Psalm 56: The Song of God’s Servant 1. The Reason for His Song Psalm 56:1-2

Text: “Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.  Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O Thou most High.”

Psalm 56:1-2.

Good morning, Christian servant of God!  Not for you the mundane going-through-the motions Christianity – you know the sin that you have been delivered from and saved in, and knowing the gravity of the cost – the cruel Crucifixion of God the Son upon a Cross – you now desire to actively serve the risen Christ, and seek, in His power, to extend His Kingdom.  You do well, serving Christian!  Keep up that level of service, no matter what oppressions man, or Devil, can throw against you!  The Lord is in full control!  Hallelujah!

“Yea, and all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer (allow) the righteous to be moved.”  (Psalm 55:22) 

“We have here the song of God’s servant, who rejoices once more to return from banishment and to leave those dangerous places where he was compelled to hold his peace even from good.  There is such deep, Spiritual knowledge in this Psalm that we might say of it, ‘Blessed art thou David Bar-jonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee.’”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 253)

The ‘song’ that David is singing to the Lord here, in these two opening verses of Psalm 56, is a song of one sorely oppressed, and feeling the extreme pressures of being a genuine servant of God. 

This song is being increasingly pulled from the very souls of genuine, Bible-believing Christians right now, in this godless 21^st Century British society, where we see the very courts of British legislation abdicating high moral authority, in favour of increased godlessness and vile immorality. 

Sodomy, the murder of babies in the womb; and all manner of anti-Christian filth published and portrayed throughout the British media outlets – all these are signs of the times prophesied in God’s Word. 

The author is convinced that we are currently, in this year of 2022, nearing the very end of ‘the last days’, before King Jesus Christ returns to put an end to all reprobation, and all who would oppose the Authority of Almighty Lord God Jehovah.

“And as He (Christ Jesus) sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?  And what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?  And Jesus answered and said:”  (Read Matthew Chapter 24)

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall SEE all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”  (Matthew 24:32-34)

“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.  Amen.  Even so, come Lord Jesus.”  (Revelation 22:20)

Verse 1.  “Be merciful unto me, O God.  This is to me the one source of all my expectations, the one fountain of all promises: Miserere mei, Deus, miserere mei.”  Bernard (1091-1153)

Verse 1. “...For man would swallow me up.  He is but Thy creature, a mere man, yet like a monster he is eager for blood; he pants, he gapes for me; he would not merely wound me, or feed on my substance, but he would fain swallow me altogether, and so make an end of me.  The open mouths of sinners when they rage against us should open our mouths in prayer.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 253)

Verse 1.  “...Scoop me up.  (As the Hebrew word soundeth); make but one draught of me, or suck me in as a whirlpool; swallow me up as a ravenous wild beast.”  (John Trapp (1601-1699)

The reason for David, the Psalmist’s, song to God is open and obvious to all readers: he feels overwhelmed and completely outnumbered by Spiritual and physical oppression, hindrance, and the enemies of his God-fearing service to Jehovah Lord God. 

Like a mangle presses hard upon garments put through its wringer rollers, relentlessly squeezing out water from the garment’s inner fibres – David, God’s servant, feels like he is being completely wrung out of all his life’s essence!  He is in such obvious Spiritual anguish that he is compelled to cry out this serious song for God’s prompt help.  His very soul is crying out to the Lord God.  “Be merciful unto me, O God!!

Verse 2.  “Mine enemies would DAILY swallow me up.  The servant of God’s plight is compounded here in verse two, as the Psalmist reveals the frequency of oppositions, hindrances, and oppressions he endures – these oppressions are a DAILY experience to every Christian who would seek to militantly serve the risen Lord Jesus!  Expect them!

Verse 2.  “Mine enemies would daily swallow me up. Their appetite for blood never fails them.  With them there is no truce or armistice.  There are many, but one mind animates them.  Nothing I can do can make them relent.  Unless they can quite devour me, they will never be content.  The ogres of nursery tales exist in reality in the enemies of the church, who would crush the bones of the godly and make a mouthful of them if they could.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 253)

From personal experience, I find that the serving Christian - who seeks to be forthright in teaching sound doctrine; reminding all hearers of our sin; Christ’s righteousness; and the judgment that will surely come – can more easily cope with Satanically inspired oppositions and worldly oppressions when they come at us in ones and twos.  However, there are also times of affliction wherein the oppositions and oppressions come at us from a varied and numerous aspect of our daily lives – and that is when we feel that the Lord our God has hidden His Holy face from us, and we are just about to be ‘...swallowed up...’ by evil enemies.

Verse 2. “...For there be many that fight against me.  Sinners are gregarious creatures.  Persecutors hunt in packs.  These wolves of the church seldom come down upon us singly.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 253)

Thought:  Only serving Christians can sing the song of Psalm 56:  - can you and I?