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Psalm 64
There are many examples of quick, sudden military attacks which resulted in great victories for the armies which launched these surprise offensives:
- The Sack of Rome by the Visigoths, A.D. 410. Aided by rebellious slaves, Alaric I and the Visigoths rushed through a city gate unexpectedly. The three-day siege was the first time in centuries that Rome had been sacked and invaded, says Dameron, “and it was a massive political and psychological blow.” Non-Christian Romans blamed the sacking on the abandonment of the traditional Roman gods. The ultimate surprise there, adds Johns Hopkins University military historian Mary Habeck, “was that Rome fell, not that the city was attacked.”
- “A general-in-chief should ask himself several times in the day, ‘What if the enemy were to appear now in my front, or on my right, or my left?’” —Napoleon Bonaparte
- The Six Day War, 1967. On the morning of June 5, Israeli planes surprise-attacked the at-rest Egyptian air force, destroying hundreds of planes. Similar strikes hobbled Jordan and Syria. On the ground, Israeli troops marched into the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. They routed Palestinians from the West Bank of the Jordan River, seized the Golan Heights in Syria and continued on to the Suez Canal. The rapid chain of events altered the landscape and the future of the Middle East — and, arguably, foreign policy in state departments around the world.
- Blitzkrieg, which means “lightning war” in German…Blitzkrieg is a term used to describe a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces, including armored tanks and air support. Such an attack ideally leads to a quick victory, limiting the loss of soldiers and artillery. Most famously, blitzkrieg describes the successful tactics used by Nazi Germany in the early years of World War II, as German forces swept through Poland, Norway, Belgium, Holland and France with astonishing speed and force.
The key word of Psalm 64 is “suddenly” which is found 2 times. In this context, the word “suddenly” means “unexpectedly” or “without warning”. The first mention is in verse 4 and shows the unexpected attacks of the wicked against the people of God — “shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.” But the second mention (verse 7) is of the unexpected judgement of the wicked. The idea being the wicked shooting arrows at God’s people, and God shooting arrows of judgement at those same wicked ones — ”But God shoots his arrow at them; they are wounded suddenly” — Verse 7
This strikes a note of poetic justice, which is developed as we move through the Psalm, the wicked are destroyed by their own weapons.
- The Psalmist’s Case in Verse 1 — We usually associate the word “complaint” with negative connotations. But, David uses this word in a different way. This is a formal allegation in legal terms. David brings his case directly to God.
- “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” — Ephesians 6:16
- Here are several examples of sudden, unexpected enemy attacks against us without warning:
- The Enemy Shoots Sudden Arrows of Unkind Words
- The Enemy Shoots Sudden Arrows of Bad News
- The Enemy Shoots Sudden Arrows When We Are Sick
- The Enemy Shoots Sudden Arrows When Quarrel With Our Spouse
- In the moment of our enemies’ sudden attacks we must take our case to God just as quickly and suddenly as we are able.
- Remember, we are not to retaliate. In Romans 12:21 — “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
- The worst thing we could do is respond in kind.
- Application — Perhaps no other attack hurts more than when the fiery darts are shot from someone close to us, whom we trusted.
- The Threats of the Wicked in Verses 2-6 — This section shows us 5 things about the wicked, their nature, their weapons, their methods, their plans and their pride.
- Their Nature — Notice the phrase “secret plots”. This references those from David’s own family who sought to overthrow him. Nothing hurts more than when those who are closest to us turn against us. The most dangerous snakes are the ones hiding in the bush unseen, unexpected. And the poison from one of those bites can completely destroy us. But, David’s conspirators cannot destroy him because he brings his petitions to God.
- Their Weapons — In verse 3, David’s enemies weaponized their words. In our day, we speak of a “war of words”. Our words are powerful, they can either build up or tear down.
- Notice the words of James — Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:5–8).
- When we think of all the evil done with words, let us also consider the weapons which the Holy Spirit uses — “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. — Isaiah 55:10-11
- We are called upon by God to fight with spiritual weapons. Weapons not of this world. The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
- Application — How can we “fight the good fight of faith” if we do not know the Bible? If we do not know the Scriptures then the Holy Spirit has nothing to work with in the day of the Enemy’s concentrated attacks!
- Their Methods — Verse 4 contains the methods of those who secretly plot against David — ”shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear”. When we are innocent, we are most vulnerable because we think we have nothing to fear. The innocent person does not have their guard up, therefore a sudden attack can destroy them. “Struck suddenly while your enemy least expects it” is the idea here. This is a classic military campaign maneuver.
- Who is the only One who can protect David from covert fiery darts? Only God can, and David knew it. The same is true for us today.
- Application: Sometimes when we are trying to live for God we let our guard down because we think we have nothing to fear. And it’s when we are trying to really live for the Lord the Enemy attacks the most! D. Their Plans — See the point below.
- Their Pride — “They plot injustice and say, ‘We have devised a perfect plan!’ Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.” — Verse 6. These wicked people think they have devised a perfect plan, they believe there are no holes in what they attempt to do. But, they have forgotten to figure God into their equations, therefore they are fools.
- God’s Sudden Intervention in Verses 7-8a — Did you notice the verses describing the wicked who plot against the innocent encompass the bulk of this Psalm? But, the climax of the Psalm is in full view when God brings the enemies low with just 1.5 verses!
- Poetic Justice
- Conclusion—There are 3 Lessons to be Learned:
- The Evil Ones will be Exposed in Verse 8 – The Evil Ones will be exposed so that bystanders will “wag their heads”
- The People will be Directed Towards a Healthy Fear of God in Verse 9 — This will become a lesson for all those whom watched God’s poetic justice!
- The Saints will Rejoice in Verse 10 — We are told to rejoice because the eventual, sudden destruction of the wicked is so certain!
- It takes faith to look to God and hope for the destruction of our great enemies!
