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| A "tear bottle" gift, symbolizing God's watch-care and profound love |
If you’re at a point where you wonder if life can get any worse, or if you can even hang in there now, this is your psalm. It bleeds with David’s despair over his circumstances and mistreatment by enemies. They’d like him dead. Emotionally wrung out from so many negatives, David lets the tears flow. But he also clings to his last shred of hope: God’s faithfulness.
Like several other psalms (including #34, March 28 blog),
Psalm 56 records David’s life-threatening predicament in seeking refuge among
tribal enemies, the Philistines (1 Samuel 21:10-15). David had gone alone to
Gath, thinking mad King Saul wouldn’t pursue him there. But David was
recognized as the one who slayed their native son, the giant Goliath. The
introduction to this psalm says the enemy seized him, and the first few verses
list hot day-long pursuit, attacks, twisted words, conspiracy, lurking, and eagerness
to take his life.
You can almost hear his sighs of hopelessness—indeed, the
prelude hints at a melody of sadness when it directs musicians to sing it to
the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” The original tune is unknown, but in
Psalm 55 David had prayed, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away
and be at rest—I would flee far away and stay in the desert!” He may have
identified with the mournful coos of doves, and wished he could fly like them at
will to another place. But he couldn’t. Yet out of this place of deep frustration and fear, David
finds hope in God. The legacy of Psalm 56 is several verse-gems that, by
themselves, have comforted and held steady millions through the ages who also
needed to affirm God’s faithfulness.
FEARS AND TRUST
“When I am afraid,” David wrote (v. 3-4), “I will trust in
you. In God, whose word I praise, in God
I trust; I will not be afraid. What can
mortal man do to me?” In Psalm 55, he had
also expressed this idea of trust: “Cast your cares on the LORD, and he will
sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (55:22). I wonder if these
were verses the prophet Isaiah also memorized, as he wrote many years later:
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts
in you” (Isaiah 26:3). And certainly, these verses were part of the spiritual
fiber of the early church leaders. Peter wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The author of Hebrews quoted, “The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews
13:6).
In a quick reading of this psalm, it’s easy to miss another
message in verses 10-11, which seem to repeat verses 3-4. In both, David counsels trusting in God and
His Word. In David’s time, that was the Pentateuch (the first five books of the
Bible) and maybe Joshua and Judges. How
blessed we are to have not only those, but Psalms and 58 other books of
scripture! There’s one tiny word change in verse 10, but it means a lot. Instead of “in God, whose word I praise” (v.
4), David wrote, “In the LORD, whose word I praise.” “God” was from a word referring in general to
the great God of the universe. “The LORD” was the covenant name of God, which
reflected His promises to watch-care His own. In that tiny word, change, David
was reminding us of God’s personal and trustworthy care. How much we need such reminders when the odds
seem stacked against us!
Note, too, that David trusts in God and His Word. I cannot begin
to tell you how many times a previously-memorized scripture has come to mind
just as the time I needed its reminder of God’s watch-care and direction. David
praised God’s Word. He proclaimed its beauty and holy purpose. Should we not do
the same?
TEARS AND TRUST
The other memorable portion is verse 8, rendered by King
James translators as “Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears in thy
bottle; are they not in thy book?” The original Hebrew is a bit sketchy here
(original manuscripts had no vowels or pronunciation guides), causing other
translators to offer, “Record my lament; list my tears on thy scroll—are they
not in thy record?” Those leaning toward the "tear bottles" translation should know that they were common about a thousand years after David wrote this psalm. Mourners filled small glass bottles or cups
with their tears, placing them in tombs as symbols of respect. Sometimes hired
“criers” filled the bottles! The custom
reappeared during the American civil war and in Victorian times.
However you translate that portion, these truths emerge. God does
keep track of our circumstances. God does
see our every sorrow. If God had a
“tear bottle” (and it would be huge), we’d know how much He loves us and how
diligently He takes note of our difficulties.
When He permits hardship and trials, it’s because He knows we will grow
in faith through them. It’s a beautiful symbol that we can still use today in
comforting those going through unspeakable pain. One of my friends beautifully
packages little glass bottles as a comfort gift to those experiencing profound
loss. Her note to them references Psalm
56:8. Several years ago she gave a “tear bottle” with a note about Psalm
56:8 to a young woman who had lost her mother in a car wreck. The young woman still
has the bottle, and recently mentioned to my friend how meaningful that gift
was.
THANKS AND HOPE
Psalm 56 ends with the plea, “Be merciful to me,” and a huge
list of terrorizing circumstances. Then
it concludes with thanksgiving and hope. David acknowledges God’s hand in
sparing him from death. He knows God has
a purpose for his life: “that I may walk before God in the light of life” (v.
13). This was a prophetic statement, looking forward to the Messiah, Jesus
Christ, who would call Himself the light of the world: “Whoever follows me will
never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). As
customary for profound thanks, David wanted to offer up a “thank offering.” This was a special sacrifice in which part
was reserved to share in a meal with family and friends.
We don’t need to wait until “Thanksgiving” in November to
express our thanks to God. It should be a part of every meal (many of us do,
anyway, by preceding a meal with a prayer of thanks). As we look at a lovingly-prepared meal and
inhale its fragrance, may we be reminded that every good gift is from above.
That includes God’s presence and hope in our most desperate times.
Next: Psalm 63.
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