“In times of desperation”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, March 14, 2022

Psalm 56 (Forward, p. 44) CEV p. 587

Escape or voluntary exile in times of extreme danger or persecution is nothing new. We see this kind of thing happened frequently in recent times, in the Middle East (think Syria etc.) not too long again, and now in Ukraine. It is something that the future king David knew all too well when he was ‘on the run’ from King Saul. He was rather desperate, almost at his wit’s end, when he seized upon the unlikely measure of finding refuge with his country’s historic enemies, the Philistines. Interestingly, the historical accounts found in 1 Samuel list two occasions on which he resorted to this extreme measure. On the first occasion (1 Samuel 21: 11-15), David is there all by himself. The army officers of the host nation immediately take issue with his presence, declaring him a threat to the nation’s security, and thus they leave David in a very tricky spot. He is forced to act like a ‘crazy man’ to avoid a possible arrest. Instead, because of his ‘act’, he given ‘his walking papers’ and tossed out of the kingdom.

On the second occasion, David is there with his army and their families and manages to stay there for some year and four months (see 1 Samuel 27:1-12 and 29:1-11). Somehow, the earlier episode of presumed madness has been forgotten and David and his armed men are accepted as an ally of the Philistines. But then there arises a problem as the Philistine army has decided to attack Saul directly. At this point, then, the Philistine military leaders aren’t quite sure of David’s loyalty when faced directly with his own boss and convince their king to expel David and his men. So, once again, David is off on his own and vulnerable to Saul’s predations.

So, whether he is directly referring to the Philistines or to King Saul, his sentiments in this psalm are most appropriate:

“My enemies chase me all day. Many of them are pursuing and attacking me” (verses 1-2a);

“They attack from ambush, watching my every step and hoping to kill me” (verse 6).

And with regard to the Philistine army leaders verse 5 is most apt:

“Enemies spend the whole day finding fault with me; all they think about is how to do me harm.”

However, David’s confidence and trust in God is not shaken by any of this. He knows that God is fully aware of his struggles and is there to help him:

“You have kept record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them” (verse 8);

“But even when I am afraid, I keep on trusting you. I praise your promises! I trust you and am not afraid. No one can harm me” (verses 3-4, 10-11);

“When I pray, Lord God, my enemies will retreat, because I know for sure that you are with me” (verse 9).

Such a trust and confidence should be a powerful reminder to us, and a powerful stimulus to have the same attributes in our lives today. We today are faced with many issues and problems, not the ones facing David, but nonetheless still very real—and possibly quite harmful or dangerous. So, let us have the same faith, trust and confidence that David had. Amen.

Forward notes: “Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you” (verse 3).

“When I was a child, I was afraid of thunder. I found comfort by being in the same room with my mother. Whenever I would hear a crack of thunder, I would look at her. Though I was still afraid, I felt safe in her presence.

“Two years ago, the world as we knew it changed drastically. COVID-19 intensified, the country essentially shut down, and the future seemed uncertain. Tens of millions of people became very ill. Hundreds of thousands died. People were afraid for their lives, the lives of loved ones, and their livelihoods. Perhaps the one thing we all had in common was fear. Many are still afraid.

“The psalmist responds to fear by taking it to God, but the writer doesn’t say that the fear magically disappears. There is no lack of faith in that. God does not want us to pretend that we are fine when we are not. Like a good mother, God wants to be with us in whatever we are feeling, even when we are deeply afraid.”

MOVING FORWARD: “Are you struggling with fear? You are not alone. Seek support in your community of faith or consider therapeutic options.”