“And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.”
1 Samuel 23:21-24
At this point, a little before and a little later David wrote Psalms 13, 34, 52, 57, 59, and 142. We know this by the superscription written above each of them. All are desperate observations and praises.
We also know that David wrote almost ½ of the book of Psalms.
In this passage (chapter 23) we read of King Saul’s continual pursuit of David. It’s the Ziphites, in verses 19-20 we read of their cooperation with Saul, and they become his willing accomplices. They pass on David’s general location.
But Saul needs specifics. It’s a fairly large area and David and his men are constantly moving. King Saul is also aware that the Philistines are watching and ready to pounce. Saul really needs precise info. He needs to reduce his exposure to the enemy army and avoid a long-drawn search for David.
During this time, David writes and sings.
These Psalms have been passed down to us and we can (if we wish) find a deep source of strength. We read of the Lord’s care for believers who are also being pursued, attacked by the enemy of our souls. Satan may pressure us, but he can never destroy us.
Worship is warfare.
Throughout scripture we defend and advance through praise and worship. When our hearts sing we defeat the enemy and rout the presence of darkness. David understood this, strumming his harp was not just a casual action of meditative relaxation.
We are commissioned to go to war against evil. The Psalms teach us how this is done. Too often we let the enemy advance because we are too quiet. When Israel went to war, the musicians went first.
When we sing we soar.
Psalm 13:3-6, ESV
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
