What Are You Leaning On?

Psalm 56:1-7

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.”

1O God, have mercy on me.

The enemy troops press in on me.

My foes attack me all day long.

2My slanderers hound me constantly,

and many are boldly attacking me.

3But when I am afraid,

I put my trust in you.

4O God, I praise your word.

I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

What can mere mortals do to me?

5They are always twisting what I say;

they spend their days plotting ways to harm me.

6They come together to spy on me—

watching my every step, eager to kill me.

7Don’t let them get away with their wickedness;

in your anger, O God, throw them to the ground.

Things looked bleak for King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen to the Assyrians, and now the representative of the Assyrian king was standing outside the walls of Jerusalem, inviting Hezekiah to surrender. Clinging to his faith in God, Hezekiah refused.

“What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?” the Assyrian taunted. “Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength?” Then he wondered if Hezekiah was waiting for the Egyptians to save him. “If you lean on Egypt,” he warned, “you will find it to be a stick that breaks beneath your weight and pierces your hand” (2 Kings 18:19-21). The representative then shouted to the people to surrender and threatened a siege if they refused. Finally he suggested that God wanted them to surrender.

But Hezekiah stayed firm in his faith. Instead of responding directly to the Assyrian threat, he prayed. God promised deliverance, and the next night 185,000 of the Assyrian troops died in their sleep. The surviving soldiers hurried home.

Hezekiah responded in this situation much like David did in his. Maybe he even consulted Psalm 56 for courage. What was Hezekiah leaning on? Not on a stick that would break but on a God who would guide. We can call for the same guidance in our troubles.

When I’m afraid, I’ll trust in thee;

In God I’ll praise his Word,

I will not fear what flesh can do,

My trust is in the Lord.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER

Bible Networking

Verse 4 puts the power of David’s enemies in perspective, as does Isaiah 31:3 and Hebrews 13:6. How can the psalmist say, “What can mere mortals do to me?”

Notable Quotable

“It is possible for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment [verse 3]. To be reliant upon God when occasions for alarm are abundant—is the conquering faith of God’s elect.”

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON