Psalm 59
King Saul's fear and hatred of David became so compulsive that he finally gave orders to kill his son-in-law, and twice Saul tried to do it himself (1 Sam. 19:1–10). Then he plotted to have David murdered in his bed at home (1 Sam. 19:11–18), but his wife helped David escape by letting him out a window (see Acts 9:23–25). Before this attempt, Saul sent out search parties to spy on David (vv. 6, 14), and David wrote this psalm to ask God for the help he needed. The focus of the psalm is on God—the Deliverer (vv. 1–9) and the Judge (vv. 10–17). Note David's repeated "statement of faith" in verses 9 and 17. David waited and watched for God to work, and then he sang praises to the Lord for His mercies.
God the Judge (vv. 10–17) God would not only take care of David, but He would also confront David's enemies and deal with them. If David's requests seem brutal and not in the spirit of Christ, keep in mind that Israel's future and the future of David's chosen dynasty were both at stake. This was
God the Deliverer (vv. 1–9) God's people can always turn to the Lord in times of
Psalm 59—60
89:38–45). However, being a man of faith, he didn't give up but rallied the people around the Lord's banner (v. 4; 20:5). Israel's God is "Jehovah Nissi—the Lord our Banner" (Ex. 17:15). David knew that Israel was God's own people, His beloved people ("David" means "beloved") who feared Him, and that God had covenanted to give them success against their enemies (2 Sam. 7:9–11). In David's heart, faith was conquering fear.
not a personal crusade on David's part, for he asked God to fight the enemy for him (Rom. 12:17–21).
When it comes to facing and fighting the enemy, the Lord goes before us (v. 10). The mercy (lovingkindness) of the Lord would go before David and prepare the way for victory, just as when David killed the giant Goliath. The Lord also fights for us (vv. 11–13a) by scattering the enemy, causing them to wander, and bringing their attack to a halt. The Lord is our Shield who can protect us in any battle (3:3; 18:2; Gen. 15:1; Deut. 33:29), but we must make a distinction here. David was willing that God destroy the Gentile nations and thus reveal His great power (v. 13), for God's victories bear witness to those who don't know Him. However, he asked God not to kill Saul and his men with some sudden judgment, but to allow their own sins to catch up with them and consume them gradually. This would be a strong witness and a warning to the people of Israel and teach them lessons they could learn no other way. God's victories glorify His great name (v. 13b) and magnify the name of the Lord to the ends of the earth (Ex. 9:16; Deut. 28:9–10; Josh. 4:23–24; 1 Sam. 17:46; 1 Kings 8:42–43). Finally, the Lord gives us a song (vv. 16–17) and even before the victory, we praise Him for who He is and what He does! The night of danger is never enjoyable, but we have His "mercy in the morning" (v. 16 kjv) because His love and compassion are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:22–23).
Encouragement—A Triumphant Message (vv. 6–8) How David received this message from the Lord isn't explained to us, but he was quick to believe it and pass it along to the people. The message describes Jehovah as a Warrior who defeated the nations in Canaan and divided the land among His people (vv. 6–7; see Ex.15:3, 13–18; Josh. 18:10). Shechem was the chief city in Ephraim, and with Succoth, was located west of the Jordan River, while Gilead and Manasseh (the halftribe) were east of the Jordan River. The patriarch Jacob was connected with both Succoth and Shechem (Gen. 33:17–18). Ephraim was a strong tribe, called to defend Israel ("helmet"); and Judah was chosen to be the royal tribe, bearing the scepter (Gen. 49:10). The Lord didn't give the land to His people so they might lose it to their enemies! The Lord spoke with disdain of the enemies who attacked Israel, for both Edom and Moab were known for their arrogance (Isa. 16:6–14; Obad.; and see Ex. 15:14–15; Num. 20:14–21). In God's eyes, Moab was nothing but a basin used for washing dirty feet, and Edom was a servant who cleaned dirty shoes! (David was related to the Moabites; see Ruth 4:13–22.) As for Israel's perpetual enemies, the Philistines, over them God would "raise the shout of victory" (v. 8 AMP). David claimed these promises by faith, sent part of the army led by Joab and Abishai to the south to fight Moab, and later joined them for a great victory. Fighting on two fronts isn't easy, but God gave the victory.