Samuel said to Saul: “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:14)
The Gateway
That “man after His own heart” who the Lord had sought out for Himself was David to replace Saul as king of Israel. 1100 years later, the apostle Paul restated this in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch:
“After He had removed him [Saul], He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” (Acts 13:22)
It must be remembered that David was not a super-man, but a mortal man. He had his moments of grandeur, like when he consolidated the kingdom (2 Samuel 5) and with the transporting of the Ark of God to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). But he also had times of appalling failure as in the Bathsheba affair (2 Samuel 11–12), as well as family misfortunes, with the incestuous relationship of Amnon with his sister, Tamar, which lead to the rebellion of Absalom (1 Samuel 13–18).
It was during this turbulent period that many biblical scholars believe David wrote Psalm 55:
Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
Give heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,
Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the pressure of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me
And in anger they bear a grudge against me. (Psalm 55:1–3)
What was troubling David was his rebellious son, Absalom and the strong conspiracy against his kingdom (2 Samuel 15:12), which included the betrayal of Ahithophel, his chief counselor and close friend.1 David continues in Psalm 55:
My heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me. (Psalm 55:4–5)
The Absalom rebellion has caused David anguish and terror of death to the point that he is overcome with horror. But note what follows demonstrates that David is no different than any mortal man, having a desire to escape the trials and testing of lifes’ events:
I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
Behold, I would wander far away,
I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.
I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the stormy wind and tempest. (Psalm 55:6–8)
The Getaway
David’s response to anxiety is shared by many even in our culture today. This same reaction was expressed in a recording in the 1960’s:
If I could lose
All my troubles
By running away
No, no, I wouldn′t stay.
But they just keep on
Hangin′ 'round me,
And won't go away.
No, no, won′t go away.
And you′ll be hurt so many times,
Get the safest room you can find,
And lock the door.
Find yourself another country.2
Isn’t this similar to the impulsive reaction of the prodigal son (Luke 15)? Our Lord stated nothing in verse 12 about what triggered why the son asked for his “share” of his father’s estate. Jesus continued the parable:
“And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.” (Luke 15:13)
The son decided to make his getaway to a “distant country”—another country—to take wing and fly away; tantamount to locking oneself in a safe room, desiring to escape whatever is troubling or terrifying.
The Takeaway
Notice how David handled his predicament. When someone told David that Ahithophel was among those conspiring against him, David prayed “O Lord, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness” (1 Samuel 15:31). The substance of this prayer is recorded in Psalm 55:9:
“Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.” (Psalm 55:9)
And only because of the disruption created within the city that affected David’s kingdom, he requested a severe recompense for the traitors:
“Let death come deceitfully upon them;
Let them go down alive to Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.” (Psalm 55:15; cf. 2 Peter 2:9)
But instead of taking an escape route from this very difficult time, David reveals his sound intention:
“As for me, I shall call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,
For they are many who strive with me.
God will hear and answer them—
Even the one who sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there is no change,
And who do not fear God.” (Psalm 55:16–19)
And for his readers, he provides guidance and hope:
“Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22)
To cast means to throw, as a vigorous action.3 It is a command that we should not attempt to manage our burdens using human viewpoint. For it stands to reason, that since our Lord was able to bear our sins, He is truly able to assist us in our troubles (Hebrews 2:18; cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). This command is echoed by the apostle Peter:
Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)Here, the Greek word for casting also implies “to hurl, throw, throw off.”4 Therefore, mindful that God is divinely capable of handling our problems, our reaction is not to run away from the difficulties of life, but instead to have confidence that He is able to sustain us.
[1] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed., (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 2.770.
[2] “Another Country” – Recorded by the Electric Flag, “Along Time Comin’” (Columbia Records, LP–CS9597, 1968).
[3] J. A. Motyer, “The Psalms,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 521.
[4] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 632.
© 2026 David M. Rossi
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