Psalms 59:6-10

David Expresses His Confidence That YHWH Will Protect Him (Psalms 59:6).

Describing his enemies as like a pack of stray dogs on the prowl (compare also Psalms 59:14) David is confident that YHWH will laugh at their folly and will protect him. God will be his fortress in the face of the strength of the enemy.

Psalms 59:6

‘They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go round about the city.'

At night time all decent citizens remained in their homes and took to their beds. And it was then that packs of howling stray dogs roamed the streets looking for food. Thus he sees Saul's men, as they try to secrete themselves around the neighbouring houses, as fairly similar, although in their case he is their prospective food. ‘They return at evening' may suggest that they had been watching his house for a number of nights, dispersing during the day and returning each evening. Or the main reference may be to the fact that stray dogs return each evening, something which he likens to the arrival of these men.

Psalms 59:7

‘Behold, they belch out with their mouth,

Swords are in their lips, “For who,” they say, “hears”?'

He describes them as being like belching dogs, hungry to get at him. But in their case their lips are like swords. They express murderous intent against him. They are confident that no one knows what they are about. But they have overlooked YHWH.

Psalms 59:8

‘But you, O YHWH, will laugh at them,

You will have all the nations in derision.'

He is confident that YHWH can deal with these foreign mercenaries. That YHWH will laugh at them in their supposed ‘secrecy', and will have them all in derision. See similarly Psalms 2:4. And, still concerned about Israel's needs in spite of his own danger, he also lifts his prayers beyond himself, desiring that in a similar way YHWH will have in derision all foreigners who have designs on Israel.

Psalms 59:9

‘Because of his strength I will give heed to you,

For God is my high tower.'

Recognising that he stand almost alone against Saul, the man who rules Israel, he informs God that he is giving heed to Him. He has nowhere else to turn. All the ‘strength' is on Saul's side. He recognises that he now needs some support from somewhere. But he has no doubt about where he can obtain that strength from. For God is his fortress and his high tower (into which the righteous can run and be safe - Proverbs 18:10).

Psalms 59:10

‘My God with his covenant love will meet me,

God will let me see my desire on my enemies.'

His confidence lies in God's covenant love (chesed), the love which God revealed when He redeemed Israel from Egypt, and the love that He shows to all who are true to the covenant. He knows that God has already demonstrated that love towards him by sending Samuel to anoint him in readiness for the future that He has in store for him (1 Samuel 16:13). Thus he has no doubt that He will meet him in this present situation. He will see that his enemies are thwarted in their desire to kill him. And he is, indeed, equally sure that God will give him victory over all his enemies, whoever they may be.

‘Let me see my desire on.' This was a common phrase indicating the granting of success. It is found on the Moabite stone, where Mesha of Moab speaks of Chemosh (the Moabite god) as having ‘let me see my desire on all who hated me'.