Psalm 56 Commentary

Updated: Sun, 09/06/2026 - 16:19 By admin

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Psalm 56:1
Psalm 56:2
Psalm 56:3
Psalm 56:4
Psalm 56:5
Psalm 56:6
Psalm 56:7
Psalm 56:8
Psalm 56:9
Psalm 56:10
Psalm 56:11
Psalm 56:12
Psalm 56:13

Psalm 56:1 For the choir director; according to Jonath elem rehokim. A Mikhtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.

Michtam (KJV): or, a golden Psalm, Ps 16:1 57:1 58:1 59:1 60:1 *titles
when (KJV): 1Sa 21:11-15 29:4
Be (KJV): Ps 31:9 57:1-3 59:10 69:13-16 136:10,15,17-20 143:12
swallow (KJV): Ps 21:9 27:2 35:25 57:3 106:17 124:3 Pr 1:12 La 2:2,5,16 Ho 8:8 1Co 15:54

NET NOTE sums up this psalm - Psalm 56:1. Despite the threats of his enemies, the psalmist is confident the Lord will keep his promise to protect and deliver him.

For the choir director According to Jonath elem rehokim - The Hebrew expression (yonath elem rechoqim) is difficult and its precise meaning is uncertain. It has traditionally been rendered something like “The Dove of the Distant Terebinths” or “The Silent Dove of Far-off Places.” It probably indicated a familiar tune or musical designation to which the psalm was to be sung. Some have seen in the imagery a fitting picture of David himself, helpless and far from home among his enemies, but that interpretation should not be pressed because the precise significance of the title is uncertain.

A Mikhtam of David, - Mikhtam (see note) occurs in the titles of Psalms 16 and 56-60. Its exact meaning is uncertain. Suggestions include a “golden” poem, an inscription, or simply a particular type of psalm. It is better not to be dogmatic where the Hebrew itself leaves us uncertain.

When the Philistines seized him in Gath - The historical context (context is king in interpretation) is 1 Samuel 21:10-15, the same general episode behind Psalm 34. David was fleeing from Saul and sought refuge in Gath, the hometown of Goliath (1Sa 17:4; 21:10). This was an extraordinary predicament. David was carrying Goliath's sword (1Sa 21:9) while entering the Philistine city from which Goliath had come! Woe! When the servants of Achish recognized David and recalled the song, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” David “greatly feared Achish king of Gath” (1Sa 21:11-12).

Be gracious (chanan; LXX - eleeo - have or show mercy) to me, O God - David's first words are not a declaration of his own strength but a plea for grace. Be gracious carries the idea of showing favor or mercy to one in need. David had military experience, courage, and considerable ability, but in Gath those resources could not provide the security he desperately needed. His predicament and sense of helplessness drove him to God's mercy (cf. Ps 4:1; 6:2; 9:13; 57:1).

For (term of explanation - explains his need for mercy) man has trampled upon me - KJV - "for man would swallow me up." David deliberately contrasts “man” with “God.” This contrast becomes increasingly important as the psalm develops. Men may threaten him, pursue him, twist his words, and plot against his life (Ps 56:2, 5-6), but they remain only men. Thus David will soon ask, “What can mere man do to me?” (Ps 56:4; cf. Ps 118:6; Heb 13:6). The Hebrew translated trampled (sha'aph) can convey the idea of panting after, snapping at, crushing, or relentlessly pursuing someone. David felt hunted like a wild animal. His enemies were not merely disagreeing with him, but were relentlessly pressing on after him.

Fighting all day long he oppresses (lachats; LXX - thlibo - strictly press, rub together; hence compress, make narrow; figuratively afflict, oppress, cause trouble to) me - NET = All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me" All day long emphasizes the relentless nature of David's distress caused by hostile enemies, which is so marked that David repeats it in verse 2. (Have you ever felt like that?) There seemed to be no respite from the hostility and the result was continual torment for David. Put yourself in David's position -- King Saul was behind him, the Philistines were around him, leaving David few places to turn from a human perspective. It is notable that David does not begin this psalm by telling God how great He is. He begins by telling God how great his trouble is! Don't misinterpret David's reaction. It is not necessarily a reflection of unbelief. Biblical faith does not require us to be an ostrich and put our head in the sand, seeking to minimize our problems. Faith honestly acknowledges the size of the problem and then measures that problem against the greatness of God. And in context this is exactly what David will do in verses 3-4.

NET NOTE on oppresses - The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the continuing nature of the enemies’ attacks.

Bob Utley - "all day long" Notice that this idiom for continual attack is used in Ps. 56:1, 2, and 5. The psalmist looks forward to a day (cf. Ps. 56:3) when his enemies will be turned back, Ps. 56:9a.

Bob Utley - "Be gracious" This IMPERATIVE (BDB 335, KB 334) begins many Psalms (cf. Ps. 4:1; 6:2; 51:1; 57:1 [twice]; 86:3; 123:3 [twice]) and it occurs in many others (cf. Ps. 9:13; 25:16; 26:11; 27:7; 30:10; 31:9; 41:4,10; 86:16; 119:29,58,132). It is often associated with (1) deliverance from enemies (2) forgiveness of sins

In this Psalm the prayer is because of reason #1. Notice how the psalmist describes his adversaries (Ps. 56:1-2,5-6).

trampled upon (or "pant," same consonants, BDB 983 I) him, Ps. 56:2 – BDB 983 II, KB 1375, Qal PERFECT, cf. Ps. 56:3; Ps. 57:3; Ezek. 36:3; Amos 8:4
fight proudly against him, Ps. 56:2 – BDB 535, KB 526, Qal PARTICIPLE
distort (lit. "vex" him) his words, Ps. 56:5 – BDB 780, KB 864, Piel IMPERFECT
their thoughts are evil against him, Ps. 56:5 – no VERB
attack (lit. "stir up strife"), Ps. 56:6 – BDB 158, KB 184, Qal IMPERFECT, cf. Ps. 59:3; 140:3
lurk (lit. "hide"), Ps. 56:6 – MT has Hiphil IMPERFECT, Qere Qal IMPERFECT of BDB 860, KB 1049
watch his steps (lit., "heels"), Ps. 56:6 – BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal IMPERFECT (i.e., so as to find a time and place to attack), cf. Ps. 71:10
have waited to take his life, Ps. 56:6 – BDB 875, KB 1082, Piel PERFECT, cf. Ps. 119:95

C H Spurgeon's comments on Psalm 56

TITLE. To the Chief Musician. That mighty minstrel by degrees acquired a noble repertoire of hallowed songs, and set them all to music. Upon Jonathelemrechokim --this was probably the title of the tune, as we should say Old Hundred, or Sicilian Mariners. Perhaps the title may however belong to the Psalm, and if so it is instructive, for it has been translated "the silent dove in distant places." We have here the songs of God's servant, who rejoices once more to return from banishment, and to leave those dangerous places where he was compelled to hold his peace even from good. There is such deep spiritual knowledge in this Psalm that we might say of it, "Blessed art thou David Barjonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee." When David plays the Jonah he is not like the prophet of that name; in David the love of the dove predominates, but in Jonah its moaning and complaining are most notable. Michtam of David. This is the second golden Psalm, we had the first in Psalms 16:0, to which this Psalm has a great likeness, especially in its close, for it ends in the joyful presence. A golden mystery, the gracious secret of the life of faith is in both these Psalms most sweetly unveiled, and a pillar is set up because of God's truth. When the Philistines took him in Gath. He was like a dove in strangers' hands, and on his escape he records his gratitude.

DIVISIONS. In Psalms 56:1-2, he pours out his complaint; in Psalms 56:3-4 he declares his confidence in God; in Psalms 56:5-6 he returns to his complaining, but pleads in earnest hope in Psalms 56:7-9, and sings a grateful song from Psalms 56:10 to the close.

EXPOSITION

Ver. 1. Be merciful unto me, O God. In my deep distress my soul turns to thee, my God. Man has no mercy on me, therefore double thy mercy to me. If thy justice has let loose my enemies, let thy mercy shorten their chain. It is sweet to see how the tender dove like spirit of the psalmist flies to the most tender attribute for succour in the hour of peril.

For man would swallow me up. He is but thy creature, a mere man, yet like a monster he is eager for blood, he pants, he gapes for me; he would not merely wound me, or feed on my substance, but he would fain swallow me altogether, and so make an end of me. The open mouths of sinners when they rage against us should open our mouths in prayer. We may plead the cruelty of men as a reason for the divine interposition--a father is soon aroused when his children are shamefully entreated.

He fighting daily oppresseth me. He gives me no interval--he fights daily. He is successful in his unrighteous war--he oppresses me, he crushes me, he presses me sore. David has his eye on the leader of his foes, and lays his complaint against him in the right place. If we may thus plead against man, much more against that great enemy of souls, the devil. We ask the Lord to forgive us our trespasses, which is another way of saying, "Be merciful to me, O God, "and then we may say, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." The more violent the attack of Satan the stronger our plea for deliverance.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Title. The words Jonathelemrechokim may be rendered, concerning the mute dove among them that are afar off, or in far places. John Gill.

Title. Michtam. See also Explanatory Notes on Psalms 16:0, in the "Treasury of David, "Vol. 1, pp., 222-223.

Ver. 1. Be merciful. This is the second of the Psalms beginning with the miserere; the fifty-first being the first of them. C. H. S.

Ver. 1. Be merciful unto me, O God. This is to me the one source of all my expectations, the one fountain of all promises: Miserere mei, Deus, miserere mei. Bernard, 1091-1157.

Ver. 1. Be merciful. His first wrestling in prayer is with the check of his conscience, whether for his daily sins, or in particular for casting himself in such apparent danger, as to have ventured without probable security, to seek shelter among the enemies of the people of God, whose blood he himself had shed abundantly; for this rashness or other sins he begs mercy. David Dickson.

Ver. 1. Man. He uses the indefinite term man in this verse, though in the next he speaks of having many enemies, the more forcibly to express the truth, that the whole world was combined against him, that he experienced no humanity amongst men, and stood in the last necessity of divine help. John Calvin.

Ver. 1. Would swallow me up. Soop me up (as the Hebrew word soundeth); make but one draught of me, or suck me in as a whirlpool, swallow me up as a ravenous wild beast. John Trapp.

Ver. 1. He fighting daily. There is no morning on which we can arise and go forth into the world, and say, "No enemy will come out against me today." There is no night in which we can retire from that world, and think to find safety in the solitude of our own chambers, and say, "No evil can enter here." Barton Bouchier, in "Manna in the Heart, "1855.

Ver. 1-2. The same words are applicable to the situation and circumstances of David, pursued by his enemies; of Christ, persecuted by the Jews; of the church, afflicted in the world; and of the soul, encompassed by enemies, against whom she is forced to wage perpetual war. George Horne.

WORK UPON THE FIFTY-SIXTH PSALM

In CHANDLER'S "Life of David, "Vol. 1., pp. 104-7, there is an Exposition of this Psalm.

QUESTION - What is a michtam in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

ANSWER - No one is precisely sure what a michtam (or miktam) was, and that’s why the Hebrew word remains as a transliteration in our English Bibles. Translators didn’t know how to translate michtam, so they spelled it phonetically and called it good enough.

Psalm 16 is titled “A miktam of David.” The other psalms that are called “michtams” are Psalms 56–60. All six of these are psalms of David. In Isaiah 38:9, King Hezekiah’s song is introduced with these words: “A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery.” The Hebrew word for “writing” here is miktab, which many scholars believe is related to michtam.

A possibly related word to michtam is the Hebrew katham, which means “an engraving.” If the underlying meaning of michtam is “engraving,” then the songs labeled as “michtams” could have been considered of enough value to be stamped or engraved upon tablets for long-term preservation. Some scholars see the word michtam as meaning “golden,” a definition that would similarly assign great value to a song so labeled. A michtam could be “a psalm as precious as stamped gold”; if so, today’s top-selling songs that are “certified gold” could be considered “michtams” of a sort.

The link between a michtam and golden worth is speculative, however. Other scholars think the word michtam is simply a technical term to guide the singer or to denote the tune to be played. In the end, we don’t know. Like the words maskil, selah, and shigionoth, michtam remains somewhat of a mystery in the Hebrew song book.

Robert Morgan - Psalm 56
Christians respond to the worries and crises of life on our knees. And in David’s case in 1 Samuel 21, he went to his knees twice. There are two different prayers recorded in the Psalms and attributed to this moment in his life. The first is Psalm 56, the superscription of which tells us that this is a prayer of David "when the Philistines had seized him in Gath."
/Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanders pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" (Ps 56:1-4).

Notice here that he prayed in faith. He was in deep trouble, but he prayed in faith. James 5 talks about "the prayer of faith," or "the prayer offered in faith." In praying, David didn’t collapse into a frantic fit of hand-wringing and hopelessness, but he seemed to know he was speaking to his God and that his God could deliver him. "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid..."

And the Lord did deliver him in a most unique way. There’s nothing like this in the Bible, but the Lord put it into David’s mind to feign insanity. So he put on the performance of his life, pretending to be insane, scribbling on the gateposts and letting his saliva trickle down his beard. The king of Gath was disgusted and said, "I have enough insane people around me already; get him out of here." David escaped with his life. It was a crazy scheme, but it worked. The Lord delivered him.

A Stroll With God

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. —Deuteronomy 33:27

Today's Scripture :Psalm 56:1-4

Etty Hillesum was a young Jewish woman living in Amsterdam in 1942. During that time, the Nazis were arresting Jews and herding them off to concentration camps. As she awaited inevitable arrest, and with a fear of the unknown, she began to read the Bible—and met Jesus. She simply put her hand in God’s hand and found rare courage and confidence.

Etty wrote in her diary: “From all sides our destruction creeps up on us and soon the ring will be closed and no one at all will be able to come to our aid. But I don’t feel that I am in anybody’s clutches. I feel safe in God’s arms. And whether I am sitting at my beloved old desk in the Jewish district or in a labor camp under SS guards, I shall feel safe in God’s arms. For once you have begun to walk with God, you need only keep on walking with Him, and all of life becomes one long stroll.”

Etty was a living, courageous picture of the psalmist’s declaration: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. . . . What can flesh do to me?” (56:3-4). What a challenge for anyone plagued by fear!

As we sense the strength of God’s everlasting arms beneath us (Dt. 33:27), we can stroll through life with confidence, holding the hand of our unseen Companion. By: Vernon Grounds (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Psalm 56:2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.

KJV Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

NET Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long. Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.

NLT I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me.

BGT κατεπάτησάν με οἱ ἐχθροί μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ὅτι πολλοὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντές με ἀπὸ ὕψους

LXE Mine enemies have trodden me down all the day from the dawning of the day; for there are many warring against me.

CSB My adversaries trample me all day, for many arrogantly fight against me.

ESV my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.

NIV My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.

YLT Mine enemies have swallowed up all the day, For many are fighting against me, O most High,

enemies (KJV): Heb. observers, Ps 54:5
many (KJV): Ps 3:1 Ps 118:10-12 Ac 4:25-27 Rev 16:14
most (KJV): Ps 9:2 Ps 91:1 Ps 92:1,8 Ps 93:4 Isa 57:15 Da 5:18 Mic 6:6

Related Passages:

Psalm 92:8 But You, O LORD, are on high forever.

Psalm 3:1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me.

Psalm 118:10-12 All nations surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 11They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 12They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.

DAVID UNDER
CONSTANT ATTACK

My foes have trampled upon me all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me - David intensifies the description of his danger from verse 1. There he spoke of “man” trampling upon him; now he speaks of “my foes” and emphasizes that “they are many.” If you've read the background text in 1 Samuel 21:1-15, you know that David was not exaggerating the danger of his circumstances. He was surrounded by enemies. Saul was seeking his life in Israel, and now David fleeing Saul ends up in Philistine territory where he was recognized as the celebrated warrior who had killed their champion Goliath (1Sa 17:49-51; 18:6-9; 21:10-12). Humanly speaking, David was running out of places to hide.

My foes have trampled upon me all day long - NET - "Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long" The repetition of “all day long” from verse 1 emphasizes the relentless pressure David was experiencing. His enemies seemed to give him no rest. The Hebrew verb translated “trampled” (sha'aph) can convey the idea of eagerly pursuing, panting after, or seeking to crush another. The picture is of enemies who are continually pressing upon David, determined to bring him down (cf. Ps 35:4; 38:12; 57:3; 140:1-2).

There are seasons in life when troubles seem to come not one at a time but one after another, until we begin to feel surrounded. David knew that experience well. Yet the repeated “all day long” of his enemies would eventually be answered by David's repeated confidence “in God” (Ps 56:4, 10-11). His enemies might pursue him all day, but God's care for him was just as continual (Ps 56:8-9).

Note that the NET Bible has a very different translation - "Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long." The NET NOTE says "Hebrew literally reads “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Ps 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10."

For (term of explanation) they are many who fight proudly against me - David does not minimize the numerical advantage of his enemies but recognizes that they are many. This is not unusual, for God's servants frequently find themselves apparently outnumbered (see 2Ki 6:15-17; 2Ch 20:12; Ps 3:1-3). Of course, Scripture repeatedly teaches that the decisive question is not how many are against us, but Who is for us (Ps 118:6) and " If God is for us, who is against us?" (Ro 8:31)

The phrase translated proudly against me is difficult to translate. The Hebrew word marom ordinarily means “height,” “high place,” or “on high.” Thus most modern translations understand David's enemies as fighting proudly or arrogantly, while a few understand the expression as referring to God as the Most High (KJV = "O thou most High.") The NASB's “proudly” would express the idea that David's enemies regarded themselves as being in a position of superiority over him. They had the numbers, the power, and apparently the advantage.

NET Bible translation is very different from NASB - "Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One." The NET NOTE explains "Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The Lord is pictured as enthroned “on high” in Ps 92:8. (Note the substantival use of the term in Isa 24:4 and see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:34), who prefer to place the term at the beginning of the next verse.)"

If one takes the NASB (ESV, CSB, NIV) reading that David's enemies may consider themselves high, there is One infinitely higher than they are. And David will soon turn his attention from those who proudly fight against him to God Most High (cf. Ps 57:2; 92:8). Human pride looks impressive only until it is viewed from the perspective of the throne of God (Ps 2:1-4; Isa 40:22-23).

🙏 THOUGHT: We may be outnumbered (including the invisible foes against us - Eph 6:12), but we can never be outmatched when the Most High God is our Refuge (see Spurgeon) (See also God our Refuge). David counted his enemies and found they were many. But in the rest of his psalm he looked to God, understanding that One was enough (Ps 3:6; 27:1-3; Ro 8:31). One plus God is a majority! Who do I look to when I am surrounded by many enemies, afflictions, trials, etc?

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 2. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up. Their appetite for blood never fails them. With them there is no truce or armistice. They are many, but one mind animates them. Nothing I can do can make them relent. Unless they can quite devour me they will never be content. The ogres of nursery tales exist in reality in the enemies of the church, who would crush the bones of the godly, and make a mouthful of them if they could.

For they be many that fight against me. Sinners are gregarious creatures. Persecutors hunt in packs. These wolves of the church seldom come down upon us singly. The number of our foes is a powerful plea for the interposition of the one Defender of the faithful, who is mightier than all their bands. These foes of the gracious are also keen eyed, and ever on the watch, hence the margin calls them "observers."

The greatness of God as the Most High is a fertile source of
consolation to weak saints oppressed by mighty enemies.

O thou most High. Thus he invokes against the lofty ones of the earth the aid of one who is higher than the highest. Some translate the words differently, and think that the writer means that his foes assailed him from the high places in which pride and power had placed them. Saul, his great foe, attacked him from his throne with all the force which his high position placed at his disposal: our comfort in such a case is near to hand, for God will help us from a higher place than our proudest foes can occupy. The greatness of God as the Most High is a fertile source of consolation to weak saints oppressed by mighty enemies.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 1-2. See Psalms on "Psalms 56:2" for further information.

Ver. 2. O thou most High. The Hebrew is not that rendered Most High in Psalms 7:17; nor in our version is it ever rendered Most High in any other place, although found in the Hebrew Bible more than fifty times. There are but two other places where it is applied, as an epithet, to God; Psalms 92:8; Micah 6:6. It is commonly rendered, from above, on high, high places, high; once loftily, Psalms 73:8... The probable meaning is, they "fight against me from the high places of authority, both in Jerusalem and in Gath, "q.d., mine enemies are in power. William S. Plumer's "Studies in the Book of Psalms, "1867.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 2-3.

I. Fears are common to all men, at one time or another.

II. Improper and inefficacious means of removing fear are often resorted to.

III. There is here suggested a true and effectual method of removing fear. Robert Morrison (1782-1834), in "A Parting Memorial."

Charles Stanley - Shattering Strongholds Into His Presence: An In Touch Devotional - Page 239

SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 4:1–11
KEY VERSE: Psalm 56:2

My enemies would hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

To tear down the enemy’s strongholds so you can enjoy the freedom in Christ that belongs to you, you must first restrict his work and influence.
You remember from 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 that you cannot fight him by ordinary means. Bringing every thought captive to Christ is a job for Jesus Christ. Jesus does it for you when you use scriptural principles for warfare.
First, get rid of any objects and materials that belong to Satan. The Bible is clear that astrology and occult practices are Satan’s domain (Deut. 18:10–14; Gal. 5:20). If you have any occult paraphernalia, destroy it at once. It would be a good idea to have a pastor or Christian friend with you as a witness.
Second, pray in Jesus’ name for the stronghold to be shattered. Before you pray, find some Bible verses that pertain to your situation, and use them in your prayer. There is real power in the name and blood of Christ, and Satan cannot stand in the presence of the Son of God.
Always bear in mind that you are not the one doing the binding or crushing of Satan’s influence. Pride or a desire for personal power has no place in battling the evil one. Your liberation lies only in humble faith in the power of Christ. Jesus came to set you free; claim that freedom today.

In the name of Jesus, every stronghold in my life is shattered by the power of the blood! Jesus came to set me free, and I claim that freedom today!

Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You

KJV What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

NET When I am afraid, I trust in you.

NLT But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

BGT ἡμέρας φοβηθήσομαι ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐλπιῶ

LXE They shall be afraid, but I will trust in thee.

CSB When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

ESV When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

NIV When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

YLT The day I am afraid I am confident toward Thee.

Ps 34:4 55:4,5 1Sa 21:10,12 30:6 2Ch 20:3 2Co 1:8-10 7:5,6

Related Passages:

Psalm 27:1-3 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? 2When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. 3Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.

Psalm 46:1-3 For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, >set to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

Psalm 112:7-8 He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8His heart is upheld, he will not fear, Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”

Psalm 118:6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

John 14:1; 27 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Hebrews 13:5-6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” 6 so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

WHAT TO DO
WHEN FEAR COMES

When (not "if" but "when) I am afraid, I will put my trust (batach; LXX - elpizo - relying on a basis of confidence - hope in, trust in, confide in) in You This is one of the simplest and most practical descriptions of faith in the Psalms. David does not say, “If I am afraid,” but “When I am afraid.” He acknowledges the reality of his fear. And even in the present context has just stated he “greatly feared Achish king of Gath” (1Sa 21:12). Faith does not require us to pretend that danger is unreal or that fear never enters our hearts. Rather, faith determines what we will do when fear comes.

When I am afraid - Fear is a natural response when we perceive danger, uncertainty, or circumstances beyond our control. David had legitimate reasons to be afraid. He was a fugitive from Saul, had fled into enemy territory, had been recognized in Gath, and was surrounded by Philistines who knew his reputation (1Sa 21:10-12). His fear was not imaginary. Yet David refused to allow fear to have the final word. Notice that David does not say, “When I am afraid, I will try harder,” or “I will figure out a way of escape.” His first response is directed toward God: “I will put my trust in You.”

Bob Utley - Psalm 56:3 is a repeated theme; repeated again in Ps. 56:4 and Ps 56:11. (1) I am afraid – Qal IMPERFECT (2) I will put my trust in God – Qal IMPERFECT, see note at Ps. 4:5 (3) then I shall not be afraid, Ps. 56:4,11, cf. Ps. 112:7-8; 118:6

I will put my trust (batach; LXX - elpizo - relying on a basis of confidence - hope in, trust in, confide in) in You - Trust conveys the idea not of just believing facts about God, but placing the full weight of one's life upon Him (Ps 9:10; 20:7; 37:3, 5; 62:8; Pr 3:5-6). The words “I will” are show that David is making a deliberate choice of his will. Fear may arise involuntarily, but David determines where his mind and heart will turn when it does. He cannot control the presence of the Philistines, but he can choose whether his thoughts will remain fixed upon the Philistines or turn toward Jehovah. This reminds me of Paul's advice in spiritual warfare...

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (2Cor 10:3-5)

David moves from fear to faith, and faith begins to displace fear. The circumstances have not changed. What has changed is the object of David's attention and confidence. He has turned his eyes from what man might do to what God has promised. This same pattern appears throughout Scripture. “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You” finds beautiful parallels in Ps 27:1-3; Ps 46:1-3; Ps 112:7-8; Isa 12:2; Isa 41:10; Jn 14:1, 27; Heb 13:5-6. The antidote to fear is not simply telling ourselves, “Don't be afraid.” It is replacing fear's object with faith's Object, the trustworthy God. And notice David says “in You.” Ultimately, faith is only as dependable as its object. David's confidence was not in the strength of his faith, but in the strength and faithfulness of his God. Weak faith placed in an infinitely faithful God still has an infinitely faithful God as its object.

The cure for fear is not knowing what will happen,
but knowing Who holds what will happen.

🙏 THOUGHT: Fear and faith may enter the heart at the same moment, but they look in opposite directions. Fear looks at what might happen while faith looks at the God Who holds what happens in His hands. Fear focuses on the size of the problem, while faith focuses on the greatness of God. Fear calculates circumstances, while faith counts on God's character. Fear asks, “What if?” Faith answers, “But God.” Fear sees what is beyond our control, while faith rests in the One Who is always in control. David does not say, “I am never afraid,” but “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You” (Ps 56:3). His fear was real, but it did not have the final word. Faith is not the absence of fear, but is the deliberate turning of our eyes from what frightens us to the God Who is faithful.

When fear enters your heart, like David did,
let it drive you into the arms of God.

Related Resources:

How To Handle Fear Part 1
How To Handle Fear Part 2
How To Handle Fear Part 3
How To Handle Fear Part 4
How can I overcome the fear of death? How can I stop being scared of dying?
What Can I Do With My Worry? Booklet From Discovery House
When Fear Seems Overwhelming Booklet From Discovery House
Overcoming Worry Booklet From Discovery House
Sermon by Robert Morgan at bottom of this page
Psalm 56:3 Faith Hand in Hand with Fear - C H Spurgeon
Psalm 56:3 Isa 12:2 Fearing and Trusting—Trusting and Not Fearing - C H Spurgeon
Psalm 56:1-9 Bottles and Books - Warren Wiersbe
Psalm 56:1-13 Handling Fear - Warren Wiersbe

Trust (Rely, confidence)(0982) batach speaks of being confident or trusting and pertains to placing reliance or belief in a person or object (Ps 112:7; Isa 26:3) Batach expresses sense of well-being and security from having something or someone in whom to place confidence. Notice all the uses in the book of Psalms (see below) where many if not most refer to trust in Jehovah (this would make a great devotional study to see what is associated with trust in the LORD). In the first use (Dt 28:52) Israel had failed to trust in Name of Jehovah, but instead put their trust in their "towns" with their "high and fortified walls" which would be broken down. In Jdg 9:26 men of Shechem put their trust in Gaal. In Jdg 9:26, 18:7, 10, 27 all mean "secure" referring to people living in security. Hezekiah trusted in LORD. The uses of batach are so wonderful that all the 116 verses are listed below to facilitate easy study. Note especially all the uses of trust in Psalm 22 a clearly Messianic psalm.

Wiersbe on trust - The word translated “trust” (e.g., used in Pr 3:5) means “to lie helpless, facedown.” It pictures a servant waiting for the master’s command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general. (Be Skillful)

Higgins agrees that the Hebrew word batach "means to stretch out or to lie face down. It is a picture of a man totally stretched out on his face before God. The message of his posture is his total helplessness and dependence upon God. It bespeaks that he is totally yielded to that will. Matthew reminds us of the Lord Jesus that He "fell on his face, and prayed ... not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Mt 26:39). (What the Bible Teaches - Proverbs)

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 3. What time I am afraid.

David was no braggart, he does not claim never to be afraid, and he was no brutish Stoic free from fear because of the lack of tenderness. David's intelligence deprived him of the stupid heedlessness of ignorance, he saw the imminence of his peril, and was afraid. We are men, and therefore liable to overthrow; we are feeble, and therefore unable to prevent it; we are sinful men, and therefore deserving it, and for all these reasons we are afraid. But the condition of the psalmist's mind was complex-- he feared, but that fear did not fill the whole area of his mind, for he adds,

I will trust in thee.

It is possible, then, for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment. We are strange beings, and our experience in the divine life is stranger still. We are often in a twilight, where light and darkness are both present, and it is hard to tell which predominates. It is a blessed fear which drives us to trust. Unregenerate fear drives from God, gracious fear drives to him. If I fear man I have only to trust God, and I have the best antidote. To trust when there is no cause for fear, is but the name of faith, but to be reliant upon God when occasions for alarm are abundant and pressing, is the conquering faith of God's elect. Though the verse is in the form of a resolve, it became a fact in David's life, let us make it so in ours. Whether the fear arise from without or within, from past, present, or future, from temporals, or spirituals, from men or devils, let us maintain faith, and we shall soon recover courage.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. There is nothing like faith to help at a pinch; faith dissolves doubts as the sun drives away the mists. And that you may not be put out, know that your time for believing is always. There are times when some graces may be out of use, but there is no time wherein faith can be said to be so. Wherefore faith must be always in exercise. Faith is the eye, is the mouth, is the hand, and one of these is of use all the day long. Faith is to see, to receive, to work, or to eat; and a Christian should be seeing or receiving, or working, or feeding all day long. Let it rain, let it blow, let it thunder, let it lighten, a Christian must still believe. "At what time, "said the good man, "I am afraid, I will trust in thee." John Bunyan.

Ver. 3. What time I am afraid, etc. A divine spark may live in a smoke of doubts without a speedy rising into flame. When grace is at the bottom of doubting, there will be reliance on Christ and lively petitions to him. Peter's faith staggers when he began to sink, but he casts a look and sends forth a cry to his Saviour, acknowledging His sufficiency; Matthew 14:30, "Lord, save me." Sometimes those doubtings strengthen our trust and make us take hold faster on God. Psalm 56:3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. This was a fear of himself or others, rather than a jealousy of God. Had he had unworthy suspicions of him, he would not have trusted him; he would not have run for remedy to the object of his fear. The waverings where faith is, are like the tossings of a ship fast at anchor (still there is a relying upon God), not like a boat carried by the waves of the sea to be dashed against a rock. If the heart stay on Christ in the midst of those doubtings, it is not an evil heart of unbelief. Such doubtings consist with the indwelling of the Spirit, who is in the heart, to perform the office of a Comforter against such fears and to expel those thick fumes of nature. Stephen Charnock.

Ver. 3. What time I am afraid, etc. I know not what to do, but I will try my old way, it is good for me to draw near still; I will do so still, as I used to do; I will cast myself down upon the free grace of Christ in the promises; I will lay the weight of my sinking spirit there, I will renew my hold, life, expectation there; this is my old path, I will never be turned or beaten out here. This Christian in his strength may challenge all the gates of hell. This was David's course (Psalms 71:5), "Thou art my trust from my youth, "etc. Thence was it that he could say, What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee: his shield and sword was always in his hand, therefore he could make use of it when fear and inward trouble offered themselves. Afraid! alas, who is not? but what course will you take then? Even what course you used to take, i.e., believe; use faith always; and have it now. Elias Pledger(-1676), in "Morning Exercises."

Ver. 3. What time, etc. Literally, What day. As "Man daily oppresseth me" (Psalms 56:1), so "Every day, when I am afraid, I trust in thee." A. R. Fausset.

Ver. 3. It is a good maxim with which to go into a world of danger; a good maxim to go to sea with; a good maxim in a storm; a good maxim when in danger on the land; a good maxim when we are sick; a good maxim when we think of death and the judgment--What time I am afraid, I WILL TRUST IN THEE. Albert Barnes.

Ver. 3. I will trust in thee. Faith and fear stand together; and so fear and love. John Richardson, -1654.

Ver. 3-4. Sometimes faith comes from prayer in triumph, and cries, Victoria. It gives such a being and existence to the mercy prayed for in the Christian's soul, before any likelihood of it appears to sense and reason, that the Christian can silence all his troubled thoughts with the expectation of its coming. So Hannah prayed, "and was no more sad." 1 Samuel 1:18. Yea, it will make the Christian disburse his praises for the mercy long before it is received. Thus high faith wrought in David. At what time I am afraid, I will trust in thee, and in the next words, In God I will praise his word; that is, he would praise God for his promise before there was any performance of it in him, when it had no existence but in God's faithfulness and David's faith. This holy man had such a piercing eye of faith, that he could see the promise when he was at the lowest ebb of misery, so certain and unquestionable in the power and truth of God, that he could then praise God as if the promised mercy had been actually fulfilled to him. William Gurnall.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 2-3.

I. Fears are common to all men, at one time or another.

II. Improper and inefficacious means of removing fear are often resorted to.

III. There is here suggested a true and effectual method of removing fear. Robert Morrison (1782-1834), in "A Parting Memorial."

Ver. 3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Whensoever we are afraid of any evil, we are still to put our trust in God.

I. What is it to put our trust in God?

1. To keep our hearts from desponding or sinking down under any fears.

2. To comfort ourselves in God.

3. To expect deliverance from him. II. What is there in God we ought to put our trust in?

1. In his promises.

2. In his properties. His power, wisdom, justice, mercy, all sufficiency. III. Why should we in all our fears put our trust in God?

1. Because there is none else can secure us from our fears. Whereas,

2. There are no fears but God can secure us from them, either by removing the thing feared, or by subduing the fear of the thing. Bishop Beveridge.

Ver. 3.

I. There is fear without trust.

II. There is trust without fear.

III. There is fear and trust united. G. R.

Alexander Maclaren - What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Faith and fear do blend, thank God. They are as oil and water in a man’s soul, and the oil will float above, and quiet the waves. “What time I am afraid”—there speaks nature and the heart. “I will trust in Thee”—there speaks the better man within, lifting himself above nature and circumstances, and casting himself into the extended arms of God, Who catches him and keeps him safe.

When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. Psalm 56:3

In his book Three Deadly Foes, Henry Durbanville wrote this about John Chrysostom: "Exiled from the position which he held as the greatest teacher of his age, this noble man refused to be intimidated. 'What can I fear?' Chrysostom asked. 'Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness are the Lord's. Will it be loss of wealth? But we brought nothing into this world and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes, and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear; riches I do not sigh for; and from death I do not shrink.'

How To Conquer Fear

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. — Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture : Psalm 56:1-13

We live in a world plagued by fear. People worry about illness, poverty, family disruption, war, famine, and the future.

For those who place their trust in the Lord, however, it’s different. Because their lives are in the hands of an all-wise, all-loving, all-powerful heavenly Father, they can face any difficult situation with confidence.

Henry Durbanville writes this about the gifted fourth-century preacher John Chrysostom: “Exiled from the position which he held as the greatest preacher of his age, this noble man refused to be intimidated. ‘What can I fear?’ he asks. ‘Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness are the Lord’s. Will it be loss of wealth? But we brought nothing into this world and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes, and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear, riches I do not sigh for, and from death I do not shrink.'”

This same testimony can be ours. With God as our Father, Christ as our Savior, and the Holy Spirit as our Guide, we can face every situation with perfect confidence in the One who conquers fear. By: Richard DeHaan (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

Terror by night nor arrow's flight
Can make my soul afraid;
Naught can alarm, no foe can harm,
When on Him I am stayed.
—Anon.

Faith in God is the best antidote for fear.

Being Realistic

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. — Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture : Psalm 27

Few of us are traveling to heaven in a state of freedom from all fear. Who can honestly testify that they always practice this verse: “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid”? (Psalm 56:11). We do trust, and yet we may be troubled at times by gnawing worries. Our common experience is that our trust in God is mingled with episodes of worry.

Even the apostle Paul, who wrote many of the New Testament letters, had some anxieties. He confessed to the Corinthians, “I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3).

So don’t worry that you have worries! Don’t pretend you never have them. If you are troubled by anxieties, admit them to yourself. Share them with a trusted friend. Above all, talk to the all-compassionate Friend, Jesus Christ, who knows your every thought and emotion (Psalm 139:4). With compassion, He says to you, “Do not fear” (Luke 12:32). Ask Him for the grace to help you overcome your fears and worries. Then, “wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (Psalm 27:14).

On your journey through life, whenever you’re afraid, trust in the Lord (Psalm 56:3). By: Vernon Grounds (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

FOR FURTHER STUDY
What worry do you need to talk to the Lord about?
Read Overcoming Worry - Turning Fear into Faith

Trusting God's faithfulness dispels our fearfulness.

Conquering Our Fears

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. —Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture : 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

A young woman who lived in a crime-ridden area was waiting for a bus when a rookie policeman came up to her and asked, “Can I wait with you?”

“That’s not necessary,” she replied. “I’m not afraid.”

“Well, I am,” he said. “Would you mind waiting with me?”

The apostle Paul was candid with his readers in Corinth, admitting his fear and weakness, even to the point of trembling (1 Cor. 2:3). But he faced up to it, expressed his need for the Lord, and then relied on Him. He said that his speech and preaching were a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (v.4). We may safely assume that Paul spent much time praying and depending on God while he was in this wicked city.

Admitting that we are sometimes fearful isn’t a sign of being out of fellowship with God or that something is wrong in our lives. To acknowledge that we become anxious about dying, about getting cancer, about losing our mind, or about our children getting in trouble is being honest about our feelings. To overcome our fears, we must first acknowledge them. Then we must bring them to God and go forward in obedience. That’s the only way to conquer fear. By: Dennis J. DeHaan (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

Press forward and fear not, though trials be near;
The Lord is our refuge, whom then shall we fear?
His staff is our comfort, our safeguard His rod;
Then let us be steadfast and trust in our God.
—Anon.

Do the thing you fear—and the death of fear is certain. —Emerson

When I’m Afraid

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. — Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture : Psalms 56

David fled from the home of the priests in Nob with Saul in hot pursuit. He made his way to Gath, the home of his enemies, where he was instantly recognized and brought before King Achish.

David’s fame was celebrated everywhere in story and song. He had slain thousands of Philistines (1 Samuel 21:11), a reputation established at the expense of bereaved Philistine women and children. Here was an opportunity to take revenge.

David lost his nerve. In terror, he “pretended madness . . . , scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard” (v.13). Achish dismissed him with contempt: “Shall this fellow come into my house?” (v.15). Broken and utterly humiliated, David fled to Adullam in Judah. Close by was a hill honeycombed with caves. Into one of those holes he crept-alone.

As he experienced the solitude of that cave, at the nadir of his life and surrounded by enemies, David began to reflect on God’s tender, faithful love. “When I am afraid, I will trust in You,” he wrote (Psalm 56:3). “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle” (v.8).

Perhaps you’re “in a cave” today. You too can say, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid” (v.11) By: David H. Roper (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

I have no reason to fear,
For Jesus my Savior is near;
I'll trust the Lord and His power
To save and to keep me each hour.
—Hess

Loneliness is being unaware of the One who is with us everywhere.

How To Handle Fear

Read: Psalm 56:1-13 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 12-14; Mark 5:21-43

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. —Psalm 56:3

Some years ago as I lay in a hospital bed, I overheard two women talking in a waiting room outside my door. Evidently the husband of one of them was in critical condition. She had been under extreme stress and was greatly concerned about his recovery. She said to her friend, “You know, when you’re as worried as I am, you just have to smoke!”

That made me think about how people handle their fears. Some turn to alcohol, others turn to food, and some to busyness. The psalmist gave us a better solution to the problem of fear. He said, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (56:3). It’s tragic when we turn to something other than the Lord to fill the void or cover up the pain we’re feeling.

If we have put our faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, we can have confidence that our heavenly Father sees us in our trials and has promised His protection. In times of distress, we can place our trust in the Lord. He wants us to call on Him so that He can encourage us with His presence and give us His peace.

As you rest in the Lord and rely on Him today, you will be able to say with the psalmist, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Nothing is hid from His all-seeing eye,
Never a teardrop nor even a sigh;
Anxious and troubled you never need be—
Trust Him completely and doubtings will flee.
—Nienhuis

When fear knocks at your door, let faith open it.

Facing Fear

Psalm 56:3–11

Sheridan Voysey

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

Warren moved to a small town to pastor a church. After his ministry had some initial success, one of the locals turned on him. Concocting a story accusing Warren of horrendous acts, the man took the story to the local newspaper and even printed his accusations on pamphlets to distribute to local residents by mail. Warren and his wife started praying hard. If the lie was believed, their lives would be upended.

King David once experienced something similar. He faced an attack of slander by an enemy. “All day long they twist my words,” he said, “all their schemes are for my ruin” (Psalm 56:5). This sustained assault left him fearful and tearful (v. 8). But in the midst of the battle, he prayed this powerful prayer: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. . . . What can mere mortals do to me?” (vv. 3–4).

David’s prayer can be a model for us today. When I am afraid—in times of fear or accusation, we turn to God. I put my trust in you—we place our battle in God’s powerful hands. What can mere mortals do to me?—facing the situation with Him, we remember how limited the powers against us really are.

The newspaper ignored the story about Warren. For some reason, the pamphlets were never distributed. What battle do you fear today? Talk to God. He’s willing to fight it with you.

Reflect & Pray

What real fears do you face? How can David’s prayer help you deal with them?

Loving God, I’m afraid—and so today I put my trust in You. What can mere mortals do to me when You’re fighting for me? Thank You for the coming victory.

For help in choosing hope instead of fear, read DiscoverySeries.org/Q0733.

Today's Insights

The prominent theme of Psalm 56:3–11 is David’s trust in God when he’s afraid. In Scripture, we see God repeatedly calling His people to trust in Him and not be fearful. He urged Abram, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Isaiah, and Daniel: “Do not be afraid” (Genesis 15:1; 21:17; 26:24; 46:2-3; Numbers 21:34; Joshua 1:9; Judges 6:23; Isaiah 43:5; Daniel 10:12, 19). And God has likewise instructed others to do the same. King David urged his son Solomon, “Do not be afraid or discouraged” (1 Chronicles 28:20), and King Hezekiah encouraged his followers with similar declarations (2 Chronicles 32:6–8). When Jesus walked the earth, He often calmed His disciples’ fears with those same words (Matthew 10:28, 31; 14:27; Mark 5:36). (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

In Control

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. — Psalms 56:3

Today's Scripture : Psalm 56:1-13

It is easy to lose control of our emotions when someone who wants to hurt us seems to have gained the upper hand.

Fred had been falsely accused of stealing and was in danger of losing his job. The man out to get him was a clever foe. Fred was angry and frustrated—angry over the false accusation and frustrated because he couldn’t convince his boss to believe him.

Sometimes Fred would lose control of his emotions. On one occasion, he declared vehemently that he was going to kill his enemy. At other times he would talk about suicide. His mood would swing back and forth from bristling defiance to forlorn surrender.

The writer of Psalm 56 was also the object of undeserved hatred. His crafty enemies were actually threatening his life. But he didn’t lose control of himself. Instead, he talked to God openly and honestly. He reviewed the facts and then asked God to come to his rescue—and He did!

To be wrongfully hated and bitterly attacked is not easy to take. But we don’t need to give in to our emotions. We can pray to God and place our trust in Him. When we do, He will respond. He will either deliver us or give us the strength to endure the wrong and love our foes—always! By: Herbert Vander Lugt (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

When I am angry or afraid,
O God, I'll trust in You;
Give me the strength and self-control
To help me make it through.
—Sper

Losing your temper is no way to get rid of it.

End Your Day with God

Tonight’s Scripture: Psalm 56

Psalm 56:1-13

It’s no coincidence that kids are just about universally afraid of the dark. Their minds imagine all sorts of threats in the shadowy basement or in the darkness outside the window. And as we grow older, the fears don’t go away, but they change shape. We find that there are very real reasons to be afraid, even if there aren’t literal monsters under the bed or bad guys lurking outside. There’s financial stress. Political uncertainty. Cancer. Loved ones getting sick and dying. Even a quiet sense of loneliness can cause us to insulate ourselves with distractions at night.

The Psalms show a different way. Rather than avoiding our fears, or being controlled by them, they teach us to acknowledge the full weight of our fears to God, trusting that He is listening, strong enough to keep us safe, and worthy of our praise no matter what happens. In tonight’s psalm, David proclaims his trust in God, asking, “What can mere mortals do to me?” Then, ironically, he spends the next stanza describing exactly what they can do to him and asking God to intervene!

When night closes in, literally or metaphorically, can you be totally honest with God and yourself about the fears you carry? Are you able to set aside the things that are distracting you from what’s inside? As you read tonight’s psalm, ask the Holy Spirit for help to see the things you’re afraid of, and for courage to face them together with Jesus. While you may feel afraid of being alone with your thoughts, Jesus isn’t. He’s perfectly at home within you and ready to offer his peaceful presence in exchange for your fears. All He asks from you is trust.

Tonight’s Prayer:

“Yours, O Lord, is the day; yours also is the night; grant that the Sun of Righteousness may abide always in our hearts, to drive away all wicked thoughts and to relieve our fears, that we may always know the light of Jesus’ presence. Amen.” (Saint Augustine’s Prayer Book [Forward Movement, 2012], 56).

The Triumph of Faith

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture & Insight : Psalm 56:1-4

A routine wellness check for little four-year-old Calvin revealed a few unexpected spots on his body. During the visit, he was given some shots, and the injection site was covered with a bandage. At home, when the time came to remove the small adhesive covering, Calvin whimpered with fear. Seeking to console his son, his father said, “Calvin, you know I’d never do anything to hurt you.” His father wanted his son to trust him more than fearing the removal of the bandage.

Four-year-olds aren’t the only ones who grow faint in the face of discomfort. Surgeries, separation from loved ones, mental or psychological challenges—and more—prompt our fears, sighs, cries, and groans.

One of David’s fear-filled moments was when he found himself in Philistine territory while fleeing a jealous King Saul. When he was recognized, he was anxious about what might happen to him (see 1 Samuel 21:10-11): “David . . . was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath” (v. 12). Reflecting on this uncomfortable situation, David wrote, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. . . . In God I trust and am not afraid” (Psalm 56:3-4).

What shall we do when life’s discomforts stir up our fears? We can put our trust in our heavenly Father. By: Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

What situation is presently making you fearful? How can you rest in His care as you bring your fears before your loving heavenly Father in prayer?

Dear God, in my humanity and frailty, I’m fearful. Help me to see and experience Your love and care even in the midst of my trials and discomfort. (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Life Is Real

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. — Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture : Psalm 56

In the comic strip Peanuts, Lucy had just broken the news to Linus that children cannot live at home forever. Eventually they grow up and move away. Then she said that when he left she would get his room. But Linus quickly reminded her that at some time she too would have to leave home. When this realization hit Lucy, she was shocked, but she quickly came up with a solution. She turned the TV up loud, crawled into her beanbag chair with a bowl of ice cream, and refused to think about it.

Avoiding unpleasant circumstances is not as easy as Lucy thinks. Life’s realities cannot be avoided. We may try to run and hide, but struggles and trials have a way of dogging our footsteps and eventually catching up with us.

Instead, we should face up to our problems. The psalmist David did this when beset by persistent foes and false friends. He didn’t try to minimize his danger; he acknowledged the storm that was raging around him and looked to the Lord. He wrote, “In God I have put my trust” (Psalm 56:4).

Let’s follow David’s example—not Lucy’s. Facing up to life’s difficulties may be a frightening experience. But when we trust God and draw close to Him, we’ll experience real deliverance. By: Paul Van Gorder (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

Whatever life may bring your way
Each hour of every passing day,
Throughout the months and long years too,
The Lord in heaven will care for you.
—Anon.

When troubles call on you, call on God.

Simply Trusting

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. —Psalm 56:3

Psalm 56

Joe Stowell

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE Psalm 56

When our children were young, taking them to the doctor’s office was an interesting experience. The waiting room was filled with toys they could play with and children’s magazines I would read to them. So getting that far with them was no problem. But as soon as I picked them up to carry them into the appointment, everything changed. Suddenly the fun turned into fear as the nurse approached with the needle for the needed shot. The closer she got, the tighter they hugged my neck. They would cling to me for comfort, probably hoping for rescue, not knowing that it was for their own good.

Sometimes in this fallen world we move from times of peace and tranquility into the painful realm of trouble. At that point, the question is, “How will I respond?” We can be fearful and wonder why God allowed this to happen to us, or we can trust that in the midst of this trouble He is doing something that in the end is for our best, even if it hurts. We would do well to remember the words of the psalmist who wrote, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Ps. 56:3).

Like my children, the tougher it gets, the tighter we should hug His neck. Trust Him. His love never fails!

Reflect & Pray

Come quickly, Lord, to help me. Teach me to trust You in times of trouble. Remind me of Your presence and of the fact that You hold me in Your loving arms.

Cling to your heavenly Father; He is your only hope.

Today's Insights

Psalm 56 was written by David when the Philistines captured him in Gath, as stated in the superscription. One of the ironies of David’s life is that he killed the Philistine champion Goliath who was from Gath, but in fleeing from Saul he sought refuge in that same city. In both circumstances, his ultimate refuge was found in God. (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid.

Two friends met one day on a city street and walked together for several blocks. In the course of conversation, one said to the other, "I found a wonderful verse when I read the Bible today" "Oh," said his friend, "what is it?" "Psalm 56:3," he replied. "It says, 'Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.- "That's very good," said the other, with a smile on his face. "But I found an even better verse in my reading today. It's Isaiah 12:2, 'I will trust and not be afraid."

Are we doomed to respond in fear every time troubles arise? No. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). Continual reliance on the Lord puts up a shield against the fears that haunt us. So whether we turn to God in an emergency or confidently accept each circumstance as coming from His hand, our ever-present Savior is more than sufficient to give us peace. Either way works! The key to conquering fear is immediately putting our trust in God.—P R. V

KEEP YOUR EYES ON GOD AND YOUR FEARS WILL VANISH.

Larry Richards - How is fear a friend? Fear is a friend because it is only when we are afraid that we plumb the depths of trust. We cannot know what trust means unless we live through experiences in which the Lord is all we have to hold on to.
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. Ps 56:3

Moody’s Favorite Verse

Dwight L. Moody’s favorite verse was Isaiah 12:2: “I will trust, and not be afraid.” He used to say: “You can travel first-class or second-class to heaven. Second class is, ’What time I am afraid, I will trust.” First class is, ’I will trust, and not be afraid.” That is the better way. Why not buy a first-class ticket? (Psalm 56:3).

Charles Stanley - Psalm 56:3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. Enter His Gates: A Daily Journey Into the Master's Presence - Page 167

Fear seemed to be one of the first abnormal symptoms that the man experienced following the fall from perfect union and fellowship with God: “Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid’” (Gen. 3:9–10 NASB).

Since then every heart has known the panic and trembling that fear brings. Fear of failure. Fear of today. Fear of the future.
We live in fearful times. The only antidote for fear is trust. David, who knew the depth of fear as few people ever have, came to this conclusion as he was seized by the Philistines: “When I am afraid, / I will put my trust in Thee” (Ps. 56:3 NASB). David did not deny his fear. He did not rationalize it or try to outman it. He admitted his fear and then affirmed his trust in the Lord.
Elizabeth Cheney wrote this succinct and powerful poem:

Faith came singing into my room
And other guests took flight.
Grief, anxiety, fear, and gloom
Sped out into the night.

Identify the source of your fear. Bring it before God. Then confidently assert His ability to handle your fears and His willingness to replace your fears with His courage and peace.

Heavenly Father, I confess—I am fearful. Replace my fears with Your courage and peace. Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.

Henry Blackaby - CHOOSE TO TRUST

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. PSALM 56:3

It’s not something you generate by gritting your teeth. It doesn’t come by osmosis from sitting in a pew Sunday after Sunday. And it’s not highly contagious—although spending time with God’s people can and does help.

The it here is trust, and trust is a choice. When the psalmist-king declared, “I will trust,” he was making a choice. Despite the circumstances—the fighting surrounding him, the enemies oppressing him, the adversaries twisting his words, and the tears that he is shedding—David chose to trust God.

Just as when he stood before Goliath (1 Samuel 17), David didn’t give in to fear. After all, fear betrays a lack of trust in God. When we truly know the God who sustains us, we have no reason to fear. Apparently David knew this truth: “In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:4).

As the apostle Paul would say, since God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

What enemies are oppressing you? What adversaries are twisting your words? What is prompting your tears? What giant are you facing? Choose to trust God. He will help you fight the battle and fell the giant.

A young woman was waiting for a bus in a crime-ridden area when a rookie policeman approached her and asked, "Want me to wait with you?" "That's not necessary," she replied. "I'm not afraid." "Well, I am," he grinned. "Would you mind waiting with me?"

Christians need that kind of honesty Like that policeman, we must admit that sometimes we become fearful—fearful about dying, about getting cancer, about losing our mind, about losing our job, about our children getting into trouble. We don't like to admit this, so we may ignore, deny, or repress our fears. But to overcome fear, we must first acknowledge it.

The apostle Paul wasn't ashamed to admit being afraid. "I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling," he said in 1Corinthians 2:3. The verse that immediately follows his admission of fear tells how he overcame it. He faced up to his fear and then he relied on God.—D. J. D.

To ADMIT WE ARE AFRAID IS TO ADMIT WE ARE HUMAN.

1 Kings 17:17-24 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. — Psalm 56:3

Twelve years into our marriage, my wife and I were discouraged by the emotional roller-coaster of hopes raised and dashed in attempting to have children. A friend tried to “explain” God’s thinking. “Maybe God knows you’d be a bad father,” he said. He knew that my mother had struggled with a terrible temper.

Then, Christmas 1988, we learned we were expecting our first child! But now I had this nagging fear of failure.

The following August, Kathryn joined our family. As nurses and doctors tended to my wife, Kathryn cried on the warming tray. I offered my hand to comfort her, and her tiny fingers wrapped around my finger. In that instant, the Holy Spirit swept through me, assuring me of what I had only recently doubted—that I would show love to this little one!

The widow of Zarephath also had doubts. Her son had been struck with a lethal illness. In her despair she cried out, “Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” (1 Kings 17:18). But God had other plans!

We serve a God who is mightier than the struggles we inherit and who is full of the desire to forgive, love, and heal the brokenness that rises up between us and Him. God is present in the places where our fears live. — Randy Kilgore

Father, make Yourself known to us in our weakest moments and in our greatest fears. Teach us to receive Your love in a way that enables us to show it to others, especially those closest to us.

Love swims against the current of life’s false fears.

“Mother, Are You There?” Psalm 56:3; Isaiah 12:2

A little child was at play in a lower room, and as he played away by himself, amusing himself, about every ten minutes he ran to the foot of the stairs and called out, “Mother, are you there?”

His mother answered, “Yes, I am here,” and the little boy went back to his sport and fun, and was as happy as happy could be, and until again it crossed his mind that his mother might have gone.

So he ran to the stairs again and called, “Mother, are you there?”

“All right,” she said, and as soon as he heard her voice again, back he went once more to his play.

It is just so with us. In times of temporal trouble we go to the mercy seat in prayer, and we say, “Father, are you there? Is it your hand that is troubling me? Is it your providence that has sent me this difficulty?”

And as soon as you hear the voice that says, “It is I,” you are no longer afraid. Happy are they who, when they are afraid in this way, trust in the Lord. --- Spurgeon

Daily Light on the Daily Path - My heart is steadfast, O God!
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.—He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.—He will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever.
Ps. 108:1; Ps. 27:1; Isa. 26:3; Ps. 112:7–8; Ps. 56:3; Ps. 27:5–6; 1 Pet. 5:10–11

Daily Light on the Daily Path - The floods lift up their roaring.
Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!—O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
“Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass.”—“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”—When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
Ps. 93:3; Ps. 93:4; Ps. 89:8–9; Jer. 5:22; Isa. 43:2; Matt. 14:29–31; Ps. 56:3

What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.—Psalm 56:3.

They commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.—Acts 14:23.

A constant anticipation of evils, which perhaps never will come, a foreboding which takes away life and energy from the present, will simply hinder and cloud the soul, and make it timid and sad. If troublous thoughts as to the future will press, darkening a bright present, or hurrying on coming clouds, the safest thing is to offer them continually as they arise to Clod, offering too the future which they contemplate, and asking for grace to concentrate our energies on the immediate duties surrounding us. Many have dreaded troubles which they thought must come; and while they went on ever expecting to make the turn in their path which was to open out fully the evil, lo! They found that they had reached the journey’s end, and were at the haven where they would be. Even for others it is not wise to indulge in overmuch looking forward in fearfulness. Come what may to the dearest ones we have on earth, God and His upholding grace will be there, and He cares for them more than even we can do. An earnest commendation to His love will avail them more than all our fretting. H.L. SIDNEY LEAR.

When Fear Creeps In

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in [God]. — Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture : Psalm 56

When my daughter exclaimed, “Mommy, a bug!” I looked where she was pointing and saw the largest spider I have ever encountered outside of a pet shop. Both the spider and I knew that he would not be allowed to stay in our house. And yet, as I faced him, I found I could not take one step closer to end the standoff. My pulse quickened. I swallowed and gave myself a pep-talk. Still, fear kept me frozen in place.

Fear is powerful; it can override logical thinking and produce irrational behavior. Thankfully, Christians don’t have to let fear of anything—people, situations, or even spiders—rule our actions. We can declare, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in [God]” (Ps. 56:3).

Taking this stand against fear is consistent with the Bible’s instruction to “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). Our own understanding may lead us to overestimate the object of our fear and underestimate God’s power. When we are afraid, we can depend on God’s understanding (Isa. 40:28) and trust in His love for us that “casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). The next time fear creeps into your life, don’t panic. God can be trusted in the darkness. By: Jennifer Benson Schuldt (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

Into His hands I lay the fears that haunt me,
The dread of future ills that may befall;
Into His hands I lay the doubts that taunt me,
And rest securely, trusting Him for all.
—Christiansen

Trusting God’s faithfulness dispels our fearfulness.

WHEN FEAR COMES CHARGING IN

When I get really afraid I come to you in trust. PSALM 56:3 MSG

Fear is a powerful, unreasonable emotion. It influences how you think and react, and it even affects your physical well-being. Fear will stop you from reaching your potential or from allowing your loved ones to be all they can be. You know God is directing you in a certain way, but you refuse to step out in faith because of your apprehensions.
Understand that your fear is based on an expectation of punishment—you believe it’s inevitable that only bad things will happen. Instead, you must focus on God’s character. God is all-powerful, all knowing, and completely loving. So obey him—he’ll only lead you in what’s best for you. With God, you never have to be afraid.

God, fear is a powerful influence in my life. Help me to obey you in faith and trust you whenever my anxieties come charging in. AMEN.

In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? PSALM 56:4 NASB

Handling Fear - Warren Wiersbe

FEAR CAN GRIP US WHEN WE FEEL LIFE IS OUT OF CONTROL, AND THAT’S what happened to David when he was hiding from King Saul. But instead of running from his fears, with God’s help he faced them. By understanding how David handled his fears, we can better handle ours.
First, David honestly admitted his fears (vv. 1–7). He admitted the enemy was against him (v. 2). We won’t win the victory if we pretend the enemy is not there or if we try to suppress our fears. David’s enemies were chasing him like ferocious animals, and they oppressed him all day long. They were slandering him and hunting him. It was a matter of life and death. What did he do? He admitted his fears and trusted in God.
A lady once came to D. L. Moody and said, “I’ve found a verse to help me conquer my fear—Psalm 56:3.” Moody replied, “I’ll give you a better verse—Isaiah 12:2.” Psalm 56:3 tells us that when we’re afraid, we’ll trust. Isaiah 12:2 says that we’ll “trust and not be afraid.” Faith overcomes everything (Ps. 130:5). Let’s face our fears honestly.
Second, David humbly confessed his faith (vv. 8–13). He spoke about God, not his enemies. He clung to the Word of God and did not back out of his commitment to Him just because he was going through trouble. What was the result of David’s ordeal? God’s protection and provision brought forth David’s prayer and praise (vv. 12–13).
Although everything may seem stacked against you, God is on your side. He knows who you are, where you are and what you’re up against. He will protect you and deliver you.

If you are facing enemies and are gripped by fear, admit your fear and then turn to the Word of God. Trust in His promises to protect and provide. God knows what you are going through, and He will deliver you. Your faith will overcome your fear and lead to praise.

Here’s an idea for helping the children to memorize Psalm 56:3: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Using power-point, a hand-held marker board, or a portable blackboard, put the ten words (including textual reference) on the board. Have the children read it with you. Then erase one word. Have them read it, inserting the word from their memories. Erase another word, and so forth, until, on the eleventh time through, the children are saying the verse totally from memory.

Trust and Be Not Afraid
"Man," said one Christian Scotsman to another, "I got a wonderful text in my reading lesson today." "Oh," said his friend, "let me hear it." "Well," responded the other enthusiastically, "the text is Psalm 56:3, and it says, 'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.'" "Very good," agreed his friend, smiling, "but I got a better text in my reading lesson, for in Isaiah 12:2, I read, 'I will trust, and not be afraid.'"—Moody Monthly

This Little Light
When my husband and I taught 2- and 3-year-olds in Sunday school, a Bible verse we helped them memorize was Psalms 56:3, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Our preschool son, Mark, was one of our pupils. One stormy night, as lightning flashed and thunder boomed, the electricity suddenly went off. "I'm not afraid," Mark assured us as we groped in the dark for candles and matches. Expecting him to quote the Bible verse he recently learned, I proudly prompted him, "And tell us why you aren't afraid." " 'Cause I've got my flashlight."—Ann Beck,

My Comforter

Even when I am afraid, I still trust you. I praise the word of God. I trust God. I am not afraid. What can mere flesh and blood do to me? Psalm 56:3–4

When you were a child, a stuffed animal or a blanket could eliminate nearly any apprehension or hurt, couldn’t it? These comfort items, however, tend to lose their impact when suffering turns from the loss of a favorite toy to a grown-up variety: ailing family members, disagreeable bosses, and financial insecurity.

During the hard times of life, some seek comfort in relationships—spouses and other family members, close friends, etc. Others seek to escape or deaden the pain through less positive means: alcohol, drugs, meaningless relationships, workaholism. Yet the problems remain. Sometimes new problems emerge as a result.

David, the psalmist and famed giant killer, knew the source of ultimate comfort—God. In Psalm 56, David praises the Lord for His faithfulness and promises in the face of adversity. Having been hounded by taunting enemies for many years, David knew the peace of trusting God as his source of security. Unlike a person, God was never too busy to listen. And He had the power to conquer any enemy.

As you end this day, consider praising the Lord for His steadfastness and dependability during difficult moments. Make a list of the things that worry you. After each item, use the words of David and say to yourself, “I trust God.” He alone is your comfort.

WHEN I AM AFRAID, I WILL TRUST IN THEE - Arthur Shearman

THERE WERE times when David was afraid and did not trust in the Lord. The courage he displayed before Goliath was lacking when he fled from Saul. Having been anointed king by Samuel, he should have left matters in the hands of God, but in fear he resorted to his own devices. Going to Nob, the site of the tabernacle, he lied to the high priest there in order to obtain food and a sword. Having obtained these, he fled to the Philistines, Israel’s long-standing enemies, and to Gath, where Goliath had lived, of all places. His presence there was suspect by some, on account of his past successes against them. In fear, he stooped to feigning madness and escaped; see 1 Sam. 21:2, 8–9, 10–15. After his final encounter with Saul, David was still afraid, and fled yet again to the Philistines among whom he was guilty of further deceit; see 1 Sam. 26:25; 27:1, 10–12.
The title of this psalm refers it to the time when David was among the Philistines. Yet, later on, he fled in fear of his life from his son Absalom, and this became a talking point throughout Israel, 2 Sam. 15:14; 19:9. This shows that he failed at times to practice lessons previously learned and is a salutary reminder of the weakness of the flesh.
Let us be warned. Resorting to dishonesty in times of fear can lead into greater danger. Only by divine intervention were Abraham and Isaac delivered from the predicaments that their lies got them into, Gen. 12:12–20; 26:7–10. David almost got caught up in a war against his own nation through his involvement with the Philistines, 1 Sam. 28:1; 29:4.
Fear is common to us all. It can un-man the bravest. It is inherent in human nature, and is the legacy of sin. There are many things that make us afraid, sickness, poverty, loneliness, reproach; but there are also many “Fear not’s” in the Scriptures to allay fear. David found strength in the Word of God, vv. 4, 10. It is the fear of man, however, which the psalm reflects, and which beset the psalmist so often. Let us remember that “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe”, Prov. 29:25.

“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take.” “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”, John 14:27.

Irresistible Artillery - J H Jowett

“When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back.”—Psalm 56

But it must be a real “cry”! It must not be an idle recitation which sheds no blood. It must be a cry like the cry of the drowning, a cry which cleaves the air like a bullet. Said a man to me some while ago, “Assault the heavens with cries for me!” That is the cry which takes the kingdom by storm.

When such a cry rends the heavens, “my enemies turn back.” A secret and irresistible artillery begins to play upon them, and their strength fails. Yes, believing prayer calls these invisible allies into the field. “The mountains are full of horses and chariots of fire round about!” And the enemy flies!

“This I know.” The psalmist is building upon experience. The miracle has happened a hundred times. Many a morning has he seen the enemy vaingloriously tramping the field, and he has cried unto the Lord, and before nightfall there has been a perfect rout. Blessed is the man who has had such heartening dealings with the Lord that he can now face a hostile host in unclouded faith and assurance!

"LOOSE" LIVING "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You."- Psalm 56:3

A newspaper published the following story from the life of Lyndon B. Johnson, former President of the United States: "In Stonewall, Texas, at a ceremony recognizing highway beautification, the President told his audience he was feeling fine because he had followed the advice of an old woman who once said, 'When I walks, I walks slowly. When I sits, I sits loosely. And when I feels worry comin' on I just goes to sleep.'"

The expression "When I sits, I sits loosely" caught my attention. It suggests something every believer should be able to do. Those who know Christ and are living in fellowship with Him can experience great blessing and renewed strength by relaxing and trusting God completely. This helps them to avoid getting all uptight. Like the psalmist, they can say with confidence, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You" (56:3).

In the hustle and bustle of life when everything seems ready to "fall apart," sit down and read a portion of Scripture. As you quiet your heart in prayer, tell the heavenly Father about your anxieties and turn them over to Him. Then, when you pick up where you left off, you'll be able to face your difficulties, assured that He will lead you and strengthen you for every task.-- Richard W. De Haan

Simply trusting every day,
        Trusting through a stormy way;
          Even when my faith is small,
        Trusting Jesus -- that is all.
-- Stites

If you turn your troubles over to God, you'll have nothing left to worry about.

G Campbell Morgan - What time I am afraid . . . I will not be afraid.—Psa. 56.3-4.
The title of this Psalm describes it as having been written by David when the Philistines took him in Gath. It is a revelation of his experiences under these circumstances. He was keenly conscious of the malignant hatred of his foes. They were subjecting him to every form of indignity and cruelty. They were seeking every method to bring about his discomfiture. Indeed, they were set upon securing his destruction. He was equally conscious of God. His wanderings were known to Him. His tears were written in His book. He was naturally fearful for his safety in the midst of such enemies; yet his faith refused to be overcome. The song is a record of the fight between fear and faith, and ultimately of the victory of faith. The two things find expression in these two brief sentences. The fear was there, for he said: "What time I am afraid." Faith was also there, for he was able to say: "I will not be afraid." The second word was the result of the action of faith in the midst of fear. It was an act of the will, based upon the activity of reason. The "I will trust" in the hour of fear led on to the "I will not be afraid." This is a song full of comfort in its recognition of the possibility of fear, and of the way of complete triumph over it. The heart of man is frail at its strongest, and there are hours in which the forces against us inevitably suggest that sense of weakness, and thus create fear. In such hours let us exercise our reasoning powers to the full, for that is the true activity of faith.

Fear And Faith

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. — Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture : Matthew 8:18-27

I agree with the statement “Faith chases out fear, or fear chases out faith.” But I also know that no believer is immune to panic or terror.

One Sunday evening the hair on my neck stood up and my heart rate soared as the driver of an oncoming car tried to pass another vehicle when he shouldn’t have and I was forced off the road.

Christians caught in a major earthquake have told me about the panic that seized them when it occurred.

Military people who have survived intense bombing attacks say that anyone who claims he wasn’t afraid at the time is either a liar or a fool.

It is not a sin to feel panic or terror in a life-threatening situation.

During a sudden, violent storm, the disciples were gently rebuked as having “little faith” because they should have known that nothing could harm them while Jesus was in their boat. But they did the right thing in calling out to Him, “Lord, save us!” (Mt. 8:25).

When fear strikes, think of God and consciously trust Him. The psalmist said, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Ps. 56:3).

Remember, fear will chase out faith, or faith will chase out fear. By: Herbert Vander Lugt (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

I'll walk this day in faith, dear Lord,
No foe nor storm I'll fear;
Because I'm trusting in Your Word,
I know that You are near.
—Anon.

Faith can break the stranglehold of fear.

Robert Morgan - Storm Greater: Afraid! - On This Day: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, ...
“Even when I am afraid,” said the psalmist, “I keep on trusting you” (Psalm 56:3). John Wesley had never been so frightened as on January 25, 1736. He was aboard a small sailing ship somewhere in the mid-Atlantic in midwinter, en route to Georgia as a missionary to the Indians, though as yet he himself had never been saved. A group of Moravian missionaries from Germany had booked passage on the same ship. The voyage was treacherous. Three storms had already battered the boat, and a fourth was brewing. Wesley scribbled in his journal, “Storm greater: afraid!” But the Moravians, showing no fear, persevered in their plans for a worship service. In the middle of their singing, a gigantic wave rose over the side of the vessel, splitting the mainsail, covering the ship, pouring water like Niagara between decks “as if the great deep had already swallowed us up.”

The English passengers screamed as the ship lurched and pitched between towering waves. Wesley clung on for dear life. But the German missionaries didn’t miss a note. Wesley, awestruck by their composure, went to the leader and asked, “Weren’t you afraid?”

“I thank God, no.”

“Were not your women and children afraid?”

“No,” replied the man. “Our women and children are not afraid.”

John Wesley’s missionary labors in Georgia failed, and he returned to England saying, “I went to America to convert the Indians, but, oh, who shall convert me?” The Moravians, that’s who. Back in London, Wesley attended a Moravian meeting in Aldersgate Street, May 24, 1738, and listened to someone reading from Luther’s preface to Romans. He later said, “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given to me that he had taken away my sins, even mine.”

Wesley became a famous evangelist and social reformer, with the world as his parish. But he himself was won to Christ by the power of a small group whose commitment to Christ was strong enough to keep them unflappable in a storm.

Related Resource:

Charles and John Wesley in Christian History Magazine - very interesting

John Smith - FEAR AND TRUST

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (Psa. 56:3). It is a blessed fear that frightens us to God. Fear and trust are two very common feelings of the soul.

1. The object of trust. “I in Thee.” This implies—

1. KNOWLEDGE. “Trust in Thee.” Thee, the living God, who hath delivered mightily in times past. Thee, the eternal God revealed to us in Christ Jesus.

2. CONFIDENCE. “I will trust” or commit my case to Thee. This is the confidence that we have in Him.

3. DETERMINATION. “I will.” There is no doubt or uncertainty here. I know whom I have believed.

2. The time of trust. “What time I am afraid.” Blessed are all they who know God as a refuge for the fearful. Adam hid from God, David would hide in Him. Trust in Him when afraid of—

1. GUILT AND WRATH. There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. He hath made peace by the blood of His Cross.

2. INDWELLING SIN. There is no hope of deliverance in our own strength or wisdom.

3. WEAKNESS AND FAILURE. We are nothing but weakness, and of ourselves can do nothing but fail. When conscious of these, then is the time to trust. When I am weak, then am I strong.

4. TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS. These often look upon us with frightful countenance, and we instinctively dread the contact. A MAN shall be a hiding place from the storm and the tempest. Only believe.

5. SICKNESS AND DEATH. Death has shadows that are dark and dismal, but faith gains the victory. They overcame by the Blood of the Lamb. “He shall not be afraid; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.”

Psalm 56:4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

KJV In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

NET In God– I boast in his promise– in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

NLT I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

BGT ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἐπαινέσω τοὺς λόγους μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ ἤλπισα οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι σάρξ

LXE In God I will praise my words; all the day have I hoped in God; I will not fear what flesh shall do to me.

CSB In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

ESV In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

NIV In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

YLT In God I praise His word, in God I have trusted, I fear not what flesh doth to me.

In God I will (KJV): Ps 56:10,11 12:6 19:7,8 119:89,90,160 138:2 Joh 10:35
in God I have (KJV): Ps 27:1 46:1,2 118:6 Isa 31:3 Isa 41:10 Lu 12:4-5 Ro 8:31-39 Heb 13:6

Related Passages:

Luke 12:4-5 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

Romans 8:31-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” 37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Psalm 119:89 Lamedh. Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

FEAR LOOKS AROUND
FAITH LOOKS UP

In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? - Verse 4 shows us what happened after David made the choice of verse 3: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” Fear drove David to trust, trust rested upon God's Word (See Ro 10:17), and God's Word gave him reason for praise. The danger had not necessarily disappeared, but David's perspective had changed because his attention had shifted from what man might do to what God had said in His trustworthy Word.

Technical Note - NET NOTE - Heb “in God I boast, his word.” The syntax in the Hebrew text is difficult. (1) The line could be translated, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” Such a translation assumes that the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and that “his word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. Another option (2) is to translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” is a song of praise. (In this view the pronominal suffix “his” must be omitted as in v. 10.) The present translation reflects yet another option (3): In this case “I praise his word” is a parenthetical statement, with “his word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in the next line, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.

In God, whose word I praise - David's confidence in God was inseparably connected with his confidence in God's Word. He did not simply trust in a vague idea that everything would work out. He trusted the God Who had spoken. In David's case this was especially significant because God had already promised through Samuel that David would be king (1Sa 16:1, 12-13). Although David was now a fugitive and his circumstances seemed completely contrary to that promise, God's Word promise remained. David understood that God is the ultimate Promise Keeper!

This is an important principle of faith for faith does not rest primarily upon what God appears to be doing at the moment, but upon what God has said, on what He has promised. While circumstances might change, God's Word does not change (Nu 23:19; Ps 119:89; Isa 40:8; Mt 24:35). Abraham demonstrated the same kind of faith when circumstances seemed to contradict God's promise, yet he was “fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Ro 4:20-21).

Whose word I praise - David says he praises God's Word because His Word reveals the character, promises, and faithfulness of the God Who spoke it. To praise God's Word is to declare that what God has said is true, trustworthy, and worthy of our complete confidence (Ps 12:6; 19:7-10; 119:140, 160). David could therefore praise the promise (e.g. that he would one day be king) before he saw its fulfillment. That is walking by faith and not by sight (2Co 5:7). Anyone can praise God after deliverance has arrived. Faith praises Him while the enemy is still at the gate because God's promise is as trustworthy before its fulfillment as after it.

Bob Utley - "In God, whose word I praise" Notice this is repeated in Ps. 56:10 in a parallel way where Elohim and YHWH are connected.The "word" (BDB 182) is a parallel to "Your vows" (BDB 623), Ps. 56:12. There are many terms used to characterize YHWH's revelations.

In God I have put my trust - David repeats the central theme from Ps 56:3, but notice the change in tense. Verse 3 says, “I will put my trust in You.” Now he says, “I have put my trust.” The decision has been made. David has made a volitional choice to deliberately transfer the weight of his confidence from himself and his circumstances to Jehovah (Ps 20:7; 37:5; 62:8; Pr 3:5-6). There is also a beautiful relationship between the Word and faith. David hears God's Word, believes God's Word, and consequently trusts the God Who gave the Word. This principle runs throughout Scripture: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Ro 10:17; cf. Jn 20:30-31).

I shall not be afraid - To reiterate, only one verse earlier David said, “When I am afraid.” Now he says, “I shall not be afraid.” This is not a contradiction but describes the movement of David's faith. David experienced fear, but he refused to remain controlled by fear. He took his fear to God, deliberately trusted Him, recalled His Word, and emerged with renewed confidence, giving us a pattern to imitate when we experience fear. Faith is not necessarily the absence of fear, but it refuses to allow that fear to occupy the throne of one's heart (Ps 27:1-3; 46:1-3; 112:7-8; Isa 12:2).

What can mere man do to me? - The word “mere” is supplied by the NASB, but still beautifully conveys David's point. The Hebrew is literally “What can flesh do to me?” David deliberately reduces his intimidating enemies to what they really are, frail human beings. Earlier they seemed enormous as when he declared “they are many who fight proudly against me” (Ps 56:2). Now, viewed alongside Jehovah, they are simply flesh (cf. Isa 31:3; 40:6-8; 51:12-13).

NET NOTE - on man - Heb “flesh,” which refers by metonymy to human beings (see v. 11, where “man” is used in this same question), envisioned here as mortal and powerless before God. The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

Bob Utley - What can mere man do to me" The Hebrew term translates "flesh" (cf. Gen. 2:21). This is a rhetorical question that expects a negative answer. This same sentiment is expressed in Ps. 118:6 and quoted in Heb. 13:6. The concept is also seen in relation to spiritual forces in Rom. 8:31,35-39.

Note that David is not saying that people cannot hurt us. People can persecute, imprison, injure, and even kill us. Jesus Himself said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul” (Mt 10:28). David's point is that no human being can ultimately overturn God's purposes for the one who trusts Him (Ps 118:6; Ro 8:31, 35-39; Heb 13:5-6). What a transformation! In verse 2 David was counting his enemies: “they are many.” In verse 4 he is counting on his God: “What can mere man do to me?”

🙏 THOUGHT: Fear grows when we measure our circumstances against our own resources. Faith grows when we measure our circumstances against God's promises. David's enemies had not become smaller, but his view of God had become larger. The circumstances had not changed, but David's focus had. When God's Word fills our hearts and God's greatness fills our vision, fear begins to lose its grip. See related discussion of Filled with His Spirit/Richly Indwelt with His Word.

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 4. In God I will praise his word. Faith brings forth praise. He who can trust will soon sing. God's promise, when fulfilled, is a noble subject for praise, and even before fulfilment it should be the theme of song. It is in or through God that we are able to praise. We praise as well as pray in the Spirit. Or we may read it--in extolling the Lord one of the main points for thanksgiving is his revealed will in the Scriptures, and the fidelity with which he keeps his word of promise.

In God I have put my trust. Altogether and alone should we stay ourselves on God. What was a gracious resolve in the former verse, is here asserted as already done.

I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Faith exercised, fear is banished, and holy triumph ensues, so that the soul asks, "What can flesh do unto me?" What indeed? He can do me no real injury; all his malice shall be overruled for my good. Man is flesh, flesh is grass--Lord, in thy name I defy its utmost wrath. There were two verses of complaint, and here are two of confidence; it is well to weigh out a sufficient quantity of the sweet to counteract the sour.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 3-4. See Psalms on "Psalms 56:3" for further information.

Ver. 4. In God I will praise his word. Or, praise him for his word; for the whole Scripture that was then in being. John Gill.

Ver. 4. The best hold that faith can have of God, is to take him by his word, however his dispensation seems to be; this will give satisfaction at length; for In God I will praise his word, is as much as to say, albeit he withhold comfort and deliverance from me, so that I cannot find what I would, yet let me have his word, and I will give him the glory of all his attributes. David Dickson.

Ver. 4. I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Fear not man, he is but flesh. Thou needest not, thou oughtest not to fear. Thou needest not. What, not such a great man; not such a number of men, who have the keys of all the prisons at their girdle; who can kill or save alive? No, not these; only look they be thy enemies for righteousness sake. Take heed thou makest not the least child thine enemy, by offering wrong to him; God will right the wicked even upon the saint. If he offends he shall find no shelter under God's wing for his sin. This made Jerome complain that the Christian sin made the arms of those barbarous nations which invaded Christendom victorious: Nostris peccatis fortes sunt barbari. But if man's wrath find thee on God's way, and his fury take fire at thy holiness, thou needest not fear though thy life be the prey he hunts for. Flesh can only wound flesh; he may kill thee, but not hurt thee. Why shouldest thou fear to be stripped of that which thou hast resigned already to Christ? It is the first lesson you learn, if a Christian, to deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow thy Master; so that the enemy comes too late; thou hast no life to lose, because thou hast given it already to Christ; nor can man take away that without God's leave; all thou hast is insured; and though God hath not promised thee immunity from suffering in this kind, yet he hath undertaken to bear the loss, yea, to pay thee a hundredfold, and thou shalt not stay for it till another world. Again, thou oughtest not to fear flesh. Our Saviour (Matthew 10:0) thrice, in the compass of six verses, commands us not to fear man: if thy heart quail at him, how wilt thou behave thyself in the last against Satan, whose little finger is heavier than man's loins? The Romans had arma proelusoria, weapons rebated or cudgels, which they were tried at before they came to the sharp. If thou canst not bear a bruise in thy flesh from man's cudgels and blunt weapons, what wilt thou do when thou shalt have Satan's sword in thy side? God counts himself reproached when his children fear a sorry man; therefore we are bid sanctify the Lord, not to fear their fear. William Gurnall.

Ver. 4. I will not fear, etc. Eusebius tells us of a notable speech that Ignatius used when he was in his enemies' hands, not long before he was to suffer, which argued a raised spirit to a wonderful height above the world, and above himself. "I care, "says he, "for nothing visible or invisible, that I might get Christ. Let fire, the cross, the letting out of beasts upon me, breaking of my bones, the tearing of my members, the grinding of my whole body, and the torments of the devils come upon me, so be it I may get Christ." From Jeremiah Burroughs' "Moses his Self denial, "1649.

Ver. 4. What flesh can do, etc. It is according to the phrase of Scripture, when it would speak contemptibly of man and show him to be the lowest creature, to call him "flesh, "to set forth the weakness that man is subject to. John Arrowsmith, 1600-1660.

Ver. 4. (last clause). Fear of man --grim idol, bloody mouthed; many souls has he devoured and trampled down into hell! His eyes are full of hatred to Christ's disciples. Scoffs and jeers lurk in his eye. The laugh of the scorner growls in his throat. Cast down this idol. This keeps some of you from secret prayer, from worshipping God in your family, from going to lay your case before ministers, from openly confessing Christ. You that have felt God's love and Spirit, dash this idol to pieces. "Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die?" "Fear not, thou worm Jacob." "What have I to do any more with idols?" Robert Murray Macheyne, 1813-1843.

Ver. 4. Faith groweth valiant in fight; albeit it began like a coward, and staggered in the first conflict, yet it groweth stout, incontinent, and pulls its adversaries under foot: In God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. David Dickson.

Do Not Fear
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. (Ps. 56:4)
“Couple Ordered to Stop Holding Bible Study at Home Without Permit,” the headlines on the news website said. “The pastor and his wife have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, California, home for a Bible study—unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.”
I was shocked, but at the same time I’ve seen it coming. Ridicule and downright hatred of traditional values and the people who hold them has been growing. Nativity scenes normally displayed during Christmas (now called “Winter Holidays” in some places to be politically correct) are being banned in various locations. The Ten Commandments have been banished from public buildings. Alternative lifestyles and couples living together before marriage have been promoted and accepted. In the media and on the Internet we hear and read stories of increasing violence and sexuality.
The story I read was chilling, and the prospect of further trouble and persecution was frightening. But later that night as I studied my Bible, God reminded me that He is in control.
No matter what is happening in our country and around the world, God wants us to maintain a healthy perspective on what we see and hear. Yes, we need to be informed and keep abreast of issues that are of great importance to people of faith. But over and over again throughout God’s Word, we are told not to worry. When we see national and world events appearing to unravel before our eyes, be encouraged. Luke 21:28 says, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near!”

Terror Or Trust?

In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me. —Psalm 56:4

A sudden squall swept down with almost hurricane force through the funnel-like ravines above the lake of Tiberias, 682 feet below sea level. Huge waves washed into the little boat, threatening to sink it.

Terrified, the disciples of Jesus wakened Him. How could He sleep through the shrieking winds and ship-tossing tempest? (Jesus was sleeping because He was exhausted after a day of strenuous ministry.) “Do You not care that we are perishing?” they shouted (Mk. 4:38).

Calmly Jesus arose and commanded the raging storm to cease. Then, amid the calm and the darkness, He asked two questions of His awe-stricken disciples: “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (v.40).

As we voyage through the sea of life, terrifying gales may threaten to overwhelm us. Illness, loss, and danger may pummel us without relief. In our anxiety we may cry out to our seemingly indifferent Lord, “Don’t You care about our problems?” And Christ, completely in control of every circumstance, gently and lovingly rebukes us for failing to exercise faith. He urges us to trust His almighty and all-wise sovereignty. When God is with us, we are safe for time and eternity. Vernon Grounds (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
Or demons, or men, or whatever it be,
No water can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
—Baker

Better to go through the storm with Christ than to have smooth sailing without Him.

Psalm 56:5 All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil.

KJV Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.

NET All day long they cause me trouble; they make a habit of plotting my demise.

NLT They are always twisting what I say; they spend their days plotting to harm me.

BGT ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τοὺς λόγους μου ἐβδελύσσοντο κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ διαλογισμοὶ αὐτῶν εἰς κακόν

LXE All the day long they have abominated my words; all their devices are against me for evil.

CSB They twist my words all day long; all their thoughts against me are evil.

ESV All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

NIV All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me.

YLT All the day they wrest my words, Concerning me all their thoughts are for evil,

they (KJV): Isa 29:20,21 Mt 22:15 26:61 Lu 11:54 Joh 2:19 2Pe 3:16
all (KJV): 1Sa 18:17,21,29 20:7,33 Jer 18:18 Lu 22:3-6

WHEN WORDS ARE TWISTED
MOTIVES MALIGNED

All day long they distort (atsab) my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil - David now describes another weapon being used against him. His enemies were not only attacking his person, they were attacking him with words. They took what David said and twisted it, misrepresented it, and used it against him. Beloved, that's never happened to you has it? (Rhetorical!) David knew the pain not only of physical danger but also of being deliberately misunderstood and falsely represented (cf. Ps 35:11; 57:4; 64:2-4).

All day long - This is the third occurrence of this expression in the opening verses (Ps 56:1, 2, 5). David emphasizes the relentless nature of the opposition. It seemed like David had no respite, a feeling have all experienced when undergoing trials. His enemies pursued him “all day long” (v1), trampled upon him “all day long” (v2), and now distorted his words “all day long” (v5). Yet their continual opposition will be matched by David's continual confidence in God (Ps 56:10-11).

They distort (atsab; LXX - bdelusso - treat with disgust, loathing) my words - NET = "All day long they cause me trouble." The Hebrew verb atsab can mean to hurt, grieve, cause pain, shape, or distort. In this context the idea is that David's enemies were twisting his words into something he had not intended, presumably in order to accuse or condemn him. The NET renders it, “All day long they cause me trouble; they make a habit of plotting my demise.” Thus there is some uncertainty about whether the object is specifically David's spoken “words” or more broadly his affairs, but the NASB's rendering gives the vivid picture of malicious misrepresentation.

NET NOTE - Heb “my affairs they disturb.” For other instances of דָּבָר (davar) meaning “affairs, business,” see BDB 183 s.v.. The Piel of עָצַב (ʿatsav, “to hurt”) occurs only here and in Isa 63:10, where it is used of “grieving” (or “offending”) the Lord’s holy Spirit. Here in Ps 56:5, the verb seems to carry the nuance “disturb, upset,” in the sense of “cause trouble.”

This is a particularly painful form of persecution because the victim may have spoken truthfully, yet his words are rearranged, given a sinister interpretation, or repeated without their proper context. David experienced it, and so did the greater Son of David. Christ's enemies repeatedly attempted to trap Him in what He said (Mt 22:15; Lk 11:53-54), and at His trial false witnesses distorted His words concerning the temple (Mt 26:59-61; cf. Jn 2:19-21).

We can control what we say, but
we cannot always control what others say we said.

There is an important lesson here. We can control what we say, but we cannot always control what others say we said. Our responsibility is to speak truthfully and graciously and then entrust our reputation to God (Ps 37:5-6; Pr 12:19; Eph 4:25; 1Pe 2:23).

All their thoughts are against me for evil - NET = "they make a habit of plotting my demise." The problem went deeper than their words. Even their thoughts were hostile toward David. Their distortion was not an accidental misunderstanding but flowed from their malicious intent. They were continually devising ways to harm him. The same pattern appears elsewhere: “They devise injustices, saying, ‘We are ready with a well-conceived plot’” (Ps 64:6; cf. Ps 36:4; 41:7; 140:2).

THOUGHT: One of life's painful experiences is to have our words misunderstood or deliberately twisted. We cannot always defend ourselves against every accusation, nor do we need to. When others misrepresent our words, we can entrust our reputation to the God Who knows our heart and knows exactly what we said and meant (Ps 139:1-4; 1Pe 2:23). Remember reputation is what others think about us, but character is what God knows to be true of us.

We don't have to defend
what God already knows to be true.
When others misunderstand your words,
rest in the One Who understands your heart.”

EXPOSITION- SPURGEON

Ver. 5. Every day they wrest my words. This is a common mode of warfare among the ungodly. They put our language on the rack, they extort meanings from it which it cannot be made fairly to contain. Thus our Saviour's prophecy concerning the temple of his body, and countless accusations against his servants, were founded on wilful perversions. They who do this every day become great adepts in the art. A wolf can always find in a lamb's discourse a reason for eating him. Prayers are blasphemies if you choose to read them the wrong way upwards.

All their thoughts are against me for evil. No mixture of good will tone down their malice. Whether they viewed him as a king, a psalmist, a man, a father, a warrior, a sufferer, it was all the same, they saw through coloured glass, and could not think a generous thought towards him. Even those actions of his which were an undoubted blessing to the commonwealth, they endeavoured to undervalue. Oh, foul spring, from which never a drop of pure water can come!

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 5. Every day they wrest my words; or, they put my words to pain and grief, or, they painfully and grievously wrest my words. David's enemies took up what he spake, and put a new shape upon it; and this they did so vexingly, that they are said to wrest his words; a thing is vexed when it is wrested or wrought out of the form it before had. The same metaphor the apostle Peter useth in reference to doctrine, speaking of the Epistles of Paul, in which "are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, "or put upon the rack; they painfully form his words, and represent them in a meaning which he never intended. 2 Peter 3:16. What is spoken may be right, both in the matter and intendment of the speaker, yet another wrests, forms and fashions it in his own mould, and makes it bear a sense which the speaker never dreamed of. Joseph Caryl.

Ver. 5. Every day they wrest my words, etc. Mr. Jewel, the Bishop of Salisbury, who, according to his life, died most godly and patiently, at the point of death used the versicle of the Hymn, "Te Deum, ""O Lord, in thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded, " whereupon, suppressing the rest, they published that the principle champion of the heretics, in his very last words, cried he was confounded. Lord Bacon's "Bible Thoughts."

Ver. 5. They wrest my words. Whatever Christ said in justification of himself was twisted to a meaning injurious to him. So it is still in the world, self justification by words answers but little purpose with ungodly men. W. Wilson, D.D., 1860.

Psalm 56:6 They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life.

KJV They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

NET They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life.

NLT They come together to spy on me-- watching my every step, eager to kill me.

BGT παροικήσουσιν καὶ κατακρύψουσιν αὐτοὶ τὴν πτέρναν μου φυλάξουσιν καθάπερ ὑπέμειναν τὴν ψυχήν μου

LXE They will dwell near and hide themselves; they will watch my steps, accordingly as I have waited patiently in my soul.

CSB They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.

ESV They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life.

NIV They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.

YLT They assemble, they hide, they watch my heels, When they have expected my soul.

gather (KJV): Ps 2:1-3 59:3 71:10 140:2 Mt 26:3,4,57 27:1 Ac 4:5,6 23:12-14
hide (KJV): Ps 10:8-10 64:2-6 Da 6:4
mark (KJV): Ps 37:32 57:6 89:51 Job 14:16 31:4 Jer 20:10 Lu 20:20

WHEN THE ENEMY LURKS
AND WATCHES EVERY STEP

They attack, they lurk, they watch my steps, as they have waited to take my life - David's description becomes increasingly vivid. His enemies are not merely speaking against him or distorting his words (Ps 56:5), but are actively stalking him. Their hostility moves from thoughts, to words, to actions. David feels like a hunted man whose enemies are watching every movement, waiting for the opportunity to pounce and destroy him (cf. Ps 10:8-10; 37:32; 59:3; 140:4-5).

They attack - KJV = "They gather themselves together," NET = "They stalk and lurk" The Hebrew word (gur) has a range of meanings depending on context. Here it carries a hostile sense, describing David's enemies gathering or moving against him with the intention of harming him. The NET NOTE points out that the same root can mean “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” with hostile intent in Ps 59:3. Thus the NASB's “attack” emphasizes their aggressive purpose, while the KJV's “gather themselves together” emphasizes their assembling against David, and the NET's “stalk and lurk” emphasizes the threatening manner in which they pursue him. In context, “attack” should probably not be understood primarily as an open physical assault. The following words explain their activity: “they lurk, they watch my steps, as they have waited to take my life.” The picture is of men conspiring together, stalking David, watching his movements, and waiting for the opportunity to strike (cf. Ps 59:3; 71:10-11).

They lurk (tsapan/sapan) - The picture is of enemies who hide themselves and wait for the right opportunity to pounce. The idea is that they do not necessarily attack openly but they watch, scheme, and wait. Similar imagery appears in Psalm 10:9: “He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; he lurks to catch the afflicted.” David knew that while some dangers announce themselves openly, others remain hidden until the moment of attack (Ps 17:11-12; 64:2-6).

They watch my steps - David feels that every movement is being observed. His enemies are looking for an opportunity, perhaps waiting for him to make a mistake that they can exploit. This recalls Saul's relentless pursuit of David, when David was repeatedly forced to move from place to place to escape him (1Sa 23:14, 22-26; 24:1-2; 26:1-4). There is a beautiful contrast in the next verses, for while David's enemies are watching his steps, God is watching David. His enemies keep track of him in order to destroy him, while God keeps track of him in order to care for him. Thus David will say, “You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” (Ps 56:8). The enemy watches to harm while God watches to help.

As they have waited to take my life (nephesh) - Their ultimate purpose is now revealed. This is not mere criticism or harassment. David believes they are waiting for an opportunity to take his life. The Hebrew nephesh literally means soul, life, or person. David's enemies are hunting for his very life (cf. 1Sa 20:1; 23:15; Ps 35:4; 38:12; 54:3). This makes David's declaration in Ps 56:3-4 even more remarkable. He is not writing about fear from the comfort of safety. He is confessing trust while men are actively seeking his life. His faith does not arise from the absence of danger but from confidence in God in the presence of danger.

🙏 THOUGHT: Sometimes it seems that those against us are watching our every step, waiting for us to stumble. But Psalm 56 reminds us that God is watching even more closely, not to condemn His child, but to preserve, guide, and care for him (Ps 32:8; 33:18; 121:3-8). The enemy may watch our steps to harm us, but God watches over our steps to keep us (Ps 56:6, 8; 121:3-8).

Bob Utley - Because of the vicious and continuing attacks, the psalmist asks God to act in judgment against his adversaries.

cast them forth (lit. "for crimes, will they escape," NKJV) – BDB 812, KB 930, Piel IMPERATIVE
1. the VERB means "deliver," cf. Ps. 17:13; 18:3, so here it must be a question or the translation must add a negative by emendation (NET)
2. it is also possibly to change "deliverance," BDB 812, פלט, to"weigh out," BDB 814, פלס
put down the peoples – BDB 432, KB 434, Hiphil IMPERATIVE, cf. Ps. 55:23. It is surprising that "the peoples," which is usually used of national groups (NEB, REB), is used here. There are several theories.
1. this is a royal Psalm and refers to other nations (Peshitta)
2. this is an Israelite/Judean living among foreigners
3. just a way of referring to his enemies who act like non-covenant peoples

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 6. They gather themselves together. Firebrands burn the fiercer for being pushed together. They are afraid to meet the good man till their numbers place terrible odds against him. Come out, ye cowards, man to man, and fight the old hero! No, ye wait till ye are assembled like thieves in bands, and even then ye waylay the man. There in nothing brave about you.

They hide themselves. In ambuscade they wait their opportunity. Men of malice are men of cowardice. He who dares not meet his man on the king's highway, writes himself down a villain. Constantly are the reputations of good men assailed with deep laid schemes, and diabolical plots, in which the anonymous enemies stab in the dark.

They mark my steps, as hunters mark the trail of their game, and so track them. Malicious men are frequently very sharp sighted to detect the failings, or supposed failings, of the righteous. Spies and mouchards are not all in the pay of earthly governments, some of them will have wages to take in red hot coin from one who himself is more subtle than all the beasts of the field.

When they wait for my soul. Nothing less than his life would content them, only his present and eternal ruin could altogether glut them. The good man is no fool, he sees that he has enemies, and that they are many and crafty; he sees also his own danger, and then he shows his wisdom by spreading the whole case before the Lord, and putting himself under divine protection.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 6. They mark my steps. Go whither I will, they are at my heels. William Nicholson(-1671), in "David's Harp Strung and Tuned."

Psalm 56:7 Because of wickedness, cast them forth, In anger put down the peoples, O God!

KJV Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

NET Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! In your anger bring down the nations, O God!

NLT Don't let them get away with their wickedness; in your anger, O God, bring them down.

BGT ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηθενὸς σώσεις αὐτούς ἐν ὀργῇ λαοὺς κατάξεις ὁ θεός

LXE Thou wilt on no account save them; thou wilt bring down the people in wrath.

CSB Will they escape in spite of such sin? God, bring down the nations in wrath.

ESV For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

NIV On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.

YLT By iniquity they escape, In anger the peoples put down, O God.

escape (KJV): Ps 94:20,21 Ec 8:8 Isa 28:15 Jer 7:10 Hab 1:13
in thine (KJV): Ps 55:9,15,23 Jer 10:25 18:19-23

GOD WILL BRING DOWN
THE WICKED

Because of wickedness, cast them forth, in anger put down the peoples, O God! - After describing the relentless hostility of his enemies in verses 5-6, David turns directly to God and asks Him to judge them. David does not take vengeance into his own hands. Instead, he places his enemies and their wickedness into the hands of the righteous Judge. This is an important biblical principle: the believer may appeal to God for justice while leaving the execution of that justice with God (Dt 32:35; Ps 7:6-11; 94:1-3; Ro 12:19; 1Pe 2:23).

Because of wickedness cast them forth - NET = "Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape!" NIV = "On no account let them escape" David explains (Because = term of explanation) the reason their judgment is deserved. His enemies are not innocent people whom David simply dislikes. The preceding verses have described deliberate evil -- they distort his words, continually devise evil against him, gather together, lurk, watch his steps, and seek his life (Ps 56:5-6). David's prayer therefore arises from a concern for divine justice, not merely personal irritation.

Thus David asks God to bring his enemies down and prevent them from escaping justice. The idea is not that David personally intends to destroy them. Quite the opposite. David appeals to God because judgment belongs to God. This principle becomes evident in David's dealings with Saul. Although Saul repeatedly sought David's life, David twice refused opportunities to kill him, leaving Saul's fate in the LORD's hands (1Sa 24:4-12; 26:8-11, 23). Thus David could pray for divine judgment even while he himself refused to carry out vengeance. There is an important distinction between “God, judge wickedness” and “I will avenge myself.” Scripture permits the former while forbidding the latter (Dt 32:35; Ro 12:19).

Technical Note - The Hebrew construction is difficult, and some translations render the opening as a question, essentially, “Shall they escape because of their wickedness?” This probably captures David's thought particularly well. He is asking, Can these men commit such evil and simply escape the consequences? The implied answer is No! God is righteous and will ultimately call wickedness to account (Ps 7:11-16; 10:13-15; Eccl 12:14; Ro 2:5-6). This is an important truth when evil appears to prosper. God's patience must never be mistaken for God's indifference. Judgment may be delayed, but wickedness has not escaped His notice (Ps 50:21; Eccl 8:11-13; 2Pe 3:9-10).

NET NOTE adds - Heb “because of wickedness, deliver them.” As it stands, the Masoretic Text makes no sense. The translation assumes that the negative particle אַיִן (ʾayin, “there is not,”) was lost due to haplography because of its similarity to the immediately preceding אָוֶן (ʾaven, “wickedness”) as suggested by BHS with external support. Also, פַּלֵּט (pallet) is read as the noun “deliverance” instead of as an imperative verb (each has the same form). Even so, the presence of an imperative in the next line (note “bring down”) suggests that this line should be translated as a prayer as well, “may there not be deliverance to them.”

In anger put down the peoples, O God! - NET = "In your anger bring down the nations, O God!" ESV = "In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!" David appeals to God's righteous anger against evil. Divine anger is not uncontrolled emotion or sinful rage. God's wrath is His holy and settled opposition to sin (Ps 7:11; 11:5-7; Nah 1:2-3; Ro 1:18). Put down vividly reverses the situation described in verse 2. David's enemies “fight proudly” against him, apparently occupying the superior position. Now David asks God to bring exalted ones down. Those who exalt themselves against God's purposes will ultimately discover that there is One infinitely higher than they are (Ps 18:27; 75:6-7; Isa 2:11-12; Lk 18:14). Notice also the movement from “my foes” (v2) to “the peoples” (v7). David's prayer broadens beyond his immediate enemies. God is not merely David's personal defender but is the sovereign Judge of all peoples and nations (Ps 9:7-8; 96:10, 13; 98:9).

This is one of the great lessons of the imprecatory passages of Scripture. When we are wronged, our instinct is often to retaliate. David teaches us the better way is to take the injustice to the Judge of all the earth and leave it there (Ge 18:25; Ro 12:19).

🙏 THOUGHT: When others wrong us, we do not need to become judge, jury, and executioner. We can entrust both our cause and our enemies to the God Who judges righteously (1Pe 2:23; 4:19). When we are wronged, faith refuses personal vengeance and leaves justice in the hands of the righteous Judge (Ro 12:19). We do not need to settle every score, because every wrong is already known to the Judge of all the earth (Ge 18:25).

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 7. Shall they escape by iniquity? Will such wickedness as this stand them in good stead? Can it be that this conduct shall enable them to avoid the sentence of earthly punishment? They slander the good man to screen themselves--will this avail them? They have cunningly managed hitherto, but will there not be an end to their games?

In thine anger cast down the people, O God. Trip them up in their tricks. Hurl them from the Tarpeian rock. A persecuted man finds a friend even in an angry God, how much more in the God of love! When men seek to cast us down, it is but natural and not at all unlawful to pray that they may be disabled from the accomplishment of their infamous designs. What God often does we may safely ask him to do.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS None.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 7.

I. From iniquity there is an escape.

II. By iniquity there is no escape. The mercy of God secures the one. The justice of God prevents the other. G. R.

Psalm 56:8 You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?

KJV Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

NET You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container! Are they not recorded in your scroll?

NLT You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

BGT τὴν ζωήν μου ἐξήγγειλά σοι ἔθου τὰ δάκρυά μου ἐνώπιόν σου ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ σου

LXE O God, I have declared my life to thee; thou has set my tears before thee, even according to thy promise.

CSB You Yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your records?

ESV You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

NIV Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll-- are they not in your record?

YLT My wandering Thou hast counted, Thou -- place Thou my tear in Thy bottle, Are they not in Thy book?

NKJ You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?

tellest (KJV): Ps 105:13,14 121:8 Nu 33:2-56 1Sa 19:18 22:1-5 27:1 Isa 63:9 2Co 11:26 Heb 11:8,13,38
put (KJV): Ps 39:12 126:5,6 2Ki 20:5 Job 16:20 Rev 7:17
are they (KJV): Ps 139:16 Mal 3:16 Mt 10:30 Rev 20:12

THERE ARE NO SECRET
TEARS IN HEAVEN

Bob Utley - Ps 56:8-13 This strophe deals with the psalmist's faith conviction that God was with him and for him (cf. v. 4). One day his adversaries will face the consequences of their actions (Ps. 56:9). We reap what we sow (see full lists of texts at Gal. 6:7-10).

You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? - This is one of the most tender and personal statements about God's care in the Psalms. David has just described his enemies watching his steps (Ps 56:6). Now he remembers that God has also been watching his steps, but for an entirely different reason. His enemies watch in order to destroy; God watches in order to care. Not one mile of David's wandering and not one tear from his suffering has escaped God's notice.

You have taken account of my wanderings - NET = "You keep track of my misery." The Hebrew word translated “wanderings” (nod) conveys the idea of restlessness, or being driven about as a fugitive. How appropriate for David! Saul's persecution had forced him from place to place. He fled from Saul to Samuel at Ramah (1Sa 19:18), to Nob (1Sa 21:1), and then to Gath among the Philistines (1Sa 21:10). Later he would hide in caves and wilderness strongholds (1Sa 22:1; 23:14).

NET NOTE - Heb “my wandering you count, you.” The Hebrew term נֹד (nod, “wandering,” derived from the verbal root נוֹד, nod, “to wander”; cf. NASB) here refers to the psalmist’s “changeable circumstances of life” and may be translated “misery.” Cf. NIV11 “my misery.” The verb סָפַר (safar, “count”) probably carries the nuance “assess” here. Cf. NIV “record”; NRSV “you have kept count.”

To David, these movements may have seemed chaotic. To God, every step was accounted for. David might have been a fugitive on earth, but he was never lost to heaven. Compare Job's words, “He knows the way I take” (Job 23:10), and David's later testimony, “You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways” (Ps 139:3; cf. Ps 37:23; Pr 5:21). There is great comfort here for seasons when life seems to have lost its direction. What appears to us as wandering is never outside the watchful providence of God. We may not know where the road is taking us, but God knows every step along the road (Pr 3:5-6).

Put my tears in Your bottle - NIV = "list my tears on your scroll" NET = "Put my tears in your leather container! " David moves from his feet to his eyes, from his wanderings to his weeping. The imagery is very intimate. David pictures God as though He were gathering and preserving every tear that falls from his eyes. The point is not that God possesses a literal bottle containing our tears. It is poetic imagery declaring that no sorrow experienced by God's child is unnoticed, insignificant, or forgotten by Him. Tears occur frequently in the Psalms. David could say, “Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears” (Ps 6:6). Elsewhere the psalmist says, “My tears have been my food day and night” (Ps 42:3; cf. Ps 39:12; 126:5). Scripture never treats tears as evidence that faith has failed. Sometimes tears are the language of faith when suffering has left us with few words. This truth reaches its culmination in Revelation, where God Himself “will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 21:4; cf. Rev 7:17). The God Who notices every tear now will one day remove every reason for tears forever.

Related Resource:

What does it mean that God collects our tears in a bottle?

Are they not in Your book? - David changes the metaphor from a bottle to a book. What God gathers in the bottle He also records in the book. Again, the language is poetic, emphasizing God's perfect knowledge and remembrance. Human beings may forget what David suffered, but God keeps the record (cf. Ps 69:28; 139:16; Mal 3:16).

THOUGHT: Some tears fall when no one is watching, and some sorrows are too deep for anyone else to understand. But there are no unseen tears in the eyes of God. The One Who numbers the hairs of our head knows every tear that falls from our eyes (Ps 56:8; Mt 10:30).

God knows the sorrow behind every tear.

Bob Utley - God knows what the psalmist is going through (cf. Exod. 3:7). He expresses this faith worldview (i.e., based on the promises of Scripture) in

the VERB, "taken account" (i.e., God knows) – BDB 707, KB 765, Qal PERFECT
the VERB, "put my tears in a bottle" – BDB 962, KB 1321, Qal IMPERATIVE (i.e., prayer request); imagery for remembering the suffering and evil the psalmist experienced at the hands/words of his enemies
Your book – the word "book" (BDB 707) is very similar to the VERB "take into account" (BDB 707). "Book" is a biblical idiom of God's memory. This rhetorical question expects a "yes" answer.

James Smith - THE THREE B's.
I. Bag. FOR MY SINS (Job 14:17). When reading this verse there came into mind a practice at sea-side towns of putting dogs and cats that have been condemned, into a bag, with weights, tied, and then cast into the river or sea. This the Lord does, in figure, with sins.
II. Book. FOR MY NAME (Psa. 139:16; Phil. 4:3). What a great privilege to have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
III. Bottle. FOR OUR TEARS (Psa. 56:8). It was an Egyptian custom at funerals, for mourners to have handed to them a sponge or cloth to wipe their tears, which were wrung out into a tear bottle, and this was placed in the tomb. God takes notice of all our tears.
He knows. He loves. He cares Nothing this truth can dim.

THE DEITY IS IN THE DETAILS - David Jeremiah - David Jeremiah Morning and Evening Devotions: Holy Moments

Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? PSALM 56:8

An apocryphal story is told about the filming of the legendary movie The Bridge on the River Kwai. The director was preparing for the epic shot of a locomotive and train falling from an exploding bridge into a river gorge below. Three cameras were assigned to shoot the scene. After the shot, the director radioed each camera operator. “Sorry, sir—my camera jammed,” said the first. “Left my lens cap on,” said the second. The director nearly fainted when the third said, “Ready when you are, sir!”
With one-time opportunities, details matter. Not even enthusiasm can make up for a lack of attention to details. Modern culture likes to say “the devil’s in the details.” Wrong! It is our God who is at work in even the smallest parts of life.
Daniel the prophet discovered this when God showed him a preview of world history: “There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” (Daniel 9:25). Not eight and sixty-three or six and sixty-one. God knows every detail of the past, present, and future of the world—and of your life. He counts your tears and knows the number of hairs on your head. How comforting to know our God has overlooked nothing.
Because God is in the details, He is always ready when you are.

The Gift Of Tears

Jesus wept. —John 11:35

Cindy Hess Kasper

I called a longtime friend when his mother died. She had been a close friend of my mother, and now both had passed on. As we spoke, our conversation slipped easily into a cycle of emotion—tears of sorrow now that Beth was gone and tears of laughter as we recalled the caring and fun person she had been.

Many of us have experienced that strange crossover from crying one moment and laughing the next. It’s an amazing gift that emotions of both sorrow and joy can provide a physical release in this way.

Since we are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26), and humor is such an integral part of almost every culture, I imagine that Jesus must have had a wonderful sense of humor. But we know that He also knew the pain of grief. When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus saw Mary weeping, and “He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.” A short time later, He too began to weep (John 11:33-35).

Our ability to express our emotions with tears is a gift, and God keeps track of each tear we cry. Psalm 56:8 says, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (nlt). But one day—we are promised (Rev. 7:17)—God “will wipe away every tear.”

Reflect & Pray

Lord, You have made us to laugh, to cry, to yearn, to love—and to miss those who have gone before us. Help us to love even more deeply, confident in Your goodness and in the resurrection You promise.

Our loving heavenly Father, who washed away our sins, will also wipe away our tears.

Today's Insights

Not only did Jesus weep for others but also for His own suffering in Gethsemane. The enemy Jesus faced was death—both physical and spiritual. As the sin-bearer, the Lord Jesus Christ bore the full wrath of God for sinners (Isa. 53:4). He experienced a full range of human emotions so He could be a compassionate High Priest for us (Heb. 2:18). (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

James Scudder - He Hears You

Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? Psalm 56:8

The world’s false standards for manliness often say that crying is for wimps. Real, “macho” men don’t cry. The invincible heroes of novels and movies don’t ever show that kind of weakness. Rough and tough athletes in professional sports are mocked whenever they break down and weep.
That isn’t real life, however. In reality, everyone faces trials or defeats that pierce them to the core. There are times we all face that break us down. Your reason for crying may be the loss of a loved one, marital strife, financial hardship, or any other type of trial.
Let me tell you that it is okay to cry in the midst of tragedy. It’s not a sign of weakness. In fact, King David, Israel’s greatest king often cried. Many of the psalms were written while he was crying before the Lord. He cried in the daytime and in the “night season.” (Psalm 22:2) At times, he cried so much that his throat was dried (Psalm 69:3) and his “couch was soaked.” No one would ever doubt the manliness of David, yet he often cried.
Our blessed hope as believers is God’s response to our tears. He doesn’t look away. He doesn’t write us off as hopeless. He hears our tears. In fact, according to David, He collects them in a bottle. Isn’t that an encouraging hope?
Are you in the midst of a trial? Don’t be afraid to cry. God hears you.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Psalm 102:1

Joni E Tada - A List of Tears More Precious Than Silver: 366 Daily Devotional Readings - Page 24

Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll—are they not in your record? —Psalm 56:8

Think of all the tears you’ve ever cried. That time at recess when you weren’t picked for dodgeball. The Saturday night of the prom when you sat home alone. The job interview that went sour. The time your neighbor down the street told you to “quit talking about religion.” The day your father died. The day your spouse left.
You may have thought no one noticed your red eyes. Not so. God saw. What’s more, he has every intention of rewarding your endurance through that pain. Why else would he meticulously chronicle every one of your tears?
Every tear you’ve cried—think of it—will be redeemed. God will give you indescribable glory for your grief. Not with a general wave of the hand but in a considered and specific way. Each tear has been listed; each will be recompensed. We know how valuable our tears are in his sight—when the woman anointed Jesus with the valuable perfume, it was the tears with which she washed his feet that moved him most powerfully (Luke 7:44). The worth of our weeping is underscored again in Revelation 21:4, which says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” It won’t be the duty of angels or others. It’ll be God’s.
I’ve cried a few times over not having use of my hands (though nowhere near like I used to). I think it’s ironic that on the day in heaven when I finally get back use of my hands so I can dry my own tears…I won’t have to.

Make a list of the times you’ve cried from hurt, disappointment, or physical pain in the last few years. How might God recompense you? Did you cry tears in the midst of praise or prayer? These tears have special power with God, as we saw from Luke 7:44.

Thank you, Lord, for numbering my tears and recording in your book the pain I have experienced. Nothing—not even my crying—will be wasted. Bless you for that.

Greg Laurie - BREAK THE GLASS Every Day with Jesus: Forty Years of Favorite Devotions - Page 224

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. (Psalm 56:8 NLT)

When you are hurting about something, although people may not understand, God understands. You can bring a burden before the Lord that may seem insignificant to someone else.

David understood this when he wrote, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book (Ps. 56:8NLT). That is a wonderful insight into the personal compassion that God has for each and every one of us.
We are prone to only pray about the big things. We tend to think of prayer as last resort, like the fire alarms that say, “In case of emergency, break this glass.” If it is a little fire, so to speak, we think, I can handle this, and we will put the fire out. But if half the building is burning, then we go ahead and break the glass.

Yet God is telling us to break the glass, no matter what it is. Don’t wait for a small thing to become a big thing. Bring the small thing before the Lord and pray about it. Your heavenly Father is interested in every detail of your life. Do not reduce the infinite to the finite by placing a limit on God, because He says, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14).

Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything” (NLT). Note the word “everything.” It doesn’t say, “Pray about some things.” Nor does it say, “Pray about really big things.” In the original language, that could be translated to say “everything.” And what it really means is everything.

An Exemplary Lady

“Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?”—Ps. 56:8

There is an old MS. of a sermon preached at the funeral of the Lady May Farewell, at Hill Bishops, near Taunton, in 1660, which was delivered by the good old Puritan, Mr. George Newton. The Lady Farewell had been a good friend to him, and he was always welcomed at her home. Part of the discourse runs as follows:—

“She lived not in pleasure, but in a strict performance (not of the easiest only, but) of the hardest and severest private duties, and in diligent attendance of the publique ordinances in her own and in the neighbour congregations, under which, while some were hardened, she melted, and closely dropt many a silent, secret tear (I speake it upon good assurance), which, though she covered, God observed and received into His bottle. Among many other graces which I have not room to mention, her humility was orient. She had exactly learned Bernard’s golden rule, which he illustrates with a simile: ‘As he that goes in at a little low door, it matters not how much he stoops, but if he beare himself one inch too high, he is in danger’; so she regarded not how low she stoopt, nor how far she condescended, in doing any office, or in bearing any burthen, wherein she might fulfil the law of love.”

Charles Swindoll - God’s Aware of Your Tears Psalm 56:8 Good Morning, Lord . . . Can We Talk? - Page 39

TEARS HAVE A LANGUAGE ALL THEIR OWN, needing no interpreter. In some mysterious way, our inner-communication system knows its verbal limitations, and the tears come.

Eyes that flashed and sparkled moments before are flooded.

Tears are not self-conscious. They can spring upon us when we are in public or standing beside others who look to us for strength.

Tears may flow during the singing of a majestic hymn or when lost in some nostalgic memory or wrestling in soul-searching prayer.

Did you know that God takes special notice of your tears? Reflect on the words of David:

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. PSALM 56:8

Whatever was going on in David’s life when he penned this psalm had driven him to tears.

A teardrop on earth summons the King of Heaven. Rather than being ashamed or disappointed, the Lord takes note when our hard times are oiled by tears. He turns these situations into moments of tenderness; He never forgets the crises in our lives where tears were shed.

One of the great drawbacks of our society is its reluctance to show tears. For some reason, men feel that tears are a sign of weakness . . . and many an adult believes that crying is immature. How unfortunate! The consequence is that we place a watchdog named “restraint” before our hearts. This animal is trained to bark, snap, and scare away any unexpected guest who seeks entrance.

The ultimate result is a well-guarded, highly respectable, uninvolved heart surrounded by heavy bars of confinement. Such a structure resembles a prison more than a home where the tender Spirit of Christ resides. David resisted all of that. And he was a man’s man —who felt and embraced the heart of God.

What struggle today has you on the brink of brokenness? You’ll never feel the comforting touch of God’s mercy until you impound restraint and let a little tenderness run loose. He enters all your sorrows —and wants to carry them for you. Remember what the psalmist wrote about our merciful Father? “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears.” Yes, all.

Ps. 56:8 - This verse was frequently in the mouth of Archbishop Ussher, who was driven to and fro through England and Ireland, amid the troubles and changes in Church and State. He was one of the best and most learned men of his time; born in 1580 in Dublin, he died at Reigate, in England, in 1655, and was a preacher of the gospel for fifty-five years.

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 8. Thou tellest my wanderings. Every step which the fugitive had taken when pursued by his enemies, was not only observed but thought worthy of counting and recording. We perhaps are so confused after a long course of trouble, that we hardly know where we have or where we have not been; but the omniscient and considerate Father of our spirits remembers all in detail; for he has counted them over as men count their gold, for even the trial of our faith is precious in his sight.

Put thou my tears into thy bottle. His sorrows were so many that there would need a great wineskin to hold them all. There is no allusion to the little complimentary lachrymators for fashionable and fanciful Romans, it is a more robust metaphor by far; such floods of tears had David wept that a leathern bottle would scarce hold them. He trusts that the Lord will be so considerate of his tears as to store them up as men do the juice of the vine, and he hopes that the place of storage will be a special one--thy bottle, not a bottle.

Are they not in thy book? Yes, they are recorded there, but let not only the record but the grief itself be present to thee. Look on my griefs as real things, for these move the heart more than a mere account, however exact. How condescending is the Lord! How exact his knowledge of us! How generous his estimation! How tender his regard!

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 8. Put thou my tears in thy bottle. Among other things in the collection of Mr. Abbott, of Cairo, he had a lachrymatory, or tear bottle, which had been found in a tomb at Thebes. This interested me very much. The custom in old times was, when a person was ill or in great distress, for his friends to go to see him, and take with them a tear bottle. Then, as the tears rolled down the cheeks of the sufferer, they were caught in these bottles, sealed up, and preserved as a memorial of the event. This is what David referred to in Psalms 56:8. Put thou my tears into thy bottle. But it implies much more than at first suggests itself, and much more than I can attempt to write. For instance, it is as if David had said, "Visit me, and behold my tears; "("O visit me with thy salvation!") for without such visit there could be no bottling of his tears. "Thou tellest my wanderings; O visit me, and behold my anguish; put my tears into thy bottle, "for "they have been my meat day and night." Psalms 42:3. "Keep them before thee, by way of remembrance, and when thou seest the bottle, O think of him whose tears it contains. Are they not in thy book?" That is, God's book of remembrance, that was written for those "who thought upon his name" (Malachi 3:16), just as the kings of old used to keep a book of chronicles of important events. See Ezra 6:1-11. John Gadsby, 1860.

(We insert this to show what has been said by others; but we do not think there is the slightest allusion to this piece of Roman etiquette in this text. C. H. S.)

Ver. 8. My tear: the singular used collectively. In thy bottle: as if one should say, take care of my tears, as of a kind of wine that is very costly, and very pleasant to thee; or, that hereafter you may measure out to me just that quantity of joys: a metaphor from the keeper of a vineyard, who receives into his vessel the drops of the grapes pressed out by the winepress of affliction. The word dag (iter) (leather or skin bottle) denotes the manner in which they preserved their wine. (1 Samuel 16:20; Joshua 9:4, Joshua 9:13), and milk also (Jude 1:4:19). Martin Geier.

Ver. 8. Put thou my tears into thy bottle. What a sweet thought is suggested here of God's remembrance of his people's affliction! It is an interesting figure of speech, of bottling their tears. But the sense is, they are remembered. And woe will be to the man that offends one of God's little ones on his account. What are now bottles of tears, will be poured out in the end as so many vials of wrath. But reader! think how the tears of Jesus have been treasured up when shedding for the sins of his people. Robert Hawker, 1753-1827.

Ver. 8. Put thou my tears into thy bottle. It is the witty observation of one, that God is said in Scripture to have a bag and a bottle, a bag for our sins, and a bottle for our tears; and that we should help to fill this, as we have that. There is an allusion here in the original that cannot be Anglicized. John Trapp.

Ver. 8. Are they not in thy book? While we remain in this vale of misery, God keeps all our tears in a bottle; so precious is the water that is distilled from penitent eyes; and because he will be sure not to fail, he notes how many drops there be in his register. It was a precious ointment wherewith the woman in the Pharisee's house (it is thought Mary Magdalene) anointed the feet of Christ; but her tears, wherewith she washed them, were more worth than her spikenard. Abraham Wright, in "A Practical Commentary or Exposition upon the Book of Psalms, "1661.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 8. Here are--

I. Manifold mercies, to reclaim from wanderings.

II. Tender mercies, putting tears in a bottle.

III. Covenant mercies, "Are they not, "etc. G. R.

Charles Dyer - Tears in a Bottle PSALM 56

Watch your step! This roadway down the Mount of Olives is very steep, and I don’t want anybody to slip and fall on some loose gravel. You made it past the hoard of peddlers selling all their trinkets, and now it’s just a little less hectic. But that’s only for a short while. See that opening to the right about fifty feet ahead? It’s the entrance to Dominus Flevit, our next stop!

There’s so much we can talk about at this site. The ossuaries, or bone boxes, near the entrance. The beautiful view of Jerusalem from inside. Or the thorn trees in front of the chapel that so vividly picture what the crown of thorns might have been like. But today I want to point out one unusual architectural feature of the chapel itself. Look carefully at its four corners. See those decorative urns rising up on each side? Those actually represent tear bottles. This chapel commemorates the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem—Dominus Flevit means “our Lord wept”—so the architect incorporated tear bottles into his design.

But why tear bottles? What’s the story behind them?

Excavators have found numerous small, blown-glass bottles from New Testament times that were used to collect someone’s tears. It was as if, by collecting their tears in a bottle, people could hang on to the memories of their loved ones through times of separation and loss. It was a tangible way to demonstrate how much you cared for somebody. The architect placed these bottles on each corner to honor the tears Jesus shed for this city and its people.

Take one final look at those bottles, because I want to transport us to a different time and a different place. And the only similarity to what we’ve seen so far will be those tear bottles. Our destination is the city of Gath out on the Philistine Plain, and our arrival time is a thousand years before the time of Jesus. We’ve arrived in a city controlled by the Philistines who are at war with Israel, their sworn enemies.

We’re in enemy territory. And what’s more, so is young David! In his desperate attempt to flee from King Saul, David foolishly thought he would be safe by fleeing to this Philistine city. But the Philistine leaders had a sharp eye, and an even sharper memory. The battle in the Elah Valley had been short and chaotic, but they recognized the young shepherd lad who had killed the champion of Gath, the giant Goliath! The leaders confronted the king with their accusation. “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” (1 Sam. 21:11).

When David heard these words, his heart sank. In fleeing from Saul to the city of Gath, David had jumped out of the frying pan and right into the fire. For one of the few times in his life the Bible says David “greatly feared” his enemies (v. 12). In desperation young David feigned insanity, hoping to convince the king he was no longer a threat. And surprisingly the king of Gath did allow him to leave. David was still a fugitive from Saul, but at least he was no longer trapped inside this enemy stronghold.

But what does David’s near-death experience in Gath have to do with tear bottles? The answer comes from the very psalm written by David after his heart-pounding escape from this Philistine city. In the introduction to Psalm 56, David tells us he wrote the psalm “when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” This psalm is a poetic retelling of his life-threatening experience in that stronghold.

David begins his psalm with a description of being trampled on and oppressed by his enemies. No doubt the nobles who seized him and took him before the king wanted permission to exact their revenge on this one who had killed their champion and defeated their armies. David had good reason to be afraid. The threat to his life was real.

But David then shared the inner thought process that made him such a man after God’s own heart. Listen carefully to what he wrote in verses 3 and 4. “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” In his darkest hour David understood the power of the God in whom he trusted was greater than that of the enemies aligned against him.

This is, of course, a noble thought! But some of you might be thinking, I know God is greater than all the problems I face. But how can I be sure He cares enough for me to help? He might be great, but is He also good?

Just a few verses later David shares his reassuring answer to this provocative question. With confidence he cries out in verse 8, “You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?”

A bottle and a book. David uses these two objects to describe how much God cares for His children. As David wept in fear and anguish, he pictured God gently pressing His heavenly tear bottle against David’s cheek, carefully collecting each tear falling from his eyes. God wasn’t listening passively to David’s cries for help; He was lovingly saving up David’s tears. This psalm paints a tender picture of David’s preciousness to God. And, by extension, David demonstrates the preciousness in which God holds all His children.

David’s second example shifts our focus from a tear bottle to a book. His struggles and problems were, he said, recorded in God’s heavenly book. The truth being conveyed is that God knows everything that’s taking place in our lives. Nothing escapes His notice, nothing is missed. David has confidence in God because he knows God is aware of every moment and every circumstance … and He won’t forget them.

Tear bottles. They commemorate a time when the Son of God wept over Jerusalem. In Psalm 56 they also remind us that God cares for His followers, especially in times of anguish. David’s message for his readers is simple. If you’re struggling today, God knows, and He cares! This leads David to shout triumphantly in the very next verse, “This I know, that God is for me” (v. 9).

Psalm 56:9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.

KJV When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

NET My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side.

NLT My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!

BGT ἐπιστρέψουσιν οἱ ἐχθροί μου εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπικαλέσωμαί σε ἰδοὺ ἔγνων ὅτι θεός μου εἶ σύ

LXE Mine enemies shall be turned back, in the day wherein I shall call upon thee; behold, I know that thou art my God.

CSB Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me.

ESV Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.

NIV Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.

YLT Then turn back do mine enemies in the day I call. This I have known, that God is for me.

When (KJV): Ps 118:11-13 Ex 17:9-11 Jer 33:3
then (KJV): Ps 18:38-42 27:2 Joh 18:6
for (KJV): Ps 46:7,11 Isa 8:9,10 Ro 8:31

WHEN GOD TURNS
THE BATTLE

Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me - What a remarkable change in David's perspective! Earlier his enemies were trampling him, pursuing him, distorting his words, plotting evil, watching his steps, and seeking his life (Ps 56:1-2, 5-6). Yet now David confidently declares, “My enemies will turn back.” What accounts for this transformation? David has turned from looking at those who are against him to remembering the God Who is for him.

Then my enemies will turn back - Then marks a turning point and anticipated result of God's intervention. David's enemies may presently appear to have the advantage, but David is convinced that their advance will not continue indefinitely. When God acts, those who were pursuing David will themselves be forced to retreat (cf. Ps 9:3; 18:37-40; 27:2-3; 118:10-12). Notice that David does not say, “I will make my enemies turn back.” His confidence is not ultimately in his military skill, ingenuity, or ability to escape (cf 2Cor 3:5-6). The decisive factor is God. This is the same principle seen when Jehoshaphat confessed, “We are powerless before this great multitude...nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2Ch 20:12).

Bob Utley - "will turn back" This VERB (Qal IMPERFECT) is a common VERB and has a wide semantic field. It is often used of "repentance," but here, it denotes the defeat of the psalmist's enemies, in imagery, meaning to turn one's back in battle (i.e., retreat). Their plans (vv. 5-6) have been thwarted.

In the day when I call - David had learned to respond to danger with prayer. Earlier he said, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You” (Ps 56:3). Now that trust expresses itself in calling upon God. The pattern is repeated throughout the Psalms: “In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me” (Ps 86:7; cf. Ps 18:3, 6; 50:15; 116:1-2).

There is no suggestion that prayer is a mechanism by which David controls God. Rather, prayer expresses his dependence upon God. David calls because he believes God hears and he expects his enemies to turn back because he believes God acts.

Bob Utley - "when I call" It is possible the "call" is a statement of faith. Ps. 56:9b Ps. 56:3a Ps. 56:4a-b Whichever it refers to, it denotes an act of volitional faith. There is a theological tension between the sovereignty of God and the freewill of man. Both are necessary for covenant.

This I know - These three words are especially significant. David does not say, “This I hope,” “This I feel,” or “This seems likely.” He says, “This I know.” His circumstances are uncertain, but his conviction about God is certain. There are many things David does not know. He does not know how long he will remain a fugitive. He does not know exactly how he will escape Gath. He does not know when God's promise concerning the throne will be fulfilled. But there is one thing he knows: “God is for me.” Faith does not require us to know what God is going to do next. It requires us to know Who God is and where He stands in relation to those who belong to Him.

That God is for me - This is the heart of the verse. David's confidence is not ultimately that circumstances are favorable, because they clearly are not. His confidence is that God is favorable toward him.

David's words anticipate Paul's magnificent declaration in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Paul does not mean that nobody will oppose the believer. Romans 8 itself speaks of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword (Ro 8:35). Rather, if the sovereign God is for us, no opposition can ultimately defeat His purposes for us (Ro 8:28-30, 35-39).

THOUGHT: We may not know what tomorrow will bring, how God will deliver, or when our circumstances will change. But the believer can say with David, “This I know, that God is for me.” And if God is for us, those things which are against us can never have the final word (Ro 8:31-39).

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 9. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back. So soon as I pray they shall fly. So surely as I cry they shall be put to the rout.

"So swift is prayer to reach the sky,
So kind is God to me."

The machinery of prayer is not always visible, but it is most efficient. God inclines us to pray, we cry in anguish of heart, he hears, he acts, the enemy is turned back. What irresistible artillery is this which wins the battle as soon as its report is heard! What a God is this who harkens to the cry of his children, and in a moment delivers them from the mightiest adversaries!

This I know. This is one of the believer's certainties, his axioms, his infallible, indisputable verities.

For God is for me. This, we know, and we know, therefore, that none can be against us who are worth a moment's fear. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Who will restrain prayer when it is so potent? Who will seek any other ally than God, who is instantly present so soon as we give the ordained signal, by which we testify both our need and our confidence?

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 9. When I cry. The cry of faith and prayer to God is more dreadful to our spiritual foes than the war whoop of the Indian is to his surprised brother savages. Adam Clarke.

Ver. 9. (first clause). It was somewhat that when David prayed he was saved from his enemies. "I will call on the Lord: so shall I be saved from mine enemies" (2 Samuel 22:4); there is the defensive power of prayer; but it is more that it puts enemies to the foil. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back and be put to flight; there is the offensive power of prayer. In David's tower there was an armoury, thalpijoth, a place to hang swords with two edges, swords with two mouths (Song of Solomon 4:4); a defensive and an offensive edge. Both edges must be used by such as seek safety. Prayer is a sword with two edges. "Put up thy sword into his place, "says Christ to Peter: "for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Matthew 22:52. But he that takes not this sword may happen to perish by the sword; and the drawing of this sword may save a man from perishing by the sword. Mark that last reason that our Saviour adds why Peter should put up his sword: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 22:53). As if he had said, If it were my mind to confound these mine enemies that now set upon me, I should not need thy sword to do it. I could pray to my Father, and could presently by prayer bring such forces into the field as should rout and scatter all mine enemies; hereby implying, that if he would, he could do his enemies more damage and mischief by his prayers against them than by the sword and all instruments of war. Prayer is twelve legions strong, yea, twelve legions of angels strong against enemies. Jeremiah Dyke (1620), in the Righteous Man's Tower.

Ver. 9. This I know. Faith goeth upon solid grounds, and is not a fallible conjecture, but a sure knowledge. David Dickson.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 9.

I. God is on the side of his people.

II. He is known to be on their side.

III. In answer to prayer he appears on their side.

IV. When he appears enemies flee.

Or--

I. The fact, God is for me.

II. The knowledge of that fact--This I know.

III. The use of that knowledge--When I cry, etc.

IV. The consequence of that use--Mine enemies turn back. G. R.

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening -

“When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.”—Psalm 56:9

It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase, “God is for me.” He was “for us” before the worlds were made; he was “for us,” or he would not have given his well-beloved son; he was “for us” when he smote the Only-begotten, and laid the full weight of his wrath upon him—he was “for us,” though he was against him; he was “for us,” when we were ruined in the fall—he loved us notwithstanding all; he was “for us,” when we were rebels against him, and with a high hand were bidding him defiance; he was “for us,” or he would not have brought us humbly to seek his face. He has been “for us” in many struggles; we have been summoned to encounter hosts of dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from without and within—how could we have remained unharmed to this hour if he had not been “for us”? He is “for us,” with all the infinity of his being; with all the omnipotence of his love; with all the infallibility of his wisdom; arrayed in all his divine attributes, he is “for us,”—eternally and immutably “for us”; “for us” when yon blue skies shall be rolled up like a worn out vesture; “for us” throughout eternity. And because he is “for us,” the voice of prayer will always ensure his help. “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies be turned back.” This is no uncertain hope, but a well grounded assurance—“this I know.” I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up for the answer, assured that it will come, and that mine enemies shall be defeated, “for God is for me.” O believer, how happy art thou with the King of kings on thy side! How safe with such a Protector! How sure thy cause pleaded by such an Advocate! If God be for thee, who can be against thee?

Ian R K Paisley - A Blessed and a Blessing Text

"When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me." Psalm 56:9

The Time—"When"
God's time to deliver is the time when we acknowledge we need deliverance and turn to Him.

The Task—"I Cry"
What a privilege and power is prayer. It is the great time-glass which signals deliverance is at hand.

The Testimony—"This I Know"
Knowledge is always power and spiritual knowledge is spiritual power and certain victory. It is in this knowledge we have power which saves us from despair.

The Truth—"for God Is for Me"
His Name is Emmanuel, God with us. If He is for us who can be against us? Only a lot of jumping grasshoppers.

The Triumph—"Then Shall Mine Enemies Turn Back"
God will shew us the tails of these snarling dogs and not their faces. As Samson saw the tails of the foxes so shall we when a greater than Samson turns up the heat.

Steve McVee - God Is for You Grace Walk Moments: A Devotional

This I know, that God is for me. PSALM 56:9

Have you ever found yourself in a place where it seems like life is against you? Sometimes it seems like nothing works in our favor. In those moments, we may be tempted to wonder where God is in all that’s going on.

The answer is simple. He is with you. Not only is He with you, but God is for you. This is a fact you need to settle in your mind once and for all time. Unless you have established firmly in your heart and mind that God is for you, you will be an easy target for attack every time things seem to go wrong.

When we can’t see the hand of God at work in our circumstances, then we have the opportunity to exercise our faith. There is no room for faith when there is no room for doubt. So the fact that the situation seems to suggest your Father isn’t involved makes it a perfect time for declaring in faith and faith alone, “This I know, that God is for me!”

The Handwriting of God
Missionaries Dick and Margaret Hillis found themselves caught in China during the Japanese invasion. The couple lived with their two children in the inland town of Shenkiu. The village was tense with fear, for every day brought terrifying reports of the Japanese advance. At the worst possible time, Dick developed appendicitis, and he knew his life depended on making the long journey by rickshaw to the hospital. On January 15, 1941, with deep foreboding, Margaret watched him leave.
Soon the Chinese colonel came with news. The enemy was near and townspeople must evacuate. Margaret shivered, knowing that one-year-old Johnny and two-month-old Margaret Anne would never survive as refugees. So she stayed put. Early next morning she tore the page from the wall calendar and read the new day’s Scripture. It was Psalm 56:3—What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
The town emptied during the day, and next morning Margaret arose, feeling abandoned. The new verse on the calendar was Psalm 9:10—Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
The next morning she arose to distant sounds of gunfire and worried about food for her children. The calendar verse was Genesis 50:21—I will nourish you and your little ones. An old woman suddenly popped in with a pail of steaming goat’s milk, and another straggler arrived with a basket of eggs.
Through the day, sounds of warfare grew louder, and during the night Margaret prayed for deliverance. The next morning she tore the page from the calendar to read Psalm 56:9—When I cry unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back. The battle was looming closer, and Margaret didn’t go to bed that night. Invasion seemed imminent. But the next morning, all was quiet. Suddenly, villagers began returning to their homes, and the colonel knocked on her door. For some reason, he told her, the Japanese had withdrawn their troops. No one could understand it, but the danger had passed. They were safe.
Margaret glanced at her wall calendar and felt she had been reading the handwriting of God.*

God’s Handwriting

Missionaries Dick and Margaret Hillis found themselves caught in China during the Japanese invasion. The couple lived with their two children in the inland town of Shenkiu. The village was tense with fear, for every day brought terrifying reports of the Japanese advance. At the worst possible time, Dick developed appendicitis, and he knew his life depended on making the long journey by rickshaw to the hospital. On January 15, 1941, with deep foreboding, Margaret watched him leave.
Soon the Chinese colonel came with news. The enemy was near and townspeople must evacuate. Margaret shivered, knowing that one-year-old Johnny and two-month-old Margaret Anne would never survive as refugees. So she stayed put. Early next morning she tore the page from the wall calendar and read the new day’s Scripture. It was Psalm 56:3—What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.*
The town emptied during the day, and the next morning Margaret arose, feeling abandoned. The new verse on the calendar was Psalm 9:10—Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
The next morning she arose to distant sounds of gunfire and worried about food for her children. The calendar verse was Genesis 50:21—I will nourish you and your little ones. An old woman suddenly popped in with a pail of steaming goat’s milk, and another straggler arrived with a basket of eggs.
Through the day, sounds of warfare grew louder, and during the night Margaret prayed for deliverance. The next morning she tore the page from the calendar to read Psalm 56:9—When I cry unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back. The battle was looming closer, and Margaret didn’t go to bed that night. Invasion seemed imminent. But the next morning, all was quiet. Suddenly, villagers began returning to their homes, and the colonel knocked on her door. For some reason, he told her, the Japanese had withdrawn their troops. No one could understand it, but the danger had passed. They were safe.
Margaret glanced at her wall calendar and felt she had been reading the handwriting of God.

Steve McVey - A Friendly Universe The Grace Walk Devotional - Page 45

This I know, that God is for me.—PSALM 56:9

Someone once asked Albert Einstein, “Of all the questions you’ve posed about the mysteries of the universe, which question do you think is the most important?” Einstein’s response: “Is the universe a friendly place or not?” That is an important question, and the answer isn’t hard to know. Our Creator is a friendly God, and He is sovereign over the universe. So wherever we are, we can trust Him to work all things together for our good.
Is the universe friendly? It doesn’t matter. The God who rules the universe is definitely friendly. That fact is enough to equip you to navigate through anything life seems to throw at you.
Speaking to His disciples shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15 NIV). There’s the big difference between empty religion and an exciting relationship with Christ!
A legalistic, religious viewpoint will cause you to see God purely as the One who has expectations of you that you’ll never be able to successfully meet. Of course there is a sense in which we are servants of God, but it’s not the kind of servant who must obey and serve in order to be accepted. We serve out of the overflow of pleasure we experience from walking arm in arm with our dear Friend each moment.
Your God is for you, and to the extent that you clearly understand that reality, you’ll find yourself being motivated to live boldly, knowing that your very existence brings honor to Him. His delight is in you, not in what you do. On the other hand, grace instills in us a desire to live in a way that honors Him. Just as it brings us joy to bring pleasure to other friends, we find joy in bringing pleasure to our Father. Knowing that God is for you will free you from self-consciousness about any shortcomings that you may perceive yourself to have. When you accept His complete acceptance of you as His friend, everything changes.
How you think about life is very important. Your mindset is like a thermostat for the temperature of your attitude. Your attitude will ultimately determine your feelings, and feelings have great potential to influence actions. That’s why this matter of properly understanding our Father’s mind toward us is so important.
God is for you—so don’t anticipate bad things, because a good God has your best interest at heart. Painful situations will sometimes arise, but even in the dark times, His loving faithfulness and strength is there to support you. As you look forward, make it your habit to assume God’s underlying goodness in every situation you face in life. Knowing that He is for you enables you to set a course for your life based on the truth.
It was David the psalmist who wrote, “This I know, that God is for me,” and like all of us, David experienced the ups and downs of life. But his faith remained steadfast. Without absolute confidence that God is on your side, circumstances may toss your emotions around like a cork in the ocean. However, the person who has settled on the fact of God’s goodness is able to calmly move forward in anticipation of a good outcome.
Does that mean that we always get what we want? Not at all, but it does mean that while our path may be a winding one that sometimes leads us through dark valleys, all the while we are progressing toward a good place. Anyplace God leads us is a good place because it is His place for our lives, and He is there with us.
The apostle Paul described it with poetic beauty:

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

With that biblical assurance as your foundation, you have every reason to expect the best. Consider every positive result in your life to be a reminder from God of His intent to bless you. When painful things happen, be assured that He is with you and that “this too shall pass.” Look for His hand and listen for His voice in the small things of your day. Your God is a good God, and He has already worked out the details for your life. He stands tall over the past, present, and future. He was with you in your past. He is with you now, and He is waiting in your future for you to catch up and see the wonderful things He has planned for you!
See the goodness of God in this day. Cultivate the habit of recognizing that the Source of every good thing that comes your way is a loving Father who is for you and wants to bless you. Don’t miss His daily expressions of love by failing to see the evidence that He is for you in the little things that work to your favor. Good things that may seem incidental aren’t. They are the whisper of a God who gently says, “See, I am for you.”

C H Spurgeon - God Is for Us

When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me Psalm 56:9KJV

It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase: “God is for me.” He was “for us” before the worlds were made; He was “for us,” or He would not have given His well-beloved Son; He was “for us” when He smote the Only Begotten and laid the full weight of His wrath upon Him—He was “for us” though He was against Him; He was “for us” when we were ruined in the fall—He loved us notwithstanding all; He was “for us” when we were rebels against Him and with a high hand were bidding Him defiance; He was “for us,” or He would not have brought us humbly to seek His face.

He has been “for us” in many struggles, we have been summoned to encounter hosts of dangers, we have been assailed by temptations from without and within—how could we have remained unharmed to this hour if He had not been “for us”? He is “for us” with all the infinity of His being, with all the omnipotence of His love, with all the infallibility of His wisdom; arrayed in all His divine attributes, He is “for us”—eternally and immutably “for us,” “for us” when yonder blue skies shall be rolled up like a worn-out vesture, “for us” throughout eternity.
And because He is “for us,” the voice of prayer will always ensure His help.

God, what can I fear with You on my side? You hear my prayers and my cries, and You rescue me. Your love never fails. Your wisdom speaks to my heart. Help me to listen and obey. Amen.

Mary Tileston: When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know, for God is for me.—Psalm 56:9.

Soul! wouldst thou from the battle shrink,
And flee before the foe?
Dost thou beneath the burden sink,
And in the dust lie low?
Oh! waste not there vain tears and sighs:
The trumpet soundeth clear,
Overcome, and to My glory rise!
Overcome, and triumph here!
THOMAS H. GILL.

Be not discouraged because of your souls enemies. Are ye troubled with thoughts, fears, doubts, imaginations, reasonings? Yea, do ye see, yet, much in you unsubdued to the power of life? Oh! do not fear it; do not look at it, so as to be discouraged by it; but look to Him! look up to the power which is over all their strength; wait for the descendings of the power upon you; abide in faith of the Lord’s help, and wait in patience till the Lord arise; and see if His arm do not scatter what yours could not. So, be still before Him, and, in stillness, believe in His name; yea, enter not into the hurryings of the enemy, though they fill the soul; for, there is yet somewhat to which they cannot enter, from whence patience, faith, and hope, will spring up in you, even in the midst of all they can do. ISAAC PENINGTON.

Psalm 56:10 In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise,

KJV In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.

NET In God– I boast in his promise– in the LORD– I boast in his promise–

NLT I praise God for what he has promised; Yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised.

BGT ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ αἰνέσω ῥῆμα ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ αἰνέσω λόγον

LXE In God, will I praise his word; in the Lord will I praise his saying.

CSB In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,

ESV In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,

NIV In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise--

YLT In God I praise the word, In Jehovah I praise the word.

NKJ In God (I will praise His word), In the LORD (I will praise His word)

Ps 56:4 60:6 Ge 32:11 Mt 24:35 Heb 6:18 2Pe 1:4

FAITH TAKES
GOD AT HIS WORDS

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise - David repeats almost exactly what he declared in Ps 56:4: “In God, whose word I praise.” The repetition is deliberate and emphatic. Surrounded by enemies and uncertain circumstances, David repeatedly returns to the same solid ground of God and His Word. We should do the same! His enemies' words were distorted and deceptive (Ps 56:5), but God's Word was completely trustworthy. What God had spoken became the anchor of David's soul (cf Heb 6:18-19).

In God, whose word I praise - David not only praises God, but also praises God's Word. Why? Because God's Word is the revelation of God's character, will, promises, and faithfulness. To praise His Word is to declare, “What God has said is true, trustworthy, and worthy of my complete confidence.” God's Word is pure (Ps 12:6), right (Ps 33:4), settled forever in heaven (Ps 119:89), and true (Ps 119:160, cf Php 4:8).

This explains why God's Word is so important when we are afraid. Fear tends to listen to the voice of our circumstances: “Look what might happen!” Faith listens to the voice of God's Word saying “Remember what God has said!” David's circumstances were constantly changing, but the Word upon which he rested did not change and never will.

In the LORD, whose word I praise - Notice the deliberate change from “God” (Elohim) to “the LORD” (Jehovah, Yahweh). David's confidence is not in some undefined higher power we often here non-believers refer to. His trust rests in Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God of Israel, the God Who had revealed Himself and had made promises to His people. This idea of God's promise is especially significant in David's case. Years earlier, God had sent Samuel to anoint David as Israel's future king (1Sa 16:1, 12-13). Now David was a fugitive, running from Saul and hiding among the Philistines. Everything David could see and was experiencing seemed to contradict what God had promised through His prophet Samuel. And yet David made the conscious choice to praise God's Word rather than to judge God's Word by his circumstances.

That is one of the great tests of faith: Will I interpret God's Word by my circumstances, or will I interpret my circumstances in the light of God's Word? Abraham faced the same test. His body and Sarah's womb seemed to make God's promise impossible, yet he did not waver in unbelief but was “fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Ro 4:18-21).

Men could twist David's words, but they could never change God's Word. His enemies might misrepresent what David had said, but they could not invalidate what God had said.

One might ask why did David repeat “whose word I praise” twice in the same verse? One consideration is that David was human and his confidence needed continual reinforcement. Faith often survives difficult circumstances by repeatedly returning to truths it already knows. We never outgrow our need to hear God's promises (Ps 119:49-50; Ro 10:17; 2Pe 1:12-13).

🙏 THOUGHT: When circumstances contradict what God has promised, do not judge God's faithfulness by what you see. Judge what you see by what God has said. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will not pass away (Mt 24:35).

Related Resource:

Psalm 56:10-13 David's Pattern - Warren Wiersbe

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 10. In God will I praise his word. Now comes the thanksgiving. He is a wretch who, having obtained help, forgets to return a grateful acknowledgment. The least we can do is to praise him from whom we receive such distinguished favours. Does David here mean "by God's grace I will praise him"? If so, he shows us that all our emotions towards God must be in God, produced by him and presented as such. Or does he mean, "that which in God is most the object of my praise is his word, and the faithfulness with which he keeps it"? If so, we see how attached our hearts should be to the sure word of promise, and especially to him who is the WORD incarnate. The Lord is to be praised under every aspect, and in all his attributes and acts, but certain mercies peculiarly draw out our admiration towards special portions of the great whole. That praise which is never special in its direction cannot be very thoughtful, and it is to be feared cannot be very acceptable.

In the Lord will I praise his word. He delights to dwell on his praise, he therefore repeats his song. The change by which he brings in the glorious name of Jehovah is doubtless meant to indicate that under every aspect he delights in his God and in his word.

Faith interprets circumstances through God's Word,
not God's Word through circumstances.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 10. In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. The first word, Elohim, is a name belonging to God as a judge, the second word, Jehovah, is a name of mercy. I will praise God whether he deal with me in a way of justice or in a way of mercy, when he hath thunder in his voice, as well as when he hath honey under his tongue. Oh, how should we praise God, and pleasure ourselves by such a frame! Stephen Charnock.

Ver. 10. (first clause). By the assistance of God I shall be enabled to praise him for the performance of his promises. Symon Patrick, 1626-1707.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 10.

I. "I will praise God for his word."

II. In his word, as he is there revealed.

III. By his word. "Thou hast put a song, "etc.

Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

KJV In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

NET in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

NLT I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

BGT ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ ἤλπισα οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι ἄνθρωπος

LXE I have hoped in God; I will not be afraid of what man shall do to me.

CSB in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

ESV in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

NIV in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

YLT In God I trusted, I fear not what man doth to me,

I will not (KJV): Ps 27:1 Ps 112:7-8 Isa 51:7,8,12,13

Related Passages:

Psalm 27:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

Psalm 112:7-8 He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is upheld, he will not fear, Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.

Isaiah 51:7; 8 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, A people in whose heart is My law; Do not fear the reproach of man, Nor be dismayed at their revilings. 8 “For the moth will eat them like a garment, And the grub will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation to all generations.”

IN GOD
I TRUST

In God I have put my trust (batach; LXX - elpizo - relying on a basis of confidence - hope in, trust in, confide in) , I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? - David now repeats and strengthens the declaration he made in verse 4. Repetition in this psalm is not needless redundancy. David is preaching truth to his own heart. His enemies are still present, the danger is still real, but David deliberately brings his mind back to the truth that has already steadied him: “In God I have put my trust.” Faith often needs to rehearse what it knows when circumstances continue to provoke fear (Ps 42:5, 11; 43:5).

In God I have put my trust (batach; LXX - elpizo - relying on a basis of confidence - hope in, trust in, confide in) - David's confidence is not in his ability to escape Gath, outwit the Philistines, or protect himself. He has transferred the weight of his confidence to God (Ps 20:7; 37:3-5; 62:8; Pr 3:5-6). Notice the relationship with the preceding verse: “In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise” (Ps 56:10). David's trust is not a vague optimism that things will somehow work out. His trust is anchored in the God Who has spoken. God's Word gives substance to his faith (Ro 10:17). David can trust because God has revealed Himself to be trustworthy (Nu 23:19; Ps 33:4; 119:89-90).

I shall not be afraid - Compare this with Ps 56:3: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” There is no contradiction. Rather, David shows us how fear is dealt with “When I am afraid” - fear arises. “I will put my trust in You” - faith responds. “I shall not be afraid” - faith begins to overcome fear. David does not deny his fear, but redirects it into trust. Biblical courage is not so much the absence of fear, but the confidence in God that enables us to move forward despite the fear (Ps 27:1-3; 46:1-3; 112:7-8; Isa 12:2).

What can man do to me? - David asked almost the identical question in Ps 56:4, “What can mere man do to me?” Clearly, David is not saying that human beings are incapable of hurting him. If one of the spears Saul threw at him had hit their target, David would have know pain! Indeed, he knew very well that men could wound, imprison, persecute, and kill. Jesus likewise acknowledged that men can “kill the body” (Mt 10:28). David's point is that man can do nothing beyond what the sovereign God permits, and nothing man does can ultimately frustrate God's purposes for His servant (cf Ro 8:28,29). This is why the writer of Hebrews combines the same confidence with God's promise, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” and then quotes, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Heb 13:5-6; cf. Ps 118:6).

NET NOTE - The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

This question becomes even more powerful when connected with Ps 56:11: “What can man do to me?” Why? “This I know, that God is for me.” (Ps 56:9) David is not saying man is powerless. He is saying that man is never more powerful than God. His enemies may control some of David's circumstances, but they cannot control David's future destiny.

Notice also the striking transformation compared with Ps 56:2 where David looked at his enemies and said, “They are many.” But by the time he gets to verse 11 he looks at God and asks, “What can man do to me?” The enemies have not necessarily become fewer or weaker but David's view of God has become greater and stronger!

🙏 THOUGHT: Fear asks, “What can man do to me?” and imagines the worst. Faith asks the very same question and remembers that God is for me. The difference is not the size of the threat but the size of our God. This reminds me of the title of an old book I saw many years ago "Your God is too Small (or Pdf)." Beloved, when waves of fear threaten to overwhelm you, ask yourself, “How big is my God?” The waves may be great, but the One Who rules the waves is infinitely greater. The greater our view of God, the smaller our fears become. When fear magnifies the waves, faith fixes its eyes on the One Who rules the waves (Ps 46:1-3; 89:9; Mk 4:39-41, cf Heb 12:1,2).

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 11. In God have I put my trust. This and the former verse are evidently the chorus of the Psalm. We cannot be too careful of our faith, or see too sedulously that it is grounded on the Lord alone.

I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Faith has banished fear. He views his foes in their most forcible character, calling them not flesh, but indicating them as man, yet he dreads them not; though the whole race were his enemies he would not be afraid now that his trust is stayed on God. He is not afraid of what they threaten to do, for much of that they cannot do; and even what is in their power, what they can do, he defies with holy daring. He speaks for the future, "I will not, "for he is sure that the security of the present will suffice for days to come.

Trouble With People

In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? — Psalm 56:11

Today's Scripture : Psalm 56

Was David paranoid? Did he think the whole world was out to get him? You might get that impression as you read through some of his psalms. Look at a few of the statements he made:

“Strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life” (Psalm 54:3).

“There are many who fight against me” (56:2).

“They lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather against me” (59:3).

Of course, during this time David was being hotly pursued by Saul and his men, so it’s easy to see why he felt as he did. Nonetheless, his observations about people may echo the way we feel on occasions when others criticize and oppose us. Perhaps it’s those with whom we work. They seem to disagree with us no matter what we do or say. Maybe it’s family members who apparently enjoy irritating us. Or people at church who seem to be critical and faultfinding. We just feel as if everyone is against us.

If this describes your situation, it’s time to do what David did. He declared, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (56:11).

When you have trouble with people, turn to God. He understands. By: Dave Branon (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

When people are cruel and attack you,
And hope for relief becomes dim,
Remember that Jesus has told you
To cast all your care upon Him.
—Anon.

God is stronger than our strongest foe.

Hidden Fears

In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. — Psalm 56:11

Today's Scripture : 1 Samuel 18:28-19:12

John Matuszak was a 6’8″, 280-pound football player for the Oakland Raiders. His public image was that of a havoc-wreaking, heavy-drinking, hard-hitting player who was as much of a threat off the field as on. But friends knew “Tooz,” as they called him, as a 280-pound puppy dog just begging to be loved.

According to Los Angeles Times writer Mark Heisler, John Matuszak was “beset by fears he couldn’t acknowledge.” As a young boy, he was ridiculed for his gawky, beanpole appearance. And he had two brothers who died of cystic fibrosis. The tough-guy image that Tooz had created was a fortress for him to hide in. But he got trapped there. After years of alcohol and drug abuse, John died of a massive heart attack at age 38.

The story of King Saul bears some striking similarities. He too was a monster of a man, a fighter. He was also driven by fears (1 Samuel 18:29). Because he tried to cope with them in his own strength instead of turning to the Lord for help, his life came to an untimely end (31:4).

Father, no matter how big we may appear on the outside, sometimes we feel very small on the inside. Forgive us for putting up a false front and pretending we’re strong enough to handle life on our own. Help us to trust You more. By: Mart DeHaan (Reprinted by permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Please do not repost the full devotional without their permission.)

Reflect & Pray

Our weakness and fears can often be hid
Beneath an exterior tough and strong;
But it's best to admit that we're scared and weak,
And trust in the Lord to whom we belong.
—Fitzhugh

Fear fades as faith grows.

D A Carson - For the Love of God (Vol. 1): A Daily Companion - Page 10

AMERICAN COINS have the words “In God we trust.” In our pluralistic age, it is not unreasonable to respond, “Which God?” Even if the answer to that were unambiguously the God of the Bible, most people, I suspect, would think of this trust in God in fairly privatized or mystical ways. It is distressingly easy to think of trust in God as a kind of religious intuition, a pious sensibility, with only the vaguest perception of what this trust entails.

David is under no such delusions. Twice in Psalm 56 his description of the God in whom he trusts implicitly gives some substance to the nature of trust. David writes, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” (56:3–4, emphasis added). Again: “In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise—in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (56:10–11, emphasis added).

In both passages, David grasps that trust in God is the only solution to his fear: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you … in God I trust; I will not be afraid … in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” The superscription of the psalm shows that David wrote it shortly after his horrible experience in Gath (1 Sam. 21:10–15). While fleeing Saul, David hid out in Philistine territory and came within a whisker of being killed. He escaped by feigning madness. Doubtless he had been very afraid, and in his fear he trusted God, and found the strength to pull off a remarkable act that saved his life.

But for our purposes, the striking element in David’s confession of his trust is his repetition of one clause. Three times he mentions the Lord God whose word I praise. In this context, the specific word that calls forth this description probably has something to do with why David could trust him so fully under these circumstances. The most likely candidate for what this “word” is that David praises is God’s promise to give him the kingdom and to establish him as the head of a dynasty. His current circumstances are so dire that unbelief might seem more obviously warranted. But David trusts the Lord whose word I praise.

What we need is faith in the speaking God, faith in God that is firmly grounded in what this speaking God has said. Then, in the midst of even appalling circumstances, we can find deep rest in the God who does not go back on his word. Transparently, such faith is grounded in God’s revelatory words.

D L Moody - In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what men can do unto me.—Psalms 56:11.

IF God has hid me in the secret pavilion, let men slander me and abuse me if they like! If I can say that God is my Father, Jesus is my Saviour, and heaven is my home: let the world rail, let the flesh do what it pleases, I will not be afraid of evil tidings, for my trust is in God! Is not that a good footing for eternity? “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass away.” If you get your feet fair and square on the rock, let the waves beat if they will. A Christian once said that he trembled sometimes, but the foundation never did: he had his feet upon the rock.

Lord Is Their Strength and Song
I recall a story about a man who had to cross a wide river on the ice. He was afraid it might be too thin, so he began to crawl on his hand and knees in great terror. He thought he might fall through at any moment. Just as he neared the opposite shore, all exhausted, another man glided past him nonchalantly sitting on a sled loaded with pig iron. How like some Christians! Headed for Heaven, they tremble at every step lest the divine promises break under their feet. They need only to look at the context of Isaiah 12:2 to realize that God is their salvation and the Lord is their strength and song.
By resting completely upon Him and taking His promises at face value, we can drive out the paralyzing fear that hinders our effectiveness in serving Christ. The biblical antidote always works: "I will trust, and not be afraid."

See: Psalm 56:11; Isaiah 12:2; 1 John 4:18

Robert Farmer - In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11
I put my trust in God.” Really? How many of us can truthfully make this claim? Talk is immeasurably cheap for we can say anything whether true or not. The evidence of our conviction is not inwords, but rather, in actions. If I have put my trust in God, won’t my actions reflect this? Yes, in fact, theywill. Actions validate beliefs, not words.

When I Am Afraid JANET WICKER

In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. PSALM 56:11 (NASB)

Fears are huge when you are little. In my child’s mind, each car trip over a bridge brought with it a possibility to crash over the side into the deep, murky water below! I was also sure that I would get stuck in the doors of those elevators we had to board in the city. But the biggest fear I faced from the time I was a very young child was the fear of death. I was filled with unrelenting terror that I might die in the night, while I slept. My mother thought it was probably connected to a bedtime prayer we had quoted: “If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” That led me to frequently beg my mother to sleep with me, for I reasoned that if she was there, nothing would hurt me.
As you can imagine, that only led to many trips for my mom and little sleep for us both. One night, my frustrated mother tried a new technique by reminding me of Psalm 56:3, a verse I had just learned in Vacation Bible School: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You” (NASB). She challenged me to repeat those words over and over until I could believe them to be true. I realize now that she was teaching me the spiritual discipline of meditating on God’s Word, of concentrating carefully on every word of God.
I obeyed until exhaustion caused me to fall asleep. But very soon, the simple words began to penetrate my heart. Instead of focusing on the fear of what might happen, my thoughts were being centered on God’s Word. As David faced his enemies by trusting God’s promises and looking to Him in trust, I realized I could do the same. The fears of my childhood fled, replaced with the radiance of His presence and with blessed sleep! Now, when fear threatens to overwhelm me, the simple words of that verse repeat over and over in my mind once again, renewing my confidence and faith in Him. Truly, He has “delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4, NASB)!
Heavenly Father, I realize today that I may face something that could cause me to be afraid. Please remind me of the truth of Your Word, the steadfastness of Your presence, and the power of Your Spirit. Awaken trust within my heart that I will not be overcome by that fear. Amen.

THE MAN WHO LOST TO LINCOLN

In God I trust; I will not be afraid. PSALM 56:11

1785: In 1846 Methodist preacher Peter Cartwright was running for Congress. He accused his opponent of not being a Christian. The opponent, who won the election, claimed, that though he had never joined a church, he believed the Bible. The opponent’s name was Abraham Lincoln. It was better for both men that Lincoln won and Cartwright lost and also better for Christianity, for Cartwright was a better preacher than politician.

Cartwright was born on September 1, 1785, in Virginia and, like many Americans of the time, moved west, to Kentucky. He was converted at age sixteen, and shortly afterward the Methodists licensed him to preach. They gave him an extremely large parish, and Cartwright found himself one of the first circuit-riding ministers on the American frontier, traveling by horseback through all kinds of weather in sparsely populated regions still thick with wild animals and hostile Indians. At first preaching in Kentucky and Tennessee, he found slavery so distasteful that he moved to Illinois, where he served in the state legislature—in those days, a part-time job. He and Lincoln shared the dislike of slavery.

In his colorful Autobiography he recorded that his circuit in Illinois comprised almost two-thirds of the state, a huge area for a man on horseback. Cartwright could sometimes preach for more than two hours. The circuitriding life could either kill a man or harden him—in Cartwright’s case, it hardened, and no doubt some of the appeal of his preaching was that the preacher was obviously a man of great physical stamina. The rowdy men who often went to revival meetings with the aim of heckling the preacher were put off by Cartwright’s toughness.

Peter died at age eighty-seven in 1872, having watched Methodism grow from 120,000 members in 1804 to more than a million. Although he lost an election to Abraham Lincoln, he had fulfilled his vow of “capturing the land for Christ.”

The Star-Spangled Banner Days to Remember: Devotions for the Holidays Throughout the Year

"In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me" (Ps. 56:11).

The familiar motto on our coins, "In God We Trust," once was the motto of our nation. It is even included in the last verse of our national anthem which seeks to honor our national flag, "The Star-Spangled Banner."

This anthem is sung so often at recreational occasions that it now almost seems trite to many. The venerable banner itself is often dishonored, even burned or trampled on by anti-patriots. Only the first verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is used these days, for reasons that become obvious when the last verse is read. Here is that last verse, for those who have never heard it.

O thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolations
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The intellectual elite of our nation no longer believe that a divine Power made our nation or that He in heaven rescued our land here on earth. Most of our people give nominal agreement to the motto on our coins, though they pay little heed to God except in emergencies.
Nevertheless, we do have a godly heritage and there is still a significant minority whose trust in God is real and active. We still shed tears of thankfulness on the Fourth of July and on Flag Day and whenever we see the stars and stripes waving over our sweet land of liberty. We still trust in God and pray for our country, grateful for the privilege of being part of a people so signally blessed by God.

D L Moody - In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.—Psalm 56:11.

IF GOD HAS HID me in the secret pavilion, let men slander me and abuse me if they like! If I can say that God is my Father, Jesus is my Saviour, and Heaven is my home, let the world rail, let the flesh do what it pleases, I will not be afraid of evil tidings, for my trust is in God! Is not that a good footing for eternity? “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.” If you get your feet fairly and squarely on the rock, let the waves beat if they will. A Christian once said that he trembled sometimes, but the foundation never did: he had his feet upon the rock.

Psalm 56:12 Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.

KJV Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

NET I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve,

NLT I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.

BGT ἐν ἐμοί ὁ θεός αἱ εὐχαὶ ἃς ἀποδώσω αἰνέσεώς σοι

LXE The vows of thy praise, O God, which I will pay, are upon me.

CSB I am obligated by vows to You, God; I will make my thank offerings to You.

ESV I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.

NIV I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.

YLT On me, O God, are Thy vows, I repay thank-offerings to Thee.

Thy (KJV): Ps 66:13,14 76:11 116:14-19 119:106 Ge 28:20-22 35:1-3 Nu 30:2-16 1Sa 1:11,24-28 Ec 5:4-6
I will (KJV): Ps 9:1-3 21:13 59:16,17 Isa 12:1

Related Passages:

Numbers 30:2 “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you. 22 “However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. 23“ You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

PAYING THE VOWS
OF THANKSGIVING

Your vows (neder; LXX - euche - a solemn promise to God, oath - Acts 18:18) are binding upon me, O God; I will render (shalam - repay; LXX - apodidomi - fulfilling an obligation, so to give back with what is given derived from context) thank offerings (tôdāh; LXX - anesis - praise) to You - David moves from trust to thanksgiving. Although he is still in the midst of danger, he speaks as a man who is already confident of God's deliverance. His thanksgiving does not have to wait until every enemy disappears. Faith can thank God in anticipation because it trusts the God Who has promised (Ps 50:14-15; 116:12-14, 17-18; Php 4:6).

Your vows (neder; LXX - euche - a solemn promise to God, oath - Acts 18:18) are binding upon me, O God - NET = " I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God" The Hebrew is literally “On me, O God, are Thy vows.” The expression refers to vows David had made to God, not vows God had made to David. They are called “Your vows” because they are vows made to God and therefore owed to Him. The NASB's “binding upon me” (although binding is added by translators) nicely conveys David's sense of obligation. He has made promises to God, and he intends to keep them. Spurgeon agrees writing "Vows made in his trouble he does not lightly forget, nor should we." There is something significant about the timing. David has not yet reached the end of the psalm, nor has the historical danger necessarily disappeared. Yet he is already preparing to fulfill his vows. One might think of it this way that David's expectation of deliverance (seen by faith - 2Co 5:7) is so certain that thanksgiving is already on his heart.

In the Old Testament a person in distress might make a vow promising an offering or public thanksgiving when God delivered him. Such vows were voluntary when made, but once made they were to be fulfilled faithfully (Nu 30:2; Dt 23:21-23; Eccl 5:4-5). Thus David is essentially saying, “O God, I have not forgotten what I promised You when I cried to You for help.”

Bob Utley - "vows" This may be another way of referring to God's promises (cf. Ps. 56:10b) or it may refer to promises the psalmist made to God (ED: THE LATTER IS MORE LIKELY). Once they are fulfilled then (1) an offering is required (cf. Ps. 56:12b) (2) verbal praise is required. In context it may refer to the psalmist's fear of death by his adversaries and thereby he asked God to save him. In this request he made some kind of a vow. God did save him, now he must fulfill his vow.

I will render (shalam - repay; LXX - apodidomi - fulfilling an obligation, so to give back with what is given derived from context) thank offerings (tôdāh) to You - NET = " I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve." The “thank offerings” (todah) were expressions of gratitude to God for His goodness and deliverance. Under the Mosaic Law, thanksgiving could accompany a peace offering (Lev 7:11-15). The worshiper who had cried to God in distress could publicly acknowledge that God had heard and delivered him (Ps 50:14-15; 107:21-22; 116:17).

There is also an important spiritual lesson in David remembering his vows after expecting deliverance, because it is easy to make promises to God when we desperately need His help and then forget them when the crisis has passed. Have you ever done that - "Lord, if you get me out of this mess, I am never going to _________." David refuses to do that. David is in effect telling us that the God Who was remembered in trouble must not be forgotten after deliverance (Dt 8:11-14; Ps 103:2).

🙏 THOUGHT: Beloved, do not let the blessing of deliverance cause you to forget the Deliverer. The God we call upon in our distress deserves our thanksgiving when the distress has passed. Prayer remembers God in the crisis, while thanksgiving remembers God after the crisis. Or to say it another way faith can begin thanking God before the answer arrives, because its confidence rests in the God Who hears.

EXPOSITION - SPURGEON

Ver. 12. Thy vows are upon me, O God. Vows made in his trouble he does not lightly forget, nor should we. We voluntarily made them, let us cheerfully keep them. All professed Christians are men under vows, but especially those who in hours of dire distress have rededicated themselves unto the Lord.

I will render praises unto thee. With heart, and voice, and gift, we should cheerfully extol the God of our salvation. The practice of making solemn vows in times of trouble is to be commended, when it is followed by the far less common custom of fulfilling them when the trouble is over.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 12. Thy vows are upon me, O God. Whoever is conversant with the Psalms of David, will find him frequently making vows, and careful in paying them. When these words dropped from him he was just delivered out of a pressing danger among the Philistines, with whom he took shelter from the rage of King Saul, who unweariedly pursued him; but he soon found that the remembrance of his past achievements to their damage was still so fresh amongst them, and they so exasperated thereupon, that his life was in constant danger. In his distress he flies to God, his wonted refuge, and sends up earnest addresses to him, vowing if he would open a way for his deliverance out of these new straits, he would show his grateful sense of so signal a mercy, by the exactness and accuracy of his future obedience. God hears and succours him; and he thereupon grateful looks back, endeavours to renew the sense of his former obligation to his great Deliverer, and to stir up himself by suitable returns, and so cries out, Thy vows are upon me, O God; as if he should say, I resolve, O Lord, not to forget what was transacted while I was under my fears. Thou hast heard my cries, and I own myself firmly bound by my vows. I was serious and in earnest when I made them, and I will endeavour to show that I was so by my care to perform them. Thy vows, O God, made indeed on my part, but justly to be exacted on thine, are upon me, they do in reality hold me fast, and I desire not to be released. I am sensible I deserve to be stigmatised for a perfidious wretch if I ever forget them. This temper of holy David with reference to the vows he made on this occasion, should be ours with reference to all the sacred vows we any way come under. All Christians, as such, are necessarily under vows to the blessed God: and particular circumstances may make it expedient for us to come under special engagements to him. But wherever they are such as that they may justly be denominated vows of God, i.e., are such as his word will warrant; we should make holy David, as speaking in this text, our pattern, and set ourselves to imitate him, in seriously owning their binding force, and endeavouring to answer and pay them. Edmund Calamy, in "A Practical Discourse Concerning Vows, "1704.

Ver. 12. Thy vows are upon me, O God. A well composed vow will make thee more circumspect and wary in the general course of thy life. Such an influence it hath, as doth more directly work on one particular part, yet is not terminated to that particular only. Thus it was with David. These vows were made when he was in danger of his life, as it seemeth from Psalms 56:13; for when God heard him, he delivered his soul from death: for this he vowed praises in particular, and he will render them. But, withal he takes himself to be hereby engaged to a more exact and circumspect walk before God in all duties: so he expresses himself in the latter part of Psalms 56:13. Henry Hurst (1629-1696), in "The Morning Exercise at Cripplegate, "1661.

Ver. 12-13. Thy vows are upon me, O God. Passively, vows made to God, not by God; or the obligations of those vows and prayers which I have made and upon which I have received answers. Sacrifices of thanksgiving were called vows, as having been vowed to God upon the want, and to be paid upon the receipt, of mercy. Leviticus 1:1, "If the sacrifice that is offered be a vow." Thy vows are upon me; the fruit of my vows, so that I stand indebted to God for the return of praise. Thou hast delivered. He understands some great danger wherein he had sunk had not God stood by him, and from a greater mercy, the deliverance of his soul from death, argues for a less, the keeping his feet from falling. That I may walk before God in the light of the living. By light of the living is meant life, which is called being enlightened with the "light of the living." Job 33:30. Sometimes eternal life in heaven. John 8:12, "He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." "To walk before God." To walk obediently in the sight of God; with a respect to his presence; a walking unto all well pleasing. This is the last argument in the Psalm whereon he builds his strongest plea, as if he knew not what to urge if this should fail him; as if he should have said, Lord, I have had experience of thy wisdom in contriving, thy power in effecting, thy mercy in bestowing deliverance upon me, thy goodness in answering my vows and prayers. "Thou hast delivered from death, "a danger as great and unavoidable as death itself. O Lord, art not thou the same as thou wert? Art not thou still as wise to design, and as gracious to confer further mercy? Wilt thou not as certainly also deliver my feet from falling? The one contains his experience, the other the inference or conclusion he draws from it. Mercies received are in a special manner to be remembered. Mercies received are encouragements to ask, and strong grounds to hope for the mercies we want. Stephen Charnock.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 12. Here is--

I. Past dedication.

II. Present consecration.

III. Future glorification. G. R.

Ver. 12-13. You have here--

1. The commemoration of former mercies: Thou hast delivered.

2. The confidence of future: Wilt not thou.

3. The end of all: To walk before God in the light of the living. Stephen Charnock.

Charles Simeon on Psalm 56:12 Vows to Be Performed

Nancy Leigh DeMoss - Debt of Gratitude

I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.—Psalm 56:12

NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PSALMS, we read verses about paying “vows” to the Lord. Most often these references come from people saying to God that when He’s answered their prayers for deliverance, they promise to bring Him a thank offering in grateful response for His aid and comfort.
This is certainly the case in the verse above from Psalm 56. Looking at the context, David appears to be in one of those frequent situations in his life when he was endangered—this time by the cruel and ever-threatening Philistines. He had been seized, commentators believe, by these bitter enemies of God’s people and now found himself in a full-blown crisis situation.
You undoubtedly know “full-blown” and “crisis” by their first names.
And just as you’ve likely done on such occasions, David reacted to his grim circumstances by earnestly appealing to the Lord for help, promising to fulfill his vows of gratitude in return.
All of this reminds me that thanksgiving is a debt. It is something we owe. When we bring our thanks before God, we are recognizing Him as the source of every blessing, every protection, every heartbeat, every rescue from every trial—even when His chosen form of deliverance just means supplying us the perseverance we need to see it through. We have no life, no hope, no health, no grace, no strength, no peace, no holiness, no anything apart from what He has given and continues to give us.
So if you’re holding an outstanding debt of gratitude today, fulfill your obligation to deliver your thanks to Him. He deserves it all.
What deliverances and provisions has God made for you, for which you’ve not yet given thanks? Now would be a good time!

Psalm 56:13 For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

KJV For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

NET when you deliver my life from death. You keep my feet from stumbling, so that I might serve God as I enjoy life.

NLT For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.

BGT ὅτι ἐρρύσω τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ θανάτου καὶ τοὺς πόδας μου ἐξ ὀλισθήματος τοῦ εὐαρεστῆσαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν φωτὶ ζώντων

LXE For thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from sliding, that I should be well-pleasing before God in the land of the living.

CSB For You delivered me from death, even my feet from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of life.

ESV For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

NIV For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

YLT For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, Dost Thou not my feet from falling? To walk habitually before God in the light of the living!

For (KJV): Ps 86:12,13 116:8 2Co 1:10 1Th 1:10 Heb 2:15 Jas 5:20
wilt (KJV): Ps 17:5 94:18 145:14 1Sa 2:9
walk (KJV): Ps 116:9 Ge 17:1 Isa 2:5 38:3
the light (KJV): Job 33:30 Joh 8:12 12:35,36 Eph 5:8-14 Rev 21:23,24

DELIVERED TO
WALK BEFORE GOD

For - Term of explanation. This explains his desire to offer thank offering in Ps 56:12.

You have delivered (natsal; LXX - rhuomai - bringing someone out of severe and acute danger) my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living - David closes Psalm 56 by looking back upon God's deliverance and forward to the purpose for which he has been delivered. The verse moves beautifully from what God has done to how David should now live. God has preserved his life, kept his feet, and given him the opportunity to walk before Him. Deliverance is not merely rescue from something; it is rescue for something.

For You have delivered (natsal; LXX - rhuomai - bringing someone out of severe and acute danger) my soul from death - Soul (nephesh) here has the sense of life. This directly answers the danger David described in Ps 56:6, where his enemies “waited to take my life.” They were seeking David's life, but David's life was ultimately in God's hands (Ps 31:15; 54:3-4; 116:8).

Notice David's certainty. You have delivered describes his confidence in God's intervention as so certain that he can speak of deliverance as an accomplished fact. The danger had been real. David had “greatly feared Achish king of Gath” (1Sa 21:12), yet the God in Whom he placed his trust had preserved him (Ps 56:3-4).

Indeed my feet from stumbling - David moves from preservation of his life to preservation of his walk. The picture is of someone whose feet are in danger of slipping or falling but who is kept upright by God. Similar language appears in Ps 66:9, where God “keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip” (cf. Ps 17:5; 18:36; 37:23-24; 121:3).

David had been wandering from place to place as a fugitive (Ps 56:8), yet through all those wanderings God had been watching over his steps. The enemies were “watching my steps” (v6), but God was keeping David's feet from falling.

This is another beautiful contrast within the psalm: His enemies watched his feet to catch him (v6). God watched his feet to keep him (v13).

NET NOTE - Heb “are not my feet [kept] from stumbling?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they are!” The question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarification of meaning.

Bob Utley - The psalmist mentions several things God has done for him. (1) delivered his soul from death – BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil PERFECT; this must relate to Ps. 56:6. (2) kept his feet from stumbling and, thereby allowing him to walk before God; godly living was described as a clear, level, unobstructed path/road (see note at Ps. 1:1). They "watched is steps" in Ps. 56:6, but now God helps him walk.

So that (term of purpose/result) I may walk (LXX - euaresteo - be pleasing) before God - So that is a hinge word that introduces a purpose or result. Here we reach the purpose of deliverance. God did not preserve David merely so that David could continue living for himself. He delivered him so that he might “walk before God.”

To walk before God is a rich biblical expression describing a life consciously lived in God's presence, under God's eye, and for God's pleasure. The LXX uses rending it "hat I should be well-pleasing before God." God told Abraham, “Walk before Me, and be blameless” (Ge 17:1). Hezekiah prayed, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart” (2Ki 20:3; cf. Ps 116:9).

David understands that every step of life is lived Coram Deo, before the face of God. He has been preserved so that the remainder of his life might be lived with a conscious awareness of God's presence, dependence upon God's strength, and desire for God's glory (Ps 16:8; 116:8-9; Col 3:17). O, let it be so in our lives that we seek to imitate David's walk before Your face! (cf Heb 6:12, 1Chr 16:11).

In the light of the living - This expression means in this present life, in contrast to death and the darkness of the grave. Compare Job 33:28, 30, where being brought back “to the light” describes preservation of life. David is essentially saying, “You have kept me alive so that I may continue to live before You.”

There is an important spiritual principle here. David does not view his deliverance simply as an opportunity to enjoy more life, but as an opportunity to live more life for God (cf LXX - euaresteo - be pleasing). The upshot is that he saw preservation as creating responsibility. The life God preserves should become a life increasingly pleasing to the God Who preserved it (Ro 12:1-2; 2Co 5:15).

The entire psalm has now come full circle: David was afraid (v3), so he trusted (vv3-4). His enemies sought his life (v6), but God counted his wanderings and tears (v8). David called upon God (v9), knowing “God is for me” (v9). He praised God's Word (v10), renewed his trust (v11), and now declares that God has delivered his life and kept his feet (v13).

And what is the result? “So that I may walk before God.” That is the goal of deliverance.

🙏 THOUGHT: When God delivers us from danger, difficulty, or distress, the question should not merely be, “What did God deliver me from?” but even more apropos, “What did God deliver me for?” David's answer is clear: He delivered me that I might walk before Him. God preserves our lives so that we might live our lives for Him.

The God Who keeps our feet expects us
to use those feet to walk before Him.

EXPOSITION-SPURGEON

Ver. 13. For thou hast delivered my soul from death. His enemies were defeated in their attempts upon his life, and therefore he vowed to devote his life to God.

Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling? One mercy is a plea for another, for indeed it may happen that the second is the necessary complement of the first. It little boots that we live, if we are made to fall in character by the thrusts of our enemies. As lief not be, as live to be bereft of honour, and fallen prostrate before my enemies.

That I may walk before God in the light of the living, enjoying the favour and presence of God, and finding the joy and brightness of life therein. Walking at liberty, in holy service, in sacred communion, in constant progress in holiness, enjoying the smile of heaven--this I seek after. Here is the loftiest reach of a good man's ambition, to dwell with God, to walk in righteousness before him, to rejoice in his presence, and in the light and glory which it yields. Thus in this short Psalm, we have climbed from the ravenous jaws of the enemy into the light of Jehovah's presence, a path which only faith can tread.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Ver. 12-13. Thy vows are upon me, O God. See Psalms on "Psalms 56:12" for further information.

Ver. 13. From falling, or, as more literally translated, from a thrust, or a push, by which one is caused to fall. O. Prescott Hiller.

Ver. 13 (last clause). To walk in the presence of God is partly under his eyes, his guidance and care, partly in particular, where God is wont to be present, where he is worshipped by his people and scatters his blessings, opposed to his present state by which he was removed from the place of his worship and presence. Conf. 1 Samuel 26:19, etc. Lastly, to walk in the light of the living denotes in general to live amongst those who live in the light, or who enjoy the light, as it is said elsewhere, in the land of the living --Psalms 27:13 Isaiah 38:11 Isaiah 38:53:8; Ezekiel 32:32; Ps 142:6 --opposed to the dead or the region of the dead, who dwell in darkness. But in particular it signifies to live in a safe and prosperous state, whose well known emblem is light. Hermann Venema.

Ver. 13 (last clause). We cannot restrict this phrase to the light of mortal life; David's vows bound him to walk in the light of spiritual life, and also in the light of eternal life, of which by faith he was a partaker. And most commentators have applied this verse to the light of glory in the world to come, as the real and final object of the believer's conversation here on earth. W. Wilson, D.D.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

Ver. 12-13. You have here--

1. The commemoration of former mercies: Thou hast delivered.

2. The confidence of future: Wilt not thou.

3. The end of all: To walk before God in the light of the living. Stephen Charnock.

Ver. 13.

I. The language of Gratitude--Thou hast, etc.

II. Of Faith--Wilt not thou, etc.

III. Of Hope--That I may walk, etc. G. R.

J C Philpot - You may have been delivered from death, as much as David was, but not so fully in the assurance of the deliverance. God may have quickened your soul into life divine; He may have communicated His grace to your heart, and yet you may have many doubts and fears whether it be a real work of grace upon your soul. It is not every child of God who has been delivered from death by regenerating grace who can use the words with confidence expressed here: “Thou hast delivered my soul from death.” But I will shew you when he can. When God is pleased to bless him with a sense of His pardoning love; When Jesus is revealed to his heart, and manifested with power to his soul; when the blood of sprinkling is applied to purge his conscience from guilt, filth, and dead works, to serve the living God; when the Spirit of adoption is given, and he is enabled to cry, “Abba, Father;” when he can “read his title clear to mansions in the skies” by the witness of the Holy Ghost in his breast that he is a child of God; when he feels the presence of God, and a sweet flowing forth of love and affection to his heavenly Father,—at such favoured seasons as these, he can say in the sweet confidence of faith, “Thou hast delivered my soul from death.”

F B Meyer - Psalm 56:13 Thou hast delivered:…wilt not Thou deliver?

It has been a wonderful deliverance! The blood and righteousness of Christ have satisfied the demands of a holy law. Into our souls, dead in trespasses and sins, He has poured the power of an endless life. The very life of God Himself has become resident within us, through the grace of the one Man, Christ Jesus. We cannot be hurt by the second death. We have eaten of the flesh, and drunk of the blood of the Son of Man, and ours is the everlasting life. Death and the grave for ever behind us, whilst before is the city, whose streets are never shadowed by death or crying.

And will not God finish what He has begun? Has He given us life, and will He not give us all that is necessary for right and holy living? Does not the one necessarily involve the other, as the gift of the body involves the bestowment of food and clothing? Have we been saved by Christ’s death? Shall we not also be saved by his life? Will it not be for the glory of God that we should walk worthy of the high calling? Trust Him, child of God, whatever the traps and pitfalls, whatever the slipperiness and difficulty of keeping a foothold; believe that He is able to keep you from stumbling, and that his ability is only exceeded by his love. Let your Guide bind you by a strong rope to Himself as you start each morning in his company.

The answer to these reasonings, the fulfillment of our hopes, comes back to us from a verse in Romans 5, as rendered by combining the suggestions of Dr. Moule, and of Conybeare and Howson, “If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being already reconciled, we shall be kept safe by sharing in his life.”

John Butler - Divine Deliverances

“For thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.” (Psalm 56:13)

THIS text can be applied to many situations. It speaks of the past deliverance, the promised deliverance, and the purpose of deliverance.

Past deliverance. “Thou has delivered my soul from death.” The Psalmist wisely praises God for a past deliverance. That deliverance was a great deliverance for it was from death. This can represent deliverance from spiritual death or deliverance from physical death as well as other deliverances. Deliverance from spiritual death is, of course, the greatest deliverance of all. Salvation delivers us from the second death which is eternal hellfire (Revelation 21:8). We should never cease to praise God for spiritual deliverance.

Promised deliverance. “Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling.” Past deliverances gives promise for future deliverances. Past mercies are a precedence for future mercies. When we praise God for past deliverances, it encourages us to trust God for future deliverances. This is why it is so important to praise God for our deliverances. The deliverance promised here is deliverance from failure in our walk. The walk of the believer is not easy. There are many pit falls installed by Satan along the way of the believer to try and ensnare the believer into falling. But the God Who delivered our soul from the second death can give us strength to keep from falling in this life. Seek His help to live victoriously.
Purpose of deliverance. “That I may walk before God in the light of the living.” The purpose of deliverance is at least twofold in our verse. First, service. “Walk before God” will have a number of meanings. One meaning is service. So one reason for deliverance is for the purpose of serving God. Deliverance is not just for our own pleasure and gain; but it is so we can better serve Him. Second, sanctification. “Light of the living.” Deliverance means we can walk in the light, not in darkness. Deliverance from temptation and sin is for our sanctification, our purity.

John Butler - DIVINE DELIVERANCE Psalm 56:13 - Sermon Starters

“For thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living” (Psalm 56:13).

The psalmist is making a request here to walk uprightly. His request is a very noble request as we will note more about later.

FIRST—THE PRAISE FOR DELIVERANCE

“Thou has delivered my soul from death.” The psalmist wisely praises God for past deliverances. When we plead for help from God it is wise to begin our plea with praise for past deliverance. If we do not thank God by praise for His past help, we are not likely to get much help from God in the future. Those who cannot say thank you lose many blessings. Learn to say “thank you” especially to God if you expect more help from God.

SECOND—THE PLEA FOR DELIVERANCE

The plea was based on a twofold foundation.

• The precedence for deliverance. “Thou hast delivered my soul from death.” God did it before, He can do it again is the argument. And it is a good argument, for “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope”. (Romans 15:4). When we read Scripture of how God helped His people centuries ago, it is not just yo fill our head with facts, but it is to be an inspiration for help from God in our situation. What God did in the past He can still do in the present, for God does not change (Hebrews 13:8).

• The promise for deliverance. “Wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling?” This is a rhetorical statement which says since God did it in the past He will do it in the present. It is a promise of deliverance for the present. The deliverance promised here is deliverance from falling in our walk for God. It is not easy to live for God, but God can give us the strength and help to walk victoriously for him. Our failure often begins when we fail to ask God to help us walk victoriously.

THIRD—THE PURPOSE OF THE DELIVERANCE

“That I my walk before God in the light of the living.” The purpose of the deliverance was twofold. It was not selfish as many of our requests are but the psalmist had noble purposes for the deliverance.

• Enablement. “That I may walk before God.” The psalmist wants enablement to walk the godly life (“before God”). We need Divine help for this task, for we cannot do it in our own strength. The psalmist realizes his weakness so asks God to help him walk the godly life. The psalmist is in difficult circumstances from which he needs deliverance and enablement for a very noble purpose.

• Example. “In the light of the living.” The psalmist wants to be a noble example of victorious living so others who see him will be encouraged to walk godly, too. So often our lives discourage others from living for God. So the psalmist’s request is a most noble one.

Robert Morgan - PSALM 56:3

We are in a series of sermons on the great faith verses of the Bible. This is part of our yearlong project of memorizing 100 essential Bible verse, and some of those Bible verses have to do with faith. And one of the most useful and usable verses on this subject is a little verse that’s tucked away in the book of Psalms. It’s found in Psalm 56, and it’s verse 3. In the old King James Version, it’s put very quaintly: What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. The newer translations say: Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Background and Introduction
Notice that it doesn’t say, “If I am afraid…,” but “When I am afraid…,” for fear is a universal emotion. Through the years, one of my hobbies has been collecting and reading biographies and autobiographies of interesting men and women—and I’ve found that virtually everyone is interesting (with the possible exception of current celebrities, and some of them are interesting in their own sort of way). I’ve tried to read the biographies of many of our American presidents, and a lot of other interesting characters in history. I think my all-time favorite biography is William Manchester’s two-volume biography of Winston Churchill, and it’s a shame that Manchester didn’t live long enough to write his third and final volume of the series. Most of all, I’m intrigued with the stories of great Christians, and I think we should all be reading Christian biography because it tells us and shows us how God has been working in this world through His men and women for 2000 years. One of my favorite Christian biographies is the story of missionary J. O. Fraser, which was written by Geraldine (Mrs. Howard) Taylor. The reading of biographies is the best way to study history, whether world history, American history, church history, or missionary history.

I find it fascinating that I can sit down in front of a fire on a chilly, rainy night, open a book, and read the whole story of a person’s life, from birth to death, in just a few minutes or a few hours, depending on the length of the book—all of the decisions they made, all the mistakes they committed, all the good they did, all the twists and turns of their lives… it’s almost as though we were looking into a crystal ball and with just one glance taking in an entire story, which it took them a lifetime to live out.

Well, here’s my point. Somewhere in almost every biography or autobiography, there is a point when things seemed to fall apart in a person’s life. Everything seemed to go wrong at once. At some point in almost everyone’s life, there is a time of great adversity and discouragement. Most of us know what it’s like to experience a critical phase in our lives when it just seems that everything is against us, “when sorrows like sea billows roll.” One comes after another, one problem right after another, a series of disappointments coming in seemingly endless succession. Whenever you read the completed story of a person’s life, you very often see a period like this. We can call it the convergence of negatives.

I’ll give you an example. In recent weeks, I’ve been reading the biography of Benjamin Franklin, the great American colonial leader. In 1775, everything turned against him. It must have been the worst year of his life. He had devoted all his energies to representing the colonies in London, but he failed. Not only did he fail, but he was publically humiliated in the process, hauled before a public forum and treated like a dog. He was harried out of England; and it was at that very moment that he learned by letter that his wife, Deborah, had died; and she had died pining to see him again, but he had not been there. At that very same moment, his son, whom he loved with all his heart, began turning against him, and their relationship was in the process of being destroyed forever because of personal and political differences. His health also took a nosedive and he began suffering terribly, especially from gout. And his little group of colonies was in a political crisis for which there was no resolution, as well. He set sail for the Colonies, knowing that the only thing in his future was personal strain, political danger, and a seemingly hopeless war.

We have an example of this convergence of negatives in the biblical story of David, a shepherd boy who had become a popular hero and then a hunted villain in ancient Judah. Much of David’s story is told in the book of 1 Samuel; and in 1 Samuel 21, we see David is running for his life from the armies of King Saul, and Saul is closing in on him. I don’t how to help us relate to this, except to appeal to our dreams and nightmares. The other night I dreamed all night long that I was being chased by people who wanted to kidnap me. Or perhaps you’ve seen a movie about a woman trying to evade a stalker or a soldier trying to escape capture by a deadly enemy.

Well, David fled to the town of Nob, and the local priests helped him out, but the priests were later killed for their efforts, and David felt responsible for their deaths. He fled across the border in the region of Gath, but he found he had jumped from the frying pan into the fire. He was surrounded by the armies of his archenemies, the Philistines, and by King Achish of Gath. These were the compatriots of the fallen Goliath, whom David had killed. In trying to get away from King Saul, David had run right into the arms of his archenemies, the Philistines. And 1 Samuel 21 says that he was greatly afraid.

Psalm 56
And that’s when he wrote our text today, Psalm 56. That gives us the background. This Psalm was written by a young man who was running for his life; and, in trying to get away from one enemy, he had run right into the arms of another. This was a time when everything that could go wrong in his life had done so. He was living in Murphy’s Law Land. So with that as background, let’s look at this chapter, beginning with the words found right before the first verse. Notice the superscription at the head of the Psalm: For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

This superscription gives us the background and indicates that he later gave this psalm to his musicians and told them to sing it to a tune entitled “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” We have no idea today what that tune sounded like. He called his song a “Miktam,” but we aren’t sure what that means either. But this superscription does give us the background, referring to the story in 1 Samuel 21, when the Philistines had seized him in Gath. And so we know the background for Psalm 56. It’s a short psalm, so let’s read it together:

Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me;
All day long they press their attack.
My slanderers pursue me all day long;
Many are attacking me in their pride.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

All day long they twist my words;
They are always plotting to harm me.
They conspire, they lurk,
They watch my steps, eager to take my life.

On no account let them escape;
In Your anger, O God, bring down the nations;
Record my lament;
List my tears on Your scroll—
Are they not in Your record?

Then my enemies will turn back
When I call for help.
By this I know that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise—
In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can men do to me?

I am under vows to You, O God;
I will present my thank offerings to You.
For You have delivered me over from death
And my feet from stumbling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of life.

Now, as I studied Psalm 56 in preparation for this message, I took a legal pad and made a simple list of how David described his enemies. He made ten statements about how dangerous they were.

1. They hotly pursue me.
2. They press their attack.
3. They slander me.
4. They attack me in their pride.
5. They twist my words.
6. They plot harm against me.
7. They conspire against me.
8. They lurk.
9. They watch my steps.
10. They are eager to take my life.

Every once in awhile in life, we have someone who some way resembles something on this list. We do have enemies along the way. We have people who, for whatever reason, get upset with us. They don’t like us. They slander us. They plot against us. But sometimes our enemies in life are not people, but circumstances. We’re buffeted and bullied by circumstances in life. And we also have a very real enemy called the devil, or Satan. The Bible says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Between our human enemies and our satanic enemies and our adverse circumstances in life, we’re sometimes just caught in a period of time in which nothing is going in our direction. We feel like the old patriarch Jacob who said, “All these things are against me.”

Our Six-Point Strategy
In such times, we need a strategy to deal with the convergence of negatives in our lives. What would you think of a military commander who had no strategy? We’re not supposed to just react to circumstances, or to panic or curl into a fetal position and give up. We aren’t to put our heads in the sand like an ostrich. We aren’t to throw our hands in the air and run around like a crazy person. We’re not to wither up and die. We are to strategize. And in his extreme distress and intense fear, David implemented a six-point strategy. We can take the words right out of the Psalm and express them all with the proactive words I WILL….:

1. I Will Call (Ps 56:9)
First of all, he said, “I will call on You!” His first course of action was to pray. Notice four words in verse 9: “I call for help.” What’s the first thing a police officer does if he gets into trouble? What’s the first thing a soldier does when he finds himself surrounded? They call for backup. That’s what David did in Psalm 56. He said in verse 9, “Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help.” Notice how the Psalm begins: “Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me.” Verse 7: “On no account, Lord, let them escape.” He prayed, He called on the Lord, He called for help, he called for backup.

Now, when you are faced with a problem or with a real set of problems, it’s important to do this. It’s all wonderful to say a quick prayer when you get up or when you go to bed or as you’re driving to work. But when we’re facing an important decision or a set of critical issues, that calls for a definite time of prayer. This is exactly what they did in the Bible. This is why we seeJehoshaphat in prayer when he learned that his nation was being invaded. This is why we see Nehemiah engaged in prayer after he heard the terrible news about broken walls of Jerusalem. This is why Daniel set aside three weeks for prayer when he had the disturbing vision. This is why Jesus set aside one hour for prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. It could be prayer with someone else. It could be prayer alone, like Jacob wrestling with the angel. It could take five minutes or an hour. It could be a one-time prayer, or one that’s frequently repeated. But when things go wrong in our lives, that’s the time to set aside a time and place so we can take the issue to the Lord and make it a matter of prayer.

Now, let me tell you something important about prayer. Prayer is not just transmission, it is transference. We aren’t just transmitting information to God when we pray. We are actually transferring the situation over to His control. And that leads to the second point in our strategy.

2. I Will Trust (Ps 56:3, 4, 11)
Three times in Psalm 56, David makes the affirmation: “I will trust.”

Ps 56:3: When I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Ps 56:4: In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
Ps 56:11: In God I trust: I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Faith is being confident that God’s positives are greater than our negatives, and that His providence is overshadowing our lives. Faith in God is really the only lasting antidote for fear. That’s why this little verse for today – Psalm 56:3 – is such a powerful verse to memorize. As Christians, we don’t exactly believe in mantras. The Eastern religion practices mantras. They’ll say something meaningless over and over and over again until their minds are sort of in neutral. Well, I don’t believe in mantras, but I do believe in mottos, in the power of a statement that you can repeat to yourself as often as you need it, a slogan or verse that has the authority of heaven behind it. And this is such a verse. It can be tremendously comforting to repeat it to yourself as needed.

It does not say:

When I am afraid, I will panic.
When I am afraid, I will get depressed.
When I am afraid, I will fall to pieces.
When I am afraid, I will give up.
When I am afraid, I will run and hide.

It says:

When I am afraid, I will trust in You—in Your providence, in Your promises, in Your protection, in Your power, in Your peace.

3. I Will Know (Ps 56:9)
That leads to the third step. Faith leads to knowledge, and as we trust in God we discover that He is faithful, that His Word is true, and that we can know beyond any doubting that He is on our side; He is for us. Look at verse 9: Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.

I think it’d be a good idea to underline those four words in the Bible: God is for me. Sometimes we feel so guilty or inadequate that we believe God is against us. But here is a great affirmation in the Bible that tells us the opposite: God is for you. He is on your side.

And Romans 8 says: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

I will call, I will trust, I will know, and, fourth, I will praise.

4. I Will Praise (Ps 56:4, 10)
And that leads to the fourth step in the process: I will praise.

Look at Ps 56:4: In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. And Ps 56:10: In God, whose word I praise; in the Lord, whose word I praise….

This is very interesting phraseology. The Psalmist isn’t exactly praising God here; he is praising God’s Word. But God’s Word is the expression of God. It’s the expression of God’s power, of His promises. David had a word from the Lord, and it filled him with praise.

David wasn’t out of His dilemma, but He had gotten a word from the Lord in the midst of his dilemma, and he had already started praising God for the deliverance he knew was coming.

It’s great to praise God after He answers, but how much better to praise Him all along the way. It’s hard to panic and praise at the same time.

5. I Will Thank (Ps 56:12)
Verse 12 takes it another step and says: I am under vows to You, O God; I will present my thank offerings (my thanksgiving) to You.

We praise God because of who He is, and we thank Him for what He has done, or is doing, or is going to do. As we learned in a previous verse, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

You know, it’s a very powerful thing – it is strong praying – to say: Dear Lord, this looks terrible, everything seems to be against me, by human standards I should be discouraged and depressed, but I have called on You, and I am going to trust and praise and thank You. I thank You for what You are going to do in Your own time and in Your own way.

6. I Will Walk (Ps 56:12-13)
And finally the Psalmist said: “I will walk…” Look at Ps 56:12-13: I am under vows to You, O God; I will present my thank offerings to You. For You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

The reason God helps us is that we might keep our vows to Him, honor our commitment to Christ, and walk before Him in the light of life. This is the Christian’s answer to fear. It is the ancient winning strategy of a young man in a bind, and it still works perfectly for us today: I will call on Him, when afraid I will trust Him, I know that God is for me, I will praise Him, I will thank Him, and I will walk before Him in the light of His presence. I call, I trust, I know, I praise, I thank, I walk. That’s the combination that unlocks Psalm 56 and that frees us from the frets and fears of life.

Last Wednesday in our Bible Study, one of our newer members, Dana Thompson, told me how this verse, Psalm 56:3, had come to her at a critical time of danger and fear. It was in 1996, and she hadn’t been feeling well at all. On the Saturday night before Christmas, she had trouble walking, and her family urged her to visit the Emergency Room at the local hospital. They checked her out and kept her over the weekend, and on Monday she was scheduled for a cardiac catheterization in another hospital. She was frustrated about this because she didn’t believe there was anything wrong with her heart. She thought she was suffering from a touch of pneumonia, and she wanted to be home for Christmas. But something went wrong during the catheterization, and when Dana woke up, she was surrounded by frantic activity and by the loud, windy chopping of helicopter wings. She was being airlifted to a medical center in Birmingham.

She was terrified, not only because something serious was obviously very wrong with her, but also because she had never been on a helicopter before. The thing took off, and she told me, “I was just shaking with fear and it came to me that in this fearful state I wasn’t being a very good testimony to the medical workers. I wasn’t displaying the peace of Jesus Christ. I was falling apart and shaking very badly. I wracked my brain for a Bible verse to calm me down, but I could only think of one verse—what time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

“I quoted that verse over and over in my mind as I looked down through the helicopter window and saw the houses and streets below me. The weather was rough and the ride was bumpy and choppy. But I started praying Psalm 56:3 to Him. I don't know whether it was audible or not, but He heard and instantly my shaking stopped and I felt like I had been wrapped in a soft as cotton, warm blanket. I reassured the doctor and nurse on the chopper that it was going to be alright and settled down to enjoy a God's eye view of the countryside despite the bouncing around, knowing whatever happened, God had it covered.”

When the chopper arrived at the medical center in Birmingham, a renowned cardiologist performed open-heart surgery. I wasn’t able to thank him at the time because he left for a holiday trip to Brazil immediately after the operation. But, later, I sent him flowers and a thank you note telling him how God had responded to my prayer and quoting to him Psalm 56:3.” (Dana Thompson in personal interviews with Rob Morgan and Sherry Anderson, September 21/22, 2009, used with permission).

If, during a time of crisis or fear, this is the only verse you can remember, it’s the only verse you need—What time I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

It’s summed up by the old Scottish preacher, Horatius Bonar, who said:

Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,
In every part with praise,
That my whole being may proclaim
Thy wisdom and Thy ways.

Fill every part of me with praise;
Let all my being speak
Of Thee and of Thy love, O Lord,
Poor though I be, and weak…

So shall each fear, each fret, each care
Be turned into a song,
And every winding of the way
The echo shall prolong.

So shall no part of day or night
From sacredness be free;
But all my life, in every step,
Be fellowship with Thee.

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