Featured Scripture:
Psalm 56:8-13
Thou has taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Thy bottle; Are they not in Thy book?
Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise;
In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Thy vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offering to Thee.
For Thou has delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Preface
David, God’s servant, while facing constant anxiety and unending danger as a fugitive among his enemies, writes this powerful lament for God’s protection and comfort.
Psalm 56, for the modern-day God Fearers, will likewise learn to trust God’s protection and care while facing their fears and enemies with faith. Just as David committed a promise to God, we too will learn how to spiritually respond with gratitude and praise when God’s faithfulness will deliver His people in times of trouble.
Within this Psalm of lamentation, there are four major spiritual truths that each faithful believer can discover. God’s awareness and care for His people; God’s vindication of His people, the importance of praising God’s faithfulness, and the acknowledgment and testifying about God’s deliverance throughout their lives.
Grace and Peace
God’s Awareness and Care
You have recorded as my Scribe, my wanderings, my misery as an aimless fugitive. Put my tears from my weeping, as I am appealing to You my God for Your compassion. Place my tears into Your bottle, Your wineskin, are they not in Your records or Book?
Psalm 56:8 communicates that God knows David’s struggles while keeping a book of his sorrows and hardships. Each child of God will also find the same comfort knowing that our Creator sees their pain and cares deeply about their struggles. “The “book” here is more about a personal record of life’s experiences and God’s compassionate attention to them.
Below are two supportive Scriptures that express God’s unwavering awareness and care for His people:
Psalm 139:1-3 reads Lord, you have probed me, and You know me. You know when I sit and stand up, You discern my inclination from afar, You scrutinize my daily activities, You are so familiar with all my ways that before I speak even a Word, Lord, Thou do know it all.
Malachi 3:16 states those who fear Adonai [Lord] spoke together and Adonai listened and heard. A record book was written in His presence for those who feared Adonai and had respect for His name. The “Book of Remembrance” is more about recording God’s people’s righteous acts and faithfulness.
Both Psalm 139:1-3 and Psalm 56:8 emphasize that God is fully aware of everything about His people— their thoughts, actions, or suffering. Psalm 139 focuses on God’s knowledge of our daily lives, while Psalm 56:8 zooms in on His awareness of our pain and struggles.
Malachi 3:16 and Psalm 56:8 both disclose that God not only observes but also remembers and records the lives of the faithful. Malachi talks about a “book of remembrance” for those who fear the Lord, while Psalm 56:8 mentions a similar book where God records the psalmist’s sorrows. Both passages reassure believers that God treasures their faithfulness and cares deeply about their experiences, joyful or painful.
There is another Book of record of importance as well in the Holy Scriptures, one of which is not the reference in these abovementioned Scriptures:
The “Lamb’s Book of Life” is mentioned several times in the Book of Revelation, particularly in Revelation 13:8 and 20:12, 15. Revelation 21:27 says, “And nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
The “Lamb’s Book of Life” records those who have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. It is the final and ultimate register of those who are saved and will inherit eternal life in the new heaven and new earth. Being written in the “Lamb’s Book of Life” signifies one’s inclusion among the redeemed who will enter the Kingdom of God.
Confidence in God’s Justice
Then my enemies, those who hate me, my adversary will retreat on the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, In God, I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Verses 9-11 reveal David’s confidence that his enemies will retreat because God is with and for him. The people of God likewise are to possess this very same confidence in God’s justice and ability to protect and vindicate them.
Some additional supportive Scriptures about God’s justice are Psalm 9:3-4, and Romans 8:28-31:
When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before You. For You uphold my cause as just, sitting on the throne as the Righteous Judge. Psalm 9:3-4
We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called by His purpose, because those whom He knew in advance, He also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of His Son, so that He might be the Firstborn among many Brothers, and those whom He thus determined in advance, He also called; and those whom He called He also caused to be righteous, and those whom He caused to be considered righteous, He also glorified. What then, are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:28-31
All three verses convey that with God on their side, the faithful can be confident of victory over their enemies. In Psalm 56:9 and Psalm 9:3, this protection is shown through the image of enemies turning back or stumbling in God’s presence. Romans 8:31 expands on this by stating that no one can successfully oppose believers if God is for them.
The phrase “God is for me” in Psalm 56:9 and “If God is for us, who can be against us?” in Romans 8:31 highlight the significance of God’s favor. They emphasize that God’s presence with His people guarantees their security and victory, similar to how Psalm 9:3 depicts the power of God’s presence causing enemies to fall.
Each verse provides a basis for believers’ confidence in God’s support during conflict or opposition. Psalm 56:9 and Romans 8:31, in particular, emphasize a personal assurance that God’s support ensures that no enemy can ultimately prevail against those who trust in Him.
Commitment to Praise and Gratitude
I am obligated by vows that I have made to You, God; I will make my thank offering to You. For You delivered me from death,[natural or violent, pestilence, ruin] even my feet from stumbling or falling to walk before God in the light of life.
Verses 12-13 communicate David’s vows to fulfill his promise of praise for deliverance. David also acknowledged God’s role in saving him from death and enabling him to walk in the light of life. God’s faithful servants, likewise are encouraged to be grateful while expressing thanks to God for His faithfulness and deliverance while we are walking in the light of life.
Two supportive Scriptures of these verses are Psalm 50:14 and Psalm 116:8-9:
“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; and call upon Me in the day of trouble, I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me”. Psalm 50:14-15
For Thou has rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 116:8-9
Both Psalm 50:14 and Psalm 56:12 emphasize the importance of offering thanksgiving to God and fulfilling vows made to Him. In Psalm 56:12, the psalmist explicitly states his intention to fulfill his vows and give thank offerings, aligning with the call in Psalm 50:14 to offer a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” and perform vows to the Most High.
Psalm 116:8-9 and Psalm 56:13 both reflect on God’s deliverance from death and the resulting commitment to live a life in God’s presence. The psalmists recognize that their survival and continued life are due to God’s intervention, prompting them to walk faithfully before Him.
Both Psalm 116:9 and Psalm 56:13 describe the psalmists’ resolve to “walk before God” as a response to His deliverance. This indicates a life lived in obedience, gratitude, and devotion to God, acknowledging His role as their protector and sustainer.
Grace and Peace
Brother Alonzo
