Principle
David wrote Psalm 56 when he was captured in Gath while fleeing from King Saul.
Explanation
David fled from Saul to Achish, king of Gath, of the Philistines. David was afraid of Achish. During the time that the Philistines seized David, he wrote Psalm 56.
1 For the End, for the people far from the holy places; by David; for a pillar inscription, when foreigners conquered him in Gath.
2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for man tramples me down;
Psalm 55 [56]:1-14 OSB
All day long he afflicts me in war.
3 All day my enemies trample me down,
For many are those who war against me from on high.
4 I will not fear by day,
But I will hope in You.
5 I will praise God with my words all day long;
In God I hope; I will not be afraid;
what will flesh do to me?
6 All day long they make my words repulsive;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
7 They will dwell near and hide;
They will watch my heel
As they wait for my soul.
8 In no way will You save them;
In wrath You will bring down peoples, O God.
9 I declare my life to You;
You set my tears before You, as also in Your promise.
10 My enemies shall be turned back
In whatever day I may call upon You;
Behold, I know You are my God.
11 In God I will praise His word;
In the Lord I will praise His word.
12 In God I hope; I will not be afraid;
What will man do to me?
13 In me, O God, are vows
I will render in praise to You;
14 For You delivered my soul from death,
And my feet from slipping;
That I may be well-pleasing before God in the light of the living.
Placing the psalm within its historical context deepens the meaning of the message, as well as our understanding of its contents.
For example, instead of simply reading that David was being chased, hunted, and was in fear, we know exactly what he was running from (Saul), who was hunting him (Saul), and why he was fearful (he did not know how the Philistines would treat him).
2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for man tramples me down;
Psalm 55 [56]:2-3 OSB
All day long he afflicts me in war.
3 All day my enemies trample me down,
For many are those who war against me from on high.
Verses 6-7 are clearly understood now that we know where this fits in David’s life, having been continually pursued by Saul and his servants:
6 All day long they make my words repulsive;
Psalm 55 [56]:6-7 OSB
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
7 They will dwell near and hide;
They will watch my heel
As they wait for my soul.
Time and again, David had escaped Saul’s attempts to kill him, even surrounding his home and trying to kill him while he slept, at one point.
In spite of David’s circumstances, we see his character, as his trust, faith, and confidence were in GOD’s deliverance, even though David remained in a dark place:
4 I will not fear by day,
Psalm 55 [56]:4-5, 8-14 OSB
But I will hope in You.
5 I will praise God with my words all day long;
In God I hope; I will not be afraid;
what will flesh do to me?
…
8 In no way will You save them;
In wrath You will bring down peoples, O God.
9 I declare my life to You;
You set my tears before You, as also in Your promise.
10 My enemies shall be turned back
In whatever day I may call upon You;
Behold, I know You are my God.
11 In God I will praise His word;
In the Lord I will praise His word.
12 In God I hope; I will not be afraid;
What will man do to me?
13 In me, O God, are vows
I will render in praise to You;
14 For You delivered my soul from death,
And my feet from slipping;
That I may be well-pleasing before God in the light of the living.
David’s Faith in (and Prophecy of) the Resurrection
Psalm 56 concludes with David’s affirmation—spoken in the past tense—regarding the resurrection of the dead, and his own personal victory over the grave.
14 … You delivered my soul from death …
Psalm 55 [56]:14b OSB
When the Psalms, and especially psalms David wrote, refer to death, it is no mere metaphor for “going through extremely hard times.”
Rather, the psalmists were speaking of the grave, dying, and the resurrection.
While there are no doubt elements of thankfulness that David did not die at the hands of the Philistines, David knew fully that he would die one day. I encourage you to read the Psalms with an eye for how these types of statements refer to the writer’s (and, praise GOD, each of our) attitude and confidence towards what comes after our body here dies.
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