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PSALM 56 Reading Guide January 26 – February 1, 2014
PSALM 56 1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? 5 All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. 7 For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! 8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. 13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
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DAY 1 Read through Psalm 56 once writing down what you find interesting, what you find helpful, and what you don’t fully understand. According to the introductory notes in the ESV Study Bible, “Many take this to be an individual lament, but it could also be a psalm of (anticipated) thanksgiving: the description of troubles and prayer is taken up into gratitude that God has heard and will act (as he has acted in the past).” Read through the notes on Psalm 56 in the ESV Study Bible. Write at least one paragraph highlighting what you learned from the study notes. Reread Psalm 56, personalizing the Psalm as your own prayer. Write out that prayer.
DAY 2 Read Psalm 56 again. David repeats himself in verses 4 and 10-11. Read verses 1-3 and write a brief description of the situation that precedes David’s expression of trust in God in verse 4. Do the same with verses 5-9 and verses 10-11. In verses 4 and 10-11 David states two reasons he will not be afraid. Read those verses and write down the two reasons. The writer of Hebrews echoes David’s trust when he writes that God has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Therefore, “we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6). Our trust in God and his promises is even more certain than David’s trust, for we know of something David did not: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Henry Lyte’s hymn “Abide with Me” (verse two by Justin Smith) captures many of the themes of Psalm 56. Though David could have sung the first three verses, he could not have sung the last two. It is only because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that we can sing the last two with great confidence. Abide with me; falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. When other helpers, fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, abide with me. Thou on my head, in early youth didst smile; And, though rebellious, and perverse meanwhile, Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee, On to the close Lord, abide with me. I need Thy presence, every passing hour. What but Thy grace, can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
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Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness Where is thy sting death? Where grave thy victory? I triumph still, abide with me. Hold Thou Thy cross, before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies. Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; In life, in death, Lord, abide with me. Describe a situation in your life that seems hopeless. Now find a promise from God in the Scripture that describes the way you long for the situation to resolve. Think through the way or ways that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection make that promise all the more certain. Write out a prayer that starts and ends with verse 4. In the middle, tell God about your situation, the way you want the situation resolved, and the hope you have that God will be true to his promises.
DAY 3 Read Psalm 56 again, focusing on verse 8. Read verses 8 over and over again until you are clear on its meaning. Spend some time writing what it means to you that God knows every detail of your life and pays close attention to you in times of struggle and sorrow. Write about what it means that God remembers your deep sorrow. Write out a prayer of thanksgiving to God that starts with verse 8.
DAY 4 Read 1 Samuel 21:10-15. It was in the middle of this situation that David wrote Psalm 56. To flee to Gath—the hometown of Goliath whom had David killed—“took the courage of despair.” 1 With that background in mind, read Psalm 56 again. One of the things that contributed to David’s despair was that he was alone. It was only after he left Gath that family and friends come to his support. Despair is often greater when you believe you are alone. When David felt alone, he clung to God who promised to never leave him or forsake him. One of the ways that God makes that promise clear to us is through the encouraging presence of others (2 Cor. 7:6-7). In our despair, God often comforts us through others. Make a list of the people that God has comforted you through. Spend some time in prayer thanking God for them and for comforting you through them.
1 D . Kidner, Psalms 1-72. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973: p. 202.
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Find a way to let those people know of the God-given comfort they’ve provided you.
DAY 5 Read through Psalm 56 twice. Write out at least two paragraphs reflecting on what you’ve learned about God, yourself, and others from Psalm 56. Write out at least one thing you hope to apply to your life from Psalm 56. Spend at least 15 minutes sharing what you wrote with a trusted friend or family member. If they read Psalm 56 this week, ask them to do the same. End your time in prayer, thanking God for what he taught you this week.
* Purchasing an ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles, 2008.) will aid you in your understanding of the Psalms. The first day’s reading each week assumes you will have access to the notes in the ESV Study Bible. The ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published. It will help you understand not just the Psalms, but also the rest of the Bible in a deeper way. You can either buy the Bible (amazon.com, search: ESV Study Bible) or purchase online access to the notes at www.esvbible.org.
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“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” © 2014 Elliot Grudem.
