1 {To the chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David.} In Jehovah have I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee [as] a bird to your mountain?
In God have I put my confidence: I will not fear; what can man do unto me?
And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and abode in the mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
The same hour certain Pharisees came up, saying to him, Get out, and go hence, for Herod is desirous to kill thee.
Thou wilt keep in perfect peace the mind stayed [on thee], for he confideth in thee. Confide ye in Jehovah for ever; for in Jah, Jehovah, is the rock of ages.
And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away, and be at rest; Behold, I would flee afar off, I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah;
But I confided in thee, Jehovah; I said, thou art my God.
And Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be put to death.
And they that know thy name will confide in thee; for thou, Jehovah, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army, with very many chariots and horsemen? but when thou didst rely on Jehovah, he delivered them into thy hand.
And Asa cried unto Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, it maketh no difference to thee to help, whether there be much or no power: help us, O Jehovah our God, for we rely on thee, and in thy name have we come against this multitude. Jehovah, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me to seek me any more within all the limits of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.
And David went thence to Mizpeh in Moab, and said to the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth amongst you, till I know what God will do for me.
And David arose, and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has smitten his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David took to heart these words, and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 11
Commentary on Psalms 11 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 11
In this psalm we have David's struggle with and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety in a time of danger. It is supposed to have been penned when he began to feel the resentments of Saul's envy, and had had the javelin thrown at him once and again. He was then advised to run his country. "No,' says he, "I trust in God, and therefore will keep my ground.' Observe,
In times of public fear, when the insults of the church's enemies are daring and threatening, it will be profitable to meditate on this psalm.
To the chief musician. A psalm of David.
Psa 11:1-3
Here is,
Psa 11:4-7
The shaking of a tree (they say) makes it take the deeper and faster root. The attempt of David's enemies to discourage his confidence in God engages him to cleave so much the more closely to his first principles, and to review them, which he here does, abundantly to his own satisfaction and the silencing of all temptations to infidelity. That which was shocking to his faith, and has been so to the faith of many, was the prosperity of wicked people in their wicked ways, and the straits and distresses which the best men are sometimes reduced to: hence such an evil thought as this was apt to arise, Surely it is vain to serve God, and we may call the proud happy. But, in order to stifle and shame all such thoughts, we are here called to consider,
In singing this psalm we must encourage and engage ourselves to trust in God at all times, must depend upon him to protect our innocence and make us happy, must dread his frowns as worse than death and desire his favour as better than life.