Psalm 56, verses 1 to 7, they wait for my soul

 

Psalm 56:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.» Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. 2  Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. 3  What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4  In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. 5  Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6  They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. 7  Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

 

For the traditional beginning to this Psalm the word Jonathelemrechokim is said by John Gill to have been a musical instrument or the beginning of a song as per the Medieval Rabbi, Aben Ezra. He says, though, that most leave it untranslated so who knows for sure?

 

David here is referring to the time he went to the Philistines to escape Saul.

 

1Samuel 21:10 ¶  And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11  And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 12  And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13  And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 14  Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then

have ye brought him to me? 15  Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

 

    1Samuel 22:1 ¶  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

 

His fear of Saul is greater than his revulsion at the enemies of Israel whom he has slain. He prays for mercy from God as there is no help from mankind. This is just before he gathered the disaffected to him in the wilderness, forming a strong band of warriors. He calls God the most High, greater than anything or anyone.

 

Psalm 92:8  But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.

 

Micah 6:6 ¶  Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

 

David is afraid but he will trust in God. Back to the passage in 1Samuel I read.

 

1Samuel 21:10 ¶  And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath…12  And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

 

He trusts in God and is not afraid of what mere men of flesh can do to him. Jesus said;

 

Matthew 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

They twist David’s words to malign him. Remember how they twisted Christ’s intentions in His words.

 

Matthew 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61  And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

Remember what Christ had actually said and meant.

 

John 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21  But he spake of the temple of his body.

 

Saul had those who would encourage his paranoia about David. I think of Doeg, previously mentioned, who reported on and slaughtered the priests. The implication that David is a traitor, which he is not, fills Saul’s head. These people have the will to kill David and are just seeking the opportunity much like Christ’s enemies before His Crucifixion.

 

In our own minds we can project this text not only to Christ’s life but to Revelation. Surely, this Psalm also reflects what the enemies of Christians are about and the enemies of those who follow Christ during the terrible reign of the Beast. Modern day Gnostic cults, called communists, socialists, Marxist-Leninists, Maoists, humanists, and the religions that parallel them such as Islam are even now looking for the chance and waiting for the opportunity to destroy you, twisting your words, and laying low until the time is right even if they don’t realize it.