Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
2 Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from those who are after my blood.
3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire against me
for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.
4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight!
5 You, Lord God Almighty,
you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.
6 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths—
the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
and they think, “Who can hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, Lord;
you scoff at all those nations.
9 You are my strength, I watch for you;
you, God, are my fortress,
10 my God on whom I can rely.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,
or my people will forget.
In your might uproot them
and bring them down.
12 For the sins of their mouths,
for the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
13 consume them in your wrath,
consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
14 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely. Psalm 59 NIV
The Psalmist looks back upon the time of his escape from those Saul had placed outside his house. They were a stronger force, and under commission of the king to do David harm. In the king James it translates those in verse 1 as those that rise up against me.
That rise up against me. He insists upon the strength and violence of his enemies, with the view of exciting his mind to greater fervour in the duty of prayer. These he describes as rising up against him, in which expression he alludes, not simple to the audacity or fierceness of their assaults, but to the eminent superiority of power which they possessed; and yet he asks that he may be lifted up on high, as it were, above the reach of this over swelling inundation. John Calvin
Who are after my blood - Saul wants David dead, and as much as we may see this as a sin against David, humanity, this is actually against God's word to Saul, he has even spoken the truth about David, from his own mouth. This is disobedience, unwillingness to die to self for God's glory. Saul's earthly title is more valuable to him than the God who placed him there. Herod was much like this when the Magi told him about the star they saw in the east, that they had followed it to worship the new king. The Pharisees had read of God's plan all along, they had memorized the scriptures telling of Messiah, that He must suffer, that He would be the ram caught in the thorns, their Passover lamb. Men are quick to refuse God's choice, as if, yet Christ came with His eyes set upon the glory of the cross.
For no offense of sin of mine - Before God we are all sinners, but this is the place we should be found before men, that they accuse us of what we have not done. God, I served the king well, my employer well, and that should be the charge against us.
Though our innocency will not secure us from troubles, yet it will greatly support and comfort us under our troubles. The testimony of our conscience for us, that we have behaved ourselves well toward those that have behaved themselves ill towards us, will be very much our rejoicing in the day of evil. If we are conscious to ourselves of our innocency, we may with humble confidence appeal to God, and beg of him to plead our injured cause which he will do in due time. Matthew Henry.
God almighty, God of Israel - God is almighty, God of hosts, He has the power, the authority and the ability to do on our behalf. God of Israel, of covenant, He is not only able but is willing to fulfill what He has promised. Our faith should be founded in both, He is more than able, but our hope is in the fulfillment of His promise, not in anything we can do or convince Him of. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Snarling like dogs - How much like beast men become, bloodthirsty, the mob thrives upon it's howling, even if there is no real meaning in it's sounds. We posture, congratulate each others puffed out chests, raise our voices to express our authority, spout off all manner of indecency, but we are assured by the pack. We are right, we must be, or there would not be so many of us, the volume excites us to riot, it tells us that whatever happens next we were in the right, so what of what God says, He does not lead our pack.
They make a noise like a dog. The noise I heard then I shall never forget. To say that if all the sheep dogs in going to Smithfield on a market day, had been kept on the constant bark and pitted against the yelping curs upon all the carts in London, they could have given any idea of the canine uproar that now first astonished me, would be to make the feeblest of images. The whole city rang with one vast riot. Down below me, at Tophane; over about Stamboul; far away at Scutari; the whole sixty thousand dogs that are said to overrun Constantinople, appeared engaged in the most active extermination of each other, without a moment's cessation. The yelping, howling, barking, growling, and snarling, were all merged into one uniform and continuous even sound, as the noise of frogs becomes, when heard at a distance. For hours there was no lull. I went to sleep and woke again, and still, with my windows open, I heard the same tumult going on; nor was it until daybreak that anything like tranquillity was restored. Albert Smith, in "A Month at Constantinople, "1850.
Barking, "crucify him, crucify him."
31At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him. 32But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?” 33“We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.”…John 10: 31-33
You are my strength - David has faced so many obstacles that contradict the promise of God upon him. If he were to leave his trust solely upon what his eyes witnessed, a government against him, even foreign foes, there was then no hope. His relationship to God makes all things possible.
4Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. 5I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.… John 15: 4-6
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