We are “as sheep in the midst of wolves,” so we need to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Mt 10:16).
Another Biographical Psalm, Psalm 56 was penned at the same time as that described in Psalm 34. This title reads, “To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.’ A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.” The tune mentioned in this title links this psalm with the previous one, where David says, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest” (55:6). On the occasion of his ill-fated sidetrip to Gath, we read that “David…was very much afraid” (1 Sam 21:12). David’s cause for fear was real. “Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all day he oppresses me. My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High” (Ps 56:1-2). Doeg the Edomite almost got him. The Ziphites were spying on him. The Philistines constantly hounded him. And Saul and the Israelites were determined to kill him. The Moabites, Ammonites, and Amalekites had all come after him at one time or another. So he isn’t exaggerating! But in all the fears we face, we mustn’t only assess the strength of our enemies. It may be true, “All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps, when they lie in wait for my life” (vv 5-6). But who exactly is FOR us, and how much of a difference will that make? Oh yes, “God is for me” (v 9)! The kind of God who counts my footsteps when I wander, who catches and keeps my tears when I weep (v 8). Note that there’s a low road and a high road leading to God. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (v 3). Better still, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid” (v 11). Fear can be overcome by faith, or faith can keep fear from ever getting a grip.