When Dogs Attack (Through the Psalms) Psalm 59

Welcome to through this weekend. Ministry of the truthful overtime will study all 150 Psalms with pastor John Green from Cruz Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were glad you're with us is over the Psalms that as we join our teacher in the truthful of the songs this evening have certainly done a wonderful job of reminding us of the security that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ and as we come to another Psalm of protection.

I'd like to start with the New Testament perspective and then come back to the Old Testament Psalm passage that were going to look at this morning if you would turn with me to Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 just to set us in a framework of mind that encourages us with the security that is ours and the Lord Jesus Christ that he and his righteousness, and in his shed blood.

Those that have come to him by faith for salvation have an eternal refuge for their souls and a refuge that is sure in this life as well. Shirley, if he is granted us eternity. According to his love and mercy Shirley. He plans to keep us in this life as well.

Look at what it says in Romans chapter 8 in verse 28. We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren and these whom he predestined he also called and these whom he called he also justified and these whom he justified he also glorified. We find that our God in Christ has has secured for us a perfect salvation that is declared us righteous now and will secure our glory in heaven forever and ever. Amen. And so what a place of refuge and strength and comfort for soul last week. As we look to the things of Scripture and as we look to our Christ.

With those things are true, then what can we say verse 31 of Romans eight what then shall we say to these things. If God is for us, who is against us. You did not spare his own son, but delivered him over for us all, how will he not also freely give us all things. So Scripture repeatedly calls us to remember the work of Christ on our behalf that when he made that perfect sacrifice at Calvary.

He was doing so in order to secure a us infallibly and forever to be his own.

He secured as he died for us in order to to save us and to be our Lord in our king and there we say our champion or protector, the one who keeps us throughout all of life and therefore Paul could say in verse 33 who will bring a charge against God's elect God as one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns Christ Jesus is he who died, yes rather who was raised was at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

You know when your position in Christ will be insecure. Do you know when you will be in danger is when someone goes into heaven and pulls Christ away from the right hand of God.

I want to tell you that's never going to happen. No one has the power to reach Christ where he is interceding for us and representing us before the throne of a holy God.

He is there now pleading for us as our brother, he is there now is our Savior who paid all of the debt he is there now with his righteousness representing us before a holy God love.

Nothing can go wrong in the end for us. We are perfectly secure in Christ and therefore when the trials of life come when the opposition of humans come to us run flinched were were unmoved. We we flinch not at the challenge.

Why would we do that when Christ is in heaven interceding for us. Why would we do that when Christ has secured us for God forever and so even as we sang in a mighty Fortress is our God, though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us worry we will not fear. Verse 35 Romans eight who will separate us from the love of Christ will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword drop down to verse 37 in all these things we overwhelmingly conqueror through him who loved us from convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor 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. And so here we are on the receiving end of the of the immense infinite love of God. Here we are here we stand securing Christ in his righteousness and his shed blood. All of our iniquities washed away all of our guilt forgiven a perfect righteousness credited to our account that God accepts graciously for us and the king of the universe welcomes us into his presence. Lord of all receives you in Christ and names you as its own. And so beloved is from that position of strength that we live in that New Testament perspective can just help and strengthen us our perspective as we look at this Old Testament passage in Psalm 59 this evening.

Go back to it with me.

This is another song that is less familiar than some of the others, but the inscription gives us a context that we can understand what's going on. It says that David wrote this song when he was under the threat from Saul. When Saul had sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him and so we realize that even an imminent believer like David one who the New Testament says was a man after God's own heart could be one under severe earthly attack from someone with great authority. Saul was king and Saul was after men.

Saul had ordered him dead and so the potential for fear would be great and it's comforting isn't it to look back at some of the saints, especially in the Old Testament to realize that that they were men of like flesh with us that they knew what it was like to feel threatened to feel fear, and then to watch them cry out to a God who is less clearly revealed to them than he is to us now in Christ and realize that they found the strength to give them courage to stand like men unflinching before the danger that was in front of Psalm 59 instructs us in this direction and shows us how to think and how to respond in the midst of an attack from dogs as will see in Psalm 59. The inscription is referring to an event that took place in first Samuel chapter 19 and if you would turn back in for Samuel chapter 19 will just read the passage to set the context for reading some extended passages of Scripture and you know that's the one time as a preacher that you know you're not going wrong. When you're reading Scripture you cannot mess up when you are at least reading the text we have to explain the text.

Of course, but it's in the text we find our greatest source of truth. First Samuel 19 verse eight says when there was war again. David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter so that they fled before him. Now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand and David was playing the harp with his hand and Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear but he slipped away out of Saul's presence so that he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped into the night, then Saul, here's the setting for Psalm 59 Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch and in order to put them to death in the morning so there's an envoy there's a there's there's a group of men commissioned by Saul to set an ambush around David's house wait for him to come out in the morning.

David's life will be over.

And so there is a very great and imminent threat on David's life as we read this passage, but Michael David's wife told him, saying, if you do not save your life tonight. Tomorrow you will be put to death. She said you gotta get out of here now. If you're going to live and so she let him down through window and he went out and fled and escaped and so he's going off in the cover of night. Meanwhile, back at home. Michael took the household idle and laid it on the bed for the quilted goats here at its head and covered it with clothes when Saul sent messengers to take David she said he sick then Saul sent messengers to see David saying bring them up to me on his bed that I may put them to death. Messengers entered and behold the household idle was on the bed with the quilted goats here at its head. I guess they found that the household idle was not all that sick. So Saul said to Michael why do you deceive me like this and let my enemy go so that is escaped. Michael said to Saul, he said to me let me go. Why should I put you to death. The whole point of this being is that during this episode while David is under threat from Saul, and Saul was plotting against his life with very specific instructions and with great men to carry out his orders. David cries out to God and slips out into the night and the ruse that his wife used bought him time in order to make his escape. Now, if you've been with us, as most of you have been over the past several weeks as we studied the Psalms from 54 to now 59.

In recent weeks. There certainly a a repetitive element to this section of the Psalms, David, under attack David crying out to God. David finding courage David ending in in praise, but a the songs were written in a period of of his life where Saul was a constant threat to him and so there were repeated opportunities for David to to feel the weight of an assault and to turn to God in prayer. Not even the simplicity of that beloved, should give a great word of encouragement to your heart.

We see David under attack using similar themes. Ask God for help and let the very let the sheer repetition of what were reading be an encouragement to you. For this reason, isn't it true that that pattern reflects what you often find in your own life, isn't there a personal antagonist that sometimes you've had either now or in the past within your family are at work or in some other realm of relationship.

This person is just a thorn in your side and continually makes it plain that he or she plans to make your life miserable and often they got the authority to do so well when that happens again and again and again. Now were in a position to remember. You know what this happened to David again and again and again and David simply took it as an opportunity to to write down his Psalms of praise. His Psalms of trust and to turn to God in the midst of his affliction in order to seek God's help and to seek him repeatedly. Just like David did, and here's where we need to come beloved. I say that without exception everyone in the room. Beloved.

Here's what I want you to see and to understand as as we look at these things. The fact that God let you suffer under the hands of someone repeatedly is ultimately design for your spiritual good and the fact that you continue to suffer under the under the hand of the opposition of someone is not a sign of God's displeasure with you.

He is satisfied with Christ on your behalf. He's removed your sins. As far as the east is from the west. Scripture says your sins and your lawlessness will remember no more. There something else that he's doing. It's not that he's punishing you because he's already punished Christ on your behalf. What God is doing in those times what God is doing under that repeated weight is he's building into your life a sense of humility and a sense of endurance.

If we were never tested over time. We wouldn't know what it was like to be able to run the race with strength we wouldn't know we wouldn't have the strength to run a marathon because all we ever run were 60 yard sprints. But when the pressure is on repeatedly when the when the when the weight of the trial or the weight of the personal opposition is ongoing.

It is there where your spiritual muscles are built up as you are as you are lifting up against the weight and lifting up his word to God to trust him to realize that God is building endurance in your life that would never come any other way.

God is building into your life a sustained and deep trust that is not so dependent upon your external circumstances in order to find your piece in order to find your your sense of security. God uses this to drive you to him and don't you know that my personal experience is in it when you're under the weight of trial isn't it when you're under the weight of opposition that you find yourself most earnestly crying out to God for his help.

Isn't it when the need is greatest that your prayers are the most urgent and sincere and prolonged beloved make the connection. Make the connection. God's purpose for you is to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ to teach you to trust him and to depend upon him, and to look to him for your sufficiency and for your protection.

If we never felt opposition every one of us would feel the self-congratulation of self-sufficiency. Things are good and I can handle this when opposition comes when people rip you off when people lie about you and you can't refute the lies that you find yourself turning to God. In this way so beloved as hard as it is to do what I encourage you to do encourage you the way to think about it. This is very challenging that we all have to learn to find room in our heart to embrace these things when they come because we realize that they are the there. The training ground in which God develops us into someone better, and it's it's when we find God's comfort in the midst of these things as we turn to Scripture as we turn to him in prayer as we as we discipline our minds to think biblically. It's there that we find his comfort.

It's there that we find his strength and you know what the longer-term perspective on that is, it's not simply for you turn over to second Corinthians chapter 1 going places I never drafted this message, but that's okay. We all need to hear these kinds of things that all flow out of the consideration of the text. When God comforts you in the midst of those deep, prolonged agonizing conflicts and he will comfort you, beloved, I know you're all looking down looking for page in Scripture.

But did you hear me and what I said he will comfort you is comfort is sure because he never abandons his people's provision is certain for you because he's the shepherd who always provides God has never once left one of his sheep out in the open field to be subject to attack and torn to shreds and left unattended, God cares for you. God cares for his people. God tends to his people and so we should never lose heart in the midst of those times. And as God is developing Christlike character in us, teaching us to trust him teaching us endurance. He's also doing something else. He is preparing you to be a source of strength to someone in the future. Inevitably and always that's what he's doing.

It's never just about you it's about people.

In some cases that you haven't even met yet. The God is preparing you to be an effective vessel of the mercy and ministry of Christ to them. So that's what we see in second Corinthians chapter 1 verse three Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and father, the father of mercies and God of all comfort. Watch the three letter word all in this passage, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. God brings affliction into your life and he comfort you and it and you find security and strengthen that in your renewed and hope. And then God bring something else in your life, this time not affliction directly, but someone who is under a manner of affliction that you can identify with God has prepared you with the comfort that you've received to minister effectively to that person in their time of need and then the cycle continues and they take the comfort that God gave them through you and they carried on to someone else is very beautiful and blessed thing to be a part of the body of Christ.

That's what word that's what we do with each other herein, truth, community churches, and it isn't it true that you have found some of your closest and best comfort coming from the words of friends that you've made here. You know why they're able to do that. It's because they walked with God in the past and they know they know what it's like they know to reach out to you the know-how to help you and understand that in the process. When you are being encourage like that realize that in the background. God is preparing you for good works that he appointed for you to walk in down the road down the road. Do you appointed before the foundation of the world from God's perspective. So that's why it's so important for us to come to these things and to submit to them and to see what Scripture has, to say about them now. What's David doing in Psalm 59 with all of that introduction let's go back to Psalm 59 Psalm 59, right after Psalm 58. Here we start the we start the Psalm in this way, what is David doing will first of all in the first section he states the threat from his enemies. He states the threat from his enemies in the first seven verses of Psalm 59 and David opens this song again, not with a direct word of praise, but a prayer for deliverance. Look at the first two verses Psalm 59 he says deliver me from my enemies. Oh my God set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from those who do iniquity and save me from men of bloodshed as he opens this prayer he goes immediately into the request for deliverance.

Some of you may have been raised on a model of prayer that the fall is an acronym called acts and that they tell you to pray and you pray and when you pray should go adoration and confession of sin Thanksgiving and then supplication. Then you make your less. Now that's fine as far as it goes, and I'm not have appeared to pick a fight over prayer acronym the they can be helpful. What I want you to see is is that when you go through the Psalms you find a diversity of manner in the way the people pray. Sometimes David does open with lofty statements of prayer and he opens his prayer that way sometimes. He's he does something else sometimes. Like in Psalm 37. It's kind of a didactic song that's written to meant to teach them wisdom from God. Here in Psalm 59 we find David going straight to supplication going straight to the S part of the acts acronym saying Lord deliver me and he does it with a fourfold request for help. Look at it there in the text with me. He says deliver me. Oh my God set me securely on high, he repeats it deliver me then finally for the fourth time he says save me so he opens us up.

Deliver me, set me on high.

Deliver me, save me again the repetition of his requests for help or showing the urgency that is on his heart. And the reason that I the reason that I would try to liberate you from a false sense of praying that says you must pray in this one particular manner is that is it. Scripture shows us and teaches us that the range of of need and emotion and feelings that are on our heart when we come to prayer is vast and broad, and it can't be reduced to a formula nor should it be reduced to a formula sometimes to go through a an acronym would be the most artificial form of vain repetition that you could engage in. David here burst, as it were, into the throne room of God and says God help me now because the situation is urgent, and if you remember the setting of the song that Saul had sent his men after the killing that day.

Then you see the sense of the urgency and the repetition highlights the importance of his request.

Knows David often does, he speaks in a metaphor. David says in Psalm 59 verse one set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me. David's not asking to be placed on a mountaintop someplace, although that might've provided him with security. The idea is God put me in a place where I am beyond the reach of those who would want to harm me.

He simply saying take me out of the realm of danger put me in a place for these men cannot reach me, and inflict their evil plans upon me as he speaks with a fourfold request. He simultaneously giving a fourfold description of those who are after him. Look again at verse one. Deliver me from my enemies set me on high from those who rise up against me first to those who do iniquity, men of blood shed there's a wonderful symmetry. A wonderful balance to the way that he opens us up a fourfold request for help that is balanced against the fourfold description of the people who would do him harm. And so, so these these men are are violent, they are opposed to him, they are they are after him and they will shed his blood given the opportunity, these men of sin and hostility have David in their crosshairs, so to speak, in order to kill him. Look at verse three. For behold, here it is, as we so often see in the Psalms, David makes the request and then he states the reason for the request.

Deliver me for behold, they have set an ambush for my life and you get get a sense of of vivid intensity as he's describing what they are doing and what they want to do. Behold, they have set an ambush for my life.

Fierce men launch an attack against me. And so, so, God, God deliver me. These men are after me and they are fierce, they are playing for keeps.

They are intent on bringing this harm to me and there is nothing in them that would restrain them. They love the bloodshed they love the iniquity and they hate me. God if you leave me in their hands. I will surely perish now, I venture to say that you're going to identify with David and what he goes on to say in verse four as well.

Why are these men after him.

There's no good reason, they have no justification for their hatred of him.

Look at what he says and at the end of verse three and on into verse four.

He said these fierce men of launched an attack against me, but God is not for my transgression, nor for my sin is for no guilt of mine that they Ron and set themselves against me saying God. These men are after me and I've done nothing to the David's character before Saul was blameless, and it's all wanted him dead out of a sense of jealousy that David was more accomplished on the battlefield than he was so out of out of sheer jealousy through nothing wrong that David done so once in dead and isn't that the case isn't that often what you find that you find opposition within your family within circles of relationship and people are speaking with swords against you.

People are hacking you with their tongues and saying all kinds of wicked things behind your back and you find out about it. He said what is this done nothing to the well find in Scripture. Your sense of sympathy from Christ and realize that the word of God recognizes that sometimes that's the position that you find yourself in an David appeals to God. Notice he's not claiming that I've never sinned at any time in my life against you. Oh God, he simply making the more narrow statement. I haven't done anything to justify the hostility that these men are bringing against me.

And so it becomes part of the ground of his appeal, saying God on blameless in this and therefore you should protect me in it because you are a defender of the blameless. You are your one who protects your people especially when they are innocent and that the matter for which they been accused and so David, here's what I would have you see what I would have you remember is that David here is in a great place of intimacy with God. He knows that God knows the truth and he appeals to that he knows that God loves in the God cares for him.

The God is a God of loyal love to his people and he says God, I know you are in relationship to your people and I know that in my situation that this person as opposed to me without any justification whatsoever. Therefore God on the vertical basis of who you are and on the horizontal level of my own blamelessness, comparatively speaking, God, I am justified to ask you to protect me and I have an expectation that you will do exactly what I asked. So he calls on God and his power over Angel armies to help him look at the end of verse four arouse yourself to help me and see verse five you O Yahweh God of hosts, the God of Israel. In other words, your your powerful God and you're the God of your people and your the covenant keeping God all that wrapped up in that short machine gun fire appeal to the various names of God says God in light of who you are and in light of who you are your people wake up. In other words, do something here to help me and to deliver me awake to punish all the nations.

He says do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity, see it's not just that God is a God of power. He is that he's also the God of Israel with the special relationship to his people, and as you read on. In this song you find David describing better yet ascribing to God. Certain aspects of his character in relationship to his people will jump ahead just a moment here.

Look at verse nine he says God is my stronghold. Verse 10 God in his lovingkindness will meet me verse 16. I sing of your strength. I sing of your lovingkindness. Verse 17 God is my stronghold. God is the one who shows me lovingkindness and so see the. The point here is that he's calling on God is the God of his people and is he calls on God is the God of his people. He says God I am appealing to different aspects of who you are. You are the defender of your people and one of the reasons that you defend your people is because of your lovingkindness, your Hasid, your loyal love that means that you never let your people down.

You never abandon them to their enemies and so he's he's appealing to God is a God of justice and also as God of loyal love. He says God you being a God of justice.

You could not possibly watch this God your God of justice. You could not possibly approve of the treacherous way that these people are dealing with me. There's no there's no way the church that you find that pleasing. There's no way that that's acceptable to you, O God, therefore act to deliver me is the course in the spirit of his prayer. So now as you go on. He asked God to bring to them the fruit of their own sin, and he describes his enemies in the picture isn't is a pretty it's vivid verse six. He compares them to dogs is under attack from dogs says they returned in the evening. They howl like a dog and go around the city. Dogs at that time or not the domesticated animals that we might have as pets.

Dogs in this day were scavenger animals. They were ugly they were vicious and they roamed impacts at night looking for food to eat and so when we think of a dog. We shouldn't think of a fluffy the cocker spaniel. We should be thinking more of something like a wild coyote for those of you that spent time in in California have perhaps seen those in your goings about scavenger animals.

It's a it's a description of derision that is making about them. These men who are after David are like aggressive animals would not be safe to meet in the streets in verse seven he says behold, they belched forth with her mouth. Swords are in their lips for they say who hears God not only are these men wicked their mocking your name there saying who hears us when we speak our lives who hears us when we threaten God's people who does anything about it that there was that there was a godless element to their attacks and their their seeking after David, they said no one's going to hold us accountable. We have the power will kill them and will move on and everything will be just fine. David says God, that's what they're like, intervene and do something about this. Would you these men were uncouth, contemptible Belcher's braggarts who had no fear of God. People had fear of God they wouldn't treat his people.

That way, so what does David do, having described his enemies in prayer and seeking deliverance from them.

Well he pivots in the next section verses eight through 15 and secondly you could say he seeks security and is God. He seeks security in his God.

He states the threat having stated the threat. Now he seeks security in his God and and what is so lovely about the song. What I've what I just come to love more and more as we go through the Psalms together over a long period of time is just that you find David's love and knowledge of God bleeding through and you find him resting in the very character of God. So look at verse eight he said but you oh Lord, laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations you contrast. He's just called them dogs and described his enemies, but now he pivots over and he describes who God is and what God is to him. He says in verse nine because of his strength. I will watch for you, for God is my stronghold, my God will in his lovingkindness. Meet me, God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes is described his enemies as dogs.

And now he pivots to God.

In verse eight he says that you oh Lord, laugh at them as violent as their intentions are as severe as their threat is to David he looks to God and he looks at it from God's perspective and says God. While this is an imminent threat to me. From your perspective. This is laughable. You look at this and you are and in no way intimidated by them in no way are you threatened by the men who threatened me this is so silly from God's perspective. These men are bringing a toy gun against the, the multiplied Angel Army host of God.

What is whether they think the outcome is going to be how is this possibly going to turn out well for them to oppose God from Blair human strength when God is the God of Angel Army's the Lord of hosts who is confidently faithful to his people and so from God's perspective.

This is laughable that they would try to rise up against God by threatening one of his servants.

This isn't the first time that we seem God described as laughing in the Psalms go back to Psalm two. If you would song to wear in verse one, the nations are in an uproar. The kings of the earth take their stands against the Lord and against his anointed, and what's God's response song to verse four he who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury, but as for me, I have installed my King upon Zion, my holy mountain. The whole matter is laughable to think that anyone would try phone with this God. This is this is the epitome of foolishness. This could not be more ridiculous just from a matter of of self-preservation to think that you could rise up against God and get away with it. God looks at this and God looks at all of the ways were threatened by those who unrighteously opposes God looks at that and says this is laughable.

Don't you understand that God can deal with this anyway anytime he wants without any kind of hindrance whatsoever.

The is utterly free and utterly powerful to do what he wants and if you will flourishes for time. It's always the God will deal with it in the end sought for many lack of power or ability or knowledge on God's part that this happens.

Men may sneer at him but that he reigns in it so foolishly to God. This is a choke. That's the perspective that we need to develop beloved, when we are resting under the protection of God when we are seeking him is our stronghold.

When we are trusting in Christ and belonging to that one who said I will never ever leave you nor will I ever, ever forsake you that in that position.

There is a there is a covering of protection upon us, that no man can penetrate that the most wicked arrows of the devil can never pierce in anything that filters through has been preapproved and preordained by God for your good and for your blessing. So we're were secure when dogs attack us. We have nothing to fear. When we come back to our God. David knows the omnipotence and faithful of God's faithfulness of God, and that's his refuge with verses nine and 10 now says because of his strength. I will watch for you.

I'm looking to you God for my help here. Not trusting in myself. God is my stronghold. God is the one that God is the place where I can go and find a sure defense that the enemy cannot penetrate and so I come back to him and I rest in him with the full confidence. Verse 10 that my God in his lovingkindness will meet me and in time God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes, God, your God of loyal love to me so I stands were alone before you an appeal to you for my help. This is the spirit with which David prays beloved.

It is the spirit to which Scripture calls you to that kind of complete trust and confidence in your God remembering what framed in earlier was Romans eight remembering that that it from a New Testament perspective. We are resting in Christ, and we know that we have a brother in heaven interceding for us and knowing from that position were protected were safe because of who God is. And David knows that God will not abandon him to the dogs. With his eyes firmly on God. David prays for a particular kind of defeat.

There is a unique contribution. I believe Psalm 59 here at this particular verse. David prays do not slay them or my people will forget scatter them by your power and bring them down. Oh Lord, our shield this is interesting.

David David is not praying for their immediate destruction is not asking God to wipe them out immediately. In fact, he says, God don't kill them.

There something for my people to learn here scatter them and bring them down. Don't just wipe off don't incinerate them in a moment while we pray that well.

David has Zion the people of God who are looking to him and will look to him in the future and his point is this God if if the enemy falls to quickly. The whole lesson of the futility of opposing God will be lost on those who see. David realizes that the best lessons are the ones that we learn over time.

Those are the ones that go the deepest ones were were thinking and contemplating and observing and waiting and praying and watching and some steps forward in some steps back at the end of a long process like that when you see the deliverance of God say all yeah you know this event. This is been going on for a good seven years and now there is complete vindication. Now there is a complete deliverance. Now I see it all clearly in the light of Scripture beloved, if you don't know by personal experience.

Perhaps one day you will lessons like that stay with you for a lifetime. And God would not be as good to you. If he always granted to you the deliverance on your timetable. Sometimes he delays it for the sake always for the sake of your greater blessing. In the end. And so with deliverance seems delayed and slow in coming. Take heart in the fact that sometimes God does that in order to drive the lesson home more deeply in order to accomplish deeper purposes than the mere immediate deliverance that you might prefer initially would bring to you in the context of Psalm 59 dealing with dogs who attack we we always come back to this fundamental principle blessed look. God deals with evil men. God deals with people who treat us sinfully. God protects us and that and therefore we have no cause for fear about the ultimate outcome that's never that's never a concern. So, since we know the outcome. Then it turns to us to to be patient to wait entered into just honestly consistently over time look to God until he brings final deliverance see that shakes the whole way that you walk with Christ shapes the whole way that you approach life.

This is a whole worldview that informs way that you do things rather than watch this rather than collapsing and panic rather than being dominated by fear because the deliverance doesn't come immediately fall back on broader, deeper principles. The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way the wicked will perish. That is guaranteed that is the way God runs the universe and if you're in Christ, then that works to your favor and you say okay Lord, will humble myself under the weight of this one more time, will humble myself again all look to you again and all trust you for how this comes out. God uses your trials and the opposition is a is a school of training for your spiritual life.

That's not something to despise what man goes into the military wanting to be an Air Force fighter pilot in and resents the training school that equips them for it. What Navy seal when he's in the course of battle has resented the fact that his trainers pushed him to the outer limit in basic studies prepared for the battle and came see we just have to think differently and and wean ourselves off of that lust for immediate deliverance so that we can be comfortable and instead value the higher aspirations. The higher things God is doing in your soul say I'm I'm I'm a soldier in the army of Christ. I'm a child in the family of God and what what does God do, but he disciplines me and erases me sometimes that comes through opposition to which I say, not my will but thine be done.

God, that's what David's doing here. So rather than having God remove them from the scene.

He asks that that their wickedness would return on their own head to their own shame.

Look at verse 12 he said, on account of the sin of their mouth. In the words of their lips let them even be caught in their pride and on account of curses and lies which the outer Lord there setting traps about me remember they'd circled his house setting in ambush. He says God is there, setting traps, let it catch them let their own wickedness become that which in traps them and ensnares them and let it be obvious to all happen to Haman in the book of a estrogen built a gallows to hang Mordecai on 75 feet high and whose neck was snapped payments.

Mordecai God protected Mordecai and brought Haman's evil schemes to bear upon them himself.

Now, as were going through this beloved is your getting into the spirit of David's prayer. It's so important to understand that this is not a prayer for personal retribution. This is not David seeking vengeance for his own sake and out of his own sense of hatred that's not the case. He makes it plain what his great concern is in his great concern is the glory of God. Look at verse 13 he says destroy them in wrath destroy them that they may be no more fat for this purpose, so that this goal would be accomplished. Oh God, that men may know that God rules and Jacob to the ends of the earth.

God I pray this way because I have a goal in mind and my goal is not my own glory, but yours. I want the ends of the earth to know. Oh God, that you ruled that you praying that you were glorious and that you are faithful to your people and they will see that that will be manifested. My present circumstances will be an object lesson in the glory of God to the nations. Oh God, that's why I pray this way might be that so that it would be that your name would be lifted up, David's prominence would bring worldwide repercussions nations would learn to fear God, watch this nations would learn to fear God, by the way God protects his God protected his own son dissuaded me loud and undergo the crucifixion to accomplish our redemption. But what was on the other side. Three days later, a glorious raising from the dead, the displayed the God had accepted his sacrifice that Jesus Christ was his beloved son, never to die again completely vindicated by the resurrection, even though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death for you and me and so David repeats the refrain in verse 14, picking up what he said in very similar language in verse six says they return it evening. They howl like a dog and go around the city. They wander about for food and growl if they are not satisfied God. These men are dogs that are opposed to you deal with them according to what they deserve deal with them according to your power, according to your faithfulness so that your name would be glorified and show these shiftless vagrants rains. That's what lies ahead for those dogs. David says but there's a better outcome waiting for me in sharp contrast to the unsatisfied grounds of his enemy. David ends in joyful song. This is our third and final point here in the final two versus he sings praise to his God.

He sings praise to his God, as so often happens Psalm 59 concludes on a note of praise. Look at verse 16.

David says but as for me, says God of God dealt with these enemies before your throne and now let's just make it about you and me, me, looking to you vertically.

Here's what's going to happen for my heart of God.

I shall sing of your strength. Yes, I shall joyfully sing of your lovingkindness in the morning. God I am going to praise you because I trust you. I know that your deliverance is sure and therefore praises what lies ahead for me. I am going to honor my God with my uplifted voice why the universe 16 for you have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. So in verse 17 he closes with this certain hope, he says, oh, my strength, I will sing praises to you, for God is my stronghold. The God who shows me lovingkindness when the deliverance comes.

David says to be singing.

I pledge to you my future praise of God. In this in my praise will call attention to your attributes which motivated you to deliver me in my distress. God, I've appealed to your lovingkindness. I puled to your strength as our fortress in our refuge and God. I know that from that basis, you will act to deliver us.

You will act to deliver me watch this. Just as I trust you now based on those attributes when the deliverance comes, I will praise you for those selfsame attributes. His hope is certain we have recorded for us 3000 years later, the praise of David to his God. That which invites you to praise him in like manner, and to trust him in like manner, your God is good, beloved Christian, your God is faithful you can trust him and therefore we can praise him. Even tonight, even before our deliverance comes, we can rest in him.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for the immensely practical nature of this song in this instruction. We understand what it's like to have people oppose were unbowed of God before you father what is there in men that we would fear when we know God. And we know that you are faithful in the Church of God of loyal love. So we rest in you will. God, we praise you to the highest heights and we entrust to you all of the all of the trials. All of the sorrows. All of the all of the bitterness is that life has brought us in these days and the seasons for Simon. This room God some finding that the people closest to them or the ones that bring them the most hard God in those circumstances, we appeal to you to show yourself faithful just as you did to David and we praise you now trust you on the basis of these revealed attributes in Lord. We look forward to the day when we will praise you fully. When your deliverance, your great God, a good God love you will friend thank you for joining us on through the Psalms. If you would like to follow my weekly messages from truth community church go to truth Community Church.org and look for the link titled pulpit podcast again.

That's truth Community Church.org God bless you. Thanks, Don, and friend. Be sure to join us each weekend as we continue through the songs with Pastor Don great.

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