Big Idea: Faith affirms God and worships, and in that context confronts the ongoing conflict between truth and evil.

Understanding the Text

Psalm 54 contains most of the characteristics of an individual lament, including an address to God, petition, lament/complaint, confession of trust, vow to praise, and assurance of being heard.1 It is another of the thirteen psalms that have historical titles (see the sidebar).

Psalm 54 belongs to a minicollection (Pss. 52–55) that is joined together by the phrase “A maskil of David.” See “The Text in Context” in the unit on Psalm 52.

Outline/Structure

The following outline moves along the lines of the components of the individual lament:

1. Address (54:1)

2. Petition that God will hear (54:2)

3. Lament/complaint of the psalmist (54:3)

4. C…