1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me. 2 Deliver me from those who do iniquity and save me from men of bloodshed. 3 for behold, they have set an ambush for my life; fierce men launch an attack against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord, 4 for no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me. Arouse Yourself to help me, and see! 5 You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations; do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. Psalm 59:1-5
Evil people must manifest themselves. They will in time “rise up.” They will do their deeds of iniquity and draw blood. They can be counted on to plot, to ambush, to launch overt attacks with ferocity. This is their treacherous nature. But they will die by their own devices.
Knowing this, in our innocence we must be aware and vigilant to seek the protection and deliverance of the Lord. We must constantly petition him for help, as if to arouse him from his sleep. We seek the protection of inaccessible higher ground “securely on high.” In these instances we ask that the Lord restrain his graciousness.
6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go around the city. 7 Behold they belch forth with their mouth; swords are in their lips, for they say, “Who hears?” 8 But You, O Lord, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations. 9 Because of his strength I will watch for You, for God is my stronghold. Psalm 59:6-9
Our expectation would be that the evil would prefer stealth in their machinations, but they are predictable and overt. They return each night and howl–in this instance roar–in the darkness to evoke fear. But God laughs at them. He knows their every move. He hears everything they say. Because of this, we appeal to his knowledge of their threats and our plight. It is good to repeat back to God the obvious, that he sees what’s going on. But it goes without saying that we may be so anxious for him to act that we’re tempted to self-defend or to run away. It’s hard sometimes to wait on the Lord.
My God in His lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes. Ps 59:10
Knowing that God is stronger than any of his (and my) enemies, we need to refocus on the inevitability of retribution by His hand. We must retrain our focus on our enemies from His vantage point. There will assuredly come a time when I will witness his strong arm of justice with him by my side.
11 Do not slay them, or my people will forget; scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. 12 On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be caught in their pride, and on account of curses and lies which they utter. 13 Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more; that men may know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Ps 59:11–13
It is interesting that God metes out his judgment is many cases by creating confusion in the enemy’s camp. Rather than consolidating them in one place for retribution he scatters and isolates them. He is the source of the saying “divide and conquer!” He also allows them to set their own traps, to become ensnared by their own words. They are destined to fry in their own grease!
While we trust in God, it may appear that evil men have gained a foothold or possess an advantage. We should boast in our God even if he has yet to play his hand, but it may appear for a moment we’ve bet on the wrong horse! It is much like letting the fish take out some line so that you can set the hook. It may appear that they will escape the wrath of God, but they have it embedded in their mouths and they are already doomed.
They return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go around the city. They wander about for food and growl if they are not satisfied. But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to You; for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness. Psalm 59:14-17
These verses mention “stronghold” twice. The Hebrew word refers to a cliff, a lofty inaccessible refuge to make a defense. He places us out of reach. The word for “howl” can mean roar but also moan. Evil people appear to be scavengers in this verse and more likely to moan than to roar. The latter requires too much energy. They’re certainly not joyfully singing praises as we do!
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