A Song of Betrayal

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The historical setting for Psalm 54 is connected to the same chain of events described in Psalm 52.  

Are you like David?  Have you ever felt abandoned and betrayed by your family or friends?  Perhaps it was a husband or wife?  Maybe by your children or grandchildren?  Perhaps a close confidant said some hurtful things about you in public and you felt betrayed by your closest ally?  Do you feel as if no one can be trusted or like you have no one by your side?  Like no one really cares for you at all?  Then take a lesson from the king of Israel and turn to God in your bitterest moments of betrayal!  That is what David did and that is what we need to do as well!

There are 3 simple points to consider this morning:

1. The God of the Betrayed in Verse 1-3
   1. Take it to the Lord—In 1855, Joseph Scriven penned an excellent hymn   David takes his desperate feelings directly to God Himself:
      • Make sure we go to God first and foremost.
      • Make sure we pray to God ourselves before we ask others to pray for us
      • Crying out to God like David should be our first response and not our last resort
   2. What’s in a Name? —In verse 1.  What does David mean when he asks God to save him “by your name?”
      1. 2 Key References in Verse 1 and 6—First, David ask God to save him by “his name” and then he says “I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.”
         1. Notice the general name of God is used in verses 1-4.  Then in verse 4 we have the more specific name Adonai mentioned.  But David saves the covenant name for God in verse 6, Yahweh.
         2. The name Yahweh or “Lord” carries the idea of the self-existent, selfsufficient covenant keeping Redeemer God.  
         3. Application—Matthew 19:26
         4. Application 2—When we are betrayed and it seems like it’s impossible for us to recover we must cry out in faith to the self-sufficient Lord of the universe so He will be our all-sufficient in our most desperate moments! 
2. The Prayer of the Betrayed in Verse 2-7—After David asks God to rescue him he prays to God.  The prayer has 5 parts:
   1. He Asks God to Hear Him in Verse 2—We need Christ to enter into God’s presence and ask God anything.  Jesus prayed” Father, I [know] that you always hear me” (John 11:42).
      • Cor. 1:30
      • Colossians 1:27
      • Application—The Bible says we are in Christ and Christ is in us.  And if Jesus says the Father always hears his prayers then that must mean God always hears our prayers!  Come to God making your petitions known in and through Christ!
   2. He Gets Real with God in Verse 3—Some people are reluctant to admit they have a problem because they are worried about what others may think.  Be careful with trying to “save face” with God.
      • Application—Be detailed with God.  If you are facing a hard problem and feeling betrayed, please tell God all about it.  You will find God is always ready to lend an ear to you!
   3. He Recalls Who God Really Is in Verse 4—David doesn’t merely wallow in the mess of his problems like we often do.
      • Peter quotes the next Psalm (55:22) when he says—” casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”—I Peter 5:7 • Isaac Watts says:   Our God, our Help in ages past, Our Hope for years to come; Be thou our Guard while troubles last, And our eternal Home.
      • Application—Because God is self-sufficient, He is my all-sufficient!
   4. He Makes His Request Known in Verse 5—David asks God to execute justice upon his bitter enemies who have betrayed him!
      • There is a time to pray for justice against our enemies
      • There is a time to pray for mercy for our enemies 
   5. He Promises to Make an Offering in Verses 6-7—David is not trying to bribe God.  This offering was a thanksgiving offering given because David knew God would answer his prayers and deliver him!
      • Do we promise to give God special offerings and publish who He is and what He has done for us?
      • This Psalm begins with anxieties and end in praises!  This is what happens to us when we bring our betrayals to God!
      • Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, “Let us trust that if we are as friendless as this man of God, we may resort to prayer as he did, exercise the like faith, and find ourselves ere long singing the same joyous hymn of praise.”  
3. Conclusion—A Man of Sorrows—We must be careful with making Psalms that are not specifically Messianic all about Jesus.  But the correlations between this Psalm are the life and ministry of Christ are obvious:
   • Save me, O God, by your name; … Strangers are attacking me; … Surely God is my help; … He has delivered me from all my troubles.
   • The Father did hear, did help, and did save Jesus, even as he heard, helped, and saved David. You can be sure that Jesus will also hear, help, and save you.