The Terror of the Enemy

May 22

I Samuel 18-19

Psalm 64:1-6

Proverbs 14:11-12

John 12

The Terror of the Enemy

“Saul was furious and resented this song, ‘They credited tens of thousands to David,’ he complained, ‘but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?’ So Saul watched him jealously from that day forward.”

I Samuel 18:8-9

“God hear my voice when I complain. Protect my life from the terror of the enemy. Hide me from the scheming of wicked people.” Psalm 64:1-2

The passage in Psalm was written by David when he was fleeing from Saul. In I Samuel 18-19 we read about Saul’s jealousy of David and how it incited him to attack David several times and order his death. David served Saul faithfully. He never did anything to cause Saul to question his loyalty, and yet Saul was blinded by jealousy and believed David was trying to take his throne. He did not realize that it was God who would take away his throne and give it to David as punishment for his disobedience. David wrote several Psalms during the period when he was hiding in the wilderness. The Psalms David wrote give us a peak into his heart as he allows himself to be completely vulnerable and transparent. It is evident that he was terrified of Saul. He must have been very confused. He had done nothing wrong. He lived in Saul’s house and served him for many years. Saul even gave his daughter to David in marriage and Saul’s son, Jonathan, was his best friend. The betrayal of someone he had grown to love must have been very painful.

In this Psalm, David is begging God to protect him from the terror of the enemy and the scheming of wicked people. He speaks of people shooting at him from concealed places, hidden traps and secret plans. He knew God had appointed him to be Saul’s successor. He was the king’s son-in-law so maybe he thought Saul would appoint him king before he died. It must have been very difficult to understand why Saul would turn on him. God’s plans often don’t line up with our expectations. We think we know how our lives will play out and when it doesn’t turn out that way, we can become confused and begin to question what we believe about God, His love for us and His plans. In the Psalms, David asks questions, he seeks answers and he honestly lays out his fears before God, but it is evident that he has not lost faith in God. He is scared and uncertain about the future, but he trusts God to take care of him. It is comforting to know that God is ok with us being honest and open with him. God is not upset by our questions. Like David, we can be confident that He will always take care of us. We can trust Him even when we don’t understand everything that is happening.