The background of Psalm 56 continues the background of Psalm 52. In Psalm 52, David fled from Saul and went to the priestly town of Nob. While he was there, he lied to Ahimelek, the priest, so that he could eat bread and get a sword. Saul eventually found out where David was because of Doeg the Edomite. Before Saul got to Nob, David fled to Gath, one of the five royal cities of Philistine territory; the Philistines were the arch-enemy of the Israelites. David fled there, thinking that Saul would never chase him there because of the Philistines, but he was in danger at the hands of the Philistines. It was still fresh in the memory of the Philistines that David killed Goliath, their champion. As a result, David pretended to be crazy or insane so that the Philistines would not see him as a threat. He made marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard (1 Samuel 21). As a result, the king of Gath, Achish, let him go. It was during this time that David wrote Psalm 56 to express his faith in God.
David wrote, "Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" (Psalm 56:1-4). David was afraid for his life. He was surrounded by his enemies, and his enemies were on both sides of the camp. The King of Israelite, Saul, was pursuing him, and the Philistines could easily kill him if they felt he was a threat. David was fleeing from town to town, not knowing what would happen to him. But despite his enemies, he never lost his trust in the Lord. In the midst of his fear, David trusted God. Because when he trusted God, his fear went away. We know when we trust God completely when peace overwhelms our hearts and replaces our fears.
Our trust in the Lord is the answer to our fear. When we put our confidence and hope in our Lord Jesus, we will have peace no matter what is going on in our lives. And our trust in the Lord comes from our intimate relationship with him through our prayers and abiding in His Word.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What should I do when I am afraid? Why is my intimate relationship with God important? What happens when I fully trust God in the midst of my problems?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, I am grateful that I can always trust you, even in the midst of my problems. Please help me to fully trust you so that I can have your peace in the midst of my troubles. Please help to grow in my relationship with you in prayer and in your Word. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.