Psalm 54
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?
1 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. 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. 6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good. 7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: And mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.
Has someone that you loved ever turned against you? Do you know the deep pain of betrayal? Have you ever confided in someone that you trusted only to have them publish the matter?
Sadly, David knew that experience well.
The header of Psalm 54 is rather long isn’t it?
"To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?"
It informs us that this Psalm was written when David was fleeing from King Saul, running for his life. Where do you go when you are afraid and in need? One might suppose that your friends would be the best option, right? Family perhaps? Some folks to whom you have been faithful to help in their time of need? David thought so and turned to the Ziphims.
Ziph was a town in southeast of Hebron. This was in Judah so they were part of David’s tribe. No doubt David considered these folks family and friends. He had fought Philistines on their behalf, even delivering some of their villages from the enemy’s occupation.
Surely, they would help him hide from this blood thirsty king who wanted him dead. David thought that he and these folk were close.
Unfortunately, David was wrong.
1 Samuel 23:19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?
Hey, people make mistakes, right? They forsook their friend, their fellow tribesman, the one that had been their champion, but that wouldn’t happen again, would it? I mean, those were David’s boys, they were his buds. So, he gave them another opportunity to stand with him.
I imagine David thought their betrayal was a one-time slip and he wanted to believe better about them. If he did, he was wrong, because yet again they plunged the knife into his trusting back.
1 Samuel 26:1 And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?
Can you relate? Do you have someone close to you that is a serial stabber of your back? Maybe your Ziphite is a spouse, a sibling, a cousin or a fair-weather friend to whom you hoped for help.
Psalm 54 is for you.
I took so long with the introduction, let me just point out one verse.
Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is mine helper: The Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
Earthly friends will forsake you. In this life, even the best of friends and family will surely fail but there is a friend that won’t forsake you. God is a helper that you can trust. Like David, you can just say two words and he will be there. What are those words?
“Save Me…” Psalm 54:1
There is another part of that verse that is worth remembering, the second part.
Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is mine helper: The Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
David had been betrayed but he didn’t let these bad interactions with fake friends spoil all his other earthly relationships. He understood that there were others who were sincerely wanting to help so he says by faith, “The Lord is with them that uphold my soul”. Basically, the Psalmist is saying, “God will bless those who are a blessing”.
Perhaps you ask, “So Bald Believer, what’s the point?”
Here it is.
If you have been forsaken and betrayed so has our Lord, he knows that feeling well. You can trust him to not do it to you!
If you have been hurt by someone you thought you could trust don’t take it out on everyone. Nobody is sinless but there are many that are sincere.
If you see the opportunity to be a blessing remember what David said, “The Lord is with them that uphold my soul”. In other words, God blesses those who are a blessing.
I hope ya’ll have a blessed day trying to be a blessing
The Bald Believer
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