David was obviously in trouble, having been forced to seek safety among his Philistine enemies who would have known about his exploits against them which had led to him receiving great praise in Israel. There was no likelihood of Saul coming to his aid; indeed he had gone to Gath because he was fleeing from Saul. Gath was the place where Goliath had come from, so the residents and rulers would no doubt want to deal with the man who had killed their champion.
Despite the circumstances David knew that he could turn to the Lord, which he did. Doing so led him to lose his initial sense of fear (vv. 1-3). The enemies he describes are not the Philistines; rather they are the Israelites led by Saul who had caused him to flee from Israel. He found comfort from God’s word, which may refer to the divine promise given to him that he would yet be king. Since God’s word is sure and certain, David realised that no man or no amount of men could prevent him becoming king eventually. Nevertheless, he knew that those persistent opponents would need to be removed by God (vv. 4-7).
David found comfort from reminding himself that God cared for him, even collecting his tears and writing down his concerns. Those illustrations indicate that David’s affairs were constantly before the Lord who would deal with those causing his distress. Again he realised that he could depend on the promise of God and did not need to be afraid of human enemies, no matter how many they were (vv. 8-11).
David resolved that when the opportunity would arise he would acknowledge the faithfulness of God at the tabernacle and present thank-offerings to his divine Protector. Even although he was in Gath, the Lord was his guardian, his upholder. Despite appearances, going to Gath was not a step from getting the throne, but part of the journey to the throne.
We know that David eventually was able to leave Gath by pretending to be mad. This was wise on his part, although clearly it made others think he was a fool.
As far as we are concerned, the message of the psalm is that we should focus on God’s promises in times of trouble.
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