Powerful Foemen Waited to Strike

Meaning in Psalm 60

Alfred D. Byrd

ENEMIES threaten the children of God.
In the time of David, Israel's chosen,
Aram and Edom menaced the land.
Moab eastwards, Philistines westwards—
Powerful foemen waited to strike.
The king took measures to save his people.
Raising armies was part of his plan,
But calling on God was its start and its end.

At times, our God, we feel deserted,
Children whose father has gone away.
You've cast us aside; You've scattered Your people—
Tell us, we beg You, just what we've done wrong.
When we turn to You, please return to us.
Until You return, we live in fear.
The earth beneath us has started to shake.
Our life is hard; we stagger like drunks
From wine of grief that You've served to us.
Until You heal both people and land,
Our hope is distant, a promise unkept.

That promise is like a flag on a hill—
A flag that calls Your people to duty.
Seeing that flag, we recall the truth
That gives us our hope to be saved by Your hand.
The truth is this: You made the whole world.
All nations belong to You by right.
One God has made the land of the sheep;
One God has made the lands of the wolves.
The One Who made the lands will claim them.
Triumph belongs to the One alone.

Will you lead Your people, our God, to shelter?
Nothing is safe unless You keep it.
Armies may march, but armies will fail
Unless You guide them in truth to their goal.
If it's hope for lands, for loot, or for lust
That moves the armies, they march in vain.
The fight to which You call Your people,
Servants of light, of life, and of law,
Is a fight, not for things that sink in decay,
But for truth and justice, the fruits of Your love.
When we work for Your cause with Your love in our hearts,
We'll attain the peace that resides in You.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.

Unfounded Hatred

Meaning in Psalm 59

Alfred D. Byrd

DAVID had killed the giant Goliath.
Many in Judah were praising a hero—
Humble shepherd, resplendent captain—
As greater by far than Saul, their king.
He'd given David a prize of honor—
Michal, his daughter, a princess as wife—
But held in his heart unfounded hatred
Making him threaten the life of a friend.
The king sent out his henchmen to lurk
In shadow around the house of David.
Careless, the hero might come to his death.
If not for Michal, who loved him as wife,
Her man would have died, a knife in his back.
With her help, he left by window at night
And fled for the hills, an exile from hope.
Amid the darkness in which he hid,
He raised his voice to his God in song:

"I've done no wrong to king or to land,
Yet I have to spend my days on the run.
The good that I've done must look like evil,
Treason to king, to those who hate me.
Dogging my steps, they seek me with swords;
They long to bathe their blades in my blood.
The first of the swords was a lie on their lips.
It led to a sword that could cut my flesh.
Out here, alone in the hills at night,
I taste their triumph, but call on my God.

"My God, You must laugh when You look from Your throne
At what goes on in the world that You made.
We think of ourselves as strong and wise;
We brag and boast as we say, 'We're safe.'
We make ourselves the measure of things
And fail to observe how small we are
Beside the arch of the sky above—
The sky, no more than a rest for Your feet.

"Please teach us, my God, where we stand with You.
Please show us, my God, how empty are those
Who seek their own will and flout Your law.
They recall a pack of dogs that run wild.
They growl and snap at all who pass by.
They nose through garbage and gobble what's ripe;
Then they heave on the street. How wretched a life!
When they face a foe who shows them resolve,
They yelp and run with tail between legs.
Please let Your people observe the wicked—
Mighty in shadows, but helpless in light—
And choose Your law, which leads one to life.

"My God, I think of Your love in darkness.
Help me recover my name and my home.
When I need no longer lie down in fear,
But can stand again secure in the light,
I'll take my harp in hand to praise You.
Singing aloud, I'll proclaim to the world
My God, my shield, the hope of my life."

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.

Twisting the Law

Meaning in Psalm 58

Alfred D. Byrd

RULERS are twisting the law today.
Although the best recall the people,
Many forget who gave them office.
Serving themselves, they plunder the land.
A path to the top that starts with lies
May end in bloodshed to keep a throne.
What's right with God, the rights of others—
Judges forget these, and hope is lost.

Our God laid out the way of justice.
Rulers must guard the people from harm
And guide them to work and share in peace.
To shield the land from foes from afar,
To keep the strong from robbing the weak,
To make a path for work to prosper—
Doing these deeds, a ruler deserves
To hear the people respond with praise.
The one who keeps and teaches the law
Will rule in safety and leave in peace.

The ones who flout the law of their God
Are marked with a stain that mars us all.
The nature of sin, contempt of law,
Is there in the womb, but grows in strength
As we seal our ears to what is true,
And listen to lies to guide our steps.
What's bad in subjects, whose reach is short,
Becomes disaster in those who rule.
No life escapes their reach of terror;
Misery blossoms in what they touch.
Their teeth, which smile as they tell their lies,
Are really the fangs that slay all hope.

Our God will break the teeth of liars.
Covered with blood, the fangs will shatter,
Leaving the tyrant helpless to fight.
When we see the reign of sin cut short,
We'll find our trust in God fulfilled.
Both land and people will bloom again,
And all will live in justice and peace
As long as they walk the path of truth.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.

A Deer amid the Lions

Meaning in Psalm 57

Alfred D. Byrd

DAVID, running away from his foes,
Unholy Philistines who sought his life,
Was forced to hide out within a cave.
In a place of darkness amid his fear
Of Saul, his king, a madman who loathed him—
David was faithful, but Saul could not see
The worth of the one anointed for rule—
And of foes from afar who hated his God,
The exile received the help of neighbors:
Others who'd tasted the evil of Saul
Showed up to make the exile their head,
Their king-to-be, the chosen of God.
In the cave, the exile called out in song:

"I'm like a deer amid the lions.
My foes, though human, are acting like beasts.
Their teeth are like knives; their hands have formed claws—
Their hearts are afire to skin and eat me!
Clever, my foes! They're laying a net
And setting a trap to capture my soul.
Be careful, my foes! Don't trap yourselves!

"My God, an eagle Who lives in the heights,
Must see all things that happen to me.
My God has told me, 'I have a purpose
Setting your life apart from others.
Someday, David, you'll come to the throne
Of those whom I've called to praise My Name.'
Recalling a promise made sure by my God,
I cry for mercy. 'Deliver my life!'

"The eagle, my God, has come for me.
Beneath the wings that shelter my soul,
I'm safe from the storm of rage and of hate
Raised up by the foes who seek my life.
To them, the eagle is judgment and death;
To me, a fountain of life and of hope.

"I sing to the One Who meets me with love.
I play my harp and send out my voice
To nations afar, unaware of God.
My God, the eagle Who flies in the heights
Above the heavens of cloud and of stars,
Has dazzled my eyes with glory undimmed.
Give thanks to God and call out in praise,
'Your love is faithful. Of all, You are king!'"

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.