Psalm 55:3 Kommentar

It is the conjecture of many expositors that David penned this psalm upon occasion of Absalom's rebellion, and that the particular enemy he here speaks of, that dealt treacherously with him, was Ahithophel; and some will therefore make David's troubles here typical of Christ's sufferings, and Ahithophel's treachery a figure of Judas's, because they both hanged themselves. But there is nothing in it particularly applied to Christ in the New Testament. David was in great distress when he penned this psalm. I. He prays that God would manifest his favour to him, and pleads his own sorrow and fear (Psa 55:1-8). II. He prays that God would manifest his displeasure against his enemies, and pleads their great wickedness and treachery (Psa 55:9-15 and again Psa 55:20, Psa 55:21). III. He assures himself that God would, in due time, appear for him against his enemies, comforts himself with the hopes of it, and encourages others to trust in God (Psa 55:16-19 and again Psa 55:22, Psa 55:23). In singing this psalm we may, if there be occasion, apply it to our own troubles; if not, we may sympathize with those to whose case it comes nearer, foreseeing that there will be, at last, indignation and wrath to the persecutors, salvation and joy to the persecuted. To the chief musician on Neginoth, Maschil. A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 55 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil A Psalm of David. The occasion of this psalm was either the persecution of Saul, or the conspiracy of Absalom. Some think it was written when David understood that the inhabitants of Keilah would deliver him into the hands of Saul, Sa1 23:12; and others when the Ziphites attempted a second time to do the same, Sa1 26:1; but since a single person is spoken of that magnified himself against him, Psa 55:12; and Ahithophel seems to be designed; it may be thought rather to be written on account of Absalom's rebellion, and Ahithophel's counsel against him; who is considered by many Christian interpreters as a type of Judas, the betrayer of our Lord; and, indeed, there are many things in this psalm, if not the whole, which may be truly applied to Christ, as will be seen in the following exposition of it.

Because of the voice of the enemy,.... Of Absalom, as Arama; or of Ahithophel, who gave out he would smite the king only, Sa2 17:2; and so of any spiritual enemy, as sin, Satan, and the world, when they threaten dominion and tyranny; and of the Scribes and Pharisees reproaching Christ, as being a Samaritan, and having a devil, and doing his miracles by his assistance; menacing, insulting, and triumphing over him, when on the cross; because of the oppression of the wicked; of Absalom or Ahithophel, as Arama; who conspired against David, and obliged him to quit his palace, and the city of Jerusalem; and is applicable to the troubles which surround the people of God, from every quarter, by wicked men, and to our Lord's being enclosed by them at the time of his Crucifixion, Psa 22:12; for they cast iniquity upon me; laid things to his charge he knew not: so wicked men falsely accuse the good conversation of the saints; and so the Jews imputed crimes to Christ he was innocent of; as immorality, sedition, blasphemy, &c. and in wrath they hate me; as they do all the people of God, because chosen and called, and separated from them: and so they did Christ, and with a mortal hatred, though without a cause.

Whence then does this man pray, set among evil men, with whose enmities he was being exercised? Why says he, "I have been made sad in my exercise, and have been troubled"? While he is extending his love so as to love enemies, he has been affected with disgust, being bayed at all around by the enmities of many men, by the frenzy of many and under a sort of human infirmity he has sunk. He has seen himself now begin to be pierced through with an evil suggestion of the devil, to bring on hatred against his enemies: wrestling against hatred in order to perfect love herself, in the very fight, and in the wrestling, he has been troubled. For there is his voice in another Psalm, "My eye has been troubled, because of anger." And what follows there? "I have waxen old among all mine enemies." As if in storm and waves he were beginning to sink, like Peter. [Matthew 14:30] For he does trample the waves of this world, that loves enemies. Christ on the sea was walking fearless, from whose heart there could not by any means be taken away the love of an enemy, who hanging on the Cross did say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." [Luke 23:34] Peter too would walk. He as Head, Peter as Body: because, "Upon this rock," He says, "I will build My Church." [Matthew 16:18] He was bidden to walk, and he was walking by the Grace of Him bidding, not by his own strength. But when he saw the wind mighty, he feared; and then he began to sink, being troubled in his exercise. By what mighty wind? "By the voice of the enemy, and by the tribulation of the sinner" [Psalm 55:3]. Therefore, in the same manner as he cried out on the waves, "Lord, I perish, save me," [Matthew 14:30] a similar voice from this man has preceded, "Hearken unto me." Wherefore? For what do you suffer? Of what do you groan? "I have been made sad in my exercise." To be exercised indeed among evil men You have set me, but too much they have risen up, beyond my powers: calm Thou one troubled, stretch forth a hand to one sinking. "For they have brought down upon me iniquity, and in anger they were shadowing me." You have heard of waves and winds: one as it were humbled they were insulting, and he was praying: on every side against him with the roar of insult they were raging, but he within was calling upon Him whom they did not see....

"I was saddened." Here he explains the tribulations. And first he sets forth the cause of the tribulation. Second, its severity. Third, the remedy. The cause of the tribulation was the suffering he was enduring. This also applies to Christ: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death." This tribulation of Christ can be considered with respect to its fruit, its manner, and its motive. The fruit of the tribulation of the saints is the exercise for justice, as in military training. And therefore he says, "in my exercise," that is, in the tribulation which you send for the sake of training, "I was saddened." But against this, Prov. 12: "Nothing that befalls the just man will sadden him." It must be said that the just man is not saddened by the sorrow of this world, which brings death, but by the sorrow of repentance, which is according to God. Or it must be said that there is one kind of sorrow that is a passion, and this bodily imitates suffering; and this does not befall the wise man. There is another sorrow that is called a pre-passion, which is a sudden movement; and this sorrow was in Christ. And there is a twofold exercise for justice. One is undertaken voluntarily: 1 Tim. 4: "Exercise yourself." The other exercise is imposed from outside, as is the case here. The manner of tribulation is twofold. One is by words, namely by threatening. The other is when tribulation is inflicted by deeds, by persecuting. Regarding the first, he says, "I was disturbed by the voice of the enemy." One is disturbed when the tranquility of the heart is entirely removed -- "by the voice of the enemy" who threatens and blasphemes. Jer. 12: "My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest." Regarding the second, he says, "by the tribulation of the sinner," namely inflicted upon me. Ps. (118): "Many are those who persecute me." The cause of this tribulation is twofold. Sometimes they afflict out of deliberate malice; sometimes out of passion. Regarding the first, he says, "because they turned their iniquities upon me," that is, they carried out against me the iniquity they had planned to perpetrate. Regarding the second, he says, "and in anger they were troublesome to me." Gen. 49: "Cursed be their fury."

In great terror on account of enemies, and grieved by the treachery of a friend, the Psalmist offers an earnest prayer for relief. He mingles confident assurances of divine favor to himself with invocations and predictions of God's avenging judgments on the wicked. The tone suits David's experience, both in the times of Saul and Absalom, though perhaps neither was exclusively before his mind. (Psa. 55:1-23) hide not thyself, &c.--(compare Psa 13:1; Psa 27:9), withhold not help.

oppression--literally, "persecution." they . . . iniquity--literally, "they make evil doings slide upon me."