A Study by Scott Sperling Psalm 55 - The Agony of Betrayal   For the director of music.  With stringed instruments. A maskil of David.     1 Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; 2 hear me and answer me.   My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught 3 at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger. 4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. 5 Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. 6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest— 7 I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah  8 I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”   9 Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city. 10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it. 11 Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.   12 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, 14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.   15 Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them.   16 But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. 17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and He hears my voice. 18 He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. 19 God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them— Selah  men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.   20 My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. 21 His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; His words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.   22 Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. 23 But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in You.     Once again, in this psalm, David prays for God’s help in a time of trouble.  We are not given in this psalm, or in the inscription, the occasion that prompted these prayers, but we know that at the root of the trouble was the betrayal of a close friend.  This would suggest that the occasion of the psalm was when David’s trusted counsellor, Ahithophel, betrayed David and joined with Absalom, David’s own son, in rebellion (see II Sam. 15:12).  When we encounter passages in the Bible about betrayal, we should pay special attention, for there is a great possibility that the passages contain a prophetic reference to Judas’s betrayal of Jesus, since “the volume of the book” is about our Lord Jesus Christ. David cries out to God:  “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked, for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger” (vss. 1-3).  As Jesus promised, “In this world, you will have trouble” (John 16:33).  “We shall never be done weeping and praying till we are done with earth, and have passed to the enjoyment of God” [Plumer, on vs. 1].  And at the first sign of trouble, the wise, godly man will turn immediately to God in prayer, as does David.  On the occasion of this psalm, David was quite upset:  “My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.  Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me” (vss. 4-5).  Even the most godly of men face fear, as evidenced here. “It is not a thing inconsistent with godliness to be much moved with fear in time of danger; natural affections are not taken away in conversion, but sanctified and moderated” [Dickson, on 5].  Even Jesus sweat drops of blood.  Yet it is somewhat of a surprise that David, who fought lions and bears, who slew Goliath, experienced such a strong feeling of fear:  “Horror has overwhelmed me.”  Thanks be to God that we can turn to Him in times of trouble!  “The godly have an advantage above all natural men:  for when natural strength and courage fail them, they have nothing behind; but the godly have faith in God, to open a fountain of fresh supply of wisdom, courage, and strength to them, when all natural parts fail them; for, David being now emptied of natural strength, hath wisdom and strength to go to God, and the hope of heart to be helped by Him” [Dickson, on vss. 4-5]. In his fear, David’s desire, rather than face his trouble, was to flee from it:  “I said, ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest—I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm’”  (vss. 6-8).  Yes, it would be nice to have “wings of a dove” at our beck and call, to get us out of trouble whenever we face it.  And yes, God could provide such a thing.  He could whisk down a chariot of fire, at will, to help us escape.  But God prefers, in the vast majority of cases to rescue us in far more natural ways.  He more often chooses to walk with us through the trial, rather than fly us over the trial.  The Israelites had to pass through the Red Sea, rather than be whisked over it. Absent “wings of a dove”, David prays for God to handle his enemies:  “Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.  Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.  Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets” (vss. 9-11).  David prays for God to “confuse the wicked” and “confound their speech”, so as to take away the ability of his enemies to cooperate in their evil, just as God did at the Tower of Babel. There was something about David’s enemies that was especially distressing to him:  “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.  But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God” (vss. 12-14).  His enemy was once a close friend. “None are such real enemies as false friends” [Spurgeon, on vs. 12].  It was especially upsetting to David that this enemy was a fellow worshipper with him, “with whom [he] once enjoyed sweet fellowship as [they] walked with the throng at the house of God.”  There are few things more disturbing than when we enter into serious conflict against brothers and sisters in the Lord.  This, of course, should not happen to true believers, for believers should always strive to be Christlike, and Christ is the Prince of Peace.  In David’s conflict, his adversaries were clearly not walking with the Lord.  They were acting on their own behalf, not on behalf of the Lord. David’s feelings of being betrayed caused him to pray an especially wrathful prayer:  “Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them” (vs. 15).  David’s malice for his adversaries was injecting itself in his prayers.  Possibly we, as outsiders looking in, would suggest that David pray for the repentance of his enemies, rather than their destruction; however, how do we know how we would act in the same situation, as our enemies ruthlessly sought to destroy us?  And certainly, David, in this situation, was in the right; and just as certainly, David’s adversaries (if they were Absalom and Ahithophel) deserved severe judgment. For David’s adversaries “evil finds lodging among them”, but David avoids evil by constantly seeking God in his troubles:  “But I call to God, and the Lord saves me” (vs. 16). “The Psalmist would not endeavour to meet the plots of his adversaries by counterplots, nor imitate their incessant violence, but in direct opposition to their godless behavior would continually resort to his God” [Spurgeon, on vs. 16].  In the midst of his troubles, David found time for fervent prayer at least three times a day:  “Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and He hears my voice”  (vs. 17). “If our poor, frail bodies need refreshment from food three times a day, who that knows his own weakness will say that we need not as frequent refreshment for our poor frail spirits?” [Plumer, on vs. 17]. As often happens in David’s psalms, he recalls past deliverances by God, and these recollections strengthen him in his faith that God will come through for him again:  “He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.  God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them—men who never change their ways and have no fear of God” (vss. 18-19).  David is convinced of the bloodguiltiness of his foes, their treachery amplified by their feigned friendship:  “My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.  His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords” (vss. 20-21).  The contrast between David’s own righteous behavior in the situation versus the wickedness of his foes convinces David that God will take his part:  “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days.  But as for me, I trust in You” (vss. 22-23).  Oh, praise be to God that we can “cast our cares on the Lord.”  May we ever fervently seek Him in times of trouble.  May we walk in His ways, and not be corrupted by the sins of the wicked who battle against us, so that in righteousness we can seek His help, and trust in Him for deliverance.    ----------- Bibliography and Suggested Reading Alexander,     Joseph     Addison.     The     Psalms     Translated     and Explained .  Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1864.  Anonymous.        A    Plain    Commentary    on    the    Book    of    Psalms . Philadelphia:  Henry Hooker and Co., 1857. Barnes,    Albert.        Notes    on    the    Book    of    Psalms .        New    York:      Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871. Bonar,   Andrew.   Christ   and   His   Church   in   the   Book   of   Psalms .     New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860. Calvin,   John.      A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms .      3   Vols.     Oxford:   D.   A.   Talboys,   1840.   (Originally   published   in   Latin in 1557).  Clarke,   Adam.   The   Holy   Bible   with   a   Commentary   and   Critical Notes .        Vol.    III.        London:        William    Tegg    &    Co.,    1854.      (Originally published in 1831).  Cowles,   Henry.      The   Psalms   with   Notes,   Critical,   Explanatory and Practical .  New York:  D. Appleton & Co., 1872. Darby,    John    Nelson.        Practical    Reflections    on    the    Psalms .      London:  Robert L. Allan, 1870. Delitzsch,     Franz.          Biblical     Commentary     on     the     Psalms. Edinburgh:        T    &    T    Clark,    1892.    (Originally    published    in 1860). Dickson,   David.   An   Explication   of   the   Other   Fifty   Psalms,   from Ps. 50 to Ps. 100. Cornhill, U.K.:  Ralph Smith, 1653.  Exell,    Joseph    S.    and    Henry    Donald    Spence-Jones,    eds.    The Pulpit   Commentary .   Vols.   17,   18,   &   19.   New   York:   Funk   & Wagnalls Company, 1884.  Hengstenberg,   F.   W.      Commentary   on   the   Psalms .      Edinburgh:     T & T Clark, 1864. Henry,   Matthew.      An   Exposition   of   All   the   Books   of   the   Old   and New     Testament .          Vol.     II.          London:     W.     Baynes,     1806. (Originally published in 1710). Horne,   George.   A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms.       New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1854. Jamieson,     Robert;     Fausset,     A.     R.;     Brown,     David.          A Commentary:   Critical,   Experimental,   and   Practical   on   the   Old and   New   Testaments.       Glasgow:      William   Collins,   Queen’s Printer, 1863. Kidner,    Derek.    Psalms     (in    2    Vols.).    Downers    Grove,    IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008 (first published in 1975). Kirkpatrick,   A.    F.    The    Book    of    Psalms    with    Introduction    and Notes    –    Books    II    and    III     (from    The    Cambridge    Bible    for Schools    and    Colleges).    Cambridge,    UK:    University    Press, 1895. Lange,   John   Peter,   ed.   and   Philip   Schaff,   trans.      A   Commentary on    the    Holy    Scriptures:    Critical,    Doctrinal,    and    Homiletical .      New York:  Charles Scribner & Co., 1865.  Maclaren,    Alexander.    The    Psalms     (in    3    Vols.,    from    The Expositor’s    Bible,    ed.    by    W.    R.    Nicoll).    New    York:   A.    C. Armstrong and Son, 1901. Perowne,   J.   J.   Stewart.      The   Book   of   Psalms:      A   New   Translation with Explanatory Notes .  London:  George Bell & Sons, 1880. Plumer,   William   S.      Studies   in   the   Book   of   Psalms .      Philadelphia:     J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872. Scott,   Thomas.   Commentary   on   the   Holy   Bible ,   Vol.   III.   London: James Nisbet, 1866. Spurgeon,   Charles.      The   Treasury   of   David .      6   Vols.      London: Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885. Tholuck,   Augustus.      A   Translation   and   Commentary   of   the   Book of Psalms .  Philadelphia:  Martien, 1858. Trapp,   John.      A   Commentary   on   the   Old   and   New   Testaments . Vol.   II   (Ezra   to   Psalms).      Edmonton,   Canada:   Still   Waters Revival    Books    (www.PuritanDownloads.com).    (Originally published c. 1660). VanGemeren,   Willem A.,   (Gaebelein,   Frank   E.,   ed).      Expositor’s Bible   Commentary ,   Vol.   5   –   Psalms   to   Song   of   Songs.      Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1991. -- Most    of    these    books    (those    in    the    public    domain)    can    be downloaded,    free    of    charge,    from    the    Classic    Christian Library,  at: http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com