Introduction
Psalms 138 to 145 are psalms of David and today’s one has a title which tells us that it’s about a time when David was in a cave. We know of two occasions when David was in a cave. There may have been more, but the Bible records two occasions only.
One is recorded for us in 1 Samuel 24, which was the time when David and his men were hiding in a cave from Saul who was hunting for David. It just so happened that Saul came into the very same cave to relieve himself. Saul didn’t know David and his men were there and David’s men encouraged him to kill Saul. But instead of killing Saul, David cut off the edge of his robe without Saul realising. Afterwards he was able to show Saul what he had done and how he had spared his life. David meant Saul no harm.
That was one occasion when David was in a cave. The other occasion is recorded for us in 1 Samuel 22 where it tells us that David left Gath, where he has pretended to be insane in order to save his life. And afterwards he went and hid in the cave of Adullam. He was hiding from Saul who wanted to kill him.
Either of those two occasions could be the background to this psalm or there may have been another time when David was in cave hiding from his enemies which we don’t know about. In any case, he’s hiding in a cave. It seems to David there’s no one to help him. And so, he turns to the Lord for help. And that means that this psalm is another lamentation when David cries out to the Lord for help because of the trouble he’s in.
Verses 1 and 2
In verses 1 and 2 David tells us that he cried out to the Lord and he lifted up his voice to him.
One of the commentators (Kidner) likens David to Bartimaeus in the gospels who shouted to the Lord for mercy. When the people rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet, he shouted all the more. Bartimaeus shouted out for mercy and David was doing the same thing. He lifted up his voice. That is to say, he raised his voice. He shouted aloud to the Lord, who is the covenant-keeping God who has promised to care for his people. And David asked him for mercy. That is, he asked for help.
He then tells us that he poured out his complaint before the Lord. There’s a good kind of complaint and there’s a bad kind of complaint. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, in the days of Moses, they complained in the bad way, because they were grumbling about the Lord and about Moses for bringing them into the wilderness. And their complaint was rooted in unbelief, because they did not trust the Lord to take care of them. And when people don’t believe God’s promises, they’re liable to complain and moan and grumble about their circumstances instead of trusting the Lord to work all things together for their good. But David’s complaint was the right kind of complaint, because he’s bringing his troubles to the Lord. He’s not blaming the Lord for what he’s going through, but instead he’s trusting the Lord to help him. And since he trusts the Lord, he pours out his complaint and he tells the Lord his troubles.
Verses 3 and 4
And in verses 3 and 4 he addresses the Lord and says to him that when his spirit grows faint within him, it is the Lord who knows his way.
The commentators disagree on what he means by ‘his way’. One suggestion is that he’s referring to the way he has conducted himself. That is to say, the Lord knows that his way is right: he’s kept himself from evil and he’s chosen the way of the Lord. Another suggestion is that this is the way the Lord has chosen for him. And so, David is saying God knows his way, because this is the path God has decreed for his life. I’m more inclined to take it that he means the Lord knows what he’s going through. So, God knows the trouble he’s in and the hardships he’s suffering. In that case, he’s saying that when his spirit faints because of the trouble he’s in, God knows all about it.
And God knows that men have hidden a snare for him. This is why his spirit is faint. He’s never done Saul any harm. He’s been a good and faithful and loyal servant to Saul. But Saul is determined to kill him and has sent men to hunt him down and to capture him like a wild animal. David’s spirit is faint, because Saul has repaid David’s kindness with evil. And Saul will not give up his pursuit of David. And how can David possibly evade Saul and his men, when there are so many of them and they’re all looking for him?
And in verse 4 David says to the Lord that if he looks to the right — that is, if he looks to David’s right hand side — he’ll see that there’s no-one who cares for David. He’s saying that he doesn’t have a right-hand man. He doesn’t have someone to stand with him and to help him. He doesn’t have a band of brothers around him. He’s on his own. There’s no-one who is concerned for him. He has no refuge. No-one cares for him. That is to say, he has no human help. He’s on his own.
What he’s saying here about being on his own fits the time when he was hiding in the cave of Adullam, because at that time he was on his own. Or he was on his own until his family and all those who were in distress or in debt or discontented joined him. A whole band of people joined him. And it seems to me that we can see all those people as the Lord’s answer to his prayer, because the Lord sent him this band of people to support him in his time of need.
Verses 5 to 7
But let’s move on to verses 5 to 7 where David once again addresses the Lord. He cries to the Lord and he confesses that the Lord is his refuge. So, in verse 4, he said that he has no refuge. That is to say, he has no human refuge. But that’s okay, because the Lord is his refuge. And that’s enough, isn’t it? It’s enough to have the Lord, because the Lord is the source of every good thing. He’s the one who is able to give us all that we need to keep going. And David says that the Lord is his portion in the land of the living. When the Israelites came to the Promised Land, each tribe received a portion of the land. And so, they were able to make their living from the land they received. The priests, however, did not receive a portion of land. Instead the Lord was their portion: he supplied them with all that they needed. And so, that’s what David is saying here. The Lord is his portion in the sense that the Lord will supply him with all that he needs for life.
And he asks the Lord his God to listen to his cry, because he’s in desperate need. He wants the Lord to rescue him from those who are pursuing him. He says that his enemies are too strong for him. They’re too strong for David, but not for the Lord who is the Almighty God who is all-powerful. On his own, David doesn’t stand a chance. But the Lord is his strength and shield. The Lord upholds his people and protects us from evil.
And David cries to the Lord to set him free from his prison. He’s referring to the cave, where he’s hiding. It’s become like a prison to him, because he can’t leave it for fear of what Saul will do to him.
And look at the second line of verse 7. What will David do once the Lord rescues him? He will praise the name of the Lord. Once the Lord rescues him, he’ll to up to the temple to worship the Lord. He’ll respond to God’s mercy with praise. John Calvin says the chief foundation of worship is to acknowledge God to be the only source of all that is good. So, those who don’t praise God are those who don’t yet realise how good the Lord is and how every good thing they enjoy has come to them from him. But once we realise that God is good and that every good thing we enjoy has come to us from him, then we will give thanks to him and we’ll worship him. We won’t be able to stop ourselves. And David says that the first thing he’ll do once God rescues him is that he’ll give thanks for his goodness.
And because of God’s goodness to David, the righteous will gather around him. So, the Lord will not leave David on his own, but he’ll surround him with other people. For a time, David was on his own. There was no one with him. But then he cried out to the Lord for mercy and help. And because the Lord is good, the Lord brought all kinds of people to help and support him.
Conclusion
This psalm is for us when we’re troubled and upset and afraid. It teaches us that we can bring our troubles to the Lord. When we’re afraid, we can appeal to the Lord in prayer for help. When it seems that no-one else knows what we’re going through, we need to remind ourselves that the Lord knows our way. When it seems that no-one cares for us, then we need to remind ourselves that the Lord cares for us. How do we know he cares for us? Didn’t he love us so much that he gave up his Son for us and for our salvation? And didn’t the Lord Jesus love us so much that he gave up his life for us? That’s how much our God cares for us. And so, we can go to him with confidence and hope, trusting in his infinite mercy and goodness. And just as the Lord surrounded David with people, so he surrounds us with people, because he gives us the fellowship of fellow believers to support and encourage us.
But King David’s experience anticipates the experience of Christ our King whose disciples abandoned him when the guards came to arrest him. And so, on his own he faced the Sanhedrin and on his own he faced Pilate and on his own he faced the Roman soldiers who beat him and who whipped him and who nailed him to the cross. And on his own, he died and was buried.
But God the Father did not abandon him, because his Heavenly Father raised him from the dead. Or to put it another way, God the Father rescued him from the prison of death and the grave and exalted him to the highest place. And there, in heaven, the righteous will gather about him. That is to say, all who are righteous by faith — whose sins and shortcomings are covered over by Christ’s perfect righteousness — will gather about him in the new heavens and earth.
And so, this psalm is ultimately about Christ our King whose body was imprisoned in the grave. But God the Father rescued him from his prison and raised him to heaven. Right now he’s surrounded by the spirits of his people. And after the resurrection of the dead, all of his people will gather around him in body and soul to worship and adore the Lord our God. And we’ll give thanks to him, because not only did he rescue his Son from the prison of death, but he also rescued us from the prison of death to give us everlasting life in his wonderful presence.
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