Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19990718.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm One Hundred And Forty-Two - Dealing With Feeling Helplessly Non-Influential In Oversight
(Psalm 142:1-7)
  1. Introduction
    1. Often, a husband in oversight of his wife, or a parent in oversight of a child, or an employer in oversight of an employee or a church official in oversight of a layman in the congregation may come to feel helplessly non-influential in dealing with a very obstinate, difficult subordinate in a situation.
    2. This awkward, difficult position for one in oversight is made workable the way David handled his difficult role as God's anointed king as revealed to us in Psalm 142:1-7 as follows:
  2. Dealing With Feeling Helplessly Non-Influential In Oversight, Psalm 142:1-7.
    1. Psalm 142 is a lament psalm produced when David was "in the cave" according to the introductory segment (which segment comprises verse 1 in the Hebrew Bible text, cf. Biblia Hebraica, p. 1097).
    2. As such, this psalm was authored most likely when David was fleeing from Saul and hiding in the cave of Adullam as recorded in 1 Samuel 22, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Psalm 142.
    3. In that event, though Saul was still acting as Israel's king, in God's perspective, Saul had been rejected as king and it was the pursued David who was supposed to rule in Israel, cf. 1 Samuel 16:1, 11-13. Thus, David was dealing with a humanly powerful man who was SUPPOSED to be his SUBJECT, and yet David was HIMSELF totally POWERLESS to influence Saul into submission or right action!
    4. Psalm 142 then acts to reveal how David made out with the difficult feeling of helplessness at the hands of a subject who was supposed to be submissive, but was dangerously seeking to kill him (as follows):
      1. David cried out alout unto Jahweh for mercy, for grace in action while in hiding from Saul, Ps. 142:1.
      2. In doing so, he laid out all the facts unto the Lord, keeping none of his concerns back, Ps. 142:2.
      3. David acknowledged in the process that it was God (the "You" is in the emphatic grammatical position) instead of anyone else who knew David's proper path, and current path of trouble, Ps. 142:3a.
      4. Then he revealed that men had laid a snare to catch him in a very insubordinate, evil way, Ps. 142:3b.
      5. When David looked to his right hand, meaning the "post of a protector" according to J. A. Alexander (Psalms, p. 547), he found no one there to help him or even to be concerned about his lot. Though many were with him, David apparently felt he couldn't trust too many in his position of oversight, and he expressed a feeling that he was quite alone and quite vulnerable to trouble in his oversight, Ps. 142:4.
      6. David found that only God was his Hope, His Refuge, and Allotted Tract of Inheritance in the land of those who were physically alive, Ps. 142:5. This pictures an alloted inheritance of the promised land allotted when the 12 tribes fir st entered Canaan, meaning that God was all David had to keep him from being nothing more than a mere sojourner in his lonely, vulnerable, leadership position!
      7. David then asked God to help him as his insubordinate enemy, Saul was humanly too strong for him, 6.
      8. Upon being rescued, David knew that the godly would then believe in his credibility and gather around his leadership; accordingly, he asked God for deliverance to turn the tables so he could rule as God had called him to rule, Ps. 142: 7.
Lesson: God both appointed David to rule Israel in place of Saul in 1 Samuel 16, but then ALLOWED Saul to persecute David doggedly in 1 Samuel 22. Thus, God allowed David to be pursued by the godless, insubordinate Saul so that David would have to learn that GOD ALONE was his SOURCE for leadership influence. Thus, UNLIKE THE GODLESS SAUL, he needed to look to GOD while IN leadership for all of his administrative actions and influence!

Application: (1) If one who is SUPPOSED to be SUBORDINATE to us is not only rebellious, but is so AGGRESSIVE in his rebellion that we wonder about our ROLE'S effectiveness as an overseer, take it as a training ground to (a) ABANDON using ou r OWN efforts and (b) look to God ALONE in faith for effective influence. (2) Then, ALWAYS pray, ALWAYS ask God's help and ALWAYS make ALL leadership decisions in COMPLETE reliance upon God! (Deut. 17:14-20)