¹Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; fighting all day long he oppresses me. ²My foes have trampled upon me all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me. ³When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. ⁴In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

With great urgency, David dives right into his need; the urgency of his concern reflects an unremitting assault by his “foes.” Eighteen times we find him, in the psalms, calling out to God with these words, “Be gracious to me.” He was not needy in the sense that we would think of someone today who could not take care of himself. He was a mighty and faithful man of God, young though he was. His need arose from the jealousy of the King of Israel, Saul, who relentlessly pursued him. This psalm reflects the bitter action he had to take by seeking refuge among the Philistines (see the inscription in verse 0, also 1 Sam. 29:2-11). Rather than offering refuge, the Philistines turned against him, suspecting subterfuge.

We can sense the psalmist’s conflicting emotions. In asking for grace, David wants God to “be on my side.” Yet, he does believe that “God is for me” (vs. 9b). Can we Christians today not relate to this struggle, as we keep reminding ourselves of what the apostle Paul wrote, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31). David says, “When I am afraid …” (vs. 3), he follows this with, “I shall not be afraid …” (vs. 4c and 11b).

The struggle of faith is common to all who walk by faith. It is not easy; otherwise, we wouldn’t need God! David describes his need as people trampling him down (vs. 1b), fighting him and trampling him “all day long” (vs. 1c, 2a) and twisting his words into a complete distortion of his meaning, even turning his words against him (vs. 5). Notice the staccato: “They attack, they lurk, they watch my steps, as they have waited to take my life” (vs. 6). The conspiracy against him is vicious and premeditated. Sometimes, we may feel like David when people are blinded by arrogance and evil-mindedness against us. They may not try to murder us as they tried with David, but their hatred is so great against us that they desire a living hell for us. The Lord Jesus had something to say about this when He explained that murder included attitudes of hate and mockery (Matt. 5:21-22).

Yet, if David is a godly example for us, then we must notice the refrain:

 In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? (Ps 56:4, see also vs. 10)

A man or woman of faith is not one who never fears or has no life troubles. No, a person of faith keeps reminding himself or herself where to go for help in time of need, namely to God in His word. We must remember who we are and our commitment to God, for He is committed to us. We don’t approach Him with an arrogant sense of entitlement that God owes us anything; we approach Him because of who He is, namely, a gracious God. And as believers, redeemed by the blood of Christ and part of God’s spiritual family, we still approach Him based on grace.

Notice the certainty of David’s faith, a confidence that can be ours as well. He speaks as though God’s help for him is as good as done. “For You have delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling” (vs. 13). He remembers what he wrote in another place: “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way” (Ps 37:23). By faith, he can stand up straight and hold his head up high, for God will keep him well grounded and firm.

In closing, notice the goal that animates his cry for help. It is not so much that he would avoid being killed. After all, he had always been successful in all his military exploits to this point. His motivation for God’s help is, “So that I may walk before God in the light of the living” (Ps. 56:13b). He cannot do that if he is dead! He was not about self-protection for his own sake, but so that he might live for God. This is the goal of every true believer, beginning with the patriarch Abraham, to whom God said, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless” (Gen 17:1). Like Abraham, we believers today desire to walk before God Almighty, and like David, we remind ourselves what our Lord Jesus said,

“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

That is our desire, though at times, our faith wavers. Yet, we continually return to His word and renew our trust in His unfailing promises and character.

Lord, when others are trying to destroy my life and well-being with their vicious vindictiveness and twisting of my words, I stand firm in Your grace and walk confidently in the light of Your word.