Betrayal is a very painful event. To have someone that you felt you could trust turn around and betray you to your enemy or to your opponent is not a pleasant thing to go through. It might jeopardize your job, it might destroy friendships, or even ruin your family. In some circumstances it could cost you your safety, or even your life. Today’s very short psalm has a dangerous betrayal as its background. Let’s take a look into Psalm 54.
In the years following David’s victory over the Philistine giant, Goliath, King Saul brought him to his royal court. He made David one of his chief military leaders in his battles against the Philistines and other enemies. However, rather than rejoicing over the victories that David brought, King Saul became jealous over his popularity. His jealousy became so overwhelming that David had to flee for his life. Many years and much manpower was spent by Saul in trying to bring down his supposed rival. Though God protected David from the harm Saul intended for him, there were several close calls. Our psalm for today describes one such time.
Over the course of several years, David traveled all throughout the land of Israel and the neighboring countries while fleeing Saul’s murderous jealousy. One time found David in the far southern part of Israel. At this time he hid out in the woods nearby the village of Ziph, which was about four to five miles south of the city of Hebron, in southern Israel (I Samuel 23:14-21). Neither David nor his men had ever harmed or treated the people of Ziph poorly, and he thought that he could safely stay there for a while to rest and regroup. However, the people of Ziph had other ideas. As soon as they saw that David was in the woods nearby, they sent word to King Saul that he was there, a totally unprovoked betrayal.
How did David respond to this betrayal? He had a band of men with him who were very skilled fighters. After fleeing Saul yet again, David could have come back and wiped that small village off the map. He certainly could have done that after he became king, but he didn’t. David had delivered them and the whole area before from the Philistines, and this was the treatment they gave him! But no, David did not take this matter into his own hands. Instead of seeking vengeance on his own, David took the problem and situation to the Lord.
As Psalm 54 begins, David sought the Lord God, and found power and strength in His Name (vs. 1). The Name of the Lord, Yahweh, is a stronghold for us. Elsewhere in the Bible we are told that the Name of the Lord is a strong tower, which we can run to and be safe (Proverbs 18:10). David knew he could depend on God’s Name, and we can, too. Satan and his minions must bow to the Name of Jesus!
When David found out that he had been betrayed by the residents of Ziph, he had to hightail it out of there to save his life and the lives of his men from Saul. He prayed to God, asking Him to deliver him from both “strangers” and “oppressors” (vs. 3). Saul was oppressing David over several years, chasing him across the country, trying to kill him. Now these strangers of Ziph, people he didn’t even know, people he had protected from their enemies the Philistines, rose up against him by betraying him to King Saul.
By leaving this distressing situation in God’s hands, and not his own, David knew that the Lord would repay his enemies in His way (vs. 5). God will repay His enemies. Those who cause trouble will reap trouble. What those folks have intended for God’s child may blow up in their own faces.
When we are faced with some distressing situation where everyone has turned against us, when we find that those we thought were our friends are not, we need to take that problem to Jesus. Remember one line in the favorite old-time hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. It reads: “Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.” David was not afraid to come to God and express his true feelings and needs (vs. 3-4). Thus his spirit was lifted. He was able to praise God, his Helper, Protector, and Friend.
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