In this third psalm of distress, the text itself tells us David composed the words while hiding in a cave. Most scholars agree this was at En Gedi while on the run from Saul. David chose to emphasize the instructive example, as this follows standard protocols for personal supplication. Were he to come before an earthly sovereign, he would have used much the same wording.
First is the courtly invocation, implying there is no other refuge and no higher authority. David won’t waste time whining to anyone else; if Jehovah shows no interest, he is doomed.
However, he is confident that he will be heard. At the worst of times, God knows David and his situation better than David does. The Lord can see the plots of those who pursue him. If he had any effective support, it would be “at his right hand,” but that place is vacant. There is no one else to whom David could turn for help.
Has David not often said so quite publicly that Jehovah is his only hope? Had his family left him nothing but his personal faith in God, it would be a worthy inheritance. Nothing else matters. If God listens, now is the time David most needs help. His enemies are greater and stronger than he.
And there is only one reason God might have for bailing him out: His own glory. Every dutiful, David’s first act would be giving due credit to God for deliverance. Despite feeling all alone right now, David knows for sure that the Lord always has other people who love and serve Him. Few who worship God will worship alone very long, as the His greatest treasure is His people. To be a part of that is wealth, indeed.
