THE BARNABAS LINK
PSALM 55
`But as for me, I trust in You'
The words of our title come from the closing words of Psalm 55, which is set in the Second Book of Psalms. It opens with a superscription set into the flow of verses of the Second Book of Psalms as a `Maschil of David'. The meaning of `Maschil' gives us the understanding that what follows is an `instruction', something for our understanding, and set as it is in the `Exodus' Book of Psalms the instruction concerns deliverance . . . a setting free from an oppression of events that are causing deep distress. The superscription also speaks of `David' - pointing forward prophetically to David's Greater Son, Jesus - thus making it personal and intimate for those who have received Him as Lord and Saviour. It is this deep connection of Torah, the Law (of Moses), with the corresponding Books of Psalms that takes us beyond the Word of God to the Voice of God. Truly a work of the Holy Spirit, a Living Word which is `useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work'!

The opening words of the Psalm reveal a person in deep anguish of soul:

"Listen to my prayer, O God,
and hide not Yourself from my supplication,
attend unto me and hear me.
I mourn in my complaint and make a noise;
because of the voice of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked,
for they cast iniquity upon me
and in wrath they hate me. "
For the setting of these words we need to turn to the Second Book of Samuel chapters 15-16 for they refer to the anguish of David over his son Absolom's rebellion and the desertion of Ahithophel to Absolom's cause. David was left alone and fearful and in deep distress over the treachery not only of his son but of his trusted counsellor, Ahithophel, who unknown to David had harboured bitter feelings towards him, no doubt because of David's conduct towards his grand-daughter Bathsheba. First we see Absolom, not content with being David's son, desiring more - and selfish ambition worked a deadly poison in his heart:

" Whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absolom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absolom behaved in this way towards all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel. "

Next we see in Ahithophel a man with deep-seated resentment against David coupled with self-interest, who could see in the rising influence of Absolom the possibility of self- advancement. Such deadly work in the hearts of these two close companions of David led to the distress seen in the opening words of this Psalm, and a cry for deliverance springs from the mouth of David as he understands the extent of the rebellion against him which could lead to his death:

"Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly far away and be at rest -
I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm. "
There is a `Selah' in the middle of the verse which breaks and then reconnects the cry of distress - the break shows his anguish - and is reconnected by his desire to escape, to be delivered from the cause of his anguish. David's cry is not the cry of one seeking solace! He is looking not for comfort but for deliverance, a freedom from the scene of his despondency. He is tired of the intrigues and dismayed at the well-hidden selfish ambition and resentment in people whom he trusted and rewarded with his providence - and his hurt bursts out: (v 9)

"Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city. "
The deep distress he feels at the unveiling of hidden ambition and resentment is evident in the deep heart-cry which then bursts out: (v 12-14)

"If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me,
I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
as we walked with the throng at the House of God. "
This was more than David could bear - his own son and his trusted counsellor - `Oh, that I had the wings of a dove. I would fly away and be at rest'! Even though David's anguish bursts out it is quickly quenched as he turns to the Source of his strength and his calling - but the hurt and the pain of humiliation is still real: (v 16-17)

"But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress
and He hears my voice. "
There is no doubt in David's mind of his unchanging God `who is enthroned for ever', and of the perversity of men, even those with whom he `walked with the throng at the House of God . . . men who never change their ways and have no fear of God'. The `Selah' gives us time to pause along with David and consider where our calling and therefore our strength comes from. God's nature and His calling are unchanging and unchangeable and will very quickly clash with man's carnal nature when selfish ambition appears - sadly even amongst those He has called and redeemed: (v 22)

"Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous fall. "
David, David's Greater Son and those who are in Him, will face opposition and persecution, with the ever-present possibility of the ultimate physical affliction of death, but David's final cry is one that was spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself, `But as for me, I trust in You'! This Psalm is indeed prophetic, pointing forward to the Messiah and His need to trust fully in the faithfulness of His God, and being vindicated through His Resurrection, Ascension and Glorification.

The postscription `To the Chief Musician' is a reminder of the fulness of that prophetic Word . . . entrusted indeed to our Chief Musician to remind us that God's promises are "`Yes' in Christ, and so through Him the `Amen' is spoken by us to the Glory of God " when such opposition appears in our daily walk. The remainder of the post scription `Upon Jonath - elem - rechokim' - or as modern translations have it, `A Dove of the Distant Terebinths (or Oaks)' - reminds us that, like David and the Messiah Himself, the ultimate testing of our trust in God's faithfulness will be like a `Dove in the wilderness' that David wished to be, flying from the ambition of his son Absolom and from his once-close companion . . . `But as for me, I trust in You'.

* * * * * * * *
Return