Psalm 56

Trust in God Over the Fear Of People

Psalm 56:1–3 NKJV

1 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me. 2 My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High. 3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Here we see the situation

“someone fighting all day he oppresses me”

this is someone nagging, presisentily attacking.

in verse 2 says my enemies hound me

can be translated to pester,

the imagry of this word is like

panting or breathing heavily

this person or people

both in verse 1 and verse 2 says all day

this attacker enemy is all day fighting and hounding

makes me think of a vicious dog

just panting and every chance it get attacks.

Maybe you have encountered people like that

its like they are just waiting to attack

and when they do they bite

David is describing that and

express how it makes him feel:

he feels

oppressed means also to tormented

and in verse 3 implies it has made him afraid.

he reminds himself in verse 3-4 about God and to trust in him

Psalm 56:3–4 NKJV

3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

The young man who killed the lion and the bear, who killed Goliath,

and was a successful young captain in Israel’s army,

did not deny the presence of fear. T

here were times when he was afraid.

Yet he knew what to do with that fear,

to boldly proclaim His trust in God despite the fear.

so as we go through this Psalm we will see

David give His fears to God

and cry out to Him

place His trust in God

and praise His word

and we will see

an interesting change takes place from verse 3 to verse 11

from Whenever I am afraid I will trust

to in verse 11 In God i have put my trust I will not be afraid

what can man do to me.

this is the theme of this text.

when we have elevated the attacks of man

when it just is oppressing

and its attacks hurt

learn from David

to remind yourself

that God is bigger

which is why 2 times in this passage he says

can can flesh do to me

and what can man do to me?

The real rhetorical response is

well they can do a lot to me...

but he realizes that with God for him,

it doesn’t matter what man or men may be against him.

God isnt againt Him He is for Him!

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So then David just starts pouring out His heart

to God

then in verses 5-7

David vents to God and describes the actions of his enemies in more detail.

he tells God what is been bugging him about these people.

Psalm 56:5–7 NKJV

5 All day they twist my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They gather together, They hide, they mark my steps, When they lie in wait for my life. 7 Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

these attacks are coming from twisting words

making it seem like David said or is something he is not

These people have evil thoughts towards him

this is hard experience when you realize

that someone is just against you.

their mind is set on your’re a bad person, or evil

So like David describes in verse 6 people like that

as they analyze each little movement

you make

being sneaky and hidden watching

hoping to catch you slip up.

looking for your flaws, sins, mess ups.

as he said they lie in wait for my life

Now in this next passage we see what God does.

Psalm 56:8–13 NKJV

8 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? 9 When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. 10 In God (I will praise His word), In the Lord (I will praise His word), 11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, 13 For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living?

WHAT GOD DOES:

He numbers my wanderings:

Puts my tears in His bottle and keeps record

He is for me

Delivered by soul from death

Kept my feet from falling

The actions we see by David here are:

Trust God x3

Praise His word x 3

Cry out to Him

Render praises to You

Keep my vows to God?

On earth David was greatly outnumbered, so he looked for help from the God who is enthroned above. David knew the strategic value of high ground in battle; it made sense for him to look for help from the Most High.

The hope:

That I may walk before God in the light of the living