Psalm 59 Feb. 1 For the Chief Musician. To the tune of Do Not Destroy. A poem by David, when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.  1Deliver me from my enemies, my God; lift me on high from those who rise up against me. 2Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, save me from the bloodthirsty men. 3For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, Yahweh. 4I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me! 5You, Yahweh God of Armies, the God of Israel, rouse Yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah. 6They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city. 7Behold, they spew with their mouth; swords are in their lips, For, they say, who hears us? 8But You, Yahweh, laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations. 9Oh my Strength, I watch for You, for God is my high tower. 10My God will go before me with His grace. God will let me look at my enemies in triumph. 11Don’t kill them immediately, or my people may forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield. 12For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter. 13Consume them in wrath, consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah. 14At evening let them return. Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city. 15They shall wander up and down for food, and howl all night because they aren’t satisfied.  16But I will sing of Your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of Your grace in the morning. For You have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress. 17To You, my strength, I will sing praises. For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.   

Commentary

59:14,15 This seems to speak of the rejected at the last day. Just as the rejected virgins knock at the door earnestly wanting Jesus to open to them (Mt. 25:11), as Cain dwelt at the east of Eden in the hope of being readmitted to Paradise (Gen. 4:16), so the wicked of David’s time [who were Israelites, members of God’s covenant people] will walk around the holy city wishing to be let in, howling like desperate dogs. Rev. 22:15 using the same figure for the rejected- dogs outside God’s city. In that final day of eternal truth, nobody will be indifferent; all present there will desperately wish to be in God’s Kingdom. If our final destiny is to stand before God desperately desiring to be in His Kingdom, we must live our lives today with the same passion; for we make the answer now. All too late the rejected will come to really believe in God’s eternal Kingdom on earth (:13); but it will be too late to change anything, for the judgment is ongoing now.