To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
1 O God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4 Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. – Psalm 54:1-7 ESV
This psalm continues David’s diatribe against the godless fools who have made his life a living hell. David had been forced to live like a fugitive because of King Saul’s relentless pursuit of his death. When Ahimelech the priest aided and abetted David, Doeg the Edomite murdered all the priests of Nob, as well as their families, in an act of revenge, and in an attempt to win favor with King Saul. In this psalm, David complains to God about the Ziphites, who sold him out to King Saul. Everywhere David turned, he found himself surrounded by enemies intent on his destruction.
These weren’t the mutterings of an overwrought conspiracy theorist prone to over-exaggeration and hyperbole. David was describing real-life events that had produced less-than-ideal outcomes. He remained an exiled fugitive with a bounty on his head, and the senseless deaths of the priests of Nob would haunt him for a long time.
In this penitential psalm, David tells God the dire nature of his circumstances.
For strangers are attacking me;
violent people are trying to kill me.
They care nothing for God. – Psalm 54:3 NLT
The Ziphites had not personally threatened David, but their actions had put his life at risk. By informing King Saul that David was hiding out in nearby Horesh, the Ziphites increased the chances of his capture and death. Their betrayal of David was meant to win favor with King Saul, even though they knew it would likely result in David’s execution. In turning him over, they would be complicit in his death.
But David paints their actions as a blatant disregard for God’s will. He could recall the day when the prophet Samuel had anointed him with oil and the Spirit of God had come upon him (1 Samuel 16). Samuel had received a clear message from Yahweh that he would find the next king of Israel residing at the house of Jesse.
“You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” – 1 Samuel 16:1 NLT
As Jesse paraded all his sons before the prophet, God disqualified each of them.
“Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
When David, the young son of Jesse, was brought before the prophet, God affirmed him by stating, “This is the one; anoint him” (1 Samuel 16:12 NLT). Then Samuel “took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on” (1 Samuel 16:13 NLT).
It’s unclear how much David knew about what took place that day. The text doesn’t say that Samuel gave David all the details concerning his anointing. At no point is David told that he has just been chosen as the next king of Israel, but he knew that something significant had just taken place. He understood that there was more to Saul’s obsession with his death than mere jealousy. The king saw David as a threat to his throne, and David knew that Saul’s unjustified pursuit of his death could not be in God’s will. That’s why he begged God to protect and avenge him.
Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!
Defend me with your might.
Listen to my prayer, O God.
Pay attention to my plea. – Psalm 54:1-2 NLT
David viewed Saul’s actions as unjustified and undeserved. Yet, when given the opportunity to seek revenge and take Saul’s life, David refused. Chapter 24 of 1 Samuel records the story of David’s chance encounter with Saul while hiding in the wilderness of Engedi. David and Saul had been engaged in a cat-and-mouse game involving “3,000 elite troops from all Israel” (1 Samuel 24:2 NLT). These well-armed and highly experienced troops had been chasing David and his men for days. At one point, King Saul took a break from the action “to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave” (1 Samuel 24:3 NLT).
David’s men saw this as a God-ordained opportunity for David to take matters into his own hand and put an end to their misery.
“Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” – 1 Samuel 24:4 NLT
David was tempted but refused to take the life of Saul. Instead, he told his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” (1 Samuel 24:6 NLT). But while David spared Saul’s life, he did take advantage of the opportunity to declare his innocence.
“Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s anointed one.’ Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.” – 1 Samuel 249-11 NLT
David had taken the high road. What appeared to his men as a divinely appointed opportunity to kill the king was actually a test of David’s allegiance and faithfulness. Was he willing to leave his fate in the hands of God? Would he trust the Almighty to settle matters between himself and King Saul?
Psalm 54 reveals that David was committed to relying on God despite what happened around him. Yes, he desperately wanted to see God step in and resolve the situation. He begged God to show up in power and rescue him. But even as Saul pursued him and the Ziphites betrayed him, David could say, “God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!” (Psalm 54:4 NLT). When David penned this psalm, he had not experienced some grand deliverance or dramatic change in his fortunes. He had just been betrayed by the Ziphites. King Saul remained determined to take his life. His men were growing weary of living on the run. Yet, David remained confident in God’s goodness, grace, and mercy. He understood that the very fact he was still alive was proof of God’s power and presence in his life.
Despite Saul’s best efforts to end his life, Doeg’s murderous treatment of the priests of Nob, and the Ziphites' betrayal of his location, David remained alive. And he didn’t take this point lightly. David promises that the next opportunity he has to return to Jerusalem, he will offer the appropriate sacrifices to God for His care and compassion.
I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you;
I will praise your name, O Lord,
for it is good.
For you have rescued me from my troubles
and helped me to triumph over my enemies. – Psalm 54:6-7 NLT
David’s problems were far from over, but his faith in God was far from expended. He was willing to keep trusting even though his circumstances had not changed for the better. His exile had not ended. Saul had not called off the dogs. His days of running were far from over, and his enemies were growing in number. But he knew he could trust God.
Father, what a great reminder that I should never view Your faithfulness through the lens of my circumstances. Yet, when things don’t turn out quite the way I expected, the first thing I do is begin to doubt Your goodness and grace. I question Your presence. I complain about Your apparent lack of concern for my predicament. But if I would stop long enough to think about it, I would realize that my very existence is proof of Your goodness. Even in the darkness, You are with me. When I feel all alone and abandoned, You are there. You never leave me or forsake me. No enemy is too great for me. No problem is too overwhelming for me because You are by my side — at all times. Thank you for that much-needed reminder. Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.