CHAPTER 55

A PSALM OF DAVID: BETRAYAL

¹Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not Yourself from my supplication. (This Psalm was written by David during the time when his son, Absalom, and his most trusted advisor, Ahithophel, rebelled against him by seeking to take his throne and thereby turn the hearts of Israel against him. It was no doubt the most awful time in Davids life.

It also portrays the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was betrayed by His personal Disciple and chosen Apostle, Judas.

Even though this Psalm concerns Davids time, still, it more so concerns the hatred and treachery which the Messiah suffered Personally in the days of His flesh, and which He now suffers and will yet suffer in sympathy with His People [Col. 1:24].

How wonderful it is to be permitted to hear Christ speaking to His Father! The Gospels record the Words and Acts of Christ; the Psalms reveal His Prayers and Thoughts.)

²Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise (the cry of the Messiah to God was because of the attitude of Israel against Him; He would come unto His Own, and His Own would receive Him not [Jn. 1:11]);

³Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. (While this concerns David and those who would take his throne and his life, still, in a greater way, it concerns Israel, who hated Christ. Why did they hate Him? They did so because their deeds were evil.

Absalom and Ahithophel felt justified in their actions. David said, They cast iniquity upon me. They felt that because of Davids sin with Bath-sheba and against Uriah that they not only could, but in fact should, take his throne.

In the first place, David was, in Gods great Mercy and Forgiveness, the same after his sin as he had been before; however, self-righteousness can never see this. In their minds, David had forfeited his crown and his place, so they took matters into their own hands. They did not recognize Gods Mercy, Grace, or Love. They only saw their own jaded, selfish ambition.

Men would do well to heed the words of this Psalm. If they, as Absalom and Ahithophel, deny forgiveness to David, likewise, it will be denied to them.

As stated, in its greater fulfillment, this Psalm speaks of Christ in His Earthly Ministry. David had sinned, so his enemies felt they had cause against him. Jesus never sinned, so His enemies would manufacture deceit against Him.)

⁴My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. (David felt this way at this lowest of times. In the greater fulfillment by the Son of David, He would in no way be at fault, and yet He would take all the fault unto Himself, suffering the terrors of death as though He had sinned.)

⁵Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me. (To fuel this fearfulness and trembling was the realization that he had sinned, and terribly so! True, God had put away his sin, but yet the nagging fear was there that perhaps God would allow Absalom and Ahithophel to have their way.

Prophetically, Christ would enter into the same agony because He would enter into our place and position. Thats the reason that He Alone can be the True Intercessor. Only One Who had never sinned could fill this place, and Christ Alone fits this description.)

⁶And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. (Historically, David is symbolized by this dove, but prophetically, it means the Messiah. The unnatural rebellion of Absalom and the treachery of Ahithophel foreshadow the rebellion of Israel and the betrayal of Judas.)

⁷Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. (There seemed to be no answer to Davids dilemma.)

⁸I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. (He would, but he couldnt! The only escape is in Christ!)

⁹Destroy, O LORD, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. (David prays that the excellent advice of Ahithophel will be divided. This prayer was answered [II Sam. 15:31].)

¹⁰Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. (This refers to the leaders of the plot to overthrow David and put Absalom on the throne.)

¹¹Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets. (Deceit is Satans greatest weapon. His ambition is to make people believe that what is of God, isnt, and that what is not of God, is. He is amazingly successful.)

¹²For it was not an enemy who reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he who hated me who did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him (David is speaking here of the betrayal of Ahithophel; in a greater fulfillment, it speaks of the betrayal of the Messiah by Judas; so, when one reads the words of this Twelfth Verse, one is actually reading the thoughts of Christ concerning Judas):

¹³But it was you, a man my equal, my guide, and my acquaintance. (The words, equal, guide, and acquaintance, as applied to Judas, may be translated My chosen, for Jesus elected him an Apostle, My fellow tribesman, as Judas was the only member of the Twelve, who, like the Lord, was of the Tribe of Judah.)

¹⁴We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the House of God in company. (David is speaking of the times that he went into the Tabernacle to worship God with Ahithophel. For three and a half years, Judas walked with Jesus. This tells us that association, environment, and participation do not save one. Salvation must come from the heart, and Ahithophel had not fully given his heart to David. Judas, above all, had not fully given his heart to Christ.)

¹⁵Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into Hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. (This is exactly what happened! David could only say this by the Spirit of God. Thus, in reality, it is the Greater Son of David Who utters these words. In His perfection, He is qualified to do so, and He Alone!)

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. (There is no other solution! And yet most of the modern Church opts for humanistic psychology.)

¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice. (Three times a day David prays.)

¹⁸He has delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me. (The Lord assures David that He will deliver his soul. He has peace that the victory will be his. The many to whom David refers are the Host who are with God. As well, such is available to every true Believer, and for all time.)

¹⁹God shall hear, and afflict them, even He Who abides of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. (Unregenerate man, in his stubbornness, will not change. In fact, he cannot change, unless he turns solely to the Lord. Most wont do that, because they have no fear of God.)

²⁰He has put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he has broken his covenant. (Whenever Ahithophel rebelled against David, and thereby the Lord, he actually broke a spiritual Covenant that he had made to support David and the Work of God. Judas did the same thing.)

²¹The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. (This refers to both Ahithophel and Judas, and even more so to the Antichrist.)

²²Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain you: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (This should be a tremendous encouragement to all true Believers. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there!)

²³But You, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You. (Be it ever remembered that Gods Way will ultimately win out. Those who trusted Ahithophel went down into the pit of destruction. Those who trusted Judas did likewise. Those who trust the Antichrist, in that coming day, will also be destroyed; however, those who put their trust in the Lord will ever gain the victory.)