God Hears the Hidden Attack

64:1 Listen to me, O God, as I offer my lament! Protect my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. 64:2 Hide me from the plots of evil men, from the crowd of evildoers. 64:3 They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, 64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent in secluded places. They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. 64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. They plan how to hide snares, and boast, “Who will see them?” 64:6 They devise unjust schemes; they disguise a well-conceived plot. Man’s inner thoughts cannot be discovered. 64:7 But God will shoot at them; suddenly they will be wounded by an arrow. 64:8 Their slander will bring about their demise. All who see them will shudder, 64:9 and all people will fear. They will proclaim what God has done, and reflect on his deeds. 64:10 The godly will rejoice in the Lord and take shelter in him. All the morally upright will boast. Psalm 65 For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 64 is a lament for protection from secret enemies. The wicked use words like weapons and think their evil is hidden. But God sees, judges, and turns their evil back on them. In the end, the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him.

The psalm begins with a plea for God to hear the complaint and protect the psalmist from fear and attack. The enemy is not open and honest. They work in secret. They sharpen their tongues like a sword and aim slander like an arrow. Their words are meant to wound the innocent.

The wicked also encourage one another. They hide traps and boast that no one will see them. They trust in secrecy. But the psalm says their plans are not hidden from God.

Then the psalm turns with the words, 'But God.' The same kind of harm they planned against others comes back on them. Their own slander leads to their downfall. Others see what God has done and are filled with fear. They speak about his deeds.

The psalm ends in a better place. The godly rejoice in the Lord and take shelter in him. The upright boast, not in themselves, but in God. The movement is from complaint to confidence, and then to praise.

• God hears the prayers and complaints of the afflicted.
• Hidden sin and slander are real acts of evil.
• Human schemes may be concealed from people, but they are not hidden from God.
• God can reverse the plans of the wicked and judge them justly.
• The right response to deliverance is fear of the Lord, testimony to his deeds, and joy in him.
• The righteous find shelter in God, not in revenge or self-defense.

• Warning: Do not use slander or secret plotting against others.
• Warning: God sees hidden evil and will judge it.
• Warning: This psalm is not permission for personal revenge.
• Promise: God hears the lament of the righteous and can protect them.
• Promise: God can turn wicked schemes back on those who planned them.
• Command: Bring fear and trouble honestly to God in prayer.
• Command: Rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him.

Psalm 64 belongs to the pattern of the righteous sufferer who is opposed by deceitful enemies and then vindicated by God. In the wider Bible, that pattern reaches its fullest expression in Christ, who endured slander and unjust hostility and entrusted himself to the Father’s righteous judgment.

When people speak against you or hide their wrongdoing, pray to God instead of taking revenge. Tell him your fear. Trust him to see what you cannot prove. Ask him to judge rightly. Then, when he helps, give him the credit. Rejoice in the Lord and make him your shelter.

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