On April 18, 1521, at the Diet of Worms, Martin Luther refused to recant of his teaching concerning justification by faith alone, noting that his conscience was captive to the Word of God. On May 26, 1521, in response to Luther’s declaration that he would not recant, the Emperor gave his decree: “[Do] not … take … Martin Luther into your houses, [do] not … receive him at court … [do] not … hide him … afford him no help, following, support or encouragement … Where you can get him, seize him and overpower him, you should capture him and send him to us under tightest security.1 He would also add, “I have decided to mobilize everything against Luther: my kingdoms and dominions, my friends, my body, my blood and my soul.2
Now, it’s one thing to have someone threaten you who has little power, but when the emperor declares that he is mobilizing everything against you, it’s a different story. He really does have much at his disposal.
So, how would you respond to this? Amazingly, Luther lived another twenty-five years, dying on February 18, 1546 and then not at the hands of his enemies. But Luther didn’t know that would be the case, did he? I mean, once you hear that the emperor wants you dead and is willing to employ everything to make it happen, I’d imagine that you would start thinking of your remaining time on the earth in terms of days, not years.
After hearing of the emperor’s decree to those under his reign that Luther should be taken captive, I’m not sure what Luther did. To hear of his commitment to pray and read the Scripture in his letters, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to think that he stopped at the point of receiving this news and prayed or read the Scripture. And if indeed he did read the Scripture, it would have been fitting for him to stop and read Psalm 59.
You see, Psalm 59 is somewhat rare in that we’re told of the setting in which this psalm was written. The superscription tells us that it was written by David “when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.” Thus, it seems to me, that Luther might have found someone who understood him as he read this psalm.
This episode in David’s life is found 1 Samuel 19:11-17. David had been playing the lyre for King Saul, when Saul decided that he wanted him dead. So, he threw his spear at David, David eluded it, and David headed out to escape from Saul.
But Saul was determined to have David killed, so he sent messengers to David’s house to watch him throughout the night and kill him in the morning. After all, David has to come out of his house sometime, doesn’t he? So, this is a desperate time in David’s life. When the king wants you dead and your house is surrounded by his men, waiting to kill you, times are tough.
But David’s wife, Michal, Saul’s daughter, saw the need to act quickly. So she let David down through a window in the night and put a dummy on the bed with goats hair to make it look like David was sick. Therefore, Saul’s messengers finally told Saul that David might be delayed in coming out because he was sick, so Saul told them to go ahead and bring him on his bed to Saul so that Saul might kill him. But, as we know, when the men came to get David, he was not there. They had been deceived, and David had escaped.
And it is in that setting that David wrote this psalm, according to the superscription. I’m not sure if he wrote it right as the enemies arrived, after he was let down through the window and before the morning, or sometime after he had successfully escaped. Nonetheless, the psalm was written in light of a time when David’s life was threatened by the king himself, who was determined to see David dead.
Now for us, I don’t think it’s likely that we will find ourselves in Luther’s or David’s shoes in the sense that a king or emperor will ever declare us to be something like public enemy number one. What is true, however, is that many throughout the history of the church – whether David or Luther or individuals we do not know – have suffered at the hands of those who did not trust in the gospel. That is, most believers throughout the history of the church would have had no problem feeling that they needed to reflect on how to walk well in situations when men want to harm, persecute, and even kill you. And even in our own day, we have brothers and sisters who are suffering intense persecution in different parts of the world. And this will continue if not increase for at least a few reasons: 1) the Bible tells us that if we desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus, we will be persecuted, 2) specifically Paul tells us that those of the flesh will always persecute those of promise – meaning that those attempting to be justified by their own works will always persecute those who have been justified by faith, and 3) those who do not believe the gospel are not merely ignorant of God but rebelliously suppressing any acknowledgment that he exists so that they are enemies of God. In light of these truths, it is quite odd that our persecution as believers is not more intense than it is, and it seems that we should not expect this odd situation to continue forever.
So, first, we should recognize this morning that persecution will likely increase in our own settings and therefore pay careful attention to David’s words in a time in which he was under heavy persecution. But, second, we should pay attention to the words of this psalm for the good of the church world-wide. You see, we do have brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering at the hands of those who are in rebellion against Christ. And we are to remember them. In fact, we are told in Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
That is, because believers are not only united with Christ but with one another, we cannot be aware of others who are suffering for the faith and pretend it has nothing to do with us. These are our brothers and sisters. Therefore, we are told to remember them as though we were suffering with them, and this no doubt includes taking time to intercede for them. For this reason, Psalm 59 aids us both in praying through our own suffering and persecution as well as instructing us in knowing how we might intercede for our brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted, praying for them in a manner that accords with the example of the Scripture.
Therefore, this morning, I just want to walk through the psalm in four parts, note how David prays in each section, and then think through how we might apply these things in our own prayers.
First, we find in verses 1-5 . . .
As is common in the psalms, we find the author who finds himself in trouble appealing to the Lord. That is what David does here. He asks God to deliver and protect him in verses 1-2, writing, “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.” This is simply a declaration to ask God to do what we cannot do.
This is such a common point in the psalms that it’s easy to want to dismiss. We might say, “Of course the psalmist asks God to work in his situation. That’s what happens in the psalm.” And that’s true. This is indeed what happens in the psalms again and again. The psalmist finds himself in a situation that is greater than him, and he cries out to the Lord, asking God to intervene.
The question it is good to ask ourselves is, then, is it common in our lives? If someone were to examine our lives, would they say, “Ah, here they go crying out to the Lord again, asking God to intervene”? Having gone through the book of James not too long ago, you’ll remember how there James states in terms of needing wisdom that we do not have it because we fail to ask God, who gives generously.
So, let us ask ourselves, if we do not pray, asking God to provide for us and care for us, then why don’t we? We might say that we do when things come along like needing a job or praying for our health, but beyond that, we do not want to cast our cares upon the Lord, for they are not great issues in the eternal scheme of things. But doesn’t God himself tell us to cast our cares upon the Lord? Indeed he does. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to cast our cares upon the Lord because he cares for us.
I think this is what David is doing in verses 3-4. After all, notice the content of this verse. David writes, “For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strike against me. For no fault of mine, they run and make ready.” Why does David go through saying all of that to the Lord? Isn’t that the equivalent of saying to someone standing next to you, “It’s cold,” when you’re both standing outside in sub-freezing temperatures? It’s not news, is it? Here is the creator of all things, who knows all your thoughts, has written down all your days before you’ve lived any of them, and you’re giving him a play-by-play of the scene around you? “You see, God, here’s what’s going on.” It seems foolish, doesn’t it? So why does David do it?
I think he does it is because this is the means by which we cast our cares, concerns, and anxieties on the Lord. We unburden our own hearts by sharing the burden with the Lord. So, as David begins to pray as the enemies surround his house, he knows that the Lord willingly concerns himself with that which is a concern for his servant David. That’s why David boldly asks in 4b-5a, “Awake, come to meet me, and see! You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel.” He knows that God is his God.
Now, going back to last week, if indeed God set his affection on us before the world was even created, we foolishly believe the lies of the devil to think that he does not care to hear our requests. Indeed, he commands us to bring them to him.
This past week, we walked alongside David Matlock as his dad, Frank, went to be with the Lord. And, one thing that struck me was this continued note of this brothers’ prayers. Even as Ray and I asked David on Monday what his dad had done when David had strayed from the Lord, David answered, “He prayed.” And as I sat and watched David and his brother hold each other and assure one another with the truth of the gospel, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “This picture is an answer to a man’s prayers over years.” And I thought to myself, “God forbid that I long for the faithfulness of my own children and yet neglect to pray for that, neglect to cast my cares upon the Lord, even as this brother had done.”
And that’s what David does here. But even here David concerns himself with his brethren. He does not simply pray that the enemies around his house would be destroyed, but adds in 5b, “Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.” Again, it is a reminder to us that as the people of God, we must intercede and ask for help, deliverance, and protection from God on behalf of our brothers and sisters around the world.
So, David first prays for deliverance. Second, we see David’s declaration of trust in verses 6-10.
In verses 6-10, David declares his trust in the Lord. In verses 6-7, he describes the situation once more. Again, though he has done nothing to deserve their attacks, he notes, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips—for ‘Who,’ they think, ‘will hear us?’”
David’s enemies are not only unjustly seeking his life, but they are prideful about it. They think they are in a place of power. But David knows better. He writes, “But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision.” David knows that these men will only be able to do what God allows. And, knowing that God has chosen him to be the next king, David expresses his confidence in verses 9-10, writing, “O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.”
Now note why David is confident. In verse 8, he acknowledges God’s might. Then, he focuses on God’s ability to protect and deliver again in verse 9, noting that God is like a fortress. But in verse 10 he adds another element. It is not just that he knows God’s might, but he knows God his God would meet him in his “steadfast love.”
You see, the better we know God, the more effectively we pray. There’s a reason the early disciples, when they were threatened, voiced to God that he laughs at those who challenge him. There’s a reason why Paul doesn’t simply pray that God might fill us with hope but asks that the God of hope might fill us with hope. It’s the same reason why he asks that the Lord of peace might give peace to the Thessalonians. Knowing God’s character equips us to pray and ask God to do things that we know he can and indeed wills to do.
Third, we see in verses 11-13 . . .
David asks that the failure of the people be gradual in verse 11, writing, “Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.”
It seems that David wants the judgment of his enemies to be gradual so that God’s people might not quickly forget what God has done and rest in themselves. Even here, as David prays for judgment upon his enemies, he does so with an eye to his brothers and sisters.
Do you see, it is okay and good to pray for justice in this world. It is not wrong to ask God to punish the wicked. In fact, it is sometimes the most loving thing for our brothers to pray that God might carry out judgment against the wicked. If a group is killing our brothers in Christ, then we should find ourselves praying that God would bring swift judgment on them.
And I mention praying for our brothers because notice how David’s cry for justice is not self-centered. That is, David recognizes that this is an opportunity for his deliverance to remind his brothers of God’s faithfulness and might and worth.
Just a few weeks ago in prayer on a Sunday night, we had a number of requests for marriages that appear to be on the brink of dissolving – not in our own membership, but among those we love. And Jon Putt spoke up not to share a request but to remind us of how God had answered our prayers for his parents – after they had been separated for ten years! Jon even remarked that he’d grown weary in praying and in faith. And yet others had prayed for God to intervene and show his might. Now, Jon wanted those very ones who might have interceded for his parents to be learn and be strengthened by God’s answer to our prayers for his parents.
This indeed is how the body works. We are not alone, but we are intertwined with others. And as we pray, we must always pray with our brothers and sisters in mind. God, would you save my children, we might pray, while asking that their salvation would serve to prick the consciences of others’ children or encourage other parents to be faithful.
And yet, our prayers do not only extend to this local body. Not, how David longs for all the earth to know God in verses 12-13. He writes, For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth.”
David longs for all the world to know of God’s care for his children. That is to say, David’s prayer has a global missionary thrust to it, reminding us that we not only pray with a mind to our brothers and sisters here but also to those worldwide whom we hope might profess Christ alongside of us.
Timothy George tells the story of an episode in William Carey’s life. Carey had labored to translate the Bible into Bengali, praying that God might use his labors, and yet was no doubt frustrated by the lack of fruit around him. But George writes, “One of the copies of this first edition made its way to the distant city of Dacca. When the missionaries finally established a work there some 17 years later, they discovered several villages of Hindu peasants who had abandoned the worship of idols. They were waiting for a teacher who would explain to them the faith they had learned from the frayed pages of a little book preserved in a wooden box in one of the villages. The book was Carey’s Bengali New Testament.” Let us pray with an eye to our brothers and an eye to the nations, knowing that God is pleased to hear and answer our prayers so that they are indeed powerful.
Finally, in verses 14-17, we see . . .
It is not enough that David prays for these things, he longs to be an instrument in proclaiming to others what God has done. In verses 14-15, he again describes to the Lord the situation of his enemies, writing, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill.”
Why does David repeat this declaration? One reason, it seems, is so that he might contrast his own heart with them. Unlike them, David is not seeking merely to get his own fill like a dog seeking about the city for food. Rather, David writes, “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love” (16-17).
David longs for others to know of God’s work, so David commits to praise God. Now, looking at this so far, I think we might admit that it’s easier to follow David’s example here in asking God for deliverance than it is in praising him for his provision. Consider how much energy we find to declare our cries for help. It is easy. We simply feel desperation. No one has to tell you when you surrounded by a group of people who want to kill you, “You should have a bit of a feeling of desperation right now” do they?
But it far too easy, once God has delivered to breathe a sign of relief and think, “Whew, I’m glad that’s over.” This psalm, however, reminds us that we must make known God’s praise to others. We must sing of his strength, of his love, of his protection, deliverance, and care. For it is in such praise and thanksgiving that others are encouraged to trust in this God as well.
I know most of you know the story, but Horatio Spafford planned a trip with his wife and four daughters on a ship in 1873 when because of last minute business developments, he had to stay behind for a while and sent his wife and four daughters on ahead. As they were out at sea, their ship was struck by another vessel, leading it to sink. Several days later, the survivors were able to arrive at land in Wales when Spafford’s wife sent a message to him that simply read: “Saved alone.”
Spafford then sat out to go to his wife, having lost four daughters, by ship. As he was there, on the sea itself when he wrote of a song praising God for his deliverance from sin and wrath. To note that it was a song of praise, one need only remember the words to the third verse: “My sin—O the bliss of this glorious thought—my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more; praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.” What more can you say to end that verse than, “Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul”?
You see, this morning, we who have faith in Christ have all been delivered from something greater than enemies surrounding our house or even the emperor himself. We have been delivered from sin and the condemnation and wrath that comes with it. We deserved death and hell, and instead Jesus came and died for our sins and was raised from the dead so that by faith in him, we might have forgiveness of sins.
Because God has done that for us, let us be quick to run to him in prayer, casting our burdens on him, trusting him to care for us and to bring justice for our good and the good of our brothers and sisters around the world. And let us praise him so that others might know of his goodness. Let us indeed now praise him together as we come to the table. Amen.