Psalm 58 — 59
danger and testing because He hears our prayers (vv. 1–2). "Defend me" means "set me on high," for David saw the Lord as his fortress and high tower (18:2; 20:1; 46:7, 11; 91:14). However, David's prayer wasn't a substitute for action, for "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). Michal's warning and immediate action saved his life, and her use of the "dummy" in the bed helped to buy time for her husband to get to Samuel in Ramah. But it was the Lord who answered prayer and orchestrated the escape. The Lord also knows our hearts (vv. 3–4) and recognized that David was innocent of the charges Saul's men were making against him (7:1–5; see 1 Sam. 20:1; 24:11). David was not a traitor, but Saul had to have some excuse for hunting him down. David addressed the Lord as if He had been sleeping (vv. 4–5; see 7:6; 44:23). In times of great danger, we sometimes feel that God needs to start acting on our behalf and doing it very soon!
David didn't do any of the things he mentioned but instead asked the Lord to do them. He knew that vengeance belongs to the Lord (Deut. 32:35; Heb. 10:30; Rom. 12:19). A lion without teeth is severely limited in his attacks; water that has soaked into the ground has lost the power to destroy (2 Sam. 14:14); and arrows without points won't penetrate the body. The snail doesn't actually "melt away" while moving along the rock, but the trail of slime left behind makes it look that way. The stillborn child is dead and can't function at all. "Let these unjust leaders be gone!" said David.
Vindication—Righteousness Praised (vv. 9–11) David added a sixth image to describe their ultimate judgment, which would happen suddenly and without warning. A desperate traveler in the wilderness could cook a meal over a fire of thorns, but the fire might suddenly go out because the fuel burned quickly—or a whirlwind might come up and scatter fuel, fire, and cooking pots. To use a modern colloquial expression, these godless leaders are only "a flash in the pan." There is coming a day of judgment and they will not escape (118:12; 2 Sam. 23:6).
The Lord sees and hears our enemies (vv. 5–7) and knows what they are saying and doing. David addressed Him as Jehovah (the God of the covenant), the Lord of Hosts (armies), and the God of Israel. David was Israel's anointed king and a son of the covenant God made with His people, so he had every right to seek God's help. Jehovah is the Lord of the Armies (Lord Sabaoth) and can defeat anyone who challenges His will. Since Saul and his men were the immediate problem, to whom was David referring when he spoke of "the nations" (vv. 5, 8)? The nations around Israel were usually poised and ready to attack their old foe, and Saul's mismanagement of the kingdom would make such a move even easier. He was so obsessed with destroying David that he neglected his duties as king and made the nation vulnerable. But David was God's anointed king, and Saul's attacks were exactly what the Gentile nations would do if they could. Unlike Saul, David understood the unique position of Israel among the nations and sought to maintain it (Gen. 12:1–3; Num. 23:9; 24:8–9).
David's seventh picture comes from the battlefield and is even more vivid (v. 10). When victorious soldiers walked around the field and picked up the spoils of battle, their feet were stained by the blood of their enemies. Walking in cream and oil was a picture of wealth (Job 29:6), and walking in blood was a picture of great victory (see 68:23; Isa. 63:1–6; Rev. 14:17–20). The fact that the righteous rejoice at this is no more sinful than that prisoners of war rejoice at their release from a death camp or that downtrodden citizens are set free from a cruel dictator. After all, heaven rejoices at the fall of Babylon (Rev. 18:20—19:6). God vindicates Himself, His law, and His people, and He does it justly. So effective is His judgment that outsiders will say, "Surely there is a God who judges on earth" (v. 11 nasb).
David's graphic description of Saul's men (vv. 6–7, 12–15) reveals how much he held them in disdain. They were nothing but prowling, snarling dogs, frothing at the mouth, spewing out evil words, and rummaging in the garbage dumps of the city. The Jews usually referred to the Gentiles as dogs! Finally, as our great Deliverer, the Lord defends our cause (vv. 8–9). The "dogs" were prowling and growling, but the Lord was laughing (see 2:4; 37:13). The spies were watching David, but David was "on watch" looking for the Lord to act (vv. 9, 17; see 121:3–5, 7–8). God was his strength and fortress (46:1), and he had no reason to be afraid.