Psalm 56:1-14 (daily bread of 13/12/17)

Key verse: 5

WHAT DO I HAVE TO FEAR FROM MEN ?

The psalmist moans day and night because of the hunt of the enemies (1 Sa 21:11-15). The Gittites waged war without cause blaming he. But at that time the psalmist trusted the Lord and praise God's word. It was his only valid refuge and rescue. 

1. Be merciful to me (1-7)

David called God's mercy (2). The haunting weapon of the enemy was his tongue, which was like poison and like a viper. They unscrupulous blamed the innocents. They ploted to kill David. But the confession of fear progressively made way to confidence (4,5). Human being is weak on the physical and moral level so he finds an help in God who is strong and who has eternal life. David does an act of perfect faith in God's word. God's word merits praise (5a). The word is the promise from God to protect and defend his faitful as reminds it the psalm 119: 41: "Be merciful to me Yahweh, give me your salvation according to your words!", and psalm 119:65 "you benefited your servant, Yahweh, according to your word". In deep anguish the psalmist discovers that the one who trust in God has nothing to fear from human dealings.

2. O Lord, I want to pay my vows (8-14)

The psalmist cries "O Lord". He really wanted to pay his vows before God that he done in the past (13). But he needs help to that (8,9) because the situation was very hostile. The psalmist expresses his tears as his human fragility knowing that God took his sufferings into account. The psalmist praises the divine word of salvation because God surely delivers the poors. The proof and the suffering led him to have a certainly of faith, confidence, and helped him to completely rely on God. In front of danger and harassment by his enemies, he fell back on God, implored God and he abandoned himself to Yahweh, being fortified in his word. The pleading psalmist glimpsed a perspective of victory and collapse of evil, here called "the peoples" (8b) and "death" (114a), and he engages himself in gratitude toward God (13b).