In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
David spoke these words as a hunted fugitive, affirming his trust in the Lord and refusing the urging to flee to the mountain like a bird. After Jonathan's visit he sang them as a song of praise to strengthen and encourage his own soul, accompanying his voice with his harp. That trust stands as the answer to counsel to run away when the wicked threaten those who do right. The lines that follow set out the peril in detail and raise the question of what the righteous can do if the foundations are destroyed. The answer given is that the Lord is still enthroned in heaven, watching and testing people, loving righteousness, judging the wicked, and looking with favor upon the upright.
David spoke these words as a hunted fugitive, affirming his trust in the Lord and refusing the urging to flee to the mountain like a bird. After Jonathan's visit he sang them as a song of praise to strengthen and encourage his own soul, accompanying his voice with his harp. That trust stands as the answer to counsel to run away when the wicked threaten those who do right. The lines that follow set out the peril in detail and raise the question of what the righteous can do if the foundations are destroyed. The answer given is that the Lord is still enthroned in heaven, watching and testing people, loving righteousness, judging the wicked, and looking with favor upon the upright.