“Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.”
Psalm 22:11-13 NLT
I don’t know if any of my fellow pilgrims have experienced the fear that can ensue if surrounded by cattle. David knew all about it and he went so far as to compare his enemies with a “herd of bulls”surrounding him and hemming him in. Bashan was an area in Canaan that was conquered by the Israelites – we can read a bit about it in Deuteronomy 3:3-4, “So the Lord our God handed King Og and all his people over to us, and we killed them all. Not a single person survived. We conquered all sixty of his towns—the entire Argob region in his kingdom of Bashan. Not a single town escaped our conquest“. Bashan was an area famous at that time for its breeds of cattle, particularly their quality and size, so it would have indeed been a scary situation for David. But David obviously escaped his bullish enemies so what was going on?
Throughout his reign and before, David experienced problems, both from his own countrymen but also from the nations around him. Worthy of note were the Philistines, but there were others. And in Psalm 22 David was facing into a situation from which there appeared to be no escape. So he called out to God – “Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me”. A succinct statement and to the point. David knew that it was only God who could save him. He knew that he could trust in God, because time and again God had come through for him, bringing relief in seemingly unwinnable situations and saving David from disaster and even death. After all, who would have thought a young, fresh-faced shepherd boy, armed with a sling, could defeat the Philistines’ champion warrior? That had to be God, surely.
But back to our own experiences. It is indeed a scary place trapped by a herd of cows. I can remember an occasion when I was stopped on a single track country road by several cows with their offspring; they had escaped from a field somewhere. They were just ambling along the road munching their way through the grass verges, and preventing vehicles from passing. In the end, I seized an opportunity at a road junction leading to a farm track and I jumped out and started waving my arms and shouting, hoping that they would be scared off up the farm track. Most of them obliged but there were two heifers remaining that started to eye me a bit aggressively and I wondered if I could get back to the car before they caught me. Up close cows are strong and heavy, and they can run! But fortunately they decided to follow the rest of the herd and disaster didn’t materialise. But David’s problem was in a different league, with large bulls surrounding him. There is a big difference between a cow and a bull.
Psalm 22 is a Messianic Psalm, which Jesus quoted from when He was being crucified. It is a sobering thought that while he was helpless and pinned to a cross, people were passing by, making comments and shouting insults. Would we have done that? Of course not, we think, until we remember that it was sin that put Him there on that cross, and through our sin we were there too by implication. And we remember that when we sin we once again join the mob shouting for His crucifixion. But through the love and grace of God, we know that Jesus was willing to die for our redemption from sin. Because of us He was willing to face into His enemies from hell, the devil and his demons, that surrounded Him like a herd of the bulls of Bashan. Thankfully we know the end of the story and just a short while later the devil was staring into an empty tomb, all his plans and evil ways having come to nothing. In fact, it was on that cross that the devil was defeated, never to recover the power over man again. David trusted God to bring about relief from his attack. Through the Lord, David was repeatedly victorious, and he left a legacy of encouragement for all pilgrims everywhere. From “Gotquestions.org”, “God delivers those who trust in Him, even when they are facing impossible situations. We may be surrounded by the strong bulls of Bashan, but we have the greatest Bullfighter on our side“.
Father God. Thank You for answered prayers, for keeping us safe as we travel through the spiritually hostile societies and cultures on Planet Earth. Through Jesus we have received forgiveness for our sins and one day we will live with You forever. We praise and worship You today. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 