Psalm 7: Sing a Song to Jehovah

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

A Shiggaion is a song. This song and Habakkuk 3:1 are the two that bear the description. Most scholarly sources teach that a Shiggaion was set to wild, irregular music, and triumphant music. “Shiggaion is interpreted variously to mean ‘mournful erratic, a song of trouble.’ Shiggaion is interpreted to mean ‘wanderings: according to variable tunes.’ For the Church triumphant there will be times when music is exciting, enthusiastic and triumphant because of the work of the Lord in behalf of His people. The Church has had plenty of plaintive and mournful dirgy songs in her history. But victory is God’s ultimate for the Church.”[1] Whatever battle we are facing, whatever trouble is hunting us down, the Lord is our refuge. David left his prose and poetry—his songs to instruct us in our trials, so that we learn to trust in our God and take refuge in Him.

 

O Lordmy God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me, or he will tear my soul like a lion, Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver. O Lordmy God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, If I have rewarded evil to my friend, Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; And let him trample my life down to the ground And lay my glory in the dust. Selah (vs. 1-5).

David calls out to God in mourning and a plaintive song. Mourning for the trouble that he is facing, and plaintive as he establishes his case before the court of heaven. First, he entreats God to search his heart for any sin that resides that allowed this trouble to come to him; then he can confess and be forgiven. Because David has sought refuge in God, he reminds God of his promise to protect him. God promises the righteous that those who run to Him as a refuge will be saved. 

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2)

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe. Prov. 18:10

Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries, and arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, and over them return on high. The Lord judges the peoples; vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; for the righteous God tries the hearts and minds. (vs. 6-9)

The Hebrew word for Lord here in verse 6 is Jehovah. David calls on Jehovah, the Eternal, Ever-Loving One. “Rabbinical writings have distinguished Jehovah by various names and euphemistic expressions as ‘The Name,’ ‘The Great and Terrible Name,’ ‘The Peculiar Name,’ ‘The Separate Name,’ ‘The Unutterable Name,’ ‘The Ineffable Name,’ ‘The Incommunicate Name,’ ‘The Holy Name,’ ‘The Distinguished Name.’ It was also known as the ‘Name of Four Letters’ because from the Hebrew it spelled YHVH, in English…Such is Jewish reverence for this august name that even today they refrain as much from writing it, or pronouncing it.”[2]The name Jehovah appears in the Old Testament seven-thousand times, and in the Psalms alone, seven-hundred times. The Name must not be underestimated, it is so great. The Name of Jehovah causes the heavens and earth to shake. He is the Ever-Existing One, and His character is unchangeable. David was not calling on just any god, He was calling on the God of the righteous. Jehovah is the covenant God, and made a covenant with Israel, and David reminds God of His covenant with His covenant people to rescue him. God has promised the righteous that He will judge the unrighteous, and David calls out to God to make true on His Word—His covenant. 

My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.  God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.  If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.  Behold, he travails with wickedness, and he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.  He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and has fallen into the hole which he made.  His mischief will return upon his own head, and his violence will descend upon his own pate.  I will give thanks to the Lordaccording to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. (vs. 10-17)

David has prayed, poured out his heart to God; reminded Him of His covenant with the righteous and plead his case before heaven. Now he makes a declaration of faith; My shield is with God who saves…God is a righteous judge…he pleads his innocence before God and declares what God will do to the unrighteous, and if they do not repent, their evil ways will come back onto their own head. 

David then sets the pattern for us….he has prayed his pray of faith and trusts in Jehovah, the Ever-Existing God, reminding Him of His Word. Once his declaration of faith is settled in his heart, he begins to thank God for performing His Word. David’s pattern—his habit—was to offer thanksgiving to God, knowing that what God promised to perform, is accomplished. The word praise here in verse 17 is the word zamar in Strong’s, and it carries the idea of giving praise; to sing praises forth while touching or playing an instrument. Thanksgiving is the key into God’s presence. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name, Psalm 100 instructs; this is the way into His presence. This is why the Lord said of David, He is a man after My Heart (See 1 Sam. 13:14). 

David had spent a long time in the pasture guarding sheep, and he learned how to be in the presence of God and knew Him intimately. This served David well through his life, as he drew near to God in every circumstance he faced, even in the face of his sin, David repented and worshiped God. It all comes back to thankfulness; God wants to cultivate in us a heart of thanksgiving, so that we can trust in Him no matter what trials we face. He is Jehovah the Eternal, Ever-Loving One, and He bids us come and cry out to Him, have faith in Him, and praise His Name forever—that He be magnified in the earth.

In His Grace, 

---

[1] Kevin J. Connor, The Tabernacle of David, (Portland: City Bible Publishing, 1976), 191.

[2]Herbert Lockyer, All The Divine Names and Titles in The Bible,(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), 17.

Witnessing The Divine: Sabbath Sanctuary

Witnessing The Divine: Sabbath Sanctuary: Rest in God this Sabbath; rest in His faithfulness to accomplish His promises in your life....It is accomplished....Rest in the victory tha...

Witnessing The Divine: Psalm 6: God hears the cry of the broken

Witnessing The Divine: Psalm 6: God hears the cry of the broken: For the choir director; with stringed instruments, upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David. O Lord , do not reb...

Psalm 6: God hears the cry of the broken

For the choir director; with stringed instruments, upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away; Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed.  And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O Lord—how long?

In the midst of our pit; the storm swirling around us as we cling to life in the bow of a sinking ship, it can feel like God is angry and has turned away. The devil attempts to set up a stronghold in our mind, one that would cause us to doubt God; convince us that the circumstance is our just punishment, and leaves us to wonder when God’s anger will be satiated, and come to our rescue. God wants you to know He is not angry with you. The circumstances you are facing are not to destroy you, but strengthen you—you will persevere. 

Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?  I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Come and rescue me God from this turmoil; from those that hate me; save me from those who wish for my demise—and plot to destroy me. I know that I am not perfect, but I endeavor to live righteously before you. Come and rescue me from those that will betray me; those that speak ill against me; those that taunt me. I cry myself to sleep at night, and cannot find any comfort—I have cried every tear possible, in fact I am all cried out. I wake with my eyes swollen; red; tired. God don’t save me because of who I am, but because of who You are. 

 Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the Lordhas heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication, The Lord receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed

If you want to destroy me, then leave me. If you wish me evil, then depart from me. If you plan to manipulate me and betray me, go. I have cried unto God and He has heard me. He hears the cry of the broken. He hears the cry of the broken. Toxic people will poison you. They will drain the life from you. It is okay to cut off any influence they may over you. Pray and ask God to bless them, but it is okay to leave them at the foot of the cross, and walk away. 

Breaking relationship can hurt. Soul ties are not easily detached. It is hard to break free from the familiar. But there are things—or people—that we must lay down as Abraham laid down Isaac. If they are a part of the promise, God will resurrect it. It is time to send Ishmael away if he is only going to taunt the promise. 

God hears the cry of the broken; God hears the cry of the broken. 

This Psalm was to be played with stringed instruments, upon an eight-string lyre. For us this means that worship is vital to our walk with God. The lyre is like a harp, and many musicians in the Tabernacle of David were said to have prophesied on the lyre. As we worship, truly worship God, in Spirit and Truth, He will move in our lives. 

I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. Psalm 49:4 ESV

God will give the answer from heaven when we worship Him. The answer we need, He will drop it into our spirit in worship as we spend precious time in His presence. A.W. Tozer said that worship for him begins on bended knee with Bible wide open. It is all about His presence.

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11 NASB

 In His presence, peace will flood like a river, chains will break, yokes will be destroyed. Real worship—bathing in the presence of God—will grant you strength, to weather any storm. 

In His Grace,

 

Sabbath Sanctuary

Rest in God this Sabbath; rest in His faithfulness to accomplish His promises in your life....It is accomplished....Rest in the victory that Jesus won on our behalf....

 

Rest in His Grace,

 

Psalm 5: Uttered Groanings

For the choir director; for flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray.  In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. (vs. 1-3)

Life can throw some daunting circumstances; the process of being changed into His image can be likened to the olive press, all that is dross being burned out to reveal pure gold. Maybe an enemy torments ruthlessly and the fight for breath becomes desperate. Perhaps you have suffered a betrayal as brutal as David’s—at the hand of his own son and it seems all breath has been knocked out of you; like you have been kicked in the stomach. David asked God to consider his groaning as a prayer. Groaning is a desperate word, and speaks to a desperate place; a dark place where the trial seems to be getting the best of us. Groanings rise up to God to whisper that the pain of the present trial is just too much to endure and beg for relief. Then, when we approach the Throne of Grace, with our groanings, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that can’t be uttered…

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Rom. 8:26 (emphasis mine). 

Sometimes the pain is overwhelming—so overwhelming you can’t muster the words. David endured many trials and he is drawn to the only One that can ease his suffering. David implores the Lord to turn His ear and consider the groaning in his spirit, the sound of his cry for help. He first acknowledges God as his King and God—the Lord is His Master and Deliver; this lures the King to turn His ear toward the cry of His children. In the midst of the hard times, David orders his prayer in the morning, and then eagerly watches for God to deliver Him.

This is pivotal in a walk of faith—to continue to eagerly watch for God to answer once we have prayed, He will answer if we wait and listen for His answer.  

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit. (v. 4-6)

Have you been betrayed? Have you wanted to call fire down from heaven on your enemy? Me too. But the Lord abhors bloodshed. David had all these feelings wrapped up in the bitterness of the betrayal of not only his son, but those that followed him and attempted to wipe out David’s name; he poured out his feelings, his hurt to God. When we hurt and suffer betrayal, we are flooded with emotions, and all those incredible feelings need to be left at the feet of Jesus. We cannot allow them to go anywhere past the foot of the Cross. God will handle the enemy—we just need to rest in Yahweh Tsuri—the Lord our Rock, trusting in Yahweh Tsideqenu—the Lord our Righteousness.

But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You. (v.7)


David acknowledges God’s holiness—no one will stand before God that is wicked. In the face of betrayal and deceit, if we are close to God, we will bow before Him, the only one that is able to deliver. All things are subject to Him, and when we bow, we are showing God that we are surrendering the whole situation to Him, thanking Him for all good things he has performed on our behalf, and everything He will perform. God is so faithful.

O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me. There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue. Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You. 
(vs. 8-10)

God is righteous, and David prays that God will lead him in righteousness so that he will not be as those that sinned; those that attack; those that betray. He prays that God will keep him on the right path. Those that lie and deceive you, they will live in their sin and remain rebellious. You can’t control their actions, only the way you react to them.  

But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You. For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield. (vs.11-12)

God is a tower, a refuge from all the hurt and pain. In the storm of betrayal, the wind smiting your face with gale-force swiftness, the tossing and the turning, the writhing of the hands, stands a Lighthouse guiding you home. Those who love God will see the shelter in the storm and run to Him. He is our Maon—Dwelling Place; Machseh—Refuge; Migdal-Oz—Strong Tower and our Magen—Shield. Run to Him and let Him shelter you from the storm. God is working on your behalf. Leave the betrayers to God. Pour yourself out to God as an offering, and you will find the grace to endure, even if you can’t find the words to pray. The Holy Spirit exchanges your groanings for His and intercedes with groanings for you before the Throne of Grace. 

 

In His Grace,

Psalm 4: To The Victorious One

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him. Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord. Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. 

The choir director does not give the full implication of this song. In the Hebrew the word means conductor, the head of the entire Temple Orchestra. David desired a beautiful instrumental to that would sear the song upon the hearts of people for generations to come; “The subtleties and intricacies of the Temple music stresses that the art of musicology is an essential wisdom, for melodies have the power to arouse the soul as nothing else.”[1]

The root of the word, natsach naw-tsakh'can be translated in two ways. One way it is interpreted is eternity and the other is victorious. This is so powerful, the first meaning speaks to David’s intentions with his songs; they had eternal implications. The second interpretation, is quite fitting; David was no stranger to victory, God won many battles on his behalf. 

“The Talmud interprets this word as a reference to God. “To Him who causes victory, a song unto David.”[2]David had complete confidence in the God that had handed him many victories, and he trusted that he could cry out to God again, and the Lord would deliver him. 

When David called out, he knew he stood righteous before God;When I call answer me- God of vindication.  The word used here is literally my righteousness. When we stand righteous before God, and cry out to Him in trouble, He will vindicate us- set a table for us in the presence of our enemy. Maybe your enemy is a circumstance and not a person, God will literally be your vindication. Righteousness is on your side. When David presented this psalm to the conductor, it was for all generations to come. We can find encouragement and trust that the same God that saved David and gave him the victory, will fight on our behalf and give the victory. He is fighting for you. 

David speaks out to the enemy, O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself. The righteous can always stand before the Lord. David knew that Absalom was being deceived by someone else and a pawn in a much bigger scheme in this attempted coup; but David trusted God and knew that he would be given the victory.

You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.  

David is our teacher, “This declaration is an eloquent expression of one of David’s most cherished credos. Never be discouraged by the terrible burdens and pressures of life. Every frustrating enfeebling situation is in reality a divinely given opportunity to overcoming adversity.”[3]When we when learn to overcome adversity, it enlarges our soul and empowers us to persevere. 

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him.

I love the rendering in the Tehillim Commentary; 

Recognize that Just as Hashem distinguished His devoted one, Hashem will listen when I call upon Him. 

God has called us to be a peculiar people, not to be like the nations. When you are devoted to God, He will be devoted to you, and He will answer when you call. 

Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord. Many are saying, “Who will show us anygood?”

Sleep is where God speaks to us; there are no distractions. Many times our dreams can be the illustration of our soul working through issues we are faced with. When David admonished through his song, to tremble it presents this idea; “The Sages of the Talmud interpret this…A person should constantly arouse his good inclination, to battle against his evil inclination.”[4]When we lay down those things that bring us trouble, we can be still and at peace, trusting in God whose banner of righteousness is over us. 

Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

Nothing in the world can bring true contentment. Without God all of our treasures, all the plans we have, they will not bring happiness and contentment. When we have laid aside our trouble (cast your cares on Him 1 Pet. 5:7) and find our contentment in the Lord, He enables us to sleep in peace. When we live right before Him, He is Jehovah-Tsidqenu—the Lord our Righteousness, He then reigns as Jehovah-Shalom our peace and we can rest in Him our Shiloh.

In His Grace,

---

[1] Avrohom Chaim Feuer, trans., Tehillim, The Book of Psalms, Psalm 4 Art Scroll Tanach Series, (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995), 82.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., 86.