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Psalm 54:1-3 (NIV)

Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. Arrogant foes are attacking me; ruthless people are trying to kill me – people without regard for God.

Nobody likes a tattletale. Whether they show up in a game of hide-and-seek or at school or even in adult circles, the tattletale is acting maliciously to undermine the activities of a perceived enemy or simply to prop up their own self-righteousness. In writing this psalm, David was appealing to God about a group of people that would rat him out to King Saul…not once, but twice. The Ziphites were young David’s tattletale enemies and rather than dealing with them himself, most likely through bloodshed, David chose to deal with it by going to God in a rather bold fashion because he knew who was really in charge of the outcome.

The story of David vs. the Zephites shows up in chapters 23 and 26 of the Book of 1 Samuel. David and his men were on the run from King Saul after coming to the rescue of the city of Keilah – at God’s command – which had been attacked by the Philistines. David and his men had fled once more into the hills and caves of the wilderness to avoid being captures and/or killed by Saul and this became the first time when the Ziphites “ratted him out” to the King. It was on this occasion when David wrote Psalm 54.

It is important to note the imperative nature of David’s plea to God. He didn’t ask God to save him. He didn’t ask God to vindicate him. He didn’t ask God to hear his prayer or listen to his words. Rather, he commanded God to do all four! Can you imagine getting “bossy” with the God of the Universe? Of course, David was not approaching God based on his own authority or power, but rather, he was emphatic about calling God to be God. If you are caught in the middle of a dangerous situation and a policeman happens to be nearby, your cry of “Stop them!” is not bossy, but simply an emphatic and desperate acknowledgment of the fact that the policeman has the power and authority to act on your behalf. David knew who was in charge of his destiny.

Interestingly and rather miraculously, God allowed for David to have King Saul in his crosshairs after both of the Zehpite betrayals. In the first case, David and his men were hiding in the back of the very cave where Saul had chosen to relieve himself during one of his quests to kill David and his men. David’s followers urged him to kill Saul because surely…this was from God. “Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.” (1 Sam. 24:4b). Wow! What a scene of deliverance and justice…but David chose not to end his king’s life. David knew who was really in charge. “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD” (v. 6).

On the second occasion, David had been able to sneak into Saul’s camp with his nephew Abishai because God had put Saul and his army into a deep sleep. They were standing over a sleeping King Saul. The king’s spear was stuck in the ground next to his head. Abishai and David engage in a hushed argument. Abishai boasts that he will kill Saul “with one thrust of my spear. I won’t strike him twice!” (26:8). But David won’t let him. “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed.” (1 Sam. 26:9-11a). Once again, David knew who was ultimately in charge and acted upon it…by restraining his own actions.

When we pray to God, we are essentially asking God to be the judge in all of our affairs. If our requests are in accordance with His will, we should expect them to be honored – like the good cop being, well…a good cop. If our requests are outside of God’s will and only according to our own selfish or misguided motives, then we should expect that God will deny them in accordance with His good will and pleasure. And, like David, when we are faced with the choice to take matters into our own hands…or leave them in God’s…we had better be sure we are praying fervently for the wisdom to make the right choice.