Latest / Reformed Thinking / Casting Your Burden on the Lord Amid Treachery (Psalm 55) | Charles Spurgeon

Transcript

Casting Your Burden on the Lord Amid Treachery (Psalm 55) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome back to Reformed Thinking.
0:01
We're taking some time today to step away from all the immediate
0:04
noise and get into some truth that lasts.
0:08
Often found these ancient texts that just stays so directly to
0:11
our lives today. They really do.
0:13
So today, a listener pointed us toward a text that deals with
0:17
some of the most, well, raw and painful human experiences you
0:20
can imagine. We're talking about betrayal,
0:23
distress, the feeling of being just completely overwhelmed.
0:26
We are doing a deep dive into Psalm 55, and we'll be using the
0:30
insights of Charles Spurgeon from the Treasury of David as
0:33
our main guide. And this isn't just, you know,
0:36
an historical study. It's a look at how a solid,
0:39
anchored faith responds when relationships you trust just
0:43
completely fall apart. And that's the core mission
0:45
here. The reason Psalm 55 still
0:47
resonates so strongly across thousands of years is its dual
0:50
application. The classic commentators always
0:53
point this out. On one level, you have King
0:55
David's personal, excruciating account.
0:58
He's a man literally running for his life, probably during the
1:02
Absalon revolt. And the political trees in there
1:05
was compounded by this awful betrayal from family and
1:10
friends, all seen in the figure of Ahithophel.
1:12
And then underneath David's personal suffering, you see this
1:15
clear prophetic pattern. Every time David pours out his
1:18
agony, he's sort of laying the groundwork for the suffering of
1:21
the greater Son of David, Christ himself.
1:24
Yes, this is especially true when you think about the unique
1:27
betrayal by Judas Iscariot. It takes David's personal sorrow
1:30
and it elevates it into this covenantal experience.
1:34
It makes the teaching here not just for us.
1:37
We're in distress, but it's central to understanding
1:39
salvation history itself. It's a good idea to get a handle
1:42
on the Psalms framework before we jump into the verses.
1:44
Spurgeon organizes it into these very distinct emotional and
1:49
theological shifts. This structure can really act as
1:51
a guide for Inner 1 going through some kind of intense
1:54
personal crisis. So how does it breakdown?
1:56
It starts with the suppliants petition.
1:58
That's verses 1 to 8 showing that raw cry for help.
2:01
Then David's focus shifts outward and he portrays the
2:05
enemies in verses 9:00 to 11:00. And then comes the real pivot,
2:08
that sharp point of pain, the identification of the traitor.
2:12
That's verses 12 to 15. Right.
2:15
And the emotional release, the remedy finally comes with
2:18
consolation and prayer, verses 16 to 19.
2:21
Then he goes back to the specifics of the deceit in
2:23
verses 20 and 21, and it all wraps up with a strong, very
2:28
practical exhortation and denunciation in the last couple
2:30
of verses. We should probably also mention
2:33
the genre right at the top. The title has the designation
2:35
Michelle. That's important.
2:37
For listeners who might not be familiar with all the song
2:39
titles, Michelle is a keyword. It doesn't just mean it's a
2:42
personal song or a cry of desperation.
2:44
It means instruction we're teaching.
2:46
So even in the middle of this huge traumatic trial, David is
2:50
fleeing his own city. He's facing execution.
2:53
He is intentionally setting down instructions for all of us who
2:56
follow. His suffering isn't just
2:58
recorded. It's, you could say, organized
3:01
to teach. He's turning his crisis into a
3:04
manual. That's a great way to put it.
3:06
The sorrows of David and the sorrows of Christ are set out
3:09
here to teach us how we as Christian pilgrims are supposed
3:13
to walk through this mire of injustice and betrayal.
3:17
David is showing us that even when you feel stripped of all
3:19
your dignity and hope, your spiritual crisis can become a
3:22
guide for others spiritual survival.
3:25
OK, so let's unpack this opening segment.
3:27
Then let's start with that sheer desperation of prayer.
3:30
In verses 1 and 2, David opens with the simplest request.
3:34
Give ear to my prayer. O God, hide not thyself from my
3:37
supplication. What really stands out right
3:40
away is how universal that first response is for a St.
3:44
It speaks to a habit, an established habit of the godly.
3:48
The commentary knows how Saints just constantly turn to prayer
3:51
and distress. It's not some new idea they have
3:53
in a dark moment. It's a reflex.
3:55
It's a reflex, like a child running to a parent.
3:57
We are trained to hold onto the means of grace so that when the
3:59
darkness hits, we don't have to invent a response.
4:02
We just run to that place of established covenant blessing,
4:05
which is the mercy seat. But David isn't just, you know,
4:07
going through the motions here. He's craving an immediate,
4:10
certain audience. He says right away, Hide not
4:12
thyself from my supplication. It's an appeal against divine
4:15
silence, and Spurgeon calls that silence the most dreadful
4:18
calamity of all. Why is God hiding his face so
4:21
terrifying for a believer? Well, the feeling of divine
4:24
abandonment suggests ultimate rejection implies God has
4:29
stopped his ear or held back his hand.
4:31
For David, losing human allies in the treachery of friends is
4:35
awful. But if God himself deliberately
4:38
passes him by, then all hope is just gone.
4:41
And we have to remember, this human experience finds its
4:44
perfection in Christ on the cross.
4:46
Of course he cries out, My God, my God, why has thou forsaken
4:49
me? In that moment, the Father did
4:51
hide himself, because Christ was bearing the full weight of human
4:54
sin in God's wrath. Right.
4:55
So when David cries out to prevent that silence, we're
4:58
seeing the human fear, that same terror amplified by his
5:01
conscience and the immediate threat of death.
5:03
And notice the raw urgency. He repeats the core request,
5:08
attendant me and hear me. He prays the same thing three
5:12
times. That kind of repetition, it's
5:15
not vain babbling. It shows a deep, bitter,
5:18
existential earnestness. It's the acknowledgement that if
5:21
God doesn't hear, if he doesn't pay attention to what's
5:24
happening to me right now, then I am completely lost.
5:27
And that leads to the surprisingly open way of praying
5:30
that's allowed in verse two. I mourn in my complaint and make
5:33
a noise. We're so often taught to be, you
5:36
know, composed and articulate in prayer that this gives
5:38
permission for something much messier.
5:40
It's so comforting, isn't it? Especially for those in deep
5:43
spiritual or mental distress. We are allowed, even encouraged,
5:47
to be familiar with our God, to bring him our rambling,
5:50
distracted grief. Sometimes, as the commentary
5:53
notes, the utterance is more a noise than coherent language.
5:57
It's not even called a formal prayer here.
5:59
It's a disturbed crying out. This affirms that the Lord is
6:02
carefully attending to the deepest condition of our hearts.
6:05
It brings to mind that passage in Romans about the Spirit
6:08
interceding for us with groanings which cannot be
6:10
uttered. And those unarticulated
6:12
groanings are often the prayers God cannot refuse because they
6:16
come from the Spirit within us, perfectly expressing the desires
6:19
we can't even form into words. I mean, the Lord Himself
6:22
sanctioned this. He used strong crying and tears
6:25
and was heard in that He feared. This isn't about eloquence, it's
6:29
about sheer desperate reality. So why is David in this state?
6:34
Verses 3 through 5 get into the acute sources of his pain, both
6:37
external and internal. Let's start with the external,
6:41
with the voice of the enemy. The enemy is vocal.
6:44
They aren't silent plotters. They are loud, full of slander.
6:48
This is the constant chatter of venomous tongues expressing deep
6:51
personal hostility. That kind of verbal assault is
6:55
just exhausting and demoralizing.
6:56
It seems like neither David nor Christ nor any St. trying to
7:00
live a just life can escape these kinds of malicious vocal
7:03
attacks. No.
7:04
Then there's the feeling of being physically crushed because
7:07
of the oppression of the wicked. This isn't just opposition, it's
7:10
an intolerable burden, forcing the righteous down, grinding
7:13
them into the dust. It's the story of persecution,
7:16
really. It is the one born of the flesh
7:18
persecutes the one born of the Spirit.
7:21
This oppression takes the form of injustice, where the wicked
7:24
use their political or social weight to just constantly press
7:28
down on the righteous, making every simple action a struggle.
7:30
And the third external attack is targeted character
7:33
assassination, for they cast iniquity upon me.
7:37
This is very specific. It's defamation.
7:39
Spurgeon paints this vivid, almost crude picture of them
7:42
blackening him with soot bags, throwing the dust of lies over
7:46
his character. They're not just reporting his
7:48
failings, they're actively fabricating and exaggerating
7:51
evil, trying to trip him up. And it's all done in.
7:53
Wrath. Yes, fueled by this hearty I'll
7:55
will and active moral rancor. This isn't some detached
7:59
political maneuver. It's personal.
8:00
So when you apply that level of pressure, slander, physical
8:03
oppression, fabricated accusations, all at once from
8:06
the outside, the internal reaction is immediate and
8:10
debilitating. Verse 4 details the consequence.
8:13
My heart is sore, pained within me.
8:15
The Hebrew term for sore pained is actually often associated
8:18
with the intense writhing agony of a woman in labor.
8:22
David's spirit is convulsing, his inmost soul is touched, and
8:27
the wisdom literature confirms that a wound to the spirit is
8:29
the hardest one to bear. And given that this all stemmed
8:32
from his beloved son Absalom driving him from Jerusalem, the
8:36
context just validates this deep expression of internal trauma.
8:40
It absolutely does. And the pain escalates very
8:43
quickly into mortal fear. Terrors of death are falling
8:46
upon me. He feels suddenly surrounded by
8:49
the shadow of death, giving himself up for lost.
8:51
It's not just the threat of dying, but the terrors of death
8:54
that fall upon him, overwhelming him like a blanket thrown over
8:57
his head. And this is exactly where we
8:58
have to pause and consider the Gethsemane parallel, because it
9:02
completes the prophetic picture. David is facing this mortal
9:05
apprehension and dismay. It's a natural human reaction to
9:08
imminent violent death, right? But Christ in the garden
9:12
experienced the same fear and sorrow, exceeding, sorrowful
9:15
even unto death, but magnified exponentially.
9:18
How so? I mean, David's fear is rooted
9:20
in the threat of assassination and losing his life, faith and
9:23
Kingdom. How does Christ's compare?
9:25
Christ's apprehension, while fully human, was rooted in
9:27
something far darker. That dreadful hour when the
9:30
Father would hide his face and the accumulated weight of the
9:33
world's sin would be poured out upon him.
9:36
David was unmanned, confounded, brought into this hideous state
9:39
of suspense. But Christ willingly stepped
9:42
into that horror. He did.
9:43
He faced the divine wrath that David only feared indirectly
9:47
through human enemies. David's experience is the
9:49
forerunner, A sanctified example of human agony.
9:53
But Christ's suffering perfects it.
9:54
It turns that mortal dread into redemptive suffering.
9:57
Verse five really captures the full psychological toll of this
10:00
descent into terror. Fearfulness and trembling are
10:03
come upon me. It's that sly, mysterious,
10:06
plotting conspiracy that causes a noble mind more fear than an
10:10
open challenge. You could be brave against an
10:12
open enemy, you know. You know where they stand and
10:14
what to resist. But cowardly treachery and
10:17
secret plotting, which David knows is happening back in
10:19
Jerusalem, that just bewilders and distracts you.
10:21
It creates this paralyzing suspense.
10:23
And the culmination is being entirely enveloped and horror
10:28
hath overwhelmed me. It sounds like being plunged
10:31
into a deep, dark sea of dread. The application for us is so
10:35
vital here. This sort of total distress,
10:38
fear, trembling, horror is not inconsistent with godliness or
10:42
courage. Natural human affections are
10:44
sanctified, not erased in conversion.
10:47
So good, brave people can be moved with fear in times of
10:50
great danger. Yes, and David is laying out
10:53
this reality for us in this Michelle.
10:55
We aren't expected to be stoic robots.
10:58
We are allowed our human response.
11:00
The sources are very clear that this intense fear of death is
11:03
upon all flesh feeling. It is not a sign of lacking
11:05
courage. The courage comes in how we
11:07
respond to it. Right.
11:08
To overcome it in the way of duty is courage.
11:10
To meet the inevitable with patience is faith.
11:13
But the initial reaction for most of us when facing the grave
11:16
is this horrible dread. And we have to address the root
11:18
cause of the most paralyzing spiritual dread, which is the
11:21
consciousness of our own sinfulness.
11:24
Even the exemplary Christian, when looking only at his own
11:27
habits and righteousness, feels a sense of unfitness to meet
11:31
God. Our unreadiness to die are
11:34
lukewarmness and duties, the great imperfections of our
11:37
repentance. All these things generate shame
11:39
and dread. And the practical theological
11:42
remedy is never found by just looking harder at ourselves.
11:45
If we focus inward, we just amplify the dread.
11:48
The remedy is found by shifting our gaze entirely to the great
11:51
surety, to Christ Jesus. Only by trusting in his perfect
11:55
work, which conquered the very terror David felt, can we
11:58
overcome this internal horror. That profound internal agony,
12:02
then the overwhelming sense of being crushed and terrified.
12:05
It leads so naturally to this deep human wish for instant
12:08
total escape. In verse 6, David sighs.
12:11
Oh, that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away
12:14
and be at rest? This is the universal human
12:16
longing. When life becomes just
12:17
intolerable. He's wishing for a swift,
12:19
unobserved escape from the scene of conflict and wickedness and
12:22
venomous tongues. It's the emotional equivalent of
12:25
wishing for a sudden retirement. You know, for a lodge in some
12:28
vast wilderness where the noise of plotting can't reach.
12:31
And he chooses the dove specifically, which symbolizes
12:35
both innocence and speed. It's the timid flyer seeking
12:39
quiet shade and solitary values, always fleeing the haunts of
12:42
hunters. It just shows he's desperate for
12:45
absolute solitude and peace. But the commentary immediately
12:48
introduces A challenging critique of this desire.
12:51
It calls it a vain desire. So why is it vain?
12:54
Let's get into that. Well, the critique is central to
12:56
discipleship. First, because inward grief
12:59
knows nothing of place. You can't outrun A troubled
13:02
heart because the trouble is within you, the source of our
13:05
spiritual anxiety. Whether it's sin or distress, it
13:07
travels with us even to the deepest wilderness.
13:10
Changing your geography doesn't fix a broken spirit.
13:13
That's a huge application point for us today, isn't it?
13:16
How many of us seek escape through modern versions of
13:18
wings? Like a dove?
13:20
We seek distraction through media or constant moving or
13:22
career shifts, hoping to leave the internal conflicts behind.
13:26
But until the conflict is resolved spiritually, the
13:28
trouble remains. Second, and this is more
13:31
challenging for the Christian, this impulse to flee is often
13:34
considered cowardly. We're instructed that we better
13:37
face the danger because God calls us to fight the battle he
13:41
has appointed for us. We're soldiers, and soldiers who
13:44
turn their backs are defeated. The analogy often uses that we
13:47
have no armor for our backs. Our posture must always be
13:50
forward facing. The trial God has appointed for
13:52
us right here, right now, running from the battle, is in
13:55
effect admitting defeat. And the very symbol David chose,
13:59
the dovett, provides the theological counter argument.
14:03
We were reminded of the Dove of Noah, which flew out over the
14:06
floodwaters but found no rest until it returned to the ark.
14:09
So we find rest in Jesus, in the covenant, not in separating
14:12
ourselves from the appointed place of trial.
14:15
That's it. That reframes the purpose of
14:16
tribulation entirely. We don't need to depart from the
14:20
conflict to find peace. Rather, all will be well if we
14:24
trust in Him right where we stand in the middle of the
14:26
storm. And we see the practicality of
14:28
David's longing in verse 7. Low than what?
14:31
I wander far off and remain in the wilderness in his current
14:34
state. He just thinks anywhere else
14:36
must be better than Jerusalem right now.
14:38
But history shows us the reality of solitude is often far less
14:42
charming than the troubled soul imagines.
14:45
The commentary quotes that famous reflection of Alexander
14:47
Selkirk, the real life inspiration for Robinson Crusoe,
14:51
who after years of forced solitude, concluded better dwell
14:55
in the midst of alarms than reign in this horrible place.
14:58
So solitude can quickly become crushing loneliness.
15:02
It amplifies, not diminishes, internal sorrow.
15:05
Our Lord found great strength and solitude, but He used it
15:08
strategically for prayer, not pathetically sign for a
15:11
permanent escape. Nature wishes to separate from
15:14
society when men do us wrong, but grace has to teach us to
15:17
endure the contradiction of sinners right where we are.
15:20
Verse 8 shows the incredible intensity of that longing.
15:23
I would hasten my escape. He's so urgent, he wouldn't
15:25
waste a moment. He wants to flee faster than the
15:28
Gathering, Windy Storm and Tempest.
15:29
He just cannot bear the clamor of his foes and the deceit of
15:33
his friends any longer. The noise is too great, but we
15:36
have to turn this human wish for immediate physical flight into a
15:41
spiritual aspiration. So David must stay and feel The
15:43
Tempest now, but the Christian is assured that he or she will
15:46
stretch their wings eventually for a bolder final flight.
15:50
That's right, Heaven will receive them, and they're among
15:53
the gathered Saints. Their sorrows will have an
15:55
absolute conclusion of Felicity. That is the only legitimate
15:59
flight we should be hastening toward.
16:01
The desire for absolute rest is right.
16:03
The attempt to secure it by running from the cross is wrong.
16:07
So David has looked inward at his fear and then outward with
16:10
this vain wish for flight. Now he has to turn his attention
16:13
back to the corrupted city he left to high in Jerusalem.
16:16
He moves from desperation to this fierce resolution for
16:19
justice. And verse 9 Destroy.
16:21
O Lord, divide their tongues. And that shift is powerful.
16:25
It's the prayer of a righteous ruler who understands that the
16:28
only solution for anarchy is divine intervention.
16:31
He's praying for a new Babel, a confusion in their debates and
16:34
councils of war. He's asking God to divide the
16:37
pack so that the haunted One may escape.
16:40
That's a strong theological idea.
16:42
The division of error is the hope of truth.
16:45
It is when those united in wickedness start to distrust and
16:48
fight among themselves. The righteous get a reprieve and
16:51
we know this prayer was heard. Historically, Ahithophel and
16:54
Absalom were divided by poor counsel and the rebellion
16:57
collapsed, literally devouring its own children.
16:59
And the reason for this fierce prayer is the moral state of the
17:02
capital city itself. Jerusalem, the holy city, had
17:06
become a den of wickedness. Look at the activity described
17:09
in verse 10. Day and night they go about it
17:11
upon the walls thereof. This describes constant restless
17:14
activity by conspirators plotting against the king both
17:17
secretly in the dark and openly in the streets.
17:20
The evil is continuous. It wasn't just physical
17:22
violence, it says. Mischief also, and sorrow are in
17:25
the midst of it. The city was beset by foes,
17:28
abandoned by its monarch, and just filled with the elements of
17:32
turbulence that breed collective suffering.
17:34
The wicked had infected the very heart of the city.
17:37
Crime was rife in places of authority, as verse 11 says.
17:40
The vile elements had risen to the top and the deceit was
17:43
everywhere. Deceit and guile depart not from
17:46
her streets. Crafty demagogues.
17:48
Yes, busy with flattering, cozening phrases, defaming the
17:52
good king to gain power, the public square had become a
17:55
fortress of fraud, a convention of cunning.
17:57
It was a comprehensive moral collapse, a picture of deep
18:00
covenant violation. And this leads us to the
18:03
emotional climax of the Psalm, the identity of the Unbearable
18:05
Reproach. In verse 12, David says he could
18:08
have borne reproach from an enemy or a hater.
18:12
This is a key distinction. Why is treachery so much harder
18:15
to take than open enmity? Well, reproaches from an avowed
18:19
antagonist are less hard to endure because you can hide from
18:22
them, or you could steal yourself for resistance.
18:25
An enemy only knows what they can observe, but a false friend?
18:29
They are the most real enemies precisely because they know
18:32
you're peculiar weaknesses, the sensitive spots, the intimate
18:36
details. They know exactly where to cut
18:38
and how deep to go. They do.
18:41
David could tolerate the curse of Shimay, but the counsel and
18:44
betrayal of Ahithophel was an entirely different category of
18:47
pain. And he singles him out in verse
18:49
13 with this direct, agonizing accusation.
18:53
But it was Dow. It's that it to brute a moment,
18:55
isn't it? It is, and we have to look
18:57
closely at how he describes this traitor.
18:59
He was a man mine equal. This means he was treated as
19:02
being of the same rank, trusted, given authority, not an inferior
19:06
or a mere servant. He was my guide and mine
19:08
acquaintance. A trusted counselor whose advice
19:10
was valued, who was admitted to secret inner fellowship.
19:14
This was no stranger, but a near and dear friend who knew David
19:17
through mutual disclosures of heart.
19:19
For someone like that to prove false was a fiendish treason
19:22
lacking any honorable excuse. And this description just
19:25
applies perfectly prophetically to Judas Iscariot.
19:28
He was treated as an equal 1 of the 12 disciples trusted as the
19:32
group's treasurer. He knew the place Gethsemane,
19:34
where the Master would go to be alone.
19:37
Yet he betrayed him for money. And the Lord, though of a
19:40
gentler spirit than David, still felt this shocking treachery.
19:44
He pointed out the one who dipped his hand in the dish with
19:46
him. This is why the violation gets
19:49
even worse in verse 14. They took sweet counsel
19:52
together. Their fellowship wasn't just
19:54
professional, it had been tender and confidential.
19:57
They had found solace and mutual cheering in these intimate
19:59
communings. It shows David's confidence was
20:02
total. But the deepest, most defiling
20:05
wound, the component that elevates this crime beyond
20:08
simple political treason, is the religious dimension.
20:12
And walked into the House of God in company.
20:14
Religious bonds should be unbreakable.
20:16
They should be. And when deceit pollutes the
20:18
union of those who profess godliness, when the very altars
20:21
and sacred spaces are defiled by the treachery of a Co
20:25
worshipper, it stamps the traitor with a special kind of
20:28
infamy. The source material is quite
20:30
sharp here, calling Judas cooperation with Jesus to serve
20:33
his own wicked ends. The sign of the first born of
20:37
hell. That is heavy language, but it
20:39
really reflects the seriousness of breaking religious trust.
20:42
Why is that? Because the hypocrisy combines
20:44
personal malice with impiety against the covenant community
20:48
itself. It's not just lying, it's
20:50
profaning what is most sacred. And that particular violation is
20:54
uniquely painful for believers because it attempts to undermine
20:57
the very foundation of fellowship with God.
21:00
We have to pause and reflect on that specific pain.
21:03
A believer expects criticism from the world.
21:05
They do not expect calculated malice and slander from the one
21:08
who stood beside them at the Communion rail or the one who
21:10
prayed with them in secret. When that happens, it can shake
21:13
the very foundations of your trust in humanity and even lead
21:16
to a crisis of faith in the Church itself.
21:18
It can. So David's experience here is
21:21
therefore a precise instruction for dealing with profound
21:24
ecclesiastical wounds. Following that moment of intense
21:27
personal agony and identifying the traitor, David turns again
21:31
to a call for justice in verse 15.
21:33
The language here is extremely forceful.
21:36
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into
21:40
hell. We have to read this not as a
21:42
fit of personal rage, but as a confident prophecy of God's
21:46
certain and immediate justice. That framing is essential.
21:49
David is a righteous king waging a just defensive war against men
21:53
who are utterly without conscience.
21:56
The implication is an expression of absolute certainty that God
21:59
will desolate them going down quick, that is alive into
22:02
shield, which in this context means the grave or the realm of
22:05
the dead. Not necessarily what we think of
22:07
as hell today. Right.
22:08
It signifies a sudden, notorious judgment.
22:10
It's an immediate casting out of the land of the living.
22:13
This references the classic judgment upon Korra, Dathan, and
22:16
Abram, who rebelled against Moses and were swallowed alive
22:19
by the earth. It showed an immediate
22:20
supernatural rejection of rebels by the Almighty.
22:23
So David is invoking that he's arguing that these wicked men
22:27
are too bad to be allowed to just die naturally.
22:30
They're a pestilence to the Commonwealth and must be stamped
22:32
out immediately by God's Providence.
22:35
And the source reminds us that both Ahithophel and Judas did
22:38
end their own lives quickly, fulfilling this kind of sudden,
22:41
self-inflicted judgment. Justice is a requirement of love
22:45
and righteousness itself, and David speaks for the righteous
22:48
ruler. David then returns to the
22:50
character of the deceitful man in verses 20 and 21.
22:54
The traitor is fundamentally a covenant breaker.
22:57
He have put forth his hands against such as be at peace with
23:00
him. He strikes those to whom he had
23:02
given the hand of friendship. And he have broken his covenant.
23:06
The chosen weapon for this treachery is pure hypocrisy.
23:09
Verse 21 gives us this classic analysis of psychological
23:12
deception. The words of his mouth were
23:14
smoother than butter. This describes the flattering,
23:17
unctuous, fluent language used to disarm the victim.
23:20
The wicked man lauds and flatters the one he plans to
23:23
destroy. They were softer than oil
23:25
yielding and fluent with nothing overtly objectionable said.
23:28
They appear completely harmless and agreeable.
23:31
This is the bait for the trap. The speaker is deliberately
23:34
creating a sense of safety and trust by being excessively
23:37
pleasant. But the contrast is horrifying,
23:40
and it reveals the strategy. But war was in his heart.
23:43
Yet were they drawn swords? The heart and the lip differ
23:47
wildly. He is cajoling his victim while
23:50
internally intending to kill him, either literally or
23:53
socially. This is such a necessary warning
23:56
for us. It's a practical warning against
23:57
manipulation. Beware of the person who has too
24:00
much honey on their tongue. It reminds me of John Bunyan's
24:02
account of his encounter with Mr. Foster, who approached him
24:05
with much seeming affection, ready to kiss him or write Judas
24:09
before revealing himself as a wicked opposer.
24:11
The smooth words of the hypocrite are in reality
24:14
Rapier's unsheathed for the fray.
24:16
The psychological mechanism here is simple.
24:18
Flattery's used to get close enough to inflict maximum
24:21
damage. We had to learn to look past the
24:23
superficial pleasantries and judge character by consistency
24:26
in action rather than by verbal fluency.
24:28
Let's step back and connect this theme of justice and judgment to
24:32
God's character. In verse 19, God is described as
24:36
even He that abideth of old. He's the enthroned judge sitting
24:40
in eternity, the unchanging standard of righteousness.
24:43
And the contrast drawn between the eternal God and these wicked
24:46
men is telling. The wicked are defined by the
24:50
consequences of their temporary worldly stability.
24:53
Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
24:56
This refers to their uninterrupted worldly prosperity
24:59
where no judicial changes or troublesome events interrupt
25:01
their ease. So David recognizes that his own
25:04
severe trials have driven him closer to God.
25:07
But continuous, untroubled ease causes graceless men to neglect
25:11
the Most High. It is a terrible consequence of
25:13
human depravity that man turns God's continuous mercy and
25:16
blessing into a reason for a lack of reverence.
25:19
They are never disciplined, so they never learn.
25:21
Continuous ease makes the corrupt nature readily develop
25:23
itself. Like stagnant water becoming
25:25
putrid. That's the image.
25:27
Summer heat unchecked breeds noxious insects.
25:31
Similarly, the person who is without trouble is often without
25:34
God. They are so established in their
25:36
worldly evil course, they experience no cessation in their
25:40
sin, that they see no need to acknowledge the Author of all
25:43
their prosperity. And this lack of fear is rooted
25:45
in their refusal to change their heart, resulting in God's just
25:48
judgement upon their continued sinning.
25:51
They are stable in wickedness, but that stability is leading
25:53
them towards sudden ruin, just as verse 15 prophesied.
25:56
And this provides immense theological comfort.
25:59
The temporary prosperity of the wicked is not a sign of God's
26:01
approval. Often it's a means by which
26:03
their hearts are further hardened for inevitable
26:06
judgement. So after facing the horror of
26:08
his enemies and the certainty of God's judgement, David pivots
26:11
internally. He refocuses on his own
26:13
steadfast resolution. This gives us that glorious
26:16
contrast in verse 16. As for me, I will call upon God
26:20
and the Lord shall save me. This is the definitive shift
26:23
from anxiety and imprecation to spiritual action and confidence.
26:28
David refuses to meet the plots of his adversaries with counter
26:31
plots or to imitate their violence.
26:34
He will continually resort to his God.
26:36
He's contrasting his own inevitable ascent to God with
26:39
their descent to ruin. Yes, he is absolutely sure of
26:43
his deliverance, and his certainty leads to this rule of
26:46
continuous piety described in verse 17.
26:49
Evening and morning and at noon will I pray.
26:52
This isn't just an incidental habit.
26:53
It's a systematic, continuous reliance on God.
26:56
It's practical wisdom, really. Begin, continue, and end the day
27:00
with God. David runs a line of prayer
27:02
right along the entire day, tracking the sun with his
27:05
petitions. And knowing his enemies were
27:06
active day and night, as he mentioned in verse 10, he meets
27:09
their continuous activity with continuous prayer and
27:11
communication with the ultimate source of power.
27:14
And he doesn't just pray quietly, he says, and cry aloud.
27:17
He's going to give a loud tongue to his complaint, being very
27:21
earnest. He's not worried about decorum.
27:23
He's focused on fervency. Even his moaning is translatable
27:27
in Heaven because the heart's intent rings loudly before the
27:31
mercy seat. And his confidence is absolute,
27:33
and he shall hear my voice. He speaks as if the answer is
27:37
already certain, which is the very language of faith.
27:40
Because faith possesses the spiritual reality before the
27:43
physical manifestation. That's right, which is why David
27:46
shifts so quickly to the language of accomplished fact in
27:48
verse 18. He hath delivered my soul and
27:51
peace from the battle that was against me.
27:53
Wait, but the physical battle is still raging.
27:55
How can he say he hath delivered?
27:57
How can he speak in the past tense about a future event?
28:00
He has been delivered in his soul.
28:02
The deliverance has already arrived in his heart.
28:05
It's established peace in His inmost being, even while the
28:08
external political battle is still raging on the walls of
28:10
Jerusalem. God answered His prayer by
28:13
removing the internal terror from verses four and five and
28:16
replacing it with spiritual certainty.
28:18
And this quick change in condition from deep terror to
28:22
deliverance in peace often happens when prayers become
28:25
genuinely fervent. It does.
28:27
This crisis point of wrestling is the Jabba experience in
28:31
miniature, where wrestling with God makes Jacob a prevailing
28:34
Prince. God, who stripped us of friends
28:37
and comfort to force us to rely solely on Him, can then
28:40
immediately flood the soul with peace, showing His immediate
28:44
help. And this leads us directly to
28:46
the great exhortation, the pivotal teaching point, the
28:48
central instruction of this mashal in verse 22.
28:51
Cast thy burden upon the Lord. If we're going to apply this, we
28:55
have to 1st define the burden. What exactly is David telling us
28:59
to cast off? Spurgeon defines it simply, what
29:02
thy God lays upon thee. The burden is the appointed
29:04
trial, the anxiety, the difficulty, the responsibility,
29:07
the sorrow, the thing that is too heavy for you to bear alone.
29:10
It is given by His sovereign wisdom.
29:12
So our duty is twofold. Right, First, accept the
29:15
suffering with resignation knowing it's his will and he
29:18
ordained it. Second, immediately take it back
29:20
to him by thine assured confidence.
29:23
We aren't meant to carry what God gives us in our own
29:25
strength. The image is 1 of transferring
29:27
weight. We cast it upon him like a ship
29:29
in a storm casts its burden onto the anchor, which holds fast to
29:33
its sure fixing place. We resign ourselves to the
29:36
appointment, but we transfer the anxiety to the sustainer.
29:40
And the guarantee that follows is the assurance of the anchor.
29:43
He shall sustain thee. Sustenance here means practical
29:46
provision and continuous support.
29:48
It promises thy bread shall be given thee.
29:51
Thy water shall be sure. This ensures we are fitted
29:54
moment by moment to bear all the appointed trials without being
29:57
crushed by them. And finally, the ultimate
29:59
promise is security. He shall never suffer the
30:03
righteous to be moved. Now this needs careful handling.
30:06
It doesn't mean the right just won't experience movement.
30:08
Yeah, they may move like boughs in a Tempest, swayed severely by
30:12
trials and opposition, but they will never be moved like a tree
30:15
torn up by the roots. They may be distressed, but they
30:18
will not be driven to apostasy or ultimate defeat.
30:20
They stand firm because they stand in God.
30:23
Supported by him like pillars to the glory of the Great
30:25
Architect. They're founded upon the eternal
30:28
rock, and no storm can shift that foundation.
30:30
This assurance of stability leads to the final necessary
30:33
contrast. In verse 23.
30:36
The ungodly, characterized as bloody and deceitful men, face a
30:40
sure, terrible, and fatal overthrow.
30:43
They shall not live out half their days.
30:45
This affirms the connection between vase violence and the
30:48
shortening of life. They are cut off either in their
30:51
quarrels or consumed by the vexation of their own malicious
30:53
schemes. They were murderers of others in
30:56
their heart, and they often become like a hit of felon.
30:58
Judas self murderers. They descend into the pit of
31:02
putrefaction, their wicked condition leading to an
31:05
ignominious end. And the Psalm ends not on that
31:08
dark note of judgement, but firmly on David's final, wise
31:11
and practical conclusion. It provides the ultimate
31:14
contrast to the wicked's fate. But I will trust in thee.
31:17
He returns to the anchor, the personal resolution of faith in
31:20
the sovereign judge. This deep dive into Psalm 55 has
31:23
really shown us that even when you're facing profound personal
31:26
and political distress, faith is not silenced.
31:28
We learned about the radical accessibility of God who
31:31
receives our rawest, most incoherent noise.
31:33
Is genuine prayer translating our suffering into spirit filled
31:36
desire? We truly grasp the unique,
31:39
peculiar bitterness of betrayal, especially when it comes from a
31:43
trusted Co worshipper, a sin that defiles the sacred bonds of
31:47
the covenant community. Yet we are assured of the
31:50
absolute consistency of God's justice, even if the wicked seem
31:54
to enjoy temporary, uninterrupted prosperity.
31:56
Which, as the psalmist shows us, actually works to harden their
31:59
hearts for ultimate ruin, right for you, the learner, we want to
32:02
return to the core instruction of this entire muscle.
32:06
It's verse 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord.
32:10
What burden, the appointment of trial or sorrow given by God are
32:13
you attempting to carry in your own constrained strength right
32:15
now? Are you wrestling with it alone,
32:17
or are you consistently transferring that anxiety back
32:20
onto the sustaining Lord who promises never to let the
32:23
righteous be moved? And let's build on that theme of
32:25
David's deliberate prayer frequency, evening, morning, and
32:29
noon. If David, under the shadows of
32:31
the Old Covenant, found solace and strength and setting three
32:35
specific times for a fervent crying and structured
32:37
dependence, what should be the continuous, ceaseless posture of
32:41
our hearts today? How much more should we be prone
32:44
to immediate, continuous communion, knowing that our
32:47
great High Priest is already fully trodden this exact path of
32:50
fear, suffering A betrayal before us, securing our final
32:53
permanent rest? Consider how your daily rhythm
32:56
might better reflect that continuous reliance.