... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when
Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, Save
me from bloody men: for, lo, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty are gathered against me; not [for] my transgression, nor [for] my sin, Lord. They run and prepare
themselves without [my] fault. Awake to help me, and behold. You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen. Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Consider.
They return at evening. They make a noise like a dog, and go round
about the city. Lo, they belch out with
their mouth. Swords [are] in their lips: [they think] for
who hears? But You, Lord, shall laugh at them. You shall
have all the heathen in derision. [Because of] his strength I will wait on You:
for God [is] my defense. The God of my mercy shall confront me. God shall let me see [my desire] on my enemies.
Slay them not, lest my people forget. Scatter them by Your power. Bring them down, O Lord our shield. [Condemn]
the sin of their mouth [and] the
words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and
lying [that] they speak. Consume [them]
in fury, Consume [them], that they [may] not [be]. Let them know that God rules
in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Consider.
At evening, let them return. Let them make a noise like a dog, and go round
about the city. Let them wander up and
down for food, and resent that they are not satisfied. But I will sing of Your power. Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the
morning: for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my strength, I will sing: for God [is] my defense, the God of my mercy.
________
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[1] This
incident occurs early, during David’s marriage to Michal (1 Samuel 19:11-18).
David pours out his prayer for deliverance, defense, and
salvation. He is innocent of any of the
complaints that Saul leveled against him.
Saul failed to trust God and stand up against Goliath; even though he
was the king and had experienced several victories as gifts from God. In fear, Saul refused to be counted and face
the giant: but he was perfectly willing to let a child die in his place. David’s victory embarrassed Saul: the popular
songs comparing him with David, embarrassed him even more. Since Saul had abandoned God in unbelief, he
cut himself off from God’s support: so he brooded more and more. Before long, this obsession deteriorated into
paranoia, and Saul fully believed his delusion, that David sought to usurp the
kingdom. David fled, precisely because
he was not a usurper. God had already
given David the kingdom: all he had to do is return and kill Saul. David refused this solution, because he knew
it is not God’s way: so he ran and prayed.
Now David compares Saul and his minions to a pack of wild
ravenous dogs. This brings a smile to
David, as he realizes that Yahweh laughs about the futility of Saul’s insane
efforts.
David prays that Saul would be punished by being kept alive. This is a perfect picture of the Lake of
Fire, where evil angels and people are consumed eternally without experiencing death.
At evening, the wild dog packs come out again to prowl the
city in the vain search for food. Their
hunger is for David’s death; but, David is safe because God is his merciful
defense, refuge, and strength. David is
able to sing.
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