Psalm 55

Psalm 55 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David. 2 of 2– 12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. 13 But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. 14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng. 15 Let death seize them; let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. 16 As for me, I will call upon God, and Yahweh shall save me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. 18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me. 19 God will hear, and afflict them, even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God. 20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has broken his covenant. 21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. 22 Cast your burden on Yahweh, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. 23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You. “‘For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance.’ The poetic fury is upon him, he sees the traitor as though he stood before him in flesh and blood. He singles him out, he points his finger at him, he challenges him to his face.— ‘But thou.’— ‘Et tu, Brute.’... Treated by me as one of my own rank, never looked upon as an inferior, but as a trusted friend. ‘My guide,’ a counsellor so sage that I trusted thine advice and found it prudent to do so. ‘And mine acquaintance,’ with whom I was on most intimate terms, who knew me even as I knew him by mutual disclosures of heart. No stranger occasionally conversed with, but a near and dear friend admitted to my secret fellowship.“ (Treasury of David) “‘We took sweet counsel together;’ I imparted my secret thoughts and designs to him with great delight and satisfaction. ‘We walked unto the house of God;’ we agreed no less in exercises of piety, than in acts of state and policy... He seemed as forward in religion as I.” (Matthew Poole) “‘Let death seize upon them’- (15a) literally, “‘Desolations (are) upon them!’ That is, Desolation, or destruction will certainly come upon them. There is in the original no necessary expression of a wish or prayer that this might be, but it is rather the language of certain assurance - the expression of a fact - that such base conduct - such wickedness - would make their destruction certain; that as God is just, they must be overwhelmed with ruin. Injury is sometimes done in the translation of the Scriptures by the insertion of a wish or prayer, where all that is necessarily implied in the original is the statement of a fact. This has been caused here by the somewhat uncertain meaning of the word which is used in the original. That phrase is ישׁימות yaśimâveth It occurs nowhere else. Our translators understood it (as the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and Luther do) as made up of two words. More correctly, however, it is to be regarded as one word, meaning ‘desolations,’ or ‘destructions.’ So Gesenius, Rosenmuller, and Prof. Alexander understand it. ‘And let them go down alive into hell,’— ....The word ‘hell’ is rendered in the margin ‘the grave.’…” (Albert Barnes) “And let them go down alive (quickly) into hell (the grave);’ cut off by a sudden and violent death.” (Wesley) They consider themselves immortal in “the infatuation of their pride…. but let the earth swallow them up alive — nothing will “prevent their being dragged down with all their pomp to the destruction which they deserve.” (Calvin) ‘’‘For wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them’—it “abounds… in their houses, and in their hearts.” (Albert Barnes) “‘As for me,’ placing his own person in emphatic opposition to his enemies, ‘I will call upon God,’ in fervent and constant prayer; ‘and Yahweh shall save me,’ that being the firm conviction of his faith. ‘Evening and morning and at noon,’ the three principal periods of the day usually observed as special times of prayer [continuously], ‘will I pray and cry aloud,’ complaining and moaning; ‘and He shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle,’ or war, ‘that was against me,’ granting him peace and security; ‘for there were many with me,’ rather, ‘for with many are they against me,’ a multitude being arrayed against him. ‘God shall hear and afflict them,’ hearing their fierce tumult and answering them as the stern Judge, ‘even He that abideth of old,’ the Refuge of the believers from everlasting to everlasting.’ Selah. Because they have no changes,’ were unwilling to turn from their evil conduct, their treacherous behavior, therefore they fear not God.’ (16-19) It is such people whom the vengeance of the Lord will strike.” (Paul E. Kretzmann) We see now who is behind this vile man. “He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.“(20-21) The man of sin, the Antichrist, stands is behind all opposition within the camp, even at the end of time. ”Because of him and his oppression, the godly remnant calls for help. They are overwhelmed with horror and beholding the abomination, they wish for wings like a dove and escape from the storm and the tempest of the great tribulation. This is in accordance with Matthew 24:15-16, which refers to the same time. They will actually flee to the mountain and will be away from Jerusalem as we learned in Psalms 42:1-11. The great tribulation has begun and of Jerusalem it will be true ‘wickedness is in the midst thereof, deceit and guile depart not from her streets.’ And this wicked one, the Antichrist, is one of the nation, not a stranger, the man with a flattering tongue, who even walked in the house of God. And now his character and the character of his followers is exposed as they turn against the godly. Hence the imprecatory prayer (Psalms 55:15). Here is the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy, the last seven years, divided into half. In the first half the Antichrist is the man who claims friendship, with words smooth as butter, but in the middle of the week he breaks the covenant and puts his hands against such as are at peace with him (Psalms 55:20). Psalms 56:1-13; 57:1-11; 58:1-11; 59:1-17; 60:1-12.” (Arno Gaebelein) Call on Jesus (Yeshua- Yahweh will save) in the time of Jacob’s trouble and He shall save. “Cast your burden on Yahweh, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You.” (22-23)