Psalms 54:1

The Bible says in Psalms 54:1-3, “Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.[2] Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.[3] For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.” To be saved has more than one meaning. We are saved from our sins when we call upon the name of the Lord Jesus to save our souls and forgive us our sins. There are also events and circumstances in life where we need to be saved or delivered. The circumstances that David is talking about here are enemies. If you follow the Lord Jesus, you will have enemies. And you will probably also have enemies just because you are on the earth. It is part of life. What should you do when enemies come against you? Do what David did: pray. Put it in God’s hands. We are talking about a spiritual battle. David said in verse three, “oppressors seek after my soul.” Since it is a spiritual battle, we need help from the greatest and most powerful spiritual being: Jesus.

The last part of verse four tells us why we have spiritual enemies when we follow Jesus. It says about the enemies, “they have not set God before them.” People who have refused the Lord and who do not look to the Lord will be very different from those who do look to the Lord and seek the Lord Jesus. What they love will be different. What they hate will be different. The rules that they live by will be different. What they want will be different. How they talk will be different. The unbelievers will notice the difference, and they will not like it because they will feel condemned. Misery loves company. That is one of the reasons that believers need to know when to separate from unbelievers. We want to be a good influence on them instead of them being a bad influence on us. It says in Psalms 1:1-3, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.[2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.[3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

You want to put all of your enemies in God’s hands. God knows what they need, and you do not. God loves them and wants to save their souls. Jesus died for them too. And Jesus told us to love our enemies for these very reasons. No, it is not fun to be attacked by an enemy. Remember that you are permitted to defend yourself. Also remember to pray for them and rely upon the Lord’s help.

The Bible says in Psalms 54:4, “Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.” Because David prayed and because he looked to the Lord, David was confident that God would help him. One way that God helps us is that He uses other people to help us. That is why the last part of verse four says, “the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.” God will send other believers your way to encourage you and to exhort you and to be a good example to you. That is the purpose of Christian fellowship, and is one of the reasons to go to church gatherings. It says in Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.”

The Bible says in Psalms 54:5, “He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.” Once again David expresses confidence in God. David knows that God is all-powerful. David knows that God is good and holy. David knows that God is the Judge of the whole earth. David knows that God punishes sin and brings recompense and results to people’s deeds. Therefore, David knew that God would take care of David’s enemies. David also prayed to God to “cut them off in thy truth.” The “truth” is powerful. In the end the truth will always conquer lies. Speak the truth, love the truth, live by the truth and you will have great power in this world. People will trust you, they will love you, and they will listen to you. The truth always prevails. The truth heals, the truth builds, the truth conquers evil. The truth is wonderful. Interesting that Jesus said that He is the Truth. He is the living truth. The Bible is the written truth.

The Bible says in Psalms 54:6-7, “I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.[7] For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.” David said in verse six, “I will freely sacrifice unto thee.” The key word is the word “freely.” True freedom comes when you know Christ as Savior. Jesus frees us from sin and guilt. Jesus frees us from hell. Jesus frees us from our past. Jesus frees us from fears of the future. Jesus frees us from the law. It is a wonderful thing to be free in your heart and in your soul. Once you understand your freedom, you can freely serve the Lord instead of thinking that you must serve him out of obligation or because of some burden on your back. It says in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

In the second part of verse six David said what he would do in service to God. He said, “I will praise thy name, O LORD.” If you have faith in Jesus, you will praise the name of the Lord because you will be thankful for the fact that He loves you and died so that you can be forgiven of your sins and live in heaven forever. If you understand all the blessings that God has put into your life, then you will praise Him constantly. David said that he was praising God simply because God’s name is good. In the Old Testament God had many names, among which was Jehovah, which means “the eternally existent One.” Because God lives forever, He gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. In the New Testament God has many names, among which is Jesus, which means Savior. Only Jesus can save you from your sins. But once you are saved, you will love the name of Jesus, and you will praise Him just because of His wonderful name.

In Psalms 54:7 David gives two more reasons that he praised the name of the Lord. David wrote, “he hath delivered me out of all trouble.” That is exactly what God has promised to do for every believer: to deliver us “out of all trouble.” He does not just deliver us from some of our troubles. He delivers us from all of our troubles. Jesus promised in John 16:33, “These things have I spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” God delivers in His own way and in His own time. Make sure that you wait upon Him so that you will see and experience His deliverance. For some troubles, you might even have to pray and wait for years.

At the end of verse seven David said that he praised the name of the Lord because “mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.” God always protects His children, unless He does not want to protect us. Some believers will be martyrs, but that is not the end of the story. God’s hand of judgment will come, but also God’s Spirit may use that very event to turn the hearts of some to the Savior. God’s ways are past finding out. Here is the truth: you must put your enemies in God’s hands. Wait upon the Lord and you will see the victory that God gives. Sometimes He punishes in this life, and sometimes we must wait until the final judgement to see God’s final decision on what will be done in eternity. It says about some of the martyrs in Revelation 6:9-11, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:[10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?[11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

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