SERMON OUTLINE:
Deliver me from death (vs 1-4)
Deliver me from stumbling (vs 5-11)
Deliver me so I can praise you (vs 12-13)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• I guess we are all familiar with the phrase;
• ‘Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire’.
• If you are a fan of J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit.
• You may well recall that this saying is the title of the sixth chapter.
• But it’s origin goes way back to an Italian author Laurentius Abstemius;
• Who wrote a collection of 100 fables, called ‘The Hecatomythium’, during the 1490s.
• Shortly after him, an anonymous author, penned one of Aesop’s fables;
• Called "Worse and Worse" where we read that;
• The fish jump 'Out of the Frying-Pan, into the Fire'.
• And that expression has of course passed into everyday usage;
• With the general meaning of escaping a bad situation for a worse situation
• TRANSITION: Well for David the author of this psalm;
• That expression perfectly describes his situation!
• He is about to go ‘Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire’.
• If you know the story of King Saul and his pursuit of David;
• Then you will know that the ‘frying pan’ in the metaphor is King Saul.
Ill:
• The writer H.G. Wells in his 1910 comic novel The History of Mr. Polly;
• Says of one of his strange characters, Mr Polly;
• “He was not so much a human being as a civil war”
• That is a perfect description of Saul.
• He became a living civil war, miserable, possessed of an evil spirit,
• Mentally breaking down, a suspicious angry and jealous man.
• Because Saul was unable to deal with his jealousy of David;
• His appreciation of David soon turned into hatred;
• And this hatred consumed him and would cause him to try and kill David.
• To carry on the metaphor ‘the fire’ would be the ‘city of Gath’.
• This was a Philistine city, the home of David’s arch enemies;
• It was also the place were a certain giant of a man called ‘Goliath’ grew up!
• Goliath probably had lots of relatives;
• Who wanted to get even with David for what he did to their relative;
• Also there is a city full of angry people;
• Who again want to take revenge on the foreigner who defeated & killed their champion!
Question: Why did David flee to the city of Gath?
Answer:
• Desperate times call for desperate measures.
• David felt like he had no choice,
• He had to escape fast, even if this meant going to a dangerous place like Gath;
• David knew that Gath was a place where King Saul and his army;
• Would definitely not go near in their pursuit of him.
• So David left his soldiers behind and walked alone into a city that hated him!
• You would have to be crazy to do that;
• And that was David’s plan!
• This psalm reveals his life as you might expect was in great danger;
• And history tells us that he had to pretend to be insane in order to escape.
• David would lose his self-respect by pretending to be stark raving mad;
• He scratched on doors and drooling like a crazed animal!
• (You can read the full story in 1 Samuel chapter 21 verses 10 to chapter 22 verses 1)
Notice: The psalm has an inscription:
“For the director of music. To the tune of ‘A Dove on Distant Oaks’. Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.”
• The expression: ‘A Dove on Distant Oaks’.
• Can be translated in different ways.
• e.g. ‘A Silent Dove Among Those Far Away’.
• e.g. ‘A Silent Dove Among Strangers’.
• Some bible scholars connect this inscription with verses 6-8:
• They see David as the innocent dove, silent under attack, while far from home.
• And that observation fits well.
• Now, as we scan the Psalm;
• We will note three requests that David makes to the Lord.
• And three answers to his prayers that David received.
(1). Deliver Me From Death (vs 1-4)
“Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;
in their pride many are attacking me.
3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise –
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
• In verses 1&5 David writes “All day long”;
• David felt like there was no let up from the harassment of the Philistines.
• They watched him like a hawk and mocked him whenever they could.
• As mentioned already, the Biblical background to this psalm is:
• 1 Samuel chapter 21 verses 10 to chapter 22 verses 1.
• In those verses we do not read of any physical attacks on David;
• But he heard a great deal of slander, insults and threats;
• And he felt that his life was in constant danger.
Ill:
• One of my missionary heroes is John G. Paton (1824-1907).
• He was a Scottish missionary to the New Hebrides an island group in the South Pacific.
• He began work on Tanna, an island inhabited by savage cannibals;
• Later worked on the island of Aniwa.
• He would go on to give to the Aniwan people;
• Their first hymnbook in their own language;
• And he also translated the New Testament into their language
• In his first four years on the island of Tanna;
• He was all alone, and like David he too moved from one savage crisis to the next.
• You have to wonder how his mind kept from snapping,
• As he never knew when his house would be surrounded with angry natives;
• Or if he would be ambushed when out and about.
Quote: One entry in his diary reads:
• “My enemies seldom slackened their hateful designs against my life,
• however calmed or baffled for the moment.
• A wild chief followed me around for four hours with his loaded musket,
• And, though often directed towards me, God restrained his hand.
• I spoke kindly to him, and attended to my work as if he had not been there,
• fully persuaded that my God had placed me there,
• and would protect me till my allotted task was finished.
• Looking up in unceasing prayer to our dear Lord Jesus,
• I left all in his hands, and felt immortal till my work was done.
• Trials and hairbreadth escapes strengthened my faith,
• and seemed only to nerve me for more to follow;
• and they did tread swiftly upon each other's heels.”
• TRANSITION: John Paton knew what it was to experience both fear and faith;
• His life was in constant danger and yet he would continue to trust in his God.
• David experienced these mixed emotions of fear and faith.
• There is a refrain repeated in both verses 3-4 & verses 10-11:
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise –
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
“In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise –
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?”
Notice:
• That David overcame fear with faith;
• By acknowledging and trusting in God’s word.
• Everything else (including his own dignity) had been taken from him;
• And so the promises of God was the only thing he had left!
• Yet they were all he actually needed.
Ill:
• I discovered this week something new about the great hymn “Amazing Grace”,
• It was penned nearly 200 years ago by John Newton;
• But he did not title it "Amazing Grace".
• Its original title was "Faiths Review and Expectation".
• In its original version it has seven verses and not four;
• As it is often found in our hymn books.
• This great hymn entitled "Faiths Review and Expectation".
• Reminds us again and again to rest on God’s promises and to hope in him!
• Verse 3
“Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;
‘Tis grace that brought me safe this far. And grace will lead me home.”
• Verse 4
“The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.”
(2). Deliver Me From Stumbling (vs 5-11)
“All day long they twist my words;
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
hoping to take my life.
7 Because of their wickedness do not let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll –
are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will 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 and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?”
• Notice again that phrase “All day long”
• We saw it in verse 1 and he repeats it in verse 5.
• David continues to feel like there is no let up from the harassment of the Philistines.
• They watched him like a hawk and mocked him whenever they could.
• He felt like a man with a target on his back;
• While his enemies were all armed and ready to fire!
Note: Twice in this psalm he asks a question:
• Verse 4b: “What can mere mortals do to me?”
• Verse 11b: “What can man do to me?”
• Unlike the Psalmist we might read that verse and think; ‘What can man do to me?’
• And answer it; “A lot!"
• e.g. People can oppose, slander, hurt, hate, maim, murder us etc .
• Evil people can do evil things.
• But I think the point that the psalmist is making is in the end,
• They cannot really harm us because our lives are preserved by God and in God.
• That is why the question is part of a verse;
• The first part of the verse removes fear and replaces fear with faith!
• Verse 4:
• “In God, whose word I praise –
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
• Verse 10:
• “in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?”
• The first part of each verse reminds us that David is not focussed on men but on God;
• Therefore whatever men do to him, he knows that he is safe in God.
Ill:
• I mentioned the story of John Paton earlier on n my sermon;
• Let me tell you another occurrence from the life of this incredible man.
• The New Hebrides, were islands that were totally unreached with the gospel.
• In 1836 two London missionaries made the first attempt;
• To bring the gospel to these unengaged and unreached people.
• Within minutes of going ashore on these islands.
• They were both killed and eaten by cannibals
• John G. Paton and his wife knew it was a difficult and dangerous task;
• When Christians found out they were planning to go to these islands;
• They faced great criticism.
• On one account before leaving, a respected elder chided the couple,
• "You will be eaten by cannibals!"
Quote: I love John Paton’s response:
• “Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now,
• and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms;
• I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus,
• it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms.”
• Paton was a courageous man;
• He knew that for the Christian martyr; even “to die is gain”.
• God is sovereign, his will shall be done!
• TRANSITION: The enemy cannot really harm us;
• Short term they may kill the body but they cannot destroy the eternal soul.
• Because our lives are preserved by God and in God.
• David also had faith in God’s word;
• And although he pleaded his case to God in prayer (verses 8-9);
• Quote: The Message:
“You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn
through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.”
• David knew that ultimately his times, his life was not in the hands of the Philistines;
• They were in the hands of God!
Ill:
• Verse 8 in the King James Bible translation is maybe the best known verse of this psalm:
• “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle”
• David says that God; ‘Numbers his Wanderings’.
• That is he makes an ordered list of where David has gone.
• Isn’t that great to know!
• David was constantly on the move trying to escape Saul,
• Yet God has kept constant track of him during these hard times.
That leads on to this lovely little expression: “Put My Tears into Your Bottle”.
• Archaeologists have unearthed small “tear bottles”,
• This was an ancient custom, that tears which were shed for the death of a loved one;
• Were collected in small bottles and placed at the grave of the deceased.
• Transition:
• David is saying that God has kept track of all his sorrows and remembers them.
• David's point is that God cares. He knows what is going on;
• He hasn't forgotten His children or lost track of what has happened to them.
(3). Deliver Men So I Can Praise You (vs 12-13)
“I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank-offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.”
• David loved the Lord;
• As you read these psalms that love comes out again and again.
• In verse 12 he mentions his ‘vows’.
• Confident that God would deliver him;
• David had already vowed to present to God a‘thank-offering’;
Ill:
• Leviticus chapter 7 verses 11-21.
• Tell us that art of that thank-offering was retained by the worshipper,
• So he could enjoy a fellowship meal with his family and friends.
• David may be on his own now,
• But he believes it is only a matter of time before he is celebrating with others.
Note: According to verse 13 God has answered David’s prayer in three ways:
• FIRST: He says; “You have delivered me from death”
• SECOND: God has kept his; “feet from stumbling”
• THIRD: God has enabled him to live, not the darkness of death,
• But instead he will; “walk before God, in the light of life.”
In conlusion:
• David may be hiding from Saul and his army;
• He may well have moved on from the city to the safety of yet another cave;
• And so also be hiding from the Philistines.
• But David knew the his real refuge was not the walls of a cave;
• But his refuge was the God in whom he trusted!
• This psalm clearly shows us that David got his confidence in two ways:
• Through prayer and through God’s word.
sermon audio:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=UShQrPNDymPh199HaMQT9e11G2sHPF9p&forceSave=Psalm_56_-_sermon_bt_Gordon_Curley.mp3
