Psalm 54

David composed this psalm after the Ziphites had told King Saul where he was hiding (1 Sam. 23:19). He expressed great confidence in God's protection of him in it.

 1. Prayer for deliverance 54:1-3

54:1-2 God's name and His power are virtually synonymous. Verse 1 contains synonymous parallelism. His name represents all God is and what He has done (cf. Exod. 34:5-7). David asked God personally to save him with His irresistible might. He also asked God to regard the prayer for help that proceeded from the psalmist's mouth.

54:3 The Ziphites were strangers to David, and Saul's soldiers were violent antagonists of David. He could expect divine assistance because their hostility was contrary to God's will. David was Israel's anointed king whom God intended to place on Saul's throne.

 2. Confidence in God 54:4-7

54:4-5 David was confident that God would help and sustain him. He also believed God would punish those who opposed him, and he asked God to do so. He could pray this way because what his adversaries were doing was contrary to God's will.

54:6-7 David was so sure God would deliver him that he spoke of offering a freewill sacrifice of worship for God's deliverance. This would have been the peace (fellowship) offering (Lev. 3; 7). He believed God would deliver him because God is good (cf. 52:9). In verse 7 the psalmist spoke of his deliverance as already past as a way of expressing his confidence in God. He would have found satisfaction in God's punishing his enemies for their evil, not because he hated them personally.

When God's people experience opposition from others who seek to thwart His will, we can count on His eventual deliverance. It may not come this side of the grave, but God will punish evil doers and reward those who trust and obey Him.¹¹⁷