How to Go From Desperation to Praise: Psalm 59:1-17

Show Notes

Episode 509: 
In this episode, we delved into Psalm 59, exploring the context in which David wrote this powerful song. We discussed how David felt hunted and alone, crying out to God for deliverance and justice against his enemies. We highlighted the structure of David's prayer, emphasizing the importance of turning to God in times of distress and praising Him even in the midst of trials.

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You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Hey, everybody, thanks for tuning in for another great episode of The Bible Guys. Great episode. Yeah, way set the bar. Yeah, this is gonna be it should be great. It should be the bar every time, because it wouldn't be that interesting, and Arrol Nation went welcome to another mediocre episode of the barverage average hum episode of The Bible Guys. I was in the car, Yes, welcome, ladies and gentlemen, we plan to mail it in today. I was in the car with one of our staff members who's only like a young twenties, and I said, you know, speaking of mediocrity, I said, I said, oh, that's like an e Or And he goes, e Or, who's e Or? And then me and Wesley of course us is older than him, right, And in Wes he just starts laughing and he goes, you don't know who ere is? And he says, he goes he's the donkey and he goes, oh yeah, yeah, he goes from the lion king, and all of a sudd we're laughing, and it. Was He's like there's like from Shrek. Right, He's like, there's like a sixty year difference between Winnied the Pooh and this, and he goes, oh, we need the Pooh. He goes, but who's there? He had no idea who it was. Wow, this shows how old we are, buddy, getting so old? Yes, and you're quite a bit older than me, so yes, gotta hurt worse. What is it, April? What are you? May? What? May tenth? May tenth? So I'm one month in six days older than you. But it's got to feel I mean, you wear it, you wear it pretty heavily. It feels like a massive gap. Okay, right, so let's jump right into this. Desiree has a segment for us called would you rather? I love these? Oh? These are fun. Yeah, there's a lot of them from jump into a quick Okay, I'll do the first one. Would you rather always have to hop like a kangaroo or wadle like a penguin? O? It depends on if you're gonna build my knees to be as strong as a kangaroo's. Because I can cover some ground with my current knees, I don't think I could hop forever like a kangaroo. And kangaroos can cover some ground. Right, So if I had the knees of a kangaroo, I might say kangaroo. But if they're Chris are Bonnies, I'm going with the water. Yeah. I think the older people get the more they waddle anyway, So that's a good one. All right, Well we'll choose wattle. I hate to say that, that's terrible. Would you rather have a talking dog that constantly criticizes your choices or a cat that tries to outsmart you at every turn? That's a no brainer. I mean it's a cat every time? Yeah? Yeah, how big is the cat? Right? Right? It doesn't say, but. I really feel like it's the cats that criticize your every decision. Quite, oh they do. They're so judgmental. Yes, but for a dog to verbalize that, nobody wants to be around criticism, right on? Right? Okay, So the next one is would you rather live in live in a world? Live in a world where everyone constantly speaks in movie quotes. Oh, that's funny that I just did that. I kind of do, that's true, Or. In a world where everyone communicates solely through interpretive dance. Oh, I don't even think twice about it. I movie quotes, movie quotes. I'm gonna I'm gonna go on record and saying. We lost you. Interpretive dance. Oh my gosh, there has never been, never, never been. And I'm I'm an arts major. I graduated a music degree. Yeah, there's never been a time when I thought, you know what, this needs an interpretive dance. When people come and say, hey, we're gonna do an interpretive dance, I'm like, really right. So, yeah, there's movie quotes all day long, because that's what I already lived with with you anyways, it's movie quotes all the time. I'm obviously gonna choose movie quotes as well, because that's just your every day life. I'm not a I'm not like a man. I love interpretive dance. It needs this or man, that was life changing. But I very much enjoy interpretive dance most of the time. Yeah, okay, so I think it's I think it's but by the way, I think it's hard to actually have a dance that communicates the song or the video that you're in, you know what I mean. Like to do interpretive dance, well, it actually takes effort because most of the dances that I would see as interpretive dance really aren't that interpretive? Does it makes sense? Yes? Yeah so, but I enjoy them still. Yeah, okay, good for you. Yeah, good for me? All right. Would you rather have to wear a full pirate outfit every day or a full medieval night suit complete with the helmet and sword wherever you go? Well, that's a no brainer. It would definitely be the Pirate outfit, even though the night Midie even Night's outfit was way cooler, totally cool, totally cool that it's just impractical too heavy and hot, hot and nasty and yeah. Inside that I think Captain Jack Sparrow made the Pirate outfit cool. Yes he did, Yeah, he did for sure. Okay. Last one? Would you rather have your day narrated by a hyperactive sports commentator or a mellow jazz DJ who always plays smooth or soothing background music to your daily routine? Oh? The jazz DJ? Why? Because jazz DJs are cool? Okay, all right, I don't want some guy screaming and then he reached for the milk and always. Please pol ceial. I know, I don't want that. That feels really stressful and that it was pop tarts up, ladies and gentlemen. That's funny. He's walking into the bathroom. I think I heard the door every bock. That's so funny. Yeah, so I'm gonna have to go with you there. You sold me, you had me, You had me at stressful. Can you imagine so where we're Detroit Lions fans, can you imagine having Dan Dickerson just losing his mind? Right? Right? Right? It Dickerson? Is he the Lions guy? Is Hee the Tigers guy? I do not know the names, the DJ or the commentation I think. Okay, anyways, I remember I remember Mark Champion, Mark Champions, old Lions guy. So who, by the way, went to our church for a long time. That's fine, the. Church that was a part of Okay, So there you go. I think that those are great questions. And I wonder who agreed with us and who disagreed. Yes, well we got it sorted out. We got the right answers. So it doesn't matter if the listeners agree or disagree, right, because we're always we got him right in our own world. Yeah that's right. Okay, Well we're we're bouncing back and forth, and we're gonna be going back to Psalm fifty nine because we're talking about David in the Book of First Samuel. But we're doing this series chronologically, yes, and chronological excuse me, not just chronological, but we're also the series itself as hitting the milestones of the Old Testament or the highlights, and the psalms are a big part of the Old Testament. Yeah, well, David is writing the psalms while these things are happening, right, and so that's all it's doing is it's kind of peppering into and we know when Psalm fifty nine was written, because what happened was David gets promoted after killing the Philistine. Saul is flip flopping back and forth and supporting him or not, but wants to support him. Jonathan is his buddy. Then David goes and goes, hey, didn't you say that whoever kills the giant gets to marry your daughter? And Saul goes, well, yeah, but how about this, bring me one hundred four skins of the Philistines and warriors and then you can. So David goes and gets his buddies, and what Saul thinks is going to happen is David's going to get killed the Bible literally says he thinks he's going to die in this battle, and instead David goes and gets a bunch of his mighty men and they go out and they kill two hundred guys and bring two hundred back to Saul. So now Saul's kind of obligated. He lets David mary his daughter Michael. So then this is a great romance. It's all this wonderful thing. But then Saul is just spiraling out of control, and at one point Jonathan saves David's life. But then finally Saul in chapter nineteen, is it Yeah. Chapter nineteen, Saul sends a bunch of soldiers to watch David's house and he's gonna have David assassinated. And Michael realizes, Hey, there's some hit men here at the house and you've got to get out, and so he escapes out the window. She helps him escape out the window, and then she fakes in his bed that he's there. They come into kill him, and of course he's not there. So it's in that context that David writes Psalm fifty nine. And the way we know that is, have you ever noticed before the psalms that there's always these little notes yeah, that say who wrote it and whatever. So the little note before the song starts is and this is written by David. It says for the choir director, a psalm of David regarding the time Saw sent soldiers to watch David's house in order to kill him, to be sung to the tune do not Destroy. So so the way we know that this song was written at this moment was because David said I wrote it then, right, and even tells him what tune to sing it to. Yeah, okay, and you know that song do not Destroy? Yeah, maybe that was it. Ye. Yeah, So we don't know if the tune do not Destroy because we don't know what that song is. It could have been to like the tuna we are the Champions or something, do not Destroy? Oh my friend? Right, yeah, here you go. Anyways, here's the song. I think it's cool. God gives us the lyrics to this song. That cool, and it says, rescue me from my enemies. Oh God, protect me from those who've come to destroy me. Rescue me from these criminals. Save me from these murderers. They have set an ambush for me. Fierce enemies are out there waiting. Lord, though I have not sinned or offended them. I've done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. Wake up, see what's happening, and help me, o, Lord, God of Heaven's armies, the God of Israel, wake up and punish those who hostile nations show no mercy to the wickeds. And it's an interlude, isn't that Cela? Isn't that usually where. It says, Yeah? They come out at night, snartling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths, Their words cut like swords. After all, who can hear us? They sneer? But Lord, you laugh at them, You scoff at all the hostile nations. You are my strength, and I wait for you to rescue me. For you, oh God, or my fortress, in his unfailing love. My God will stand with me. He will not, or he will let me look down and triumph on all my enemies. Don't kill them for my people soon forget such lessons. Stagger them with your power and bring them to their knees, Oh Lord, our shield, because of the sinful things they say, because of the evil that is on their lips, Let them be captured by their pride, their curses, and their lies. Destroy them in your anger, wipe them out completely. Then the whole world will know that God reigns in Israel. And there's another interlude. My enemies come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. They scavenge for food, but go to sleep unsatisfied. But as for me, I will sing about your power each morning. I'll sing the joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I'm in distress. Owe my strength to you. I sing praises for you. Oh God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love. Well, there you go, there you go. I felt like there was a long silence and I need to fill it with something, Yeah, like. A Cela Cela? Yeah? So yeah, is it Selah or Cela? Sure? Okay, got it? So so David then writes this song and compares his enemies to dogs who are never satisfied. They come out at night, they're vicious, they prowl the streets, and they scavenge for food. And you know, I think that sometimes we believe that our enemies are like this, that By the way, that's not to say that people don't have enemies that are like this. I think that most of us probably don't have enemies that have people that are out to get. Us but have to kill us. Yeah, but it feels that way. That's what I'm trying to say. It feels like what David is saying, but it's not true. But in this case, it's literally true for David. Is That's what I'm trying to say, Right, So, what can we learn from this Psalm Jeff, Other than here's David who feels like he's the victim. He feels like he's done nothing wrong, He's going to try to praise God, and yet he's unjustly being hunted down and running from his life. Yeah. Well, I think you know, multiple times in the New Testament, Paul and Peter both tell us that the things written in the Old Testament are for our example. And so when you read a passage like this and you know that you know he's being hunted down by his enemies and he feels forgotten, he goes to God. And so this becomes a model prayer for us. I think when we feel like we're in a situation where we're being overwhelmed by the circumstances around us. Everybody's gunning for us. You know, this might be a work thing, or this might be a family issue that you've got going on, you know, extended family, you're in laws or whatever, you know, and you just feel like everybody's coming after you. This, I think is a really appropriate kind of structure, and there's a I would just pull this up, by the way. First of all, he starts off with this cry of deliverance. He's like, you know, rescue me from my enemies. That's reasonable. God helped me, yes, right, I just I don't have anywhere else to turn, which, by the way, that's not a terrible place to be when you have nowhere else to go, but God, right, and so verses one and two. That's where he's at. And then he points out to go these people are blood thirsty, right, they're murderers, they're they're coming after me. And then he starts asking for divine justice. So first it's God, I need help deliver me. And then not only that, I want you to protect me how much you go get them right, and and there's a human element to that. It feels a little weird because we know we're supposed to forgive. At the same time, it's not inappropriate to desire justice. Right, I'm not just saying protect me, stop them, bring justice against the people that are doing these kind of things, because if they'll do it to me, they'll do it to other people too. Right. That that eliminates the problem, Yes, eliminate this problem. And then he goes to God again. He reminds God, I trust you, but then I think it's funny, and then he ends it with praise. So those four elements I think are reasonable to pray when you feel like you're surrounded and you're you're being hunted down and that everything's against you. You know, God, I'm trusting in you for deliverance. God. Only you can bring justice. God, I need I need only You are the one that I can trust. I don't have any rest turn. I'm trusting you, and then I'm going to praise you and then fill your life with praise. I think that those things are important. But I do have one verse or one spot that I think is interesting that is always surprising to me. Verse four, he goes, I've done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. So he says to God, wake up, see what's happening and help me. O Lord, God of Heaven's armies, the God of Israel, wake up and punish those hostile nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traders. It's almost like he says, I feel like I'm in this alone. I don't feel like you're paying attention to me. Right You're silent, You're distant. It feels as if you were sleeping. Yeah, And sometimes when the world is burning down around us, we feel like God's not paying attention. Honestly, it's so relatable when you break it down like that, you know, it's whenever have you ever been in a situation, Oh my goodness, I've in situations like this so many times in my life where I'm like, God is silent, This is unfair. I'm just trying to be good. I can name you three people right now in my life, right now who are like, all I'm trying to do is serve God, and it just seems like everything is going against me. Circumstances around me, financially, my job, these circumstances, this relationship, you know, whatever it is, and it's like, I just want God to throw me a bone for crying out loud. Right I'm serving him. It feels like I'm in the one side of relationship. And so not only does he pray that God, would you please help the situation, help me, protect me, but then he says, no, go further than that, demonstrate yourself in such a miraculous way to where they would be completely eliminated. And I think that that's what we pray as well. We say, God, don't just spare me from the consequences of the situation I found myself in. But God do way above, you know, just like Ephesian says, right above that we can ask or dream or imagine, and we have to be reminded that God is not afraid of those kind of thoughts, you know, you know, for us to accuse God of being asleep, David in his heart knew that God wasn't. Asleep, but he just felt alone. He felt alone, and so God isn't afraid. It's not as if God said, how dare you accuse me of being asleep? Well, under the inspirational Holy Spirit, God chose to include this in Bible. That's right with that accusation. Right, which means. Like God's not afraid of our emotions. He's not afraid of our anger, and in the instant moment of our response, God is still saying, Hey, I'm on your side, David, right, and God protected him, and the Bible says the Lord is with David. Yeah. And there are people who've come to you and come to me in the past, and they say, I can't even walk into a church, I can't even approach God because I've yelled at God, I've blasphemed God, I've I've blamed God, and I don't even know how to approach him because I've written him off and he'll never receive me from this point on, as to which I would say, those are serious things, but God's always going to receive you. God's always going to love you. God's always going to forgive you regardless. Yeah, you know, I think of my mom had a particularly bad thing happened to her. She was a Christian at the time, and she just spiraled. She couldn't find her way out of this horrible nightmare. It's a nightmarish moment. And so one night she was so depressed and she couldn't figure out how to end this. She's mad at God. You're not paying attention to me, you don't care about me. And so she decided she couldn't end her own life. She just didn't. She said she didn't have the courage for that. But so she decided she was going to go curse God and die. So at like two o'clock in the morning, she goes into our bathroom, locks herself in the bathroom. Nobody knows that this is going on, and she's just trying to think of every horrible thing to tell God. Right, she just everything in my mom's faith. If you knew my mom, it's just incredible. But in that moment, this was a really horrible event in her life, and so she decided to do everything she could think to do to make God kill her. And then she fell asleep, like five o'clock in the morning, about six thirty, the phone rings, maybe back in the day, the phone hanging on the wall. Yeah, phone rings. My mom hurries out to answer it because she didn't want the family to wake up. So it's about seven in the morning, I guess, and one of her friends calls and she says, Sue, are you okay? And my mom goes why, She said, God woke me up at two o'clock in the morning, I've been praying for you until now. Those a great moment R. And so my mom told her what had happened and all these things, and the lady said, you know that happened to me too, same situation, and it just stinks, doesn't it. It's terrible, but I can't tell you. You may never get over it, but you can get through it. God'll take you with it. And that's why God woke me up this morning to pray for you. Right. So at the moment my mom was praying while he's wake up God, you're not paying attention. You don't care about me. In that very moment where she's trying to figure out how to get God to kill her, God woke up another friend to go to battle for her in prayer, right, And so God was awake. He's paying attention. And then David knew that. So when you find yourself in these situations and you're just overrun by your enemies, you feel like there's no hope for you, and you feel like God's not paying attention to you, he cries for deliverance. That's reasonable, that's what you do. You start off, God, I need you to help me. And then it's okay to ask for justice. God. I need your divine intervention and justice. Stop these people from doing this thing. Bring justice. Express the fact that you trust him. You have nowhere else to turn. You trust God. That's what he does in that moment. And then he ends it with praise and confidence. Right, and I think that you know, surround yourself, turn on some worship music. Is spend time where you're the song of your heart shifts from your circumstances to the fact that He's in control. He's the way maker, he's the one who can work miracles. He's the one that can deliver you. And so the reason why God gives us these psalms is because they're like models for us. And so when you read it at first, you just read a lot of words. But if you can start to dig in and say, what's the pattern to how he's communicating, and then you adapt that pattern to your circumstances, it's a really great way to learn how to pray. That's great. Yeah, awesome, Well, hey that is our time. So that was a great psalm And wow, wow, just what a. Great story about that's powerful. It's powerful. Well, what's amazing now is in the years. Since God doesn't waste your hurt, right, he never does so in the years since, my mom's been able to help so many other women in the same situation. That's right, because God used somebody to help her, and so in the same way God helps you, he'll use you to help others. Yeah, so he's not going to waste the circumstance you're in right now. And he tells us that too. Yep, that's right, that's right. Awesome. Well, hey, that's our time, so we will see you next time on the Bible, guys,