Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 54:7

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 54:7. For he hath delivered me — Saul had now decamped; and was returned to save his territories; and David in the meanwhile escaped to En-gedi. God was most evidently the author of this deliverance.

Mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies. — It is not likely that this Psalm was written after the death of Saul; and therefore David could not say that he had seen his desire. But there is nothing in the text for his desire; and the words might be translated, My eye hath seen my enemies-they have been so near that I could plainly discover them. Thus almost all the Versions have understood the text. I have seen them, and yet they were not permitted to approach me. God has been my Deliverer.

ANALYSIS OF THE FIFTY-FOURTH PSALM

There are three parts in this Psalm: -

I. David's prayer for help and salvation, Psalms 54:1-3.

II. His confidence that he should have help, Psalms 54:4-5.

III. His gratitude and obedience, Psalms 54:6-7.

1. David's petition: 1. "Save me." 2. "Plead my cause." 3. "Hear my prayer." 4. "Give ear to my words." He is much in earnest; and yet does not desire his prayer to be heard unless his cause be just. If just, then let God plead it.

2. He produces two grounds upon which he petitions: 1. God's name. 2. God's strength. 1. He that calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved; I call: "Save me in thy name!" 2. Thou art a powerful God, able to do it: "Save me in thy strength."

The greatness of his danger causes him to urge his prayer.

1. His enemies were strangers; from whom no favour could be expected.

2. They were violent oppressors - formidable, cruel tyrants, from whom he could expect no mercy.

3. They were such as could be satisfied with nothing less than his blood: "They rise to seek after my life."

4. They had no fear of God: "They have not set God before them."

II. Notwithstanding they are all that I have already stated; and, humanly speaking, I have nothing but destruction to expect; yet I will not fear: because, 1. God is with me. 2. He is against them.

1. "God is my helper:" as he has promised, so he has done, and will do, to me.

2. "God is with them also who uphold my soul. Selah." Behold this!

But he opposes them who oppose me; is an enemy to them who are mine enemies.

1. "He shall reward evil" to such: of this being assured, he proceeds to imprecate.

2. Destroy thou them: "Cut them off in thy truth." Thou hast promised that it shall be well with the righteous; and that snares, fire, and brimstone, shall be rained on the wicked. Let God be true: Fiat justitia; ruat coelum, pereat mundus. They must be cut off.

III. For such a mercy David promises not to be unthankful.

1. For this he would offer a princely sacrifice: "I will freely sacrifice."

2. He would praise the name of the Lord: "I will praise thy name."

For this he gives two reasons: -

1. That which internally moved him: "For it is good."

2. That which was outwardly impulsive; his deliverance. 1. His deliverance was great and effectual: "Thou hast delivered me out of all my trouble." 2. His danger was so imminent that, humanly speaking, there was no escape. The enemy was within sight who was bent on his destruction; yet he was delivered; and they were confounded. On these accounts it was right that he should sing praise, and offer sacrifice. To the grateful, God is bountiful.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 52-54 Those who act treacherously

When David fled from Saul he obtained urgently needed provisions from the priests at Nob (1 Samuel 21:1-9). He was seen by Doeg, an Edomite and a servant of Saul, who reported the matter to Saul. In a typical fit of mad vengeance, Saul ordered Doeg to kill all the priests at Nob, something that Doeg was very willing to do (1 Samuel 22:6-23). On hearing of Doeg’s butchery, David wrote a poem against him, which has been preserved in the Bible as Psalms 52:0 (see heading).

David denounces Doeg for his pride, treachery and hatred of all that is good (52:1-4). Doeg will surely meet a terrible death, which good people will recognize as a just punishment from God (5-7). His impending ruin is in contrast to the fruitfulness of the believer, who lives his life in the fellowship of God and his people (8-9).

Psalms 53:0 is a repetition of Psalms 14:0 with minor adjustments. The purpose in repeating it here was probably to add further comment on the character of Doeg described in the previous psalm. For notes on the psalm see commentary on Psalms 14:0.

Psalms 54:0 also belongs to the time of David’s flight from Saul. It was written against the people of the town of Ziph, who betrayed David to Saul when they found that he was hiding in the wooded hills nearby (1 Samuel 23:19-24). David prays to God to save him and punish his enemies (54:1-5). Confident that God will hear him, he looks forward to the day when he can show his gratitude to God by sacrifice (6-7).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“With a freewill-offering will I sacrifice unto thee: I will give thanks unto thy Name, O Jehovah, for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all trouble; And mine eye hath seen my desire upon mine enemies.”

That sudden cessation of Saul’s pursuit of David in the wilderness of Maon was as dramatic and evident an answer to prayer as anyone could imagine; and David no doubt understood it to mean that God would indeed deliver him and preserve him, hence the confidence of these last verses.

“Confidence having now mounted up to certainty, and regarding his deliverance as already surely accomplished, David promises to make a freewill-offering as soon as he is able to approach the sanctuary. The freewill-offering mentioned here is the one mentioned in Numbers 15:3.”The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 412.

“And mine eye hath seen my desire upon mine enemies” We believe this translation is defective because, as Rawlinson said, “There is nothing about `desire’ in the original.”Ibid. That is the reason the word `desire’ is written in italics in many versions, including the ASV. Rawlinson proposed this as a better rendition, “Mine eye has looked calmly and leisurely upon my defeated enemies.”Ibid.

Certainly this is a thousand times better than that of J. M. P. Smith, who rendered it, “My eye has gloated over my foes.” He then called it a “Nasty note of personal vengeance.”H. C. Leupold, p. 419.

“This is probably not personal vindication, but an affirmation of how things must work in a world ruled by God’s faithfulness.”Anthony L. Ash, p. 188.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

For he hath delivered me out of all trouble - This is spoken either in confident expectation of what would be, or as the statement of a general truth that God did deliver him from all trouble. It was what he had experienced in his past life; it was what he confidently expected in all time to come.

And mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies - The words “his desire” are not in the original. A literal translation would be, “And on my enemies hath my eye looked.” The meaning is, that they had been overthrown; they had been unsuccessful in their malignant attempts against him; and he had had the satisfaction of “seeing” them thus discomfited. Their overthrow had not merely been reported to him, but he had had ocular demonstration of its reality. This is not the expression of malice, but of certainty. The fact on which the eye of the psalmist rested was his own safety. Of that he was assured by what he had witnessed with his own eyes; and in that fact he rejoiced. There is no more reason to charge malignity in this case on David, or to suppose that he rejoiced in the destruction of his enemies as such, than there is in our own case when we are rescued from impending danger. It is proper for Americans to rejoice in their freedom, and to give thanks to God for it; nor, in doing this, is it to be supposed that there is a malicious pleasure in the fact that in the accomplishment of this thousands of British soldiers were slain, or that thousands of women and children as the result of their discomfiture were made widows and orphans. We can be thankful for the mercies which we enjoy without having any malignant delight in those woes of others through which our blessings may have come upon us.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 54:1-7

Psalms 54:1-7 is to the chief musician on a stringed instrument. A prayer of David. When the Ziphims came and said to Saul, "David is hiding down in the wilderness of Ziph." And so, even as he didn't care about Doeg telling Saul where he was, neither did he care about the Ziphims. So he has a few choice words for them.

Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength. Hear my prayer, O God; and give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers [the Ziphites] are risen up against me, and the oppressors seek after my soul: and they have not set God before them. Behold, God is my helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. He shall reward evil unto my enemies: cut them off in thy truth. I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye hath seen the desire upon my enemies ( Psalms 54:1-7 ).

So David's prayer that God would honor him, and take care of his enemies. so I have learned not to seek to defend myself, but to leave my defense completely in the hands of God. Now, if you want God to defend you, then you have to just commit yourself to the hands of God and not seek to defend yourself. God is my defense. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 54

David composed this individual lament psalm after the Ziphites had told King Saul where he was hiding (1 Samuel 23:19). He expressed great confidence in God’s protection of him in it. The psalm is a fitting prayer for any believer who is maligned by others.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

2. Confidence in God 54:4-7

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

David was so sure that God would deliver him that he spoke of offering a freewill sacrifice of worship for God’s deliverance. This would have been the peace (fellowship) offering (Leviticus 3; Leviticus 7). He believed God would deliver him because God is good (cf. Psalms 52:9). In Psalms 54:7, the psalmist spoke of his deliverance as already past, as a way of expressing his confidence in God. He would have found satisfaction in God punishing his enemies for their evil, not because he hated them personally.

When God’s people experience opposition from others who seek to thwart His will, they can count on His eventual deliverance. It may not come this side of the grave, but God will punish evildoers and reward those who trust and obey Him. [Note: See Swindoll, pp. 141-51.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

For he hath delivered me out of all trouble,.... As he desired, 1 Samuel 26:24; that is, out of all his present trouble; not that he had no more afterwards; for as soon as one trouble is gone, generally speaking, another comes; but as God delivered him out of his present distress, so he believed he would deliver him out of all his afflictions in future times;

and mine eye hath seen [his desire] upon mine enemies: or revenge, as the Targum supplies it; not that he delighted in the destruction of his enemies, but in the justice of God glorified thereby, and in the goodness of God to him, in delivering him from them; see Revelation 18:20.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.   5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.   6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.   7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.

      We have here the lively actings of David's faith in his prayer, by which he was assured that the issue would be comfortable, though the attempt upon him was formidable.

      I. He was sure that he had God on his side, that God took his part (Psalms 54:4; Psalms 54:4); he speaks it with an air of triumph and exultation, Behold, God is my helper. If we be for him, he is for us; and, if he be for us, we shall have such help in him that we need not fear any power engaged against us. Though men and devils aim to be our destroyers, they shall not prevail while God is our helper: The Lord is with those that uphold my soul. Compare Psalms 118:7, "The Lord taketh my part with those that help me. There are some that uphold me, and God is one of them; he is the principal one; none of them could help me if he did not help them." Every creature is that to us (and no more) that God makes it to be. He means, "The Lord is he that upholds my soul, and keeps me from tiring in my work and sinking under my burdens." He that by his providence upholds all things by his grace upholds the souls of his people. God, who will in due time save his people, does, in the mean time, sustain them and bear them up, so that the spirit he has made shall not fail before him.

      II. God taking part with him, he doubted not but his enemies should both flee and fall before him (Psalms 54:5; Psalms 54:5): "He shall reward evil unto my enemies that observe me, seeking an opportunity to do me a mischief. The evil they designed against me the righteous God will return upon their own heads." David would not render evil to them, but he knew God would: I as a deaf man heard not, for thou wilt hear. The enemies we forgive, if they repent not, God will judge; and for this reason we must not avenge ourselves, because God has said, Vengeance is mine. But he prays, Cut them off in thy truth. This is not a prayer of malice, but a prayer of faith; for it has an eye to the word of God, and only desires the performance of that. There is truth in God's threatenings as well as in his promises, and sinners that repent not will find it so to their cost.

      III. He promises to give thanks to God for all the experiences he had had of his goodness to him (Psalms 54:6; Psalms 54:6): I will sacrifice unto thee. Though sacrifices were expensive, yet, when God required that his worshippers should in that way praise him, David would not only offer them, but offer them freely and without grudging. All our spiritual sacrifices must, in this sense, be free-will-offerings; for God loves a cheerful giver. Yet he will not only bring his sacrifice, which was but the shadow, the ceremony; he will mind the substance: I will praise thy name. A thankful heart, and the calves of our lips giving thanks to his name, are the sacrifices God will accept: "I will praise thy name, for it is good. Thy name is not only great but good, and therefore to be praised. To praise thy name is not only what we are bound to, but it is good, it is pleasant, it is profitable; it is good for us (Psalms 92:1); therefore I will praise thy name."

      IV. He speaks of his deliverance as a thing done (Psalms 54:7; Psalms 54:7): I will praise thy name, and say, "He has delivered me; this shall be my song then." That which he rejoices in is a complete deliverance--He has delivered me from all trouble; and a deliverance to his heart's content--My eye has seen its desire upon my enemies, not seen them cut off and ruined, but forced to retreat, tidings being brought to Saul that the Philistines were upon him, 1 Samuel 23:27; 1 Samuel 23:28. All David desired was to be himself safe; when he saw Saul draw off his forces he saw his desire. He has delivered me from all trouble. Either, 1. With this thought David comforted himself when he was in distress: "He has delivered me from all trouble hitherto, and many a time I have gained my point, and seen my desire on my enemies; therefore he will deliver me out of this trouble." We should thus, in our greatest straits, encourage ourselves with our past experiences. Or, 2. With this thought he magnified his present deliverance when the fright was over, that it was an earnest of further deliverance. He speaks of the completing of his deliverance as a thing done, though he had as yet many troubles before him, because, having God's promise for it, he was as sure of it as if it had been done already. "He that has begun to deliver me from all troubles, and will at length give me to see my desire upon my enemies." This may perhaps point at Christ, of whom David was a type; God would deliver him out of all the troubles of his state of humiliation, and he was perfectly sure of it; and all things are said to be put under his feet; for, though we see not yet all things put under him, yet we are sure he shall reign till all his enemies be made his footstool, and he shall see his desire upon them. However, it is an encouragement to all believers to make that use of their particular deliverances which St. Paul does (like David here), 2 Timothy 4:17; 2 Timothy 4:18, He that delivered me from the mouth of the lion shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me to his heavenly kingdom.