Psalm 64 comments

 

Psalm 64:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.» Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: 4  That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. 5  They encouragethemselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them? 6  They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

 

This Psalm can be applied in context to David when he was being harassed by King Saul or when Absalom rebelled against him and to Christ who faced the wicked counsel of the Jewish leadership who wanted to eliminate their Messiah from the scene.

 

David makes similar pleas in earlier Psalms.

 

Psalm 27:7 ¶  Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

 

Psalm 55:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David.» Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.

 

David will make similar pleas again and so will Jeremiah in his Lamentations.

 

Lamentations 3:55 ¶  I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. 56  Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

 

Verse 2 suggests that this was a Psalm regarding the insurrection of Absalom but particularly to those traitors who followed him.  In any event, look at the contrast between verse 3 and two verses in Proverbs as well as a Psalm we have reviewed.

 

Proverbs 12:18 ¶  There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

 

Proverbs 30:14  There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

 

Psalm 57:4  My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

 

The rest of his remarks in this passage suggest the intent and diligence of those who wish to do evil. We can easily see how this not only applies to Christ’s struggle but also to our own. There are many enemies in this country who are very clever and sharp with their words and the control of language that we have foolishly allowed them to have. Their tongues are as sharp as knives. We see them almost every day on the news.

 

We pray for mercy from God as we oppose these people.

 

Psalm 64:7 ¶  But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. 8  So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away. 9  And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. 10  The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

 

The wicked have shot with their arrows, bitter words, in verse 3 and God will shoot with his arrow, as explained frequently in His Bible, judgment. The wicked’s words will turn back on them and they will run. Men will consider the judgment of God, if they are sane, and consider their own doing. But the righteous shall be glad in God and trust Him with all of those are right in their heart glorying in God.

 

Verse 7 has some cross-references from earlier Psalms 7 and 18. Please read the entire Psalm to see the context but look at the imagery in these verses.

 

Psalm 7:11  God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12  If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. 13  He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

 

Psalm 18:14  Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

 

Notice these cross-references for verse 8.

 

Proverbs 12:13 ¶  The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.

 

Proverbs 18:7  A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

 

For verse 9 I thought this was interesting to consider, that all men have the capacity to see the judgment of God and think on it even though many are struck blind by their own sin nature. See how God’s judgment at the end of human history does and doesn’t elicit this response in Psalm 64:9.

 

Revelation 16:9  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory…11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

 

But later in Revelation;

 

Revelation 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

 

Other times it is mentioned that those who are righteous and upright will glory in God for verse 10.

 

Psalm 32:11  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

 

Psalm 33:1 ¶  Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

 

No matter what our enemies do our praise should be in God.

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2Samuel 1 comments

 

2Samuel 1:1 ¶  Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; 2  It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. 3  And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4  And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. 5  And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? 6  And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7  And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. 8  And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. 9  He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. 10  So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

 

Here is a clear example of a battlefield scavenger who took the items from the fallen king thinking that by claiming that it was he who had killed Saul he would be rewarded by David. He was mistaken in his assumption. We already know how Saul died. He killed himself.

 

2Samuel 1:11 ¶  Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: 12  And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. 13  And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. 14  And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed? 15  And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. 16  And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed.

 

This Amalekite, who may have been part of Saul’s army, is killed for killing a king even though we know he didn’t do it. This shows us the importance of the chief executive of a country, its king, and how the office was held as sacred. Even though Saul had tried so often to kill David, he could not let this affront to Israel and Israel’s God go unpunished. This is also a warning against bragging and taking credit for something you didn’t do.

 

See 1Samuel 24:6 and 1Samuel 26:9,11 about the loathing of killing the Lord’s Anointed even if he is a paranoid narcissist.

 

Another thing this guy apparently wasn’t aware of was that David had just had a battle where he killed many Amalekites and retrieved his possessions and wives. Bad luck for this lying braggart, indeed.

 

2Samuel 1:17 ¶  And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18  (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) 19  The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! 20  Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21  Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. 22  From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23  Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24  Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 25  How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. 26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. 27  How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

 

David and Jonathan were very close.

 

1Samuel 18:1 ¶  And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

 

The book of Jasher is also mentioned in Joshua.

 

Joshua 10:13  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

 

However, it was not deemed by the Holy Spirit as necessary for inclusion in the Bible. It is known in some sources as meaning the Book of the Upright or the Book of the Just Man. Other sources say it is a reference to the first five books of Moses, as put out there by Rashi, the medieval Jewish rabbi whose commentary forms the basis for a popular Hebrew Bible today.

 

However, numerous forgeries have resulted from these beliefs in its veracity and it is widely regarded as a non-canonical book. In other words, it did not include enough that was given by inspiration of God to warrant the Holy Spirit operating through the Jews or the church to have it for us to use.

 

David mourns heavily over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan.

 

One thing of note that I might add is that it is said that Saul clothed the daughters of Israel in scarlet. We think of dyed clothing as a wealthier person’s prerogative but history tells us that even poor Hebrew women used vegetable dyes to color clothing and scarlet specifically came from an insect’s body which is a long story not necessary for our study. Scarlet, however, was something that important people wore (2 Samuel 1:24; Daniel 5:7; Matthew 27:28). This color was also found in the tabernacle as Exodus 26:31 shows and the ephod had scarlet in it (Exodus 28:6.)

 

 

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