Click here to read PSALM 13 in poetic form.
Background
Jesus Christ was the son of David. Like his ancestor, his life was constantly in danger from the attacks of evil men. There is nothing wrong with recognizing evil and voicing our concerns to the heavenly Father. We take one day at a time, like Jesus Christ did, and thank the Father for His help in overcoming our adversary and his forces. It is not how much we pray that matters, but our heart of trust in the Father’s ability to deliver. Jesus Christ showed us how to do that.
Structure
(Verses 1-2) Messiah’s concern about enemy attacks
(Verses 3-4) Messiah’s prayer to God about enemy attacks
(Verses 5-6) Messiah’s trust in God’s deliverance from enemy attacks
Key Scriptures
Verse 3—“lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” This could be translated, “Revive me, lest I sleep in death.” This was the Messiah’s great promise and challenge. He spent time in the garden praying for another way if possible to redeem mankind. The cost of forty hours of torture and excruciating death was a high price to pay. He had to literally believe that God, his Father, would raise him from the dead, just as He had done for Jonah years before (Matthew 12:40). As the son of David, he did have the promise that he would not remain in the grave (Psalms 16:10; Acts 2:27,31; 13:35).
Verse 5—“But I have trusted in thy mercy.” The Messiah confided in God’s mercy—His lovingkindness and grace—to rescue him from the enemy during his earthly ministry, and then to deliver him from the grave and raise him up for all eternity. It is by the Father’s grace that we too have eternal life through Jesus Christ.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
