When we left David last week, he was still running from Saul. This is gonna go on for quite a while. Our boy David was a Renaissance man before that phrase even existed. So even though he is running, camping and just generally trying not to get murdered, he still had time to write a few Psalms. Like this:
Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
I am in the midst of lions;
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
Psalm 57
or this:
I cry aloud to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out before him my complaint;
before him I tell my trouble.
When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
people have hidden a snare for me.
Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life.
Psalm 142
This is pretty much what I would expect from someone in David's position. He's scared, sad and desperate. But David also wrote this Psalm around the same time.
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34
I think this is a really important piece of the puzzle we are trying to assemble regarding David. This Psalm, written at this time, tells us that David knew that loving God was a full-time job. How many people do you know that would respond to fear, pain and hardship by praising God? But David doesn't even present this as a choice but rather as his natural reaction to whatever situation God places him in.
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