Commentary - Psalm 55:16-19

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Psalm 55, David makes a sharp turn. Having just described the profound pain of betrayal by a close friend and the violent chaos of the city, he pivots from the horizontal problem to the vertical solution. The psalm up to this point has been a raw, honest complaint about the treachery he is facing. But here, the psalmist resolves to cast his burden squarely upon the Lord. This is not a move of desperation, but a declaration of settled faith. He establishes a stark contrast: "As for me," I will call upon God. The world of his enemies is one of godless machinations and violent striving, but his world is one governed by prayer and the sure expectation of divine salvation. This passage is a beautiful model of how a believer navigates overwhelming circumstances, grounding his personal resolve in the unchanging character of the God who judges the wicked and redeems His people.

David's response is threefold: he will pray, he will pray persistently, and he will rest in the confidence that God hears and acts. He sets his own determined pattern of prayer against the constant striving of his numerous enemies. His confidence is not in his own strength but in the character of God Himself, the one who is "enthroned from of old." The reason for the enemies' destructive behavior is diagnosed with theological precision: "they do not fear God." This lack of filial fear is the root of all their treachery and rebellion. The passage concludes with a Selah, a pregnant pause, inviting the reader to stop and consider the weight of this great divide between the one who fears God and the many who do not.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 55 is a lament, a maschil or psalm of instruction, that gives voice to the anguish of betrayal. The historical context is likely Absalom's rebellion, where David's trusted counselor Ahithophel turned against him (2 Sam 15-17). The first part of the psalm (vv. 1-15) is filled with visceral descriptions of fear, horror, and a longing to escape. The emotional climax is the lament over the traitor, who was not an enemy but an equal, a companion, a familiar friend (vv. 12-14). Our passage, verses 16-19, marks the turning point, the "but as for me" moment that is common in the laments. After pouring out his complaint, the psalmist reaffirms his trust in God. This pivot is crucial; it teaches the believer that it is right and good to complain to God, but this must always lead to a renewed confidence in God. The psalm concludes with an exhortation to cast your burden on the Lord (v. 22) and a final statement of trust, contrasting the bloody end of the wicked with the psalmist's unwavering faith (v. 23).

Key Issues

The Great Divide

There are ultimately only two kinds of people in the world, and this psalm throws them into sharp relief. There are those who, when beset by innumerable troubles, turn inward to their own anxieties or outward to human solutions. And then there are those who turn upward. David, surrounded by a multitude of enemies, draws a line in the sand. "As for me," he says, making a conscious and deliberate choice that separates him from the whole world of the wicked. His enemies are many, but his God is one. His troubles are constant, but his prayers will be more so. The great dividing line in all of human history is this: the fear of God. The wicked, David says, "do not fear God." This is not to say they are atheists in the modern sense; rather, they do not have a right, filial, worshipful awe of the Almighty. They do not reckon with Him in their daily affairs. Because they have no fear of God, they have no reason not to break covenant, no reason not to betray a friend, no reason not to live a life of violent deceit. David's response, his calling upon God, is the action of a man who lives on the other side of that divide. His whole world is oriented around the reality of the God who sits enthroned and will, in His own time, answer.

Verse by Verse Commentary

16 As for me, I shall call upon God, And Yahweh will save me.

This is the great pivot. The Hebrew begins emphatically, "But I..." In the face of overwhelming treachery and urban chaos, David makes a personal, resolute stand. He is not going to meet intrigue with intrigue, or violence with violence. His primary weapon, his first and last resort, is to call upon God. This is not a vague wish; it is a declaration of intent. And it is immediately followed by a declaration of faith: "And Yahweh will save me." The calling and the saving are bound together. The name he uses is significant. He will call upon the generic name for God, Elohim, but it is Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God of Israel, who will save him. This is a confidence born of a relationship, of a history of God's faithfulness. David knows whom he is calling upon, and therefore he knows the outcome. Salvation is not a possibility; it is a certainty.

17 Evening and morning and at noon, I will bring my complaint and moan, And He will hear my voice.

David now specifies the nature of his calling. It will be persistent and it will be honest. "Evening and morning and at noon" is a poetic way of saying "all the time." It echoes the pattern of daily prayers, like that of Daniel (Dan 6:10). His enemies are relentless in their scheming, so he will be relentless in his supplication. And what will he pray? He will "bring my complaint and moan." The Hebrew words are strong; he will pour out his troubles, his anxieties, his grief. This is not quiet, stoic resignation. This is loud, passionate, and honest lament. The Bible makes a clear distinction between complaining about God, which is faithless grumbling, and complaining to God, which is an act of faith. David brings his messy, painful reality into the presence of God, confident of this one thing: "And He will hear my voice." Notice the progression: I will call, Yahweh will save, I will complain, He will hear. The action of man is met with the certain reaction of God.

18 He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, For they are many who strive with me.

The confidence builds. From "He will hear," David moves to the substance of the answer. God will "redeem my soul in peace." The word for redeem here is padah, meaning to ransom or buy back. God will rescue his very life, his soul, and the result will be shalom, peace, wholeness, security. This peace is not the absence of conflict, but deliverance from the conflict. The battle is real, it is "against me." And the odds are humanly impossible: "For they are many who strive with me." The word "many" here is not an exaggeration. David was facing a massive national conspiracy. But the number of his enemies serves only to magnify the power of his God. The reason for his confidence is not that his enemies are few, but that his God is great. He is not delivered because the threat is small, but because his Redeemer is mighty.

19 God will hear and answer them, Even the one who sits enthroned from of old, Selah. Because they do not change, And do not fear God.

This verse is dense and powerful, providing the theological foundation for everything David has just declared. "God will hear and answer them." The "them" here refers to the wicked enemies. God hears their plotting just as He hears David's prayers, and His answer to them will be affliction and judgment. This judgment is grounded in God's very nature: He is "the one who sits enthroned from of old." This is a picture of absolute, ancient sovereignty. Before Absalom or Ahithophel or any earthly king ever was, God was on His throne. His rule is not a recent development; it is the central reality of the cosmos. And then we have that pregnant pause: Selah. Stop. Think about that. Let the reality of the eternal King sink in before you consider the fleeting rebellion of mortal men.

After the pause, the reason for their coming judgment is given. First, "they do not change." This speaks of a settled, hardened rebellion. They are incorrigible, set in their wicked ways. There is no repentance, no turning back. Second, and this is the root cause, they "do not fear God." A lack of reverential awe for God is the fountainhead of all sin. Because they do not begin with God, they inevitably end in treachery, violence, and rebellion. Their refusal to fear God is what makes them unchangeable, and what makes their judgment certain.

Application

This passage provides a roadmap for every Christian who finds himself in a tight spot, surrounded by opposition. The world, the flesh, and the devil are a "many" who strive with us. The temptation is to despair, to seek escape, or to fight with the world's carnal weapons. But David teaches us a better way.

First, we must make the personal turn. "As for me, I will call upon God." We must consciously separate ourselves from the godless patterns of response and plant our flag on the soil of divine dependency. Our first move in any crisis must be vertical. Second, our prayer must be persistent and honest. Don't pretend you aren't hurting. Bring your complaint, your moaning, your frustration to God. He is a Father who is big enough to handle the raw emotions of his children. Bring it to him morning, noon, and night. Cast that burden on Him, because He actually cares for you.

Third, our confidence must be in God's character, not our circumstances. Our enemies may be many, but He who is enthroned from of old is sovereign over them all. He will redeem our souls in peace. The battle is real, but the outcome has been secured by the one who won the ultimate victory. Christ was betrayed by a friend, surrounded by enemies, and cried out to His Father. And God heard Him, and redeemed His soul from death, raising Him to His right hand. Because He was delivered, we who are in Him will also be delivered.

Finally, we must learn to diagnose the world's problems accurately. The root of all societal breakdown, all treachery, all rebellion is a lack of the fear of God. And the beginning of all wisdom, all stability, all righteousness is to fear Him. Therefore, our ultimate prayer for our enemies should not be for their destruction, but that God would grant them the one thing they lack: a holy fear of His name, which is the beginning of wisdom and the only path to repentance and life.