Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19970202.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm Fifty-Nine - Dealing With Parties Who Insecurely Attack Us To Preserve Their Power Against Us
(Psalm 59:1-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the most challenging of all confrontations one may face is being opposed by a party who views him as a threat to his personal influence; in such a case, the threatened opponent seeks to remove the object of his wrath almost at all costs since he views that object as a threat to his identity or personal worth!
    2. David faced this kind of fierce opposition in Saul, and his response in Psalm Fifty-Nine is instructive for us.
  2. Dealing With Enemies Who Insecurely Attack To Preserve Their Power Against Us, Psalm 59:1-17.
    1. When the women of Israel sang the glories of David more than the glories of Saul in 1 Samuel 18:7, Saul responded by concluding that David was a threat to his personal influence as king, 1 Sam. 18:8-9.
    2. In reality, that was the case as God had told Saul he would be replaced in discipline, cf. 1 Sam. 15:22-23.
    3. Accordingly, Saul eyed David from that time forward as a threat to his power, and it spilled over into Saul's seeking to entrap and kill David in his own home, 1 Sam. 19:11a.
    4. Psalm Fifty-Nine is David's response to this threat upon himself by Saul, and offers insight for the innocent party who is the object of such a threatened party's wrath:
      1. The introductory notes to Psalm 59 indicate that David authored this psalm when Saul had sent men to watch his house for an opportunity to kill him.
      2. In view of this threat, David asked for God's deliverance from Saul's irrational, fierce opposition, v. 1-5.
      3. David repeatedly likened his enemies to wild dogs returning at evening without having found enough game, who prowl about intent on killing and eating him to satiate their driving hunger pangs, v. 6,15. This p icture vividly portrays Saul's driving fury as he feels his royal power is threatened by David, and who will stop at nothing to destroy David even in David's own home with Saul's daughter as his wife!
      4. One of the key elements allowing David's opponents to be bold in their sins was their glaring disrespect for Almighty God, Ps. 59:7. However, David had a deep trust and reverence in God, and trusted God's promises regarding his own royal destiny for deliverance from Saul and his men, Ps. 59:7 with 8-10.
      5. David asked that God not quickly destroy these opponents, but that the punishment on them be prolonged so as to instruct others against following their deeply sinful ways, Psalm 59:11-13.
      6. David finished the psalm, contrasting his enemies who snarled about looking for food to ease their gnawing hunger and howling if they don't get their prey with his own singing for joy in the morning, 16. David would live through the n ight of danger as the dogs will not take him as they desired, v. 17.
    5. In the end, God used Michael, David's wife and Saul's daughter to cause David's escape, 1 Sam. 19:11b-17. Saul went after David, getting worse and worse in his actions until he took his own life, a tragic public display to Israel of the futility of holding a grudge against another out of a lust for power!
Lesson: (1) Understand that opponents who feel we are a threat to their perceived "rightful" power feel very THREATENED by that perceived threat so that they are actually DANGEROUS! (2) Also, people who feel this way are NOT trusting GOD for power in their relationships as they lack a respect for God or for accountability to Him: recall that Saul's sin of unbelief in God and taking matters into his own hands as a result led to his faithless reign that caused God to remove the kingdom from him in the first place, cf. 1 Sam. 13:1-13; 15:1-23. (3) So, in dealing with such opponents, rely upon the Lord's purposes concerning us, letting GOD confront them for us. (4) Be prepared for a LONG siege as God may NOT solve the problem QUICKLY: He may inten d to judge the party GRADUALLY as a PUBLIC LESSON to discourage OTHERS from taking such senseless wrath against innocent people, Ps. 59:11-13. (5) If attacked, keep your hopes up -- God's purposes concerning us will come to pass in the "morning" after the confrontations are past, Ps. 59:16-17. (6) Try to avoid raising up insecure wrath in others by showing them respect! Had Israel's women wisely honored Saul at least as much as David in their singing of the praises of BOTH men, perhaps much tragedy could h ave been avoided for David, Saul and the whole nation!