Psalms 59:8 - Meaning and Application

David here encourages himself, in view of his enemies’ threatening power, with a godly resolve to wait on God and a confident hope that he will still praise him. He decides to wait on God because of his enemies’ strength, which drives him to God, and because of God’s strength, which draws him to trust him. In times of danger and trouble, it is wise and right to wait on God, because he is our defense and our high place, the place where we are safe.

He hopes, first, that God will be a God of mercy to him: “The God of my mercy will go before me with the blessings of his goodness and the gifts of his mercy.” God will meet his needs before David even asks, before his fears rise, and beyond what he expects. It is a comfort in prayer to think of God not only as merciful, but as the God of our mercy, the one who gives all good to us and works all good in us. All the mercy that is in God is stored up for his people and ready to be given to them. The psalmist rightly calls it “my mercy,” for all the blessings of the new covenant, God’s saving promise through Christ, are called the sure mercies of David (Isaiah 55:3), and they are sure to all his people.

Second, David expects God to be a God of vengeance to those who persecute him. He says this both as a prediction and as a prayer, and the two mean the same thing here. If he prays that it may happen, he is also saying that he believes it will happen. He sees several things that God will do to his enemies, the watchers who look for a chance against him and seek opportunity to harm him.

First, God will expose them to shame, as they have made themselves shameful already. They think God does not hear or notice them, but the Lord will laugh at their folly. They imagine that the God who made the ear will not hear, and the Lord will hold them, and all such godless people, in scorn. Atheists and persecutors deserve to be laughed at and held in derision (Psalm 2:4; Proverbs 1:26; Isaiah 37:22).

Second, God will make them lasting examples of his justice. David says, “Do not kill them at once, or my people may forget.” If punishment comes too quickly, the lesson does not last long. Sudden destruction startles people for the moment, but they soon forget it. So David asks God to scatter them by his power, leaving clear signs of his displeasure wherever they go. In this way, the report of their punishment will spread through the land. Even Cain, though he was a murderer, was not killed, so that vengeance would not be forgotten. He was made a wanderer instead. When God’s judgments seem slow, we should remember that he has wise and holy purposes in the way he brings wrath.

David also asks God to scatter them so they can never join together again to do harm. “Bring them down, O Lord, our shield.” If God has taken up the protection of his people as their shield, he will surely humble those who fight against them.

Third, David asks that they be paid according to what they deserve. Their words are full of sin, every word they speak carrying guilt. So let them be trapped in the pride shown in their mouths, their cursing, and their lying. Saul, the king of Israel, was given to cursing (1 Samuel 14:28, 44). There is far more evil in sins of the tongue than people usually think. Cursing, lying, and proud speech are among the worst sins of the tongue, and a person is truly miserable when God gives him what his own words deserve.

Fourth, David asks God to glorify himself, as Israel’s God and King, through their ruin. “Consume them in wrath, consume them.” That is, pursue them with one judgment after another until they are completely ruined. Let them be worn down slowly, so that both they and those who watch will understand that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Saul and his followers think they will rule and carry everything before them, but they will learn that there is One above them who governs them all. The aim of God’s judgments is to show that the Lord reigns, that he carries out his own plans, gives law to every creature, and orders all things for his glory. The greatest people are under his control, and he uses them as he pleases.

He rules in Jacob, because that is where his court is, where he is known, and where his name is great. Yet he also rules to the ends of the earth, because all nations are within his kingdom. He rules even over those who do not know him, and he rules for Jacob, for the good of his church. His rule over the whole world serves the sake of Jacob his servant and Israel his chosen one (Isaiah 45:4).

Fifth, David asks that their sin become their punishment. Their sin was that they hunted David like prey. Their punishment would be that they are reduced to such poverty that they must hunt for food and still fail to find it, just as they failed to catch David. They will not be cut off all at once, but scattered and slowly consumed. Those who die by famine die little by little and can feel themselves dying (Lamentations 4:9). David foresees that they will be forced to beg from door to door.

They will do it with shame and reluctance. They will be ashamed to beg, which will make their punishment greater, so they will go out at evening, when it is dark and they are less likely to be seen. Yet they will also cry out loudly in their misery. Their complaint will come from deep anger at their condition, a condition they cannot accept. They will make a noise like a dog. When they hunted David, they barked and snarled like angry dogs. When they hunt for food, they will howl and whine like hungry dogs. Those who repent of sin mourn in trouble like doves, but hardened hearts cry out like dogs or like a wild bull trapped in a net, full of restless fury. They did not cry to God with their heart when they howled on their beds for grain and wine (Hosea 7:14).

They would get little help, and people’s hearts would be hardened against them. They would go around the city, wandering up and down for food, and get it only by pressing hard and wearing people down (Psalm 59:15). Even then, people would give only to get rid of them, not because they were glad to help, but because they were tired of their constant coming.

They would also be unsatisfied, which is one of the worst parts of poverty. They are like the greedy dogs in Isaiah 56:11, who can never have enough and keep complaining if they are not filled. A contented person may not have everything he wants, yet he does not grumble, accuse God, or chafe inside. But those whose god is their belly, meaning their appetites control them, become angry with both God and themselves. It is not poverty that makes a man miserable, but discontent.

David then expects to praise God, trusting that God’s providence will give him reasons to do so and that God’s grace will give him a heart ready to praise (Psalm 59:16, 17). He would praise God for his power and his mercy, both of which belong in his song. Power without mercy should make us fear God, while mercy without power would not help us much. But God’s power, by which he is able to help us, and his mercy, by which he is willing to help us, deserve the lasting praise of all God’s people.

He would also praise God because he had found him, again and again, to be his defense and refuge in trouble. God brings his people into trouble so they can learn his power and mercy in protecting and sheltering them, and so they have more reason to praise him. He would further praise God because he still depended on him, trusting him as his strength to carry him through duty, his defense to keep him safe from evil, and the God of his mercy to make him happy and at peace. One who is all this to us is certainly worthy of our best love, praise, and service.

He would praise God by singing. Singing is a natural way to express joy, and God has also appointed it as a way to stir up holy joy and thankfulness. He would sing aloud, because he was deeply moved by God’s glory, not ashamed to confess it, and eager to affect others with it. He would sing of God’s power, but he would sing aloud of his mercy, since mercy moved his heart most strongly.

He would sing aloud in the morning, when his spirit was freshest and liveliest. God’s mercies are new every morning, so it is fitting to begin the day with his praise. He would sing to God (Psalm 59:17), for his honor and glory, with God always before him. As our prayers must be directed to God, so our praises must be directed to him, looking up and making melody to the Lord.