Over against the supremacy of enmity, the author addresses the Lord as the God of the heavenly realms.
It is an appeal to the God who possesses an immeasurable army of angels. We find similar appeals in other psalms: Psalm 24:10 reads, “Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!” And Psalm 80:4 says, “O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?” Lastly, Psalm 80:19 reads, “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!” At the same time, he is the God of Israel; with this nation he has made a covenant.
Again, we read the call: rouse yourself
; punish all the nations. Have no mercy with betrayal and injustice. Now, the author’s gaze goes further than just the group who is after him. God must maintain justice among his own people of Israel. But the God of all peoples also has the task to maintain justice among all nations, also the heathen nations.
The prayer focuses on God, that he is not to be gentle in this: do not spare those who treacherously plot evil and who commit injustice. After all, only justice and righteousness fits with God! The author uses a lot of military language, but at the same time he is humble and places everything—also his life—into God’s hand. He does not start a revolution against Saul.
We see in him the shadow of Jesus, his Spirit (see 1 Peter 2:23, he did not revile in return
).
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah