LHC Midday Word: PSALM Fifty Four

Monday 13 December 2021

PSALM Fifty Four

For the director of music.

With stringed instruments.

A maskil of David.

When the Ziphites had gone to Saul

and said, ‘Is not David hiding among us?’

Save me, O God, by your name;

vindicate me by your might.

Hear my prayer, O God;

listen to the words of my mouth.

Arrogant foes are attacking me;

ruthless people are trying to kill me –

people without regard for God.

Surely God is my help;

the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Let evil recoil on those who slander me;

in your faithfulness destroy them.

I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;

I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.

You have delivered me from all my troubles,

and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 54 : “freewill” (v.6)

The basic ingredient of true devotion is sincerity. The harshest words spoken by Jesus were not to scandalously blatant sinners, but rather to all the pious hypocrites who made an exhibition of their ‘godliness’ and so brought genuine practice into disrepute. David writes about his faith in these terms, “I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you” (v.6).

By the way, this isn’t a comment on the two words ‘free will’ as opposed to predestination, but on the single-word adjective, meaning ‘voluntary’ (i.e. not forced).

In offering “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9 v.7). Happy? Hallelujah!

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READING

Psalm Fifty Four

Read by David Suchet