19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand. 21And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me. 22 Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly. 23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. 24And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. 27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land. 28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth. 29And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.
Psalm 54
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us? 1 Save me, O God, by Thy name, and judge me by Thy strength. 2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. 4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. 5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in Thy truth. 6 I will freely sacrifice unto Thee: I will praise Thy name, O Lord; for it is good. 7 For He hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen His desire upon mine enemies.
Meditation
We have already seen several references to “His name” in the psalms that we have considered. David waits on “His name” in (Psa. 52), he lifts up his hands in “His name” (Psa. 63), he exalts “His name” (Psa. 34), he praises “His name” (Psa. 142), and now he cries unto God to save him by “His name” (vs. 1). Recently a law was passed requiring all citizens of the United States traveling internationally to carry a passport. This created a considerable backlog of applications. It was not just vacations that were being jeopardized, but honeymoons, business plans and the like. Many tried to have their applications expedited but found it impossible to speak to anyone. As a last resort, they consulted their senators or congressmen for help. When the passport processing office received a call in the name of the senator or congressman, what a difference that made! The name of God takes in all that He is as revealed to man — God alone is our strength.
In verse one, it is not so much the thought of God’s judging David, but, as it is alternatively translated, “by Thy strength do me justice” (vs. 1 JND). When we find ourselves in a position where justice seems impossible, it is good to remember there is One who has the strength to vindicate us; and yet, should we expect wrongs to be righted in this world where, through the grossest of injustices, the Lord of Glory was crucified? “The servant is not greater than his lord” (John 15:20). Again, Christ is our example: “Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously” (1 Pet. 2:23).
God hears prayer! He has an ear that hears (vs. 2). This is the language of Scripture; when we deviate from it, we lose the simplicity of faith. Nevertheless, we should be mindful that prayer is neither for ordering God about nor for making wishes. Indeed, we are told, “this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us” (1 John 5:14). When we do not ask according to His will, are we the losers for it? No! Prayer completes the armor of God (Eph. 6:18). Does a soldier go into battle without his Captain’s orders? Our hearts are knit together with Him through prayer, and when our Father says, No, My child, we have a greater understanding of His will for us.
Though strangers had risen up against David, betraying him to the very one who sought his life, David’s confidence is in God: “Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul” (vs. 4). It is good to remember whose side we are on! Can we lack confidence if we understand that? I recall a story that I heard of a miner who was pressured to join the union; his very job was at stake. His reply? As a child of God, it would be to his Father that they would have to answer. He was never harassed again. Oh, but David does not stop there. In his deliverance, David worships God and praises, not now the name of God, but the name of Jehovah: “I will freely sacrifice unto Thee: I will praise Thy name, O Lord [Jehovah]; for it is good” (vs. 6).
While the sentiments of verse five were appropriate for David in his day, in this dispensation of grace it should not be our desire to see God destroy our enemies with His truth. We have a new nature whose wishes are in agreement with those of a Saviour-God; He desires “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Alas, too often the flesh rises up within us, and our thoughts towards those who have hurt us are not in agreement with God’s thoughts. Like the disciples, we tend to want to bring down fire upon the heads of our enemies (Luke 9:54).
The words, “His desire” (i.e., the desire of his eye) in verse seven are in italics and are not in the original. David simply looked upon his enemies. Without David’s having to do anything at all, God ordered circumstances to distract Saul, and David is delivered — he could gaze upon their departing backs. David now departs to Engedi in the wilderness of eastern Judea; an oasis in the desert, an area well known for its springs, waterfall, and caves. In, relatively speaking, more modern times, we see a parallel in the distraction of the Ottoman Empire, which prevented the emperor Charles V from devoting his full attention to the antics of one, Martin Luther. If only these men of the Reformation had maintained their simple trust in God and not governments and armies.