Psalms for Turbulent Times - Psalm 54: God is my helper

Psalm 54[1]

¹    Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
²   Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
³   For the insolent have risen against me,
    the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them.                      

Selah

⁴   But surely, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of^[a] my life.
⁵   He will repay my enemies for their evil.
    In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
⁶   With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
⁷   For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

‘The ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them… but surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life’ (vs3-4). It is on these two central verses that the whole psalm hinges – like a doorway from fear into security.

Psalm 54 is another of the psalms which has been ascribed a very particular biblical event as its inspiration. The superscription reads A Maskil (type of song?) of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, ‘David is in hiding among us.’

Twice in the account of 1 Samuel do these tell-tale Ziphites, strangers and enemies, tip off Saul that David – whom he is pursuing out of jealousy – is hiding in nearby wilderness hill country called Ziph. In 1 Samuel 23.19 we hear: ‘Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?”’ But he escapes, went further into the desert of En Gedi and hid in the Crags of Wild Goats (24.2). There then follows the episode when David cuts off a corner of Saul’s robe as he lay sleeping – thereby assuring Saul he meant him no physical harm! The heat is off for a while. David marries Abigail and another woman. The prophet Samuel dies.  And then David’s on the run again and in 1 Samuel 26.1 the Ziphites are at it again, tipping off Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?" This time he evades Saul’s 3000 men and sticks a spear into the ground close to the paranoid king’s sleeping head.

According to these accounts, David knows God’s protection. But he also spares the life of the king, twice, upholding his life too. In his security, he gives security to the one who is attempting to undermine his security. This sense of God’s protection is a liberating power that liberates others.

Ruthlessness inbuilt into the capitalist economic system is coming to the fore in some business circles. People who have been furloughed are now discovering there may not be jobs to return to. A company, no matter how big or small, cannot survive if it has no way to generate income that outstrip its costs. In the end the margins between survival and going down are so thin. Business bosses are having to face taking the most difficult decisions – who do I let go in order to keep this business afloat? But likewise, it is clear that young people are bearing the brunt of this ruthlessness of the ‘bottom line’ across western nations. In some countries, such as Ireland, the unemployment rate for 15-24 year olds has risen to 34%.[2]

Today, the Guardian reported that there had been the biggest surge in unemployment in a month in history. ‘The number of people claiming unemployment benefits increased by the most since records began in April to reach almost 2.1 million, according to official figures capturing the onset of the coronavirus crisis. In a reflection of mounting job losses across the country, the Office for National Statistics said about 856,500 people signed up for universal credit and jobseeker’s allowance benefits in April, driving up the overall UK claimant count by 69% in a single month. The surge marked the biggest monthly increase since comparable records began in the early 1970s, while the overall number of people claiming for benefits due to unemployment has risen above 2 million for the first time since 1996.

What does it say about our economic system that such vast numbers of people can be thrown out of work into the relative insecurity of universal credit? What does it say about the nature of this pandemic that double the number of children than two months ago now need the support of foodbanks in order to get their next meal?

It is not a stretch of the imagination to speak about how God is the helper of children and families, vulnerable and those on the streets, thanks to a remarkable collaboration between a number of faith groups in Birmingham and other agencies who have been drawn under the umbrella of Feed Birmingham. Thrive Together Birmingham, a social action arm of the churches in the West Midlands, tweeted their thanks for the first response to the #feedbirmingham initiative (publishing the picture at the top of the page): ‘Thank you to everyone who donated to hel us #feedbirmingham this week. This is what 678 tins of beans look like. Could you start a food collection in your street to help people across Bham? Feedbirmingham.org. @TAWSociety @nearneighbours1 @BirmCTogether @EdgbastonFDN.’

This is what God’s help looks like. The solidarity of thousands identifying with the basic needs of others. 

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[1] New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Footnotes:
Psalm 54:4 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb is of those who uphold or is with those who uphold

[2] uk.advfn.com