¹ Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
² Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”

³ But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
⁴ I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

⁵ I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

⁷ Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.

David wrote this Psalm in a time of extreme family turmoil (2 Samuel 13-17). His daughter Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon (David’s son by another wife). Tamar’s full-brother, Absalom, avenges Tamar’s honour by having Amnon killed. Absalom then turns his anger to his father, David, seeking to take the crown from him. All of this is happening while David wrote this Psalm.

Vs 1-2: David’s foes include his own son! Those who are saying that God won’t deliver him are those who ought to be praying to God for his favour on David, rather than proclaiming the opposite!

Vs 3-4: David’s protection, as in the days before he was King, are not in his own power, might or armour – but in God himself. In his distress he calls out to God – and God answers!

Vs 5-6: Knowing that God is his shield allows David to rest, despite the dire circumstances he finds himself in (with thousands of Absalom’s soldiers around him).

Vs 7-8: David won’t fight – he will let God fight the battle for him.

What will you do today as a result of this Psalm?

What will you pray as a result of this Psalm?