Psalm 55 - For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. Both were speedily overtaken by Divine vengeance. 55:8 "place of refuge" The NOUN (BDB 812) occurs only here and Psalm 18:2. c. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: David felt that his soul had been rescued (bought out, redeemed) from turmoil and crisis and into peace. All this made David tremble in fear and feel that horror has overwhelmed me. People walked the city day and night causing trouble for David. “The phrase, let them go down to Sheol alive, is a clear echo of Numbers 16:30, where Moses had called for proof that in resisting him the rebels of his day were resisting God.” (Kidner). Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. He asked God to attend to me, and hear me. But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. 1 (To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David.) For they bring down trouble upon me, They bring down trouble upon me: “They tumble it on me, as men do stones or anything else upon their besiegers, to endamage them; so did these sin, shame, anything, upon innocent David, to make him odious.” (Trapp), My heart is severely pained within me, “It seems significant that David does not specifically mention his former friend in this malediction. c. Destruction is in its midst; oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets: The instability and intrigue made the whole city unsafe. Give ear to my prayer, O God, He complains of one that had been very industrious against him. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved; to be so shaken by any troubles, as to quit their duty to God, or their comfort in him. It is the conjecture of many expositors that David penned this psalm upon occasion of Absalom’s rebellion, and that the particular enemy he here speaks of, that dealt treacherously with him, was Ahithophel; and some will therefore make David’s troubles here typical of Christ’s sufferings, and Ahithophel’s treachery a figure of Judas’s, because they both hanged themselves. David had been betrayed by one of his best friends and his soul was in deep distress. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. (16-23). He needed help from God. David in great alarm. . Because of the oppression of the wicked; The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: Using repetition and vivid images, David showed how dishonorable his unnamed enemy was. The psalms of David, which were penned thousands of years ago have as much relevance in todays, anti-God, Christ-rejecting sinful world, as they did in the time of David's trouble. (Psalms 55:16,17). We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. Psalm 55 - For the director of music. Selah Study the bible online using commentary on Psalm 55:22 and more! JOSEPH A ALEXANDER Psalms Commentary (1864) Spurgeon had high praise for Alexander's work writing that it "Occupies a first place among expositions. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. And remain in the wilderness. “Like a dove; which being fearful, and pursued by birds of prey, flies away, and that very swiftly and far, and into solitary places, where it hides and secures itself in the holes of the rocks, or in some other secret and safe place; all which fitly represents David’s present disposition and desire.” (Poole), ii. Destruction is in its midst; Probably the remembrance of his sin in the matter of Uriah added much to the terror. 55:7 "Selah" See note at Psalm 3:2 and Intro. Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, And walked to the house of God in the throng. It likely refers either to the idea that they do not change for the better, or they have not had to change because of adversity. After feeling downcast and defeated, David remembered the privilege of prayer. However, it can also mean "to grapple with, rumble, fight an adversary, strive, or contend as with a judge." Yet the connection of David’s words here with his sin against Uriah is stunning. Then I could hide from him. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. David weeping. “The Psalmist would not endeavour to meet the plots of his adversaries by counterplots, nor imitate their incessant violence, but in direct opposition to their godless behaviour would continually resort to his God.” (Spurgeon), ii. “It is some comfort to us to know that there are spiritual giants who have had this urge, whether they have succumbed to it like Elijah (1 Kings 19:3ff.) Psalm 55: The psalm is a prayer by one who is being unjustly harassed and who has been betrayed by a friend. All Rights Reserved. “An old writer tells us it would have been more honourable for him to have asked for the strength of an ox to bear his trials, than for the wings of a dove to flee from them.” (Jay, cited in Spurgeon). We may not complain of him, but we may complain to him.” (Spurgeon). 98710758 psalm-55-commentary-verse-by-verse 1. To cast our burden upon God, is to rest upon his providence and promise. Horror overwhelmed him. The prophets pronounced judgment on those who claimed to be faithful, but whose lives failed to live up to their claims. “If I cast my burden upon the Lord, what business have I to carry it myself? 1 For the conductor, on neginoth, a maskil of David. “Thus in this short psalm, we have climbed from the ravenous jaws of the enemy into the light of Jehovah’s presence, a path which only faith can tread.” (Spurgeon) ii. Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets. We may well suppose him to be so, upon the breaking out of Absalom's conspiracy, and the falling away of the people. And this prayer is a prophecy of the utter, the everlasting ruin, of all who oppose and rebel against the Messiah. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. But I will trust in You. to Psalms, VII. It can be used in a sense as soft as "to complain." F1 The title we have selected is from Leupold. Rashi 's Commentary: Show Hide. i. Like an avalanche, deadly terrors have fallen on him and crushed him. To the leader: with stringed instruments. To him that presides on Neginoth; an instructive Psalm of David.. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my supplication. 55:8 "place of refuge" The NOUN (BDB 812) occurs only here and Psalm 18:2. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. The title of this psalm is To the Chief Musician.With stringed instruments. 54:2; 61:1; 86:6 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. 55. Selah There are more true Christians, and believers have more real friends, than in their gloomy hours they suppose. David knew that even this was a burden that God could and should bear. Cast Your Burden on the Lord. 1. Here he prayed that God would divide those who spoke evil against him. “None are such real enemies as false friends.” (Spurgeon). This suggests the context of the prayer. From the windy storm and tempest.”. As for me, I shall call upon God, And the LORD will save me. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. God was still Lord over all, and God had the final word on whether the righteous would be moved or not. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; He, who bore the burden of our sorrows, desires us to leave to him to bear the burden of our cares, that, as he knows what is best for us, he may provide it accordingly. We may carry them to our undoing, or we may cast them on Him for his blessed countenance.” (Meyer), ii. ... And that man is David and we have his prayer recorded for us in Psalm 56 in which he wrestles with the reality that he had departed from God’s clear path for him. New Living Translation But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me. And in wrath they hate me. You can check these in your browser security settings. 2. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. Read Psalm 55:22 commentary using The Treasury of David. Prayer is a salve for every sore, and a relief to the spirit under every burden. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, a. 10 Day and night they go … My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me: The stress of this crisis did cause David mental anguish, increased by the real danger of death. Words in boxes are from the Bible. David praying. Most people can identify with David’s longing. The burden of afflictions is very heavy, especially when attended with the temptations of Satan; there is also the burden of sin and corruption. i. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. 2. When under a guilty conscience we must mourn in our complaint, and even strong believers have for a time been filled with horror. The battle continued (there were still many against him), but his soul was in peace. ] Biblical Commentary (Bible study) Psalm 1 EXEGESIS: CONTEXT: This is a wisdom psalm, calling people to follow the path of righteousness to obtain the blessings that God confers on the righteous. Why do not we trust Christ to govern the world which he redeemed? Yet they were drawn swords. We must commit our ways and works to the Lord; let him do as seemeth him good, and let us be satisfied. The crisis at hand was not merely a problem for David, but for God’s people in general. David had thought all were against him; but now he sees there were many with him, more than he supposed; and the glory of this he gives to God, for it is he that raises us up friends, and makes them faithful to us. PSALM 55 PRAYER IN THE FACE OF A WICKED CONSPIRACY INVOLVING A FORMERLY TRUSTED FRIEND. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you: There are few greater burdens to bear than a one-time friend who becomes a treacherous and dangerous enemy. For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; 55:7 "Selah" See note at Psalm 3:2 and Intro. A Maskil of David. Psalm 55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he … A maskil of David. ‘As for me, I will trust in the Lord.’” (Kidner), (c) 2020 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com. The surging emotions that these situations occasion are seen in the alternating pictures of faithless men and expressions of trust in a faithful God. It is the conjecture of many expositors that David penned this psalm upon occasion of Absalom's rebellion, and that the particular enemy he here speaks of, that dealt treacherously with him, was Ahithophel; and some will therefore make David's troubles here typical of Christ's sufferings, and Ahithophel's treachery a figure of Judas's, because they both hanged themselves. 22. thy burden --literally, "gift," what is assigned you. But none ever was so overwhelmed as the holy Jesus, when it pleased the Lord to put him to grief, and to make his soul an offering for our sins. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. b. “What David was unwittingly describing in this moving passage was also the essence of his own treachery to Uriah, one of his staunchest friends (2 Samuel 23:39).” (Kidner). NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 55:9-11 9 Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in … The psalms of David, which were penned thousands of years ago have as much relevance in todays, anti-God, Christ-rejecting sinful world, as they did in the time of David's trouble. “His prayer is perceptive, and a lesson to us: he remembers how God dealt with Babel (55:9a), another arrogant city, by exploiting the inherent divisiveness of evil.” (Kidner). d. But I will trust in You: The psalm appropriately ended with David’s focus upon God, not his enemies. Psalm 55:15, ESV: "Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart." For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them: David called upon God to bring such a severe judgment because the wickedness was so deeply ingrained in them. The context of Psalm 55. Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint. I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, One might think this is self-pity, but no. The translated Bible text has yet … An EasyEnglish Translation with Notes (about 1200 word vocabulary) on Psalm 55. www.easyenglish.bible. With stringed instruments. Griefs are thus, in some measure, lessened, while those increase that have no vent given them. i. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger. “God imposes burdens, to see what we will do with them. b. I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily: At the beginning of this psalm, David had little peace. Psalm 55. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 55:9-11 9 Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Faith alone creates courage.” (Morgan). The wisest and best of men most earnestly covet peace and quietness, and the more when vexed and wearied with noise and clamour. “Fear leads only to desire to flee. Let death seize them; let them go down alive into hell: This remarkably strong statement from David shows how dangerous the man was to the peace of God’s people and how deeply he had wounded David. He was restless, complaining, and moaning; and his moans were noisy. His words were softer than oil, a. i. i. ii. Care is a burden, it makes the heart stoop. 2 Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;. Psalms 55 Commentary, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the Church of Christ, presents a verse level look at the Bible. An emotion were at peace with him ; he shall hear my voice block or cookies! 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