Psalm 55: 1 – 23
Treachery of Friends
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication. 2 Attend to me and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, 3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, and in wrath they hate me. 4 My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me. 6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. 7 Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah 8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.” 9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city. 10 Day and night they go around it on its walls; Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. 11 Destruction is in its midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets. 12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. 13 But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. 14 We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng. 15 Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. 16 As for me, I will call upon God, and the LORD shall save me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. 18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me. 19 God will hear, and afflict them, even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God. 20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has broken his covenant. 21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. 22 Cast your burden on the LORD,
And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. 23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.
Someone asked me how can one deal with the treachery of friends? My answer might confuse you. I told the person that there is no such things as a friend’s treachery. Say what?
Yes, this is a truth. An oxymoron are contradictory terms. The statement ‘the treachery of my friend’ falls into this description.
I know you have heard the statement, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ This statement says that if someone hurt us then I have learned a lesson about them and be on the lookout for their future attempt to hurt me again. So, if I am naïve to allow them to pull another hurt against me then I should just realize that I was not alert enough to allow them to have another shot at me.
Here is something I want you to settle in your thoughts, so you can avoid these needless hurts caused by some people that you placed in the ‘friend’ category.
Let me give you a couple of verses that deal with ‘friends.’
Proverbs 17: 17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Proverbs 18: 24, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Proverbs 27: 9, “Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel.”
Proverbs 27: 17, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
You see what we have are ‘acquaintances’ not friends. We put people in the ‘friend’ category when they are only an acquaintance. Therefore, we wind up getting hurt. We should take to heart t he scriptures that was just listed as to what a ‘friend’ is really like before we add someone to our ‘special friend list.’
Today, we are going to see an example of David getting burnt by someone he thought was a friend when this guy all along was a what? (acquaintance)
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David
As with Psalm 54 we have a Psalm dedicated to the Choirmaster, or chief musician, which was to be played on stringed instruments, and was a Maschil of David. No indication is given of the specific ‘situation in life’ of the Psalm but I believe it had to do with Bathsheba’s grandfather Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, who wound up siding with Absalom in his revolt against his dad.
The Psalm describes the bitter attacks that Ahithophel’s betrayal had caused.
. As suggested it could rather possibly have in mind the incident in 1 Samuel 19.11-17).
David calls on God to hear his cries for help as he faces the threatening of his enemies who are persecuting him.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication. 2 Attend to me and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, 3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
The use of three different methods of expression (‘give ear to -- do not hide yourself from my supplication -- listen carefully’), are an indication of the completeness of his intercession as he calls on God to hear what he has to say. He is desperate for an answer. He is restless (roams around and therefore cannot sit still) as he considers what he must complain about, and moans agitatedly, because of what his enemy is saying about him, and because of the oppression of unrighteous men. He is being verbally attacked on every side, and having his reputation ruined. For they are accusing him of all kinds of things (rolling iniquity on him as stones are rolled on an enemy) and in their rage against him are persecuting him. The darling of Israel’s womenfolk has become the butt of men’s jealous hatred. They are out to get him.
He points out to God his deep distress of heart. The situation has become too much for him. David was not used to political intrigues and infighting.
As David shows us how to respond when we find ourselves out of our league in problems, it is to God that we must turn.
4 My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.
He declares how he was hurt, humiliated, and afraid at his undeserved treatment. As a righteous man whose only aim was to be loyal and to do good, he found their attitude difficult to comprehend. His heart was well-nigh broken at the treatment that he was receiving, and he was aware that at any moment he could be in danger of an ignominious death. For he was, or would soon be, a proscribed outlaw, being sought by those who would kill him on sight. It was not that he was afraid to die, but that he feared the kind of death that he would have to face, a death of ignominy and shame like that of a hunted animal. The thought appalled him and made him shudder. He was overwhelmed with horror at the thought.
David longs to be able to escape from his present situation into a place where he can be safe from threats, and where he can leave his problems behind him. But life is not like that, and he realizes that it cannot be, which is why he restricts the thought to words, and does not carry it into effect.
For all of us we learn here that if you have been anointed by God for some responsibility, you cannot just walk away from it.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. 7 Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah 8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.”
David thinks about how the dove can fly away to inaccessible crags where it is safe, and wishes that he had wings so that he could fly away to a place of refuge in a similar way and be at rest in his soul. He longs to be able to wander far off and find shelter and security in the wilderness, where he might be alone and secure. If only the opportunity was there he would hastily seek a shelter from the stormy winds and tempests of life. The impression that we have is that he was hanging on precariously. Later, of course, this wish would be partially fulfilled. He would flee into the wilderness with his men. But it was only because he had no alternative.
He describes the city in which he has been dwelling as a place of continual threat and intrigue, and he calls on God to cause confusion among them and render them harmless.
9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city. 10 Day and night they go around it on its walls; Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. 11 Destruction is in its midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
Possibly having in mind the situation in Babel in Genesis 11.1-9 where God stepped in and divided the language of the people so as to render them relatively harmless, David calls on his ‘Sovereign Lord’ to do the same with his enemies in the city.
‘Divide their tongue’ meant cause confusion among them and render them harmless.
‘Destroy’ is literally ‘swallow them up’. He wants God to deal with his enemies in the city. To David it was a very dangerous place to be, as he had already discovered.
He describes it as a place of violence and strife, of men wandering around on the watch for what trouble they could cause, a place of iniquity, wickedness and mischief. Saul’s standing army were probably very rough types who knew how to ‘enjoy themselves’ and gave short clemency to the weak. The streets were full of oppression and guile. It was not the safest of places to live.
The description of the city has prepared the way for the story of his own betrayal. What hurt him most was that he had been betrayed by a close comrade-in-arms who had responded to his friendship by seeking his death.
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. 13 But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. 14 We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng.
He addresses the close friend who has betrayed him. The fact that he magnified himself against him suggests that he had heavily contributed towards David’s disgrace which had hit David hard. He points out that he could have borne it from a man who was his enemy, and if it had been a man who hated him he would just have avoided him. But to be treated in this way by a man whom he saw as his equal, a constant companion and a close friend, had hurt him deeply. He describes him as a friend with whom he had had many close personal conversations, and with whom he had walked side by side in festal processions. They had entered together into a covenant of friendship (verse 20). But now his so-called friend had, as it were, stabbed him in the back.
It affected him so much that he prays for sudden death to come on these men. The fact that David prayed like this indicates that the man’s betrayal had been so serious that it had endangered his life. He had been so treacherous that he had sought David’s death while David still trusted him as a friend. And thus, David prays that God will cause the behavior of his treacherous friend and of his friend’s associates, to rebound on them. He is basically praying that, in the same way as they have tried to sow death for him, they themselves will reap death. Let them receive what they deserve.
15 Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
The shock of what they have conspired against him hit him so hard that he prays that just as these men have sought his life, death may come suddenly on them. The violence of his expression confirms that he saw what they had done as unforgivable. He sees them as having been acting vindictively. So, he prays that they may go down alive into the grave world, Sheol.
The prayer that they might go down alive into Sheol, the grave world, possibly has in mind the fate of Korah and his company in Numbers 16.30-33. They too had been treacherous and had acted against God’s chosen ones, Aaron and Moses, and they were described as being swallowed up alive by the ground and as going down into the Pit. This confirms that David saw these men, led by his onetime friend, as treacherous in the extreme, and therefore deserving of the worst of fates. All this is confirmed by his reference to wickedness as something that was in their dwelling, and even in their inmost hearts. He saw them as enveloped in wickedness. Their behavior had appalled him, and cut him to the heart.
David knew where to turn in such situations. He knew that he was blameless of what was being suggested against him
16 As for me, I will call upon God, and the LORD shall save me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.
David stresses that he will not himself directly reciprocate evil for evil. He will rather call continually on God morning noon and night for His deliverance. He was confident that YHWH would hear his voice.
It would appear from this that an attempt had already been made to get rid of him by an armed assault. He had men who were loyal to him. Indeed his ‘friend’ used his friendship and knowledge of David’s personal life in order to lure him into danger.
18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.
David confidently asserts how God had ‘redeemed his life in peace’ (delivered him safely), when a good number of men had come to do battle against him. The point is that with God’s help he had survived the attack on his life.
19 God will hear, and afflict them, even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God.
‘God will hear’ refers to David’s prayers and that He would hear their false threats and their plots against him. The ones who God will call to answer are his enemies. God will provide a full account to their accusations and attempts on his life, by saving David and bringing judgment on them. For Adoni Yahweh Is the One Who Is from of old, and has always in the past proved faithful to His own.
The ones who will be answered are those who ‘have no changes and who do not fear God’. It signifies ‘no changes of mind and attitude’ (they are obstinate in the performance of their evil task). But it could mean that it was always the same men who made attempts on his life. That they do not fear God (among other things they ignore the fact that David is God’s anointed) indicates that they are unscrupulous and ready to do anything that is required of them without a twinge of conscience.
David here defines what type of enemy he is up against.
20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has broken his covenant. 21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
The ‘Friend’ and David had been on the best of terms (at peace) and somewhat enjoyed hanging out together but without warning he had put forth his schemes to do David harm. They had had a covenant of friendship, but he had ignored it and dealt treacherously with David. He had, pretending continuing friendship, spoken soft, and smooth words, possibly in order to get him to have his guard down while in his heart he had been plotting violence and death. He is treacherous in every way.
22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
He calls on all who are righteous (to learn from his experience and to cast any burden that they have on the God of Israel, YHWH with the assurance that if they do so He will sustain them. He assures them that YHWH will never allow the righteous to be moved.
God will not be deceived by someone giving the title of ‘the righteous’ to the whole of Israel. Man looks at the outwards appearance, but God looks at the heart. It is only true for the truly righteous. which is the continual emphasis of Scripture.
23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.
In contrast to the truly righteous, he assures God that he knows that He will bring the violent and deceitful down into the pit of destruction. Rather than having a full length of life they will die younger. They will not be sustained. They will not remain ‘unmoved’. And he completes the Psalm on a positive note when he says, ‘But as for me, I will trust in you.’ Whatever happens this is his one mainstay. As one of the righteous he knows that God will sustain him to the end with the understanding that he knows that he can trust Him under all circumstances, even if someone who he thought was a friend betrays him.
