Insecurity
Psalm 142:1-7 “Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.”
The introduction to Psalm 142 says, “Machil of David; A prayer when he was in the cave”. When David wrote this Psalm, it was a time of great insecurity in his life. The word insecurity simply means not feeling secure or safe. That feeling is expressed many times in the Psalms as David was running for his life from Saul. I suppose that you, like me, have never been on the run for your life, but take a moment and consider the reasons that David felt insecure during this time that we can identify with.
Sources of Insecurity:
Conflict: David was experiencing a great deal of conflict with Saul. He lived in Saul’s house and ate at his table. David looked up to Saul as a mentor and father figure, but now there was nothing but conflict between them.
Separation from loved ones: David was already separated from his own family because of joining Saul’s army; he couldn’t go back to them for fear that Saul would kill his whole family. Now David was also separated from Saul, as well as from his friend Jonathan and his other companions. You read in Psalm 142 that no man would know him and that no man cared for his soul. This separation from his loved ones caused David to feel isolation, which was a great cause of insecurity for him.
Change: Everything that David had known was turned upside down. His home was gone, his job was gone, his friends were gone, and all he could do was run for his life. He says in the Psalm that refuge failed him; he had nowhere to go, so here he was sitting in a cave with nothing left.
Rejection: David certainly would have felt rejected by Saul, first because of Saul’s anger at him, and secondly because Saul made it clear by his actions and words that he wanted to kill David. Not only this, but it had not been very long before that as David returned from battle he heard people calling out that “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands.” David was a national hero and now no one was willing to help him; he was rejected by everyone and alone.
