Psalms
Chapter 59
Deliver Me From My Enemies, O Go
Deliver me from my enemies, O God, from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from evildoers; rescue me from the bloodthirsty.
Look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty conspiring against me, for no fault of mine, O Lord.
I have done them no wrong; yet, they prepare to attack me. Rise and help me; look on my plight,
O Lord God of hosts, God of Israel! Arise and punish the nations; have no mercy on the wicked traitors.
Each evening they return, howling like dogs, prowling about the city.
To their mind, God does not hear or see their wicked deeds.
But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you look down upon the wicked.
O my Strength, I look up, to you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
My loving God will come to help me and let me see my enemies fall.
But slay them, lest my people forget; just shake them by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
Give us your help against the foe, for human help is worthless. For the curses and lies they utter,
destroy them in your vengeance; destroy them till they are no more. Then it will be known that God rules over Jacob, to the ends of the earth.
Each evening, let them return, howling like dogs, prowling about the city,
roaming about for food, growling, and never filled.
But I will sing of your might; in the morning I will sing of your love. For you have been a fortress to me, a refuge in time of distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you; for you, O God, are my stronghold; you are a loving God.
Commentaries
59
It is possible that this thought extends to a national level. The ‘foes’ pose a danger to the entire nation and the psalmist himself: ‘Slay them, lest my people forget’ (v. 12). The enemies appear to come from outside (the ‘traitors’ of v. six are matched with ‘the nations’). We also face enemies from outside. Many hostile influences threaten us in this age, just as in every other, like persistent and ready-to-snap pariah dogs. We cannot live behind closed doors. We have our immunity—or rather, the immunity that God provides to those who acknowledge Him.
The psalmist is troubled by his enemies and asks God for deliverance. He is confident God will save him because he describes God as his refuge and strength. We have received that assurance multiple times from Jesus, who, by guiding us, said, “Follow me.”
Only Jesus has the authority to speak verses 4-5 of the psalm (cf. 1 Pt 2:22). The cities are full of ‘dogs,’ and people live in constant fear. Now is the time to pray for all those persecuted, condemned, and murdered.