The 54th Psalm is dominated by two words that must be cried by the sinner’s lips and which are constantly pleaded from the mouth of God’s people. If the God does not save us then we are lost and forsaken. These two simple heart felt words unlock the the key to the hidden gems of this prayer of David.

HISTORICALLY CONTEXTUALISED

The title of the Psalm takes us back to David’s betrayal at the hands of inhabitants of the Ziph, when he was fleeing from King Saul.

Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth. And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood…Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand. And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me. Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

1 Samuel 23:13-15;19-26

David and his people were making every reasonable effort to stay out of Saul’s path. The King of Israel was at the point of madness in his quest to destroy the son of Jesse. The treachery of the men of Ziph taught David that no-one could be trusted. He could not be sure of his friends. Saul’s ring of steel was slowly tightening around him and it seemed that face to face combat was inevitable.

The Ziphites, however, were acting as Saul’s intelligence wing, informing the King of David’s whereabouts on a second occasion:

And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon? Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.

1st Samuel 26:1-4

This is one of the darkest chapters in David’s life. During this period Saul had slaughtered the priests of Nob, whose High Priest had helped David. There was no respite. He could look to no-one else, therefore in desperation he cried out “Save me, O God”.

THEOLOGICALLY UNDERSTOOD

David asks God to save him by His name:

Save me, O God, by thy name,

Psalm 54:1

The names of God are precious, teaching us so much about the character of the divine. There are three names for God in this Psalm.

ELOHIM translated God in verses one and four. This is the supreme God who stands unique in His sovereign power. This is the God of creation and providence.

ADONAI translated Lord in verse four. This defines the God who is our master, he has personal authority over us. He is our Lord who calls us to obey and to whom we are required to submit.

JEHOVAH translated LORD in verse six. THis is the holiest name for God, which was first given to Moses at the burning bush.

Scholars are divided on the exact meaning of the name Jehovah, but that is because it is so great and so encompassing that nothing we can say ever seems to do it justice. The name is the root of the Hebrew verb to be, which it is translated I am in Exodus 3:14. It is in the present tense, of course. So it reveals God as the eternal present, as one who has always existed and who will always exist, the unchangeable God.

James Mongomery Boice, Psalm 54

Theology is the basis of all prayer. As we comprehend who God is, the more meaningful, the more powerful our prayers will be. We approach the great God of creation, who is our Lord and our master and best of all He is the unchanging God of the promises who cannot deny us because He cannot deny His Word.

PERSONALLY CONSIDERED

The application for us, living, as we are, in the 21st Century is obvious.

The God of David is our God, He is unchanging in His person, His power, His authority and His faithfulness.

Like David, there are times when things go from bad to worse, when we do not know where to turn, where people betray us or simply let us down.

In those times we must cease from looking around at others, downwards to our circumstances or inward at our own humanity. Rather we must look upward to the unfailing God crying SAVE ME.

Despite his troubles and his failings David is a marvellous example as a man of faith.

He teaches us to share our burdens with the Lord telling Him exactly what its like to be ME – even though He already knows; but He wants to hear it from us. This is because the exercise of talking to Him strengthens our faith and is in itself cathartic.

David cried in faith to the one he knows will his helper (v4).

CH SPurgeon saw the significance of the word Behold at the start of verse 4:

He saw enemies everywhere, and now to his joy as he looks upon the band of his defenders he sees one whose aid is better than all the help of men; he is overwhelmed with joy at recognising his divine champion and cries Behold.

David could trust no-one yet He could lean upon the LORD. So it is with us – we cry out for assistance because He is the faithful ONE.

Even before the answer comes David is offering sacrifices of gratitude believing that God would delivered him out of all trouble (v7).

MESSIANICALLY DEFINED

Many expositors have identified a messianic element in this Psalm, as the man of sorrows in unveiled. This is particularly true of the verse 3:

For strangers are risen up against me,
and oppressors seek after my soul:
they have not set God before them. Selah.

This is one of the proper Psalms for the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Christ…

William de Burgh

Saul was bearing the figure of a temporal kingdom… And also that David himself was bearing the figure of Christ, or of the Body of Christ…

Augustine of Hippo

Christ, like David was betrayed in the house of his friends. Not only did the Jews turn against him but one of his own trusted disciples led the mob to Gethsemane. As the disciples forsook Him and as Peter denied Him Christ was left to trample the winepress alone.

While the cross was a lonely agonising vigil the Father helped Him as Christ committed His soul into His care and then again as He was brought forth from the tomb on the exhilarating third day!

In the great congregation today Christ sings the praises of God because He has seen of the travail of His soul and has been satisfied. As David cried out in faith SAVE ME so Christ on the cross died in faith knowing that our salvation was accomplished through the precious blood that gushed from His sacred wounds. David was saved from his material difficulties but Christ was saved from being conquered by death and we are saved for eternity to sing His praises in the paradise of God. Hallelujah!