The title of the fifty-sixth Psalm tells us that it was written by David, “when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” This is most likely a reference to David’s flight from Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-15), when he hastily sought refuge in enemy territory while running away from King Saul. Fearing Gath’s king Achish, David feigned insanity to escape. Though the strategy worked, one could question the virtue of David’s methods. The incident reveals to us that, for right or wrong, David felt safer on enemy ground than he did in Israel under Saul’s mad reign, for Saul had become just like the kings of the nations.
Psalm 56 is divided into two main sections (1-4 and 5-11), each of which concludes with a similar refrain (vss. 4 and 10-11), and a third brief vow of thanksgiving. In the first section (1-4), David’s enemies who are oppressing him all day long (1-2), become mere flesh, in verse 4, after he places his trust in God. The second section (5-11) amplifies the first by revealing that indeed mortal flesh can wreak havoc, making David’s life miserable – injuring his cause, slandering and stirring up strife and lying in wait for his life (5-7). Despite a zealous oppressor’s relentless pursuit, David found solace knowing that God took careful account of his suffering and would soon turn away his enemies (8-9). Though they could do great temporal damage to him, David could ultimately trust in his God, Yahweh (10-11). With the breathing room that David’s trust afforded him, he offered the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God who delivered his soul from death (12-13).
It is interesting in and of itself to consider how desperation and suffering became the impetus for David to write songs. In addition to Psalm 56, he also composed Psalm 34 under the duress of this same incident. Commentators generally agree that David was not trusting God when he wandered into and out of Gath; however, Psalms 34 and 56 indicate that he did ultimately seek refuge in and trust in God.
Psalms like this minister to us as Christians as they bear witness to the vicious reality of trials in our life in this fallen world. There is no denial of the reality of pain and suffering. However, they also celebrate the fact that we have a God who is bigger than our circumstances, one in whom we can trust. And if God is for us, who can be against us? Trusting in God, we can not only find refuge in our storms and a promise for eternal life, but also confidence to walk before Him here and now.