Lessons From the Psalms - Psalm 56

[00:00:07] Welcome to Lessons From The Songs. This is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. On this podcast we will be going over the book of songs. I'm an employer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this song today.

[00:00:26] Lord, I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much you truly love each and every one of them. I ask this in Jesus name, Amen. This is Psalm 56. Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up.

[00:00:45] Fighting all day, he oppresses me. My enemies would have me all day for there are many who fight against me. O most high.

[00:00:57] Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, I will praise His Word. In God, I have put my trust. I will not fear what can flesh do to me.

[00:01:13] All day they twist my words, all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, they hide, mark my steps when they lie and wait for my life.

[00:01:27] Shall they escape by inequality? In anger cast down the people's O God, you number my wanderings. Put my tears into your bottle. Are they not in your book?

[00:01:43] When I cry out to you, then my enemies will turn back. This I know because God is for me. In God, I will praise His Word. In the Lord, I will praise His Word. In God, I have put my trust. I will not be afraid what can man do to me.

[00:02:08] Vows made to you are binding upon me, O God. I will render praises to you. For you have delivered my soul from death. Have you not kept my feet from falling that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

[00:02:31] Friends, today we are going to look at this beautiful Psalm 56. And I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and what I'd like to do is go over the commentary for this entire Psalm because it will give you the backdrop of this Psalm and what is happening.

[00:02:54] Psalm 56 is a Psalm of lament. This poem of David has the same setting as Psalm 34. The flight of David to Akesh at Gath.

[00:03:09] In Psalm 34 Akesh is referred to as a Bimilek, his royal designation. The fact that two of David's Psalms are tied to this one event demonstrates how devastating the experience was to David.

[00:03:30] Cut off from all he had known. David tried to find refuge among the Philistines when they turned on him, he nearly lost his life. He escaped by pretending to be insane and that story is found in first Samuel chapter 21.

[00:03:51] This Psalm was sung in corporate worship for it is addressed to the chief musician and is set to the tune the silent dove in distant lands.

[00:04:06] Now let's break this Psalm down. Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up. Fighting all day he oppresses me. My enemies would how me all day for there are many who fight against me, O most high.

[00:04:28] Now friends, I don't know about you but everyone's in a while we have this feeling that everyone and everything seems to be against us.

[00:04:40] And David is pleading with God. What I really like about King David is that he had an intimate relationship with God. He is often referred to as a man after God's own heart. He understood the need and the power of prayer. Let's go to verse 3.

[00:05:04] Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, I will praise His word. In God, I have put my trust. I will not fear what can flesh do to me.

[00:05:21] And friends, there is a verse in the book of Proverbs that says the fear of man brings a snare. This verse asks us what can flesh do to me.

[00:05:36] And what that tells me is that we need to put our trust in God. We need to be concerned with what He thinks about us and not man. Let's go to verse 5.

[00:05:51] All day they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps when they lie in weight for my life. Shall they escape in inequity, in anger, cast down the peoples of God. And David is pleading with God.

[00:06:18] Father, all of these people are against me. I pray that you would intervene in this situation. Let's go to verse 8.

[00:06:30] You number my wanderings. Put my tears into your bottle. Are they not in your book? When I cry out to you, then my enemies will turn back. This I know because God is for me. In God, I will praise His word.

[00:06:54] In the Lord, I will praise His word. In God, I have put my trust. I will not be afraid what can man do to me.

[00:07:07] Now, friends, what I'd like to do is read the commentary for verses 8 through 11. Listen carefully to these words. You number my wanderings. The solnest is confident that God has a particular interest in his every pain.

[00:07:30] Even his every tear. He also knows the great truth that comes from the meaning of God's name, that the Lord is for us. I will praise His word means the double insert of this shout of praise shows the solnest great enthusiasm for the praise of God.

[00:07:58] Now let's go to verse 13. For you have delivered my soul from death. Have you not kept my feet from falling that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

[00:08:15] Now friends, we have been delivered from our sin. That is the price that Jesus paid when he died on that cross many years ago for us.

[00:08:32] Friends, we need to put our faith in Jesus and turn to Him whenever we have a need. Friends, please join me again soon as we take a closer look at Psalm 50.