A prayer for deliverance from treacherous enemies who attack with the deadly weapons of slander and "false witness.”
Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-3
st. 2 = vv. 4-6
st. 3 = vv. 7-9
st. 4 = vv. 10-14
The psalmist is surrounded by enemies who seek to destroy him. But their attacks are not brutal and open; their weapons are the poisoned arrows of slander and "false witness." Such weapons are no less deadly than missiles of bronze and iron and are more convenient for secret in-house treachery. Notice a hint that the attacks come from the psalmist's inner circle of associates–"though my father and mother forsake me" (v. 10). In the face of such circumstances, the psalmist offers a confession of trust in God that is unexcelled in the Psalms. In stanza 1, the psalmist's unwavering confidence in God's protective care removes all fear. Stanza 2 testifies that the LORD (and God's temple) is a sure strong¬hold for shelter and safety; stanza 3 is a prayer requesting God's help in this time of desperation and asking that God will not abandon us to false witnesses. That prayer moves to a confession that God will surely bring deliverance, followed by a self-exhortation that calls us to remain firm in that confession (st. 4). Marie J. Post (PHH 5) versified this psalm in 1980 for the Psalter Hymnal. See 164 for another setting of Psalm 27.
Liturgical Use:
Times of persecution or other situations in which the Christian community wishes to express confidence in the Lord.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook