According to the title, David wrote this psalm when he was in the cave of Adullum, on the run from Saul. This would fit with his description of his circumstances as a prison (v. 7) because he was not free to move around the country of which he had been anointed as its king. Circumstances did not seem to be in line with divine promises. So what did he do? He brought his circumstances to the Lord.
His prayer for divine help was
intense – he cried and pleaded. Yet his prayer was informed – he knew which
divine name to use and which divine attribute to focus on. Yahweh was the
covenant God of Israel and he is merciful and gracious (v. 1). Further, his
prayer was detailed and was delivered consciously in the presence of God (v.
2). David was aware of where he was and what he was doing when he prayed.
What did he say to the Lord?
David mentioned God’s awareness of his dangerous circumstances, the traps of
his enemies that he could not see, his isolation from others, the lack of
interest in him (vv. 3-4). He knew that whatever his opponents did God was on his
side. The Lord was his place of safety. Having the Lord was more valuable than
any other set of possessions he could have. It was better for him to have God
with him in the cave than to be in a palace without the Lord (v. 5).
Nevertheless, he prayed for
recovery and deliverance. Although he had defeated Goliath, David knew that in
himself he was weak in comparison to his opponents. He needed the Lord to help
him in this difficult situation even as he had been helped before.
