Use the frame on the left to read these Scriptures.
We don't know when Psalm 55 was written, but it describes quite well how David felt when he fled the Jerusalem with Shimei cursing him, pelting him with rocks, and throwing dust in the air.
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.
-- Psalm 55:1-3
David's primary concern was to find a place of rest and safety for himself and his family.
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death assail me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
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; Selah
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm."
-- Psalm 55:4-8 (NIV)
JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM. The city David left behind was a treacherous place. Many within its walls were allied with Absalom, and looked at others suspiciously. David's friends were in danger, so he prayed,
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.
-- Psalm 55:9-11 (NIV)
FRIENDS. Hushai, David's friend, faced great danger. He had infiltrated Absalom's council of advisers to learn Absalom's plans and disrupt them if possible. If his real mission were exposed, he would surely have been executed. Zadok and Abiathar, priests of God, also faced danger. They were longtime allies of David both in worship and in war. They were also ears and intermediaries between Hushai and David. Jonathan and Ahimaaz were messengers who would carry the intelligence gathered in the city to David. Their mission was so dangerous they could not risk being seen in the city. They hid by a spring outside the city walls. A servant girl relayed the information from the priests to the messengers near the spring. Her life was at risk. When the messengers were seen by a friend of Absalom, they fled and hid in a well on the far side of the Mount of Olives near Bahurim. The owners of the well covered it with grain spread out to dry in the sun. By hiding the messengers, they put their lives in danger.
FOES. David's primary foe was Absalom, his own son. David's most dangerous foe was Ahithophel, who had formerly been one of his closest advisers. In anguish, David cried out,
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.
Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the grave,
for evil finds lodging among them.
-- Psalm 55:12-15 (NIV)
God answered David's prayer. God confused the wicked (Psalm 55:9) and turned the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness (2 Samuel 15:31). In a short time, death would claim Absalom by surprise. For Ahithophel, who had betrayed God's chosen king, death came even sooner. When he saw his advice had not been followed, he went home, put his affairs in order, and hung himself. Centuries later, another man who betrayed God's chosen king would also go out and hang himself.
Blessed are those who are faithful to God's chosen king. No risk is too great; they remain faithful in the midst of treachery.
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