Betrayed

God is my help; the Lord will lift me up" (Psalm 54:4).

According to the superscription, this poem was written "when the Ziphites went and told Saul, 'Is not David hiding among us?'"

Here’s the backstory: David and his mighty men were in the wilderness of Ziph, on the run, trying to evade Saul and his henchmen, when he received word that the Philistines were pillaging the farms and fields of Keilah. Keilah was a small village that belonged to Judah, David's tribe. These were his kinsmen, family and friends.

So, "David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines...and struck them with a great blow. In this way, David saved the inhabitants of Keilah" (1 Samuel 23:1ff.) So far so good.

But the Ziphites (the inhabitants of Keilah, in the Wilderness of Ziph) went and told Saul, "Is not David hiding among us," whereupon Saul mustered his army and marched to the city of Keilah, thinking that he would trap David within its walls.

The Ziphites, his own kinsmen, the folks he delivered from the Philistines, ratted him out, proving once again the truth of the old  adage: No good deed goes unpunished.

God warned David of Saul's advance and David and his men were able to escape into the Wilderness of Ziph, where, though, "Saul sought him every day, God did not give him into his hand" (1Samuel 23:14)—a happy ending that takes us back to the theme of this poem, "God is my help: the LORD will lift me up."

It's hard when we're betrayed by friends and neighbors, harder still when our families let us down. But “even if father and mother forsake (you), the Lord will lift (you) up!" (Psalm 27:10). Men will always disappoint you. Trust Jesus.

David Roper

2.11.18