“Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.” -Psalm 27:11–12
If we read the Psalms frequently, or in pericopes, as we do here, we may begin to wonder at the repetition of the themes in David’s poetry.
Teach me…
Lead me…
I have enemies…
Deliver me…
They’re after me…
They’re going to get me if you don’t do something, Lord…
Forgive me, Lord…
Don’t let my sins be the death of me, Lord…
Etcetera, etcetera…
The themes of enemies, troubles, and the need of salvation seem to repeat ad nauseum. We may begin to wonder if David’s poetry is capable of exploring any other themes or if his life consisted of anything else but troubles with his enemies.
There are a few particulars factors to consider.
First, let us remember that David was a king and as a head of state, he was also Commander in Chief of Israel. His enemies were numerous—inside the state as well as outside the state.
Second, we are helped to keep in mind, The Holy Spirit preserved the Psalms as not only Israel’s, but the church’s hymn book. This is a hymnbook for a kingdom-oriented people, a monarchical society whose objective is that of dominion (John 1:49, Acts 2:36, 1 Corinthians 15:25).
Third, our lives are similarly filled with repetitive themes. We have bills to pay, health issues, difficult neighbors and co-workers, cunning business partners, and government overreach. Most importantly, however, there are our own pesky sins that if we do not put the to death daily, they will be the death of us for all days (Romans 6:10-23).
So maybe these seemingly repetitive themes in the Psalms are not actually redundant, but timely and relevant after all.