Psalm 56 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Psalm 56 Short Summary:
Psalm 56 is a prayer of David during a time of distress when he was captured by the Philistines at the city of Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-22:1). He expresses trust in God's awareness of his trouble, writing that God collected his tears in a jar. David had no doubt God would deliver him, and he encouraged his own soul not to fear human adversaries.
Psalm 56 Summary
AUTHOR:
David is the author of Psalm 56.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:
No Known New Testament References.
THEMES:
Oppression by those who proudly persecute God’s people.
God takes note of all the sorrows of His saints.
There is no reason to fear flesh and blood when God is on your side.
DEFINITIONS:
According to the Dove on Far-off Terebinths (56:1) – What this phrase signifies is somewhat unknown. Some scholars think it refers to the tune of the psalm, while others see the dove as symbolic of David, who had to fly far from his home to seek refuge from murderous King Saul.
Miktam (56:1) – No one knows the precise meaning of the word Miktam. Maybe one day a new archeological find will reveal it to us.
Philistines (56:1) – This nation of Canaanites were the long-time enemies of the Israelites. They lived in the Promised Land because the people of Israel failed to drive them out when they conquered the land. They lived in the western portion of Judah’s land, near the Mediterranean Sea.
OUTLINE:
*CONTEXT: *This psalm was composed when David was on the run from King Saul. David fled to a city called Gath but was captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 21:10-22:1).
SURROUNDED BY ADVERSARIES BUT PROTECTED BY GOD (56:1-13)
Once again, David was tormented by enemies. In this context, his enemies were the Philistines and King Saul.
He said his enemies trampled him, and they did it proudly.
They were waiting at every turn to ambush him.
David wrote, “All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil” (56:5).
David was in distress, but he wasn’t hopeless.
He said, “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (56:4).
He knew that God was aware of his trouble when he spoke to God, saying, “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
APPLICATION:
Did you know that God collects all your tears in a jar? Not even one of them falls to the ground without His notice. He documents them in His book.
The same God who monitors the Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light years away), is so present and aware of His creation that silent tears from one of His 8 billion humans can’t hit the ground without Him making a note of it in His records.
God’s awareness of the near infinite elements of His universe is mind-blowing.
When you pray to God, you can pray personal prayers. You don’t have to pray in generalities as if God only has time to send back general answers.
God knows every detail about you, He knows your emotions, your thoughts, your temptations, and every factor that has affected the way you feel on any day and in any particular minute of your life.
God is unimaginably great, but He’s also remarkably personal.
He manages trillions of lightyears of universe, but you can’t cry into your pillow without Him being beside you.
