Psalm 55:1-23 NKJV
55 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and hear me;
I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.
4 My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls;
Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
11 Destruction is in its midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
13 But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.
15 Let death seize them;
Let them go down alive into hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
16 As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.
19 God will hear, and afflict them,
Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.
Betrayal and mistreatment are painful when they come from unbelievers. But that pain is magnified enormously when they come from fellow church members, from those who are supposed to be our friends for time and eternity. Maybe you’ve never experienced this kind of betrayal. Many have, including Jesus, the Son of David, who was betrayed by one of His twelve chosen apostles, including David himself, who wrote Psalm 55 about this very thing, foreshadowing the pain that would be felt by his greater Son.
In his heartsickness over his friend’s betrayal and the danger he is in because of it, David pours out his heart to the Healer of hearts. There is no better listener. There is no one who understands us better than the Lord does. Even if our friends, family, or fellow believers turn against us, the Lord never will.
What does David pray for in this situation? “Let death seize them; let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.” Does this sound vindictive? If so, it’s the right kind of vindictiveness—the kind that takes no vengeance and does no harm but that looks to the Lord, who judges justly and says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Rom. 12:19). While it is good to pray that those who oppose us unjustly may be brought to repentance, the Lord often shows us in the Psalms that it is also good to ask the Lord to deal with those who refuse to repent, who stubbornly continue in their wickedness. To betray and wickedly turn against a fellow believer is a deadly sin—one which believers must be very careful to avoid—because it drives out faith and the Holy Spirit and places one back under the wrath of God, who will zealously fight for His children and vindicate them.
David’s words at the end of this Psalm are words for all Christians to live by and to rely on: “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Ever. Amen.
Let us pray: O Lord Jesus, You know what it is to be unjustly betrayed and despised. When my heart is in anguish within me, be the strength of my heart and comfort me with Your faithful love. Amen.