Psalm 141: Lessons For Turning to God During Ongoing Attacks
Introduction: Psalm 141 continues a series of psalms that are told out of order (Ps. 138-145). Here, David turned to God while Saul’s army tried to kill him. God would not immediately rescue David. Indeed, in Psalm 142, David would find himself alone in a cave. The final psalms were primarily focused on the needs of the post-exile Jews. Like David, the post-exile Jewish community needed to cling to God for protection in the face of ongoing attacks. Today, everyone faces ongoing attacks from a spiritual enemy who seeks to destroy them. From David’s example, the Bible reveals several lessons for turning to God in the face of ongoing attacks. These include: (1) prayer, (2) restraint, (3) holiness, (4) submission to God’s correction, (5) leaving vengeance to God, (6) trusting Him, and (7) making God your refuge for protection.
First, when he could not get to an official place of worship, David cried out and asked God to hear his prayers and consider them a sweet aroma to Him. During ongoing attacks, God also wants you to cry out in prayer wherever you are located. Second, because David knew that his heart was sinful, he prayed that God would restrain his tongue from saying evil things. During ongoing attacks, God also wants you to turn to Him to restrain your tongue. Third, also because he knew that his heart was sinful, David asked God to restrain his heart from partaking in evil things. During ongoing attacks, God also wants you to ask Him to guard your heart from evil to stay holy for His use. Fourth, David said that he would submit to godly correction when he strayed from God’s path. During ongoing attacks, God also wants you to submit to Spirit-led correction to keep Yourself on His path for you. Fifth, instead of seeking vengeance against his enemies, David turned to God for justice. During ongoing attacks, God also wants you to leave vengeance and justice to Him. Sixth, during his ongoing attacks, David kept his eyes on God and not on himself. During ongoing attacks, God also wants you to place your trust in Him for deliverance. Finally, during his ongoing attacks, David took refuge in God for his protection. During ongoing attacks, God also wants you to turn to Him as your refuge for your protection.
1. Prayer: During Ongoing Attacks, Cry Out in Prayer to God. Ps. 141:1-2.
God wants you to turn to Him in prayer wherever you are located. While he hid in the wilderness from Saul’s army, David cried out for God to consider his prayers like a sweet incense and hurry with his help to save him. “A Psalm of David. 1 Lord, I call upon You; hurry to me! Listen to my voice when I call to You! 2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the raising of my hands as the evening offering.” (Ps. 141:1-2). “When a child cries out to a parent, the parent hears not only the words but the voice of the cry. The LORD can hear the voice of His people when they cry out to Him, and it moves Him to action. Let my prayer be set before You as incense: David used the smoke and smell of incense as a representation of his prayer to God. …· Prayer rises to heaven even as the smoke of incense rises upward. · Prayer pleases God even as incense has a pleasing smell. · Prayer needs some “fire” to be effective (James 5:16 speaks of “…the effective, fervent prayer”), and incense is activated with fire. If David wrote this psalm while a fugitive from King Saul, then the ideas of incense and the evening sacrifice held special meaning, because he was not free to publicly go to the tabernacle and share in these acts of worship. When necessity kept him from the tabernacle, prayer would replace the offering of incense and sacrifice.” (David Guzik on Ps. 141:1-2).1
Cry out to God wherever you are located. When you have faith, God hears your prayers regardless of your location: “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3). Many psalms begin with similar desperate cries to God for help: “A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.” (Ps. 4:1). “I have called upon You, for You will answer me, God; incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.” (Ps. 17:6). “Hear, LORD, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me.” (Ps. 27:7). “Hear the sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help, when I raise my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.” (Ps. 28:2). “Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; be a rock of strength for me, a stronghold to save me.” (Ps. 31:2). “Listen to my prayer, God; and do not hide Yourself from my pleading.” (Ps. 55:1). “A Psalm of David. Hear my cry, God; give Your attention to my prayer.” (Ps. 61:1; 142:6). “Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;” (Ps. 86:1). “Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry!” (Ps. 88:2). As our example, David showed a child-like faith when he cried out for God to hear his prayers.
With Jesus, your prayers will be like incense to Him. David prayed, “May my prayer be counted as incense before You; . . ..” (Ps. 141:2(a)). This referred to the holy altar incense (Ex. 30:1, 7-8). The altar foreshadowed Jesus. His blood was a sweet aroma to God. “and walk in love, just as Jesus also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Eph. 5:2). Through faith in His atoning sacrifice at the cross, Jesus’ blood can also make your prayers pure and a sweet aroma before Him in heaven. “When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev. 5:8). “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the saints before God.” (Rev. 8:3-4). “And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.” (Lk. 1:10).
The raising of hands is also part of reverent worship. David also promised to lift his hands as part of his offering (Ps. 141:2b). “The gesture of prayer (Psalm 28:2; Psalm 63:4; 1 Timothy 2:8), [was] the outward symbol of an uplifted heart (Psalm 25:1).” (Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick on Ps. 141:2).2 It is your heart that matters most to God. Throughout the Bible, there are examples in both the Old and New Testaments where worshippers, including David, raised their hands as they worshipped God. But it was always done as a sign of holy inward devotion to Him. “Hear the sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help, when I raise my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.” (Ps. 28:2). “2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary…” (Ps. 134:2a). “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute.” (1 Tim. 2:8).
When you worship God, He cares most about what is in your heart. Because Psalm 142 references the time when David hid from Saul in a cave, many believe that David’s specific prayer request in Psalm 141:1-2 stemmed from the fact that he was away from a formal place of worship where a priest could help him atone for his sins with the sacrifice of animals and offer burning of incense to God. “David wants Yahweh to respond to his prayers the way he responds to prescribed sacrifices.” (James Hamilton on Ps. 141:1-2).3 God accepted David’s request because God cares most about what is in your heart when you worship Him. “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.” (Ps. 51:16-17). “For I desire loyalty rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hos. 6:6; Matt. 9:13). Thus, you don’t need to be in a formal place of worship to cry out to God for His help. Because God loves you, He will hear your prayers wherever you may be.
David did not need to be in a formal place of worship for God to hear his prayers4
Offer God sacrifices of thanksgiving. David also lifted up his prayers and hands as an “offering” of gratitude (Ps. 141:2b). Grateful worship is “sacrifice of thanksgiving” that honors God. “They shall also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His works with joyful singing.” (Ps. 107:22). “I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the LORD.” (Ps. 116:17). “Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name.” (Heb. 13:15). You also do not need to be in a formal place of worship to thank God and honor Him.
2. Restraint: During Ongoing Attacks, Restrain Your Tongue. Ps. 141:3.
God wants you to turn to Him for the strength and wisdom to restrain your tongue. Based upon his prior sins, David prayed in humility for God to give him the strength to restrain his mouth from repaying evil with evil and saying angry things about his enemies. “3 Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Ps. 141:3). “David’s was a hasty, impetuous temper, which required sharp control. He strove to ‘keep his own mouth with a bridle’ - to ‘be dumb with silence, and hold his peace’ - but this was not always possible for him of his own unassisted strength. He therefore makes his prayer to God for the Divine help.” (Pulpit Commentary on Ps. 141:3).5
Take God’s warnings about restraining yourself from saying evil things seriously. Because he knew that he was a sinner, David frequently turned to God to help him restrain his mouth. “A Psalm of David. I said, ‘I will keep watch over my ways so that I do not sin with my tongue; I will keep watch over my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence.”’ (Ps. 39:11). Solomon also warned about the dangers of failing to guard your tongue from saying evil things about others. “One who guards his mouth protects his life; one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” (Prov. 13:3). “One who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.” (Prov. 21:23). These warnings are also repeated in the New Testament. “Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29). “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” (Jam. 1:26). “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.” (Jam. 3:5-6). “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt. 12:37).
David’s initial failure to show forgiveness after Nabal disrespected him. While living in the wilderness as a refugee from Saul, Nabal refused to share any of his food with David’s men despite receiving their protection from the Philistines (1 Sam. 25:4-11). At a low point in David’s walk, he reacted to Nabal’s insults with a murderous rage. “21 Now David had said, ‘Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good. 22 May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him.”’ (1 Sam. 25:21-22). Abigail then pleaded for David to spare Nabal’s life, and she offered him restitution (1 Sam. 25:23-31). Having been convicted of his sins, David thanked God for His deliverance through Abigail. “32 Then David said to Abigail, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34 Nevertheless, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.’” (1 Sam. 25:32-34).
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) “The Meeting of David and Abigail” (oil painting 1630)6
3. Holiness: During Ongoing Attacks, Ask God to Guard Your Heart. Ps. 141:4.
God also wants you to turn to Him for the strength and wisdom to guard your heart from evil. David also prayed in humility that God would restrain his heart from desiring and participating in evil: “4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with people who do wrong; and may I not taste their delicacies.” (Ps. 141:4). “When believers pray for the LORD to defend them from the schemes of the wicked to bring them down, they must also pray that the LORD will help them maintain their integrity so that even their enemies will have to acknowledge their righteousness. David himself provides a good example for this integrity: given the chance to kill Saul in the cave, David refuses and spares the life of his enemy, prompting the king to acknowledge that David was more righteous than he (1 Sam. 24).” (Allen Ross on Ps. 141).7
Honor God by guarding your heart and asking Him to cleanse it of sinful desires. God wants His people to turn to Him to guard their hearts on an ongoing basis because every heart is evil and quickly goes astray. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23). “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). You can also bless God by asking Him to clean your heart of sinful desires. “Create in me a clean heart, cod, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10). “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death” (Jam. 1:14-15). “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Ro. 12:2). “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matt. 6:13).
On more than one occasion, David refused to kill his enemy Saul8
Be holy because God is holy. God meant for His people to serve and be a holy example. Serving those in need and being “unstained by the world” are the two parts of “true religion.” (Jam. 1:27). “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8). Jesus wants the Church to be holy because He is holy: “you shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet. 1:16; Lev. 11:44-5; 19:2; 20:7). The pathway to heaven is also only available to those who are made pure through faith in Him: “A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, . . .” (Is. 35:8). Thus, God wants you to honor Him by living a life that is holy.
4. Submission to Correction: During Ongoing Attacks, Submit to Spirit-Led Correction to Keep Yourself on God’s Path For You. Ps. 141:5a.
God wants you to turn and allow Him to correct your path. Because David knew that his heart was sinful and his own efforts to restrain himself would fail, he welcomed God’s discipline. “5a May the righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me; it is oil for the head; my head shall not refuse it,” (Ps. 141:5a). “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness. He would rather be smitten by the righteous than feasted by the wicked. He gives a permit to faithful admonition, he even invites it—‘let the righteous smite me.’ When the ungodly smile upon us their flattery is cruel; when the righteous smite us, their faithfulness is kind. … Fools resent reproof; wise men endeavour to profit by it. And let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break ray head. Oil breaks no heads, and rebuke does no man any harm; rather, as oil refreshes and perfumes, so does reproof when fitly taken sweeten and renew the heart. My friend must love me well if he will tell me of my faults: there is an unction about him if he is honest enough to point out my errors. Many a man has had his head broken at the feasts of the wicked, but none at the table of a true hearted reprover.” (Charles Spurgeon on Ps. 141:5).9
When he later became king, David accepted Nathan’s rebuke (2 Sam. 12)10
God disciplines you because He loves you. David’s son Solomon taught that God disciplines out of love the same way a loving father disciplines his son. “My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His rebuke, for whom the LORD loves He disciplines, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” (Prov. 3:11-12; Heb. 12:5-6). “Blessed is the man whom You discipline, LORD, and whom You teach from Your Law,” (Ps. 94:12). “For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Heb. 12:11). “But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Cor. 11:32). “Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.” (Rev. 3:19).
Discipline others with gentleness. Although the Bible encourages believers to submit to one another for discipline, a person offering discipline must be careful in doing so. First, a believer should pray and use the Word for Spirit-led correction (2 Tim. 3:16). Second, a sinner should first be confronted in private (Matt. 18:15). Third, any discipline should be offered in a spirit of gentleness. “Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.” (Gal. 6:1).
5. God’s Justice: During Ongoing Attacks, Leave Vengeance and Justice to God. Ps. 141:5b-7.
God also wants you to turn to Him for justice. When Saul’s officials repaid David’s love and loyalty with betrayal, David turned to God for justice. “5b for my prayer is still against their evil deeds. 6 Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock, and they hear my words, for they are pleasant. 7 As when one plows and breaks open the earth, our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” (Ps. 141:5b-7). “David, reflecting on Saul’s cruelty in driving him out of his country to wander among aliens and idolaters, very naturally calls to mind, and mentions his own different behavior toward that implacable enemy, whose life he had spared two several times, when he had it in his power to destroy him as he pleased.” (Joseph Benson’s Commentary on Ps. 141:6).11
Leave vengeance to God. Although he at times failed in his walk, David turned to God when he was wronged. In a prior psalm, he warned that “evildoers will be eliminated.” (Ps. 37:9-10). Solomon also proclaimed: “Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished, but the descendants of the righteous will be rescued.” (Prov. 11:21). “For there will be no future for the evil person; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” (Prov. 24:20). “The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked goes out.” (Prov. 13:9). But God will do so in His timing to give sinners every chance to repent and turn back to Him. Thus, in a prior psalm David warned believers not to be vengeful: “Cease from anger and abandon wrath; do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.” (Ps. 37:8). “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: ‘vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Ro. 12:19; Dt. 32:35). “All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.” (Eph. 4:31). God is just and fair. But the time of final judgment of sin is up to Him. Thus, even when evil is rampant, be patient for God to act in His perfect timing.
While the wicked will perish, those who persevere in their faith will be blessed. David saw many evil people prosper (Ps. 37:35). But the wicked only enjoyed passing success before they ultimately faced ruin because of their rebellion against God (Ps. 37:35, 38). In contrast, God will bless those who persevere in their faith (Ps. 37:39-40). This includes waiting on God for His timing. “A Psalm of David. My soul waits in silence for God alone; from Him comes my salvation.” (Ps. 62:1; Jo. 3:16). “Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah” (Ps. 3:8).
6. Trusting God: During Ongoing Attacks, Place Your Trust in God. Ps. 141:8a.
God wants you to turn to have the faith to keep your eyes on Him at all times. As a man of faith, David always turned to God alone and not his own strength to deliver him from his many enemies: “8a For my eyes are toward You, God, the Lord;” (Ps. 141:8a). “My hope is in thee. I do not rely on my own power. I do not trust in my armed forces. I know that they are weak, dispirited, scattered - like strewed bones - like the chips and splinters lying around the place where wood is chopped. I look, therefore, solely to God. I believe that he ‘will’ interpose; and now that my enemy has placed himself in this position, I do not need to resort to stealthful arts - to dishonorable acts - to assassination - as my friends advise, but the object will be accomplished, and I shall be placed on the throne by the act of God, and in a manner that will not subject my name and memory to reproach by a base and treacherous deed.” (Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Ps. 141:8).12
When you are under attack, God also wants you to turn to Him. In another psalm, David also declared that He kept his eyes on God during his trials. “My eyes are continually toward the LORD, for He will rescue my feet from the net.” (Ps. 25:15). In the Songs of Ascents, the psalmist first asked where he could look for help. “A Song of Ascents. I will raise my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come?” (Ps. 121:1). He then declared that he could only look to God for deliverance. “A Song of Ascents. 1a To You I have raised my eyes, …” (Ps. 123:1a). When Judah was under attack, Jehoshaphat also lifted his eyes to God to ask for help. “Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (2 Chr. 20:12). “Raise your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who brings out their multitude by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing.” (Is. 40:26). When you are afflicted or under attack, God also wants you to turn to take your eyes off yourself and turn to Him for your deliverance.
All things are possible with God when you have faith. When you have faith, there is no miracle that is too big for God: “Is anything too difficult for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14(a)). “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” (Jer. 32:27). “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2). “‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”’ (Matt. 19:26(b); Mk. 10:27(b); Lk. 1:37). “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Ro. 8:31). Turn to God for all your needs.
Trust that God is sovereign and in control. In another psalm, David promised that “The Lord knows the days of the blameless . . . The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” (Ps. 37:18, 23). “He watches over the feet of His godly ones, . . .” (1 Sam. 2:9). “He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” (Eph. 1:5). Even when evil seems to temporarily prevail, God wants you to trust that He is in control.
God uses His control over all things to work together for His good. God’s plans are frequently beyond our limited comprehension: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Is. 55:9). “For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who became His counselor?” (Ro. 11:34). Yet, even when you lack the ability to understand the reasons for a trial or why God allows evil to happen, God wants you to have faith that He has a greater plan for you: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Ro. 8:28). When evil seems to be everywhere, do you still trust that God has a greater plan for you?
Put your trust in God, even when His plans are unknown. Even when it seems that evil is prevailing, God wants you to trust that He is in control and has a greater plan for good: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5). “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Pet. 5:7). “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13). “Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD.” (Ps. 31:24). “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Dt. 31:6). Even if an evil person tries to kill you, your soul remains protected with Jesus: “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.” (Lk. 12:4). The only person that you are to fear is God (Prov. 1:7). And the fear of the Lord is hating evil (Prov. 8:12). Even when evil seems to prevail, do you trust God?
7. God’s Refuge: During Ongoing Attacks, Turn to God For Your Protection by Taking Refuge in Him. Ps. 141:8a-10.
God wants you to take refuge in Him alone for protection from evil. Even though David had killed Goliath and many Philistine soldiers in battle, he took refuge in God to enjoy His protection from evil. “8b in You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless. 9 Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, and from the snares of those who do wrong. 10 May the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.” (Ps. 141:8a-10). “Let us lift our prayer unto God. Let us entreat him to rescue us from the snares of Satan, and of all the workers of iniquity.” (Matthew Henry on Ps. 141:8-10).13
David took refuge in God for his deliverance. In another psalm, David also proclaimed his faith that God was his refuge and protection: “A Psalm of David. 1 In You, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; in Your righteousness rescue me. 2 Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; be a rock of strength for me, a stronghold to save me.” (Ps. 31:1-2). This means that you trust in Him and not other people. “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people.” (Ps. 118:8). In other psalms, David also recorded how he turned to God for protection: “Maskil of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Give heed to me and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked; for they bring down trouble upon me and in anger they bear a grudge against me.” (Ps. 55:1-3). “A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, God, in my complaint; protect my life from dread of the enemy.” (Ps. 64:1). Like David, God wants you to take refuge in Him alone to enjoy His full protection.
When you need protection, take refuge in God and trust in His promises14
God is a shield to the righteous. In other psalms, David also professed that God was his “shield, who saves the upright in heart.” (Ps. 7:10). God is a shield to anyone who takes refuge in Him: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my savior, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. . . As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the LORD is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” (Ps. 18:2, 30). “My faithfulness and my fortress, My stronghold and my savior, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.” (Ps. 144:2). Jesus can also be your shield when you have faith and depend upon Him.
James M. Hamilton Jr., Evangelical Bible Theology Commentary Psalms (Vol. II: Psalms 73-150) (Lexham Academic 2021) p. 467.↩︎
Image credit: Peter Paul Rubens: The Meeting of David and Abigail↩︎
Allen Ross, A Commentary of the Psalms: Volume 3 (90-150), Kregel Academic (2016) p. 862 (emphasis original).↩︎
Image credit: Oratio: In the Lord I Take Refuge - KFUO Radio↩︎