Psalm 59: 1 – 17
Local 666, International workers of iniquity
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me. 2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For look, they lie in wait for my life; The mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD. 4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me and behold! 5 You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations; Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah 6 At evening they return, they growl like a dog, and go all around the city. 7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth; Swords are in their lips; For they say, “Who hears?” 8 But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision. 9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength; For God is my defense. 10 My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies. 11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget; Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield. 12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which, they speak. 13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be; And let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah 14 And at evening they return, they growl like a dog, and go all around the city. 15 They wander up and down for food, and howl if they are not satisfied. 16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. 17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, my God of mercy.
Welcome to Local 666, International Workers of Iniquity. For all our members we labor for a rotten deal from the Spirit of Lawlessness and the Father of Lies.
The apostle Paul wrote in the first letter to Timothy “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils”
One sign that it’s the end times is the number of workers of iniquity. There have always been workers of iniquity, but the Bible says that they will multiply in the last days. Workers of iniquity will spread the lies and deceptions of Satan.
Deception is a two-edged sword.
Those poor souls laboring for the enemy not only are agents of deception, God’s Word declares that the workers of iniquity themselves are deceived as well.
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy chapter 3 he says, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
Many of these deceivers will appear in the churches.
Our Lord Jesus’ earthly brother Jude teaches “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sadly, churches will welcome the deceivers. It’s a sad really.
Laboring as a slave of iniquity doesn’t earn one any prizes other than being one day closer to the inescapable, ultimate judgment.
“to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 9: 45 -46
The slave of iniquity toils for the cause. His imaged reward (If he collects) is paid in the coin of this world: fleeting fame, a few hours of pleasure, temporary riches and earthy power that so quickly vanishes. But as he snatches a few moments of relaxation, he always has one eye looking over his shoulder.
Because he never can forget he is disposable, expendable and easily replaced.
The workers of iniquity have made a very bad deal. They have traded their eternal reward for some trinkets, flattery and a load of promises from a boss condemned by Jesus as a “liar.”
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8: 44
On the other hand, laboring for the kingdom of God is a sure thing.
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23: 19
When it comes to the rewards of Local 666, what is delivered has a way of being quite different from what was promised.
The union head is a liar and it’s hard to believe that there are those who expect him and his leadership team workers to honor their assurances.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTNOTE: It’s not too late for a worker of iniquity to change his or her eternal destination.
If you would like to become a family member of The Holy Ruler over all creation, then it is simple to change your loyalty.
You can make your own loyalty declaration to our Holy Father by saying, “My Holy Father in Heaven hallowed be Thy Name, please forgive me my sins, Lord Jesus thank You for pouring Your Blood for me and giving Your life for me at Calvary. Please come into my heart and life and be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You. Amen
If you heartily made this prayer – Welcome to the family!
Today we are going to review that the workers of Iniquity have been around for a long time. They were just as bad back in time.
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.
Like the previous two Psalms this is another Psalm which is dedicated to the Choirmaster or Chief Musician, and set to the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy’. It is a Psalm of David, a Michtam (plea for ‘cover’ or protection).
The background of the Psalm is when Saul sent some of his men to watch David’s house in order to kill him (1 Samuel 19.1, 8).
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me.
Saul sent men to watch David’s house with a view to killing him when he emerged (1 Samuel 19.11). Aware of what was happening, David calls on God to deliver him, declaring his innocence, and describing the unscrupulous and bloodthirsty men who are out to assassinate him.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloodthirsty men.
He calls on God to deliver him from ‘his enemies’, ‘the workers of iniquity’, ‘bloodthirsty men’. He asks to be ‘set on high’ by God, out of danger’s reach, so that they will not be able to touch him. The thought is of being secure, as though in a fortified tower.
He knew that they were not just soldiers sent to perform their duty of arresting him so that he could have a fair trial, but men who were loyal to Saul, selected because of their willingness to be part of a plot against him, and not averse to shedding innocent blood. At this stage Saul dared not attack him openly, for there were too many who might have come to David’s support, including his own son Jonathan. But in his jealousy, and because he suspected David of having an eye on the throne, he was determined to kill him, even though he had promised Jonathan that he would not (1 Samuel 19.6).
3 For look, they lie in wait for my life; The mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD. 4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me and behold!
David points out to God that men are lying in wait for his life, although not for anything that he has done because he is innocent. It is not because of any sin or rebellion of which he is guilty, for in this regard he is without fault. He is totally loyal to Saul. And he stresses the strength of the force that has come against him. ‘
The mighty’ suggests that David recognized, as he surveyed them through a window, that they included some of Saul’s best warriors, powerful men who had come together for the soul purpose of assassinating him. He was not a fearful man, and he knew how to look after himself, something which Saul would have considered when determining the size of the force that he chose to send. But he knew that this assassination squad was too strong for him to be able to cope with.
David also points out their zeal to take him. They have ‘hastened and prepared themselves’ (it bears all the signs of a rushed operation hatched by Saul in one of his periods of severe depression), and he has done nothing to deserve it (1 Samuel 20.1). So, he calls on YHWH The God of Israel to ‘awake Himself’ on his behalf, and take note of what is happening. Saul has aroused these men on his side, let YHWH Father God now arouse Himself on David’s side.
All of us may feel at some time or other that the whole world is against us, even though it is not our fault. At such times we too can pray this prayer.
5 You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations; Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah
David has recognized the diversity of Saul’s assassination squad and he may well have felt that the whole world was against him. So, he calls on God to deal with them all, and not to spare any of them, because they are showing themselves to be evil men. It would not even have crossed his mind to take part in an operation like this. It was totally abhorrent to him.
Describing his enemies as like a pack of stray dogs on the prowl David is confident that YHWH will laugh at their folly and will protect him. God will be his fortress in the face of the strength of the enemy.
6 At evening they return, they growl like a dog, and go all around the city.
At night time all decent citizens remain in their homes and take to their beds. And it is then that packs of howling stray dogs roam the streets looking for food. David sees Saul’s men, as they try to conceal themselves around the neighboring houses, as similar, although in their case he is their prospective food. ‘They return at evening’ may suggest that they had been watching his house for several nights, dispersing during the day and returning each evening.
7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth; Swords are in their lips; For they say, “Who hears?”
David describes them as being like belching dogs, hungry to get at him. But in their case their lips are like swords. They express murderous intent against him. They are confident that no one knows what they are about. But they have overlooked the fact that there Is Father God YHWH watching over David.
8 But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision.
He is confident that YHWH can deal with these assassins. YHWH will laugh at them in their supposed ‘secrecy’ and will have them all in derision.
Still concerned about Israel’s needs in spite of his own danger, David also lifts his prayers beyond himself, desiring that in a similar way YHWH will have in derision all those who have designs on Israel.
9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength; For God is my defense.
Recognizing that he stand almost alone against Saul, the man who rules Israel, he informs God that he is giving heed to Him. He has nowhere else to turn. All the ‘strength’ is on Saul’s side. He recognizes that he now needs some support from somewhere. But he has no doubt about where he can obtain that strength from. For God is his fortress and his high tower (into which the righteous can run and be safe - Proverbs 18.10).
10 My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.
His confidence lies in God’s covenant love, the love which God revealed when He redeemed Israel from Egypt, and the love that He shows to all who are true to the covenant. He knows that God has already demonstrated that love towards him by sending Samuel to anoint him in readiness for the future that he has in store for him (1 Samuel 16.13). Thus, he has no doubt that He will meet him in this present situation. He will see that his enemies will be thwarted in their desire to kill him. And he is, indeed, equally sure that God will give him victory over all his enemies, whoever they may be.
David focuses on is not the power of a great enemy, but on slanderous and lying words which are being spoken against him. This indicates a local situation where he is being falsely accused. He does not want them just to be killed out of hand (something that he knows God could do), but rather to be made a public example of that will never be forgotten, an example that will reveal that God rules over all nations.
11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget; Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
David had no doubt that God could simply strike his enemies down where they were. But he asks Him not to do that, for if He did it would soon be forgotten, and then his people would simply forget it. What he rather wants is that they might be made to wander to be ‘scattered’, by God’s power, and then brought down, by the One Who Is Israel’s shield. They were to be constantly trying, never succeeding, until God brought them down. Their presence would be a constant reminder of what Saul was like and what he had tried to do to David, and how he had failed.
12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips
David now describes what his charge is against these men. They have cursed him and lied against him and behaved pompous towards him. So, he calls for them to be called to account for the sin of their mouth and the word of their lips. They had no doubt been convinced by Saul of how treacherous and dangerous David was, and as such men will, they had made it openly known with cursing and swearing. They wanted it known that they had been charged to deal with the infamous David.
13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be; And let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah
So while he did not want them simply struck down immediately, leaving him still open to further attacks by Saul’s men David did want them to be dealt with in such a way that when they were consumed, to be no more, it would let men know that it is God Who rules in Israel, even to the ends of the earth.
David wanted these assassins consumed by God as One Who was angry at the fact that they had lied and cursed against the anointed of YHWH (1 Samuel 16.13), and had taken up arms against him. (Something which we know he himself would never do, despite Saul’s unforgivable treatment of him - 1 Samuel 24.6). He considered that by attacking him they were attacking God.
David concludes the Psalm by taunting his oppressors for wasting their time stalking him in order to strike him down, because he knows that it will be in vain. And he declares that meanwhile he will sing of God’s covenant love and faithfulness, knowing that God will be his refuge and strength.
14 And at evening they return, they growl like a dog, and go all around the city. 15 They wander up and down for food, and howl if they are not satisfied.
David again takes up the picture of the wild dogs who scavenge in the city streets at night, if necessary wandering up and down all night if they are unable to find sufficient food. They would obtain their food from the rubbish thrown out of houses, which awaited collection by the rubbish collectors who would collect it in carts and burn it outside the city (in later days in the Valley of Hinnom).
He is quite content for his would-be assassins to do the same, for he has prayed through to certainty of God’s deliverance. He sees them returning that night to keep watch outside his house, remaining there all night until they can seize him, only to be thwarted when they cannot find him. But he is satisfied now that it will be in vain, for he has already made his plans for escape, leaving them to face the smothered laughter of Israel when the story got around. (It may well be that the window through which he escaped (1 Samuel 19.12) was in the city wall, but whether it was or not, he was confident that they knew nothing about it, and he proved to be correct).
16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
Meanwhile David would sing of God’s strength, the strength which had delivered him, and he will sing aloud (in contrast to their howling) of God’s covenant love in the morning, by which time through God’s help he would be safe and far away. God had not overlooked His covenant promises.
17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, my God of mercy.
David closes by declaring how he will yet sing praises to God Who Is his strength, and to God Who Is his fortress, and the God Who shows him favor. Note that there is no boasting about his cleverness in escaping, or even of the wife who helped him to escape. All his thought is on the fact that he owes it all to God, and to His strength, protection and favor.
