September 24, 2006 | Author: Dan Barrington

See His Faithfulness and Trust in Him

“In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”

Psalm 56:11

Study Overview

Did David – being a slayer of Goliath, king of Israel, great warrior – have times when he was afraid?  He certainly did.  There was a minister who was overheard telling that he didn’t enjoy traveling by plane.  He had fear every time he boarded until the moment he reached his destination.  Friends thought something was wrong with his faith in God.  David says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3)  Fear will bring out faith in your life.  David confessed the fear he had, but he trusted the Lord to take care of him.

Background

This psalm begins a cluster of psalms known as the michtam psalms.  One commentator interprets this to mean the psalms that speak to that which is substantial or enduring.  The word is thought to literally mean “engraven” or “permanent.” (McGee)  In Psalm 57:7, when David says, “My heart is steadfast, O God,” that is a michtam.  Psalm 56 is considered to describe the “cheerful” courage of one who is being pursued by his enemies.  The historical background of this psalm most likely has to do with the Philistines pursuing and/or capturing of David at Gath.  David’s experience reflected in Psalm 56 and 57 describes a time of great distress.  Each has a statement of the problem, then a prayer for rescue or deliverance, and ultimately, a culmination of praise.

The mistreatment of David by the Philistines referred to in Psalm 56: 5-7 was a derivation of his goal to become God’s instrument in their (the Philistines) destruction.  The prophetic parallel to this may be more significant than the event of that time, because the Davidic kingdom was the forerunner to the Kingdom of God. 

“Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll.  Are they not in your record?” (Psalm 56:8)  The scroll and record metaphorically are described similarly to the figure of speech used in Revelation 5:8 where the “prayers of saints” are held by “golden bowls” to possibly suggest that God knows every trouble we have and every journey taken, and remembers each detail. One version refers to the scroll as a bottle or wineskin in which the tears are enclosed.  John Bunyan once wrote, “God preserves our tears in a bottle, so that He can wipe them away.”  This concept is repeated in Matthew 10:29 with God knowing “the number of hairs on our head.”   God hears our prayers and records them, preserves them as if to say, “I hear and I won’t forget; I will deliver.”

David’s complete confidence in the righteousness of God reminds me of the trust a child has in a parent.  Sometimes a little one is faced with fear of a situation that is as genuine as what we as adults encounter.  The fear is bigger than they can handle alone.  The child’s prior- experience prompts them to find or run to the person(s) who has always taken care of the big and small things…that person is usually “Mom” or “Dad”.

David found a resource and recourse in God.  His absolute trust and dependence of what he had learned of God’s promises through the prophet Nathan sustained him through all adverse circumstances in his life.  “For you have delivered my soul from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” (Psalm 56:13)  David said, especially after his great sin, “I want to walk before God so that I won’t slip up again.”  As Christians, we are directed to walk in the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16)  To walk in the Spirit means to completely depend on the Spirit of God.  This is a truth that is more challenging in practice than principle.  It’s where the “rubber meets the road.”  You have fears?  Are you afraid?  If we are honest with ourselves and God, then the answer would be in the affirmative.  This psalm speaks to us as loudly today as it did in David’s time, which is the ageless marvel of what God has to say to each of us.

Read Psalm 56

Have one or two class members begin the class by reading the passage aloud.  Have class members listen and identify how many times in this prayer David expresses his confidence in God’s deliverance.

Discussion Questions:

1. Fear, as it was manifested and described by David in Psalm 56, is not something most of us today have experienced directly.  The trust that David had in God’s protection and deliverance, however, is one for us to put in practice.  Describe a time in your life when you were overwhelmed with fear.  Did you rely on God? How? What was the outcome?
2. Read I John 4:18.  Can you have fear and faith at the same time?  When is fear removed?
3. David had many enemies.  In fact, his life has been described as a “type of Christ” life encounter.  Was Christ ever afraid?  If so, what was the circumstance and His response?
4. I have known a few Christians who have experienced fear near the end of their lives.  They knew the end was very near; the doctor has given them a prognosis of a few days at best.  Even knowing they had lived the best life in faithful obedience to God’s Word, they still feared.  Why are life events for us, such as death approaching, sometimes manifested by fear?  Fear of what?  What should be our response?

Assignment:

This week, read Psalm 55:16-18; 22.  Reflect upon fears, concerns, or worries you may currently have and share them with God in prayer.  Go beyond generalizing; be specific as you petition God in these matters. 

Class Wrap-Up

There are inspirational songs that assist us in reflecting on the power and deliverance of God during times of trouble and fear.  End the class by singing one of the following: