no sin against the current king. He has no way to remedy this situation, for the entire cause of this persecution is sourced out of a man of jealousy, an insecure man who has walked away from God. David has no opportunity of resolving this conflict since Saul will not seek peace.
Saul wants David’s blood. And David wants God to come see.
Now of course God sees the situation. He clearly sees the situation, from every conceivable vantage point and in every possible way. But David is asking for a conference, a time to get together for a “huddle”, a time of communication and review. David needs to get his head straightened out, to hear of the situation from God, to know of God’s accompaniment with him in this endurance run.
David even goes so far as implying that God is asleep and that He needs to rouse Himself. What audacity of the man to speak to God in such a way.
And yet when trials come our way, do we not question God’s attention. It is so common for us to claim that God is missing, that He is somewhere else, or that He is not paying attention to our experience. We may offer up formal prayers acknowledging His presence, but sometimes couched within those prayers are hints that we have our doubts, even though the promise of His being with us in scattered throughout the written Word.
David made his concerns crystal clear. You are my God, and I need you. I need Your attention in this matter. Come to deliver me oh my God. Deliverance was provided, for David received God’s protection from death in multiple instances and in various ways. Over an extended period of time. Yet David was entering a time of persecution and of being on the run, all the while under God’s protection.
Sometimes the protection provided does not look as we may have wanted, but God is faithful.
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