These events don’t seem to take place in the chronology as they are presented. My guess is that what is presented as separate events were unfolding all together.
God had an interesting way of saving David from Saul’s henchmen, didn’t He? What can God not do to keep us safe? Further, who would ever think of that except God? So why do we tell God what to do when we pray?
God had told Saul that He was taking the kingdom from him and giving it to a man after His own heart. He reiterated that description of David after he was dead. So we can believe that David truly was a man after God’s own heart. The writings of the man after God’s own heart should reveal to us something about God’s heart, don’t you think? Let’s keep this in mind as we read the psalms of David.
Having said that, David was also a man. It isn’t always easy to discern how much of what he wrote was his thoughts and feelings, and how much revealed God’s heart. The difference won’t always be clear.
The fact that the psalms are poetry also affects our understanding of what they actually teach. Poetry conveys feelings, not facts, and sometimes the two are different. For example, the poem, “Charge of the Light Brigade” gives a much different account of the battle it described than a newspaper article would give. Or the song about September 11th that asks, “Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?” The world didn’t actually stop turning; it is figurative language that conveys much about what the people affected by those events were feeling. It is the same with the psalms. They convey the writer’s deep feelings, which we know are not always consistent with fact.
So how do we reliably gain anything from the psalms? Some guidelines I use:
- We don’t use psalms to teach doctrine; there are other types of literature in the Bible that are more useful for that, and we will plant our standard in that ground and not in the soft ground of the emotion-laden psalms.
- Looking at “the whole counsel of Scripture” will help us sort through what is feeling and what is fact.
- We will seek to understand the psalmist’s feelings and glean what insights we can from those.
With that, let’s dive into these first psalms of David. Here are some lessons I see:
- David took refuge in the Lord. This valiant warrior, leader of a thousand men who succeeded in everything he did, needed a refuge. If he did, who doesn’t need a refuge? Further, he did not rely on his own resources, but took refuge in the Lord. If the Lord made him valiant and a capable fighter and leader and gave him success in everything he did, doesn’t the Lord seem like a good place to take refuge?
- The one whose refuge is the Lord doesn’t always respond to situations as others think wise.
- The Lord tests or examines the righteous, as contrasted to hating the wicked. Apparently David views the testing as showing love.
- Does God really hate the wicked? In Psalm 145 David wrote twice that God is “loving toward all he has made.” Hate is offered here as a contrast to the feelings God has for the righteous. He may not actually hate the wicked, but He doesn’t have the same feelings for them that He has for the righteous.
- David wanted to see God rain coals on the wicked, fire and sulfur…. Sounds like hell. Hell is a place God made, and intends it for His creatures who continue in their rebellion. For God is, after all, righteous, and cannot tolerate sin in His presence.
There are likely other observations that stand out to you. Why do they stand out to you? What insights can you glean from them? Ask God for insight and trust Him to reveal to you what He wants you to understand. This is a sure way for you to grow in your love for His word, to be taught by it directly. If you have questions, I am available for guidance as you learn to understand what Scripture is saying and to apply its truth to your life.