Psalm 54

A betrayed man wins the battle!

Absolute Confidence in God and none in myself apart from Him

I Samuel 23:14-23; 26:1-3 David takes refuge in Wilderness of Ziph,  Ziph becomes  Keilah, one of the towns in the wilderness of Ziph.

Saul wanted to kill David.  David went to Ziph to hide from Saul. Ziph was near where David's family lived, David was one of their tribe.  David gave help to the people of Ziph to fight their enemies. The enemies were the Philistines. But the men of Ziph betrayed David. “This was the most unkindest cut of all” –the betrayal of a friend by a friend. (Shakespeare)

They told Saul where David was. This was wrong, it went against the law of the tribes.  David narrowly escapes Saul in the Judean wilderness.

Saul sought him every day, BUT GOD did not deliver him into his hand.

Ziph was a town below the southern tip of the Dead Sea, with a dramatically varied landscape. This was not a comfortable or easy place to be. Just because God is guiding and protecting David, doesn’t mean he was  comfortable or that life would be easy. This was a specific time for God’s work in David’s life. He became a man after God’s heart as a shepherd, but he has a lot to learn before he is ready to be king and the training ground is in  the wilderness.

Saul was driven by the passion of jealousy towards David. Saul can’t focus on what God has called him to be because he is determined/focused on David.

Saul thinks he is in charge, that he is directing the plan to get rid of David. He is a fool because he thinks he can get by with usurping God’s will. The determining factor is the  BUT God, and He  is still in charge.

David’s First Reaction on hearing this news was to PRAY!

Name is mentioned in the 1^st verse- . "because of your name". He is Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, God of creations, Almighty God, and more… Let every one of the perfections which are blended in Your divine name work for me.

This means "because of all that your name means".

 What does God’s name mean?

It means many things, but one is that He is our Helper.  David called upon His name.

His name is called upon again in vv 6-7  but now it is different!

vv 1 - 3  David is asking for help because of God’s name.

·         praying the promises of God

·         asking for his needs to be met

·         I don’t just don’t understand them,  the Why’s !

V4 This I know God is on my side-Psalm 56:9 On the very day I call to you for help, my enemies will retreat. This I know: God is on my side. God calls in the faithful to stand in the gap for us.  God, Adonai, Sovereign Lord is the One who controls all things.  He works among believers to accomplish His plan.

vv 4  David has received God’s help, so he praises God’s name. David knows that God is watching over him, providing for him and encouraging him.

Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. "Don't be afraid," Jonathan reassured him. "My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father is well aware." So the two of them renewed their covenant of friendship before the LORD. So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house. 1 Samuel 16-18

God’s help, provision, encouragement came before  the enemy.  David’s friend would assure him that God is on his side and he had a friend who believed in him. Jonathan defeated the lies before they had time to take root in David. Jonathan did not want his fathers throne.

Saul was fighting God, a hopeless battle. David said with confidence,  But God is my helper. The Lord is the one who keeps me alive! v4.

v5 plans for evil- bad, disagreeable, malignant, worse than worse, vicious in disposition, to break up the good, ponoros (we get our word, pornography-moral depravity)

David saw what they did as a morally depraved act and he prays for their destruction.  He sees it as so evil, it has to be stopped.

He prayed. He did not take the law into his own hands. Tho’ he was King, He gives his problem to God. He turns back to pray.

v6  David offers to God a Voluntary offering(free-will offering). An offering of gratefulness with no strings attached., to confess, confess (the name of God). I know You. You are my Shepherd, my protector, my provider. I will praise Your NAME for it is good.  I’ve just come to thank You!!!

 Perhaps the attitude that Dottie Rambo had when she penned these word and began to sing as David might have:

I didn't come here to ask You for anything
I just came to talk with you Lord
You've answered a million prayers
That I forgot to thank You for
I just came to talk with You Lord

How many times Lord
Have troubles brought me down to my knees
Oh but this time I just came to talk with you Lord
You see I really have no selfish motive in mind
I just came to thank you Lord for all the other times

Maybe tomorrow there'll be trouble and sorrow
And a thousand teardrops may fall
But until I face tomorrows task
I have no special favor to ask
I just came to talk with you Lord