Deliver Me from My Enemies, My God

Psalm 59 is a psalm of rescue, written against the background of one of the most dangerous moments in David's life: Saul sent men to watch his house and kill him. Out of that danger rises a direct, clear cry: "Deliver me from my enemies, my God." It is a chapter built wholly on trust. David does not fight on his own; he turns to God and asks to be protected and lifted above those who rise against him. In this first part he describes the men lying in wait, insists that he has done no wrong, and calls on the Lord, God of hosts, to awake and act for him.

This is the third in a row of three psalms headed "Al-Tashchet, a Michtam of David" (57, 58, 59). All three were born from flight and danger, and all three turn fear into prayer. Here too, from a house surrounded by enemies, an unbroken faith is heard.

The central verse, chosen as the title of this song, is:

"Deliver me from my enemies, my God; set me on high above those who rise against me."

To deliver is to rescue and pull free; to set on high is to lift to a safe place that cannot be reached. David asks not only to be saved, but to be raised above everyone who rises against him. It is the prayer of a man who knows that his true strength is not in himself, but in the One who can lift him beyond the reach of his enemies.

This song is part of the larger journey of the project: with God's help, to compose and sing the entire Book of Psalms in a diverse, emotional, Jewish, and uplifting musical language.