... 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).
[A Psalm] of
David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and
he departed.
I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth. My soul
shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear, and be glad. Magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, He heard
me, and delivered me from all my fears. They
looked to Him, and were illumined. Their
faces were not ashamed. This poor man
cried, and the Lord heard, and saved him from all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed [is] the man [that] trusts in Him. Fear
the Lord, His saints: for [there is]
no want to those who fear Him. The young
lions lack, and suffer hunger. But those
who seek the Lord shall not want any good.
Come, children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man desires life, [and] loves days, so that he may see
good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your
lips from speaking guile. Depart from
evil, and do good. Seek peace, and
pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord [are] on the righteous,
and His ears [are open] to their cry. The face of the Lord [is] against those who do
evil, to cut off their remembrance from the earth. Cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers
them from all their troubles. The Lord [is] near those who are
of a broken heart; and saves such as are of a contrite spirit.
Many [are]
the afflictions of the righteous. The Lord delivers him from them all. He
keeps all His bones. Not one of them is
broken. Evil shall slay the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be
desolate. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants. None of those who trust in Him shall be
desolate.
________
If you have been
blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share
all of them.
[1] David
tried to find an alliance with Abimelech on two different occasions (1 Samuel
21; 27). Abimelech means father-king:
his name was Achish, who was king of Gath.
Why Gath? Possibly because the
Ark of the Covenant was there. David’s
prayers are consumed with the Presence of God’s Glory, Which is most frequently
associated with the Ark of the Covenant.
In spite of the fact that God is ubiquitous, in teaching the Israelites
about Himself, God proclaims Himself in local Glory, as a Person, a King above
all Kings; Who like other kings, displays His dignity by riding around on His portable
throne, His sedan chair, the Ark. So we
suspect that the Ark had not yet been sent to Ekron. In any case David was afraid of Achish; but
Achish was also afraid of David and David’s God.
The following prayer seems strange in this location. David’s invitation extends far beyond the
circumference of his little band of fierce soldiers. This is the prayer of The Church that in
lifting up praise to Yahweh, invites the whole world to join in worship together. This invitation is especially extended to the
humble of the world, who are able to listen: but not to the proud, who are made
deaf by their pride. Is David calling
Achish and the Philistines to faith?
Eventually, many Philistines will follow David in faith.
David attributes his deliverance, not to his feigning madness,
but to Yahweh. “The Angel
of the Lord”
is an alternative name for the Person, Who rides on the Ark, the pre-incarnate
Christ. Hence, David sees “The Angel of the Lord” as the “bread of heaven” Who
satisfies every human hunger and need.
Man’s need is not food, but a good taste of God. Is this a message for Achish?
Whoever David addresses, he now likens
to children, the children of God. He has
three simple lessons for them. Lesson
one. Love God’s Law, seek and do it.
Lesson two. God hears the prayer of those who are broken
and contrite: for He sees them as being clothed with righteousness, while evil
doers are cut off.
Lesson three. The humbled, righteous servants of God are
always under affliction: this is the believer’s way of life. Nevertheless, it is these afflicted servants
of God, these believers, who will never be desolate; rather, their lives will
be filled with a strange joy which seems out of touch with the reality of their
afflictions. David hides a prophecy in
the middle of this lesson. The New
Testament informs us that the absence of broken bones applies specifically to
the crucifixion of Christ (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; John 19:36). This is the central message of the call to
the humble everywhere in the world, to come and worship.
