In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
David wrote this psalm at his lowest point. He had fled from Saul and ended up among Israel's enemies. Verse 4 is where his fear turns into confidence. It raises two questions: what makes trust possible in real danger, and why does David call his enemies nothing more than "flesh"?
The Setting Behind the Words
The psalm's own heading ties it to the moment David sought safety among Israel's enemies. One writer traces how that choice backfired, and what it taught him:
H. L. RossierThe weakness of his faith had caused him to seek refuge with Israel's enemies. What does he find there? Man, who instead of helping him oppresses him and would swallow him up. A fear born of the flesh had made him run from Saul; now he learns what the flesh is. Trust in man had made him go down to Achish; now he finds out what man is. He finds only danger and threats… but he still has God.
From "When I Am Afraid" to "I Will Not Fear"
Verse 3 admits fear; verse 4 says the fear is gone. That is a movement, not a contradiction, and the change comes from where the psalmist has placed his confidence:
Hamilton SmithThe soul trusts in God to fulfill His Word, and so it is lifted above his fears. It can not only say, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you," but can rise to a higher plane and add, "In God I trust; I shall not be afraid." With God and His Word before the soul, he asks in triumph, "What can flesh do to me?"
Two Things the Verse Rests On
The verse names God and God's word together. One writer calls that pair the hinge of the whole psalm, and shows that trust leans on what God has revealed:
J. N. DarbyThe believer's trust, then, is in God. But this trust in God does not come without some revelation of God. So when the soul can look at Him and trust, the means by which He has revealed His mind — the testimony He has given us in His love — becomes at once the guide and confidence of the soul… These two points are the hinges of thought in this psalm — God Himself and His word. His word gives us the sure witness of what He will be, and what He is for us.
The same writer explains why that helplessness is no tragedy:
J. N. DarbyHe has enemies, perhaps mighty and strong ones… and he has no help to fall back on in the flesh. All this is good for him. It makes him know the world he is in and weans him from the flesh. But what can he do? He can do nothing. So this throws him on God, and that is as truly blessed as it is useful.
Calling the Enemy "Flesh"
The word "flesh" is a verdict on his attackers. They are frightening, but they are only men — and David had lost sight of that:
The Bible TreasuryHis distress did more for him than ministry had done. It threw him on the mercy of God, and not in vain. Brought into His presence, his faith revived… He saw at once how completely powerless man is — the man he had so recently feared so badly… And notice this: it is in distress that the soul comes to value the word of God. A bed of suffering is very different from a study chair.
His boldness never turns into denial. He still describes what his enemies do:
C E StuartDependence and boldness mark him. He is powerless in himself, yet he still sees his enemies for what they are. "I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" He records what they did, while remembering that they were flesh. Now he and they alike had to deal with God.
Whose Voice Is This?
Some readers hear the voice of Christ in the psalms. One writer says this psalm is not His, because of the fear it admits:
Numerical Bible NotesThis language suits the persecuted people of God at any time, but I cannot see in it the experience of the Lord Jesus. What is voiced here is fear of men, held in check — the personal fear of enemies close by… And the blessed Lord had no need to quiet a fear that was never present by calling up a faith that was never absent.
So the verse gives a faith for people who do get frightened. Its confidence rests on God, not on steady nerves:
Numerical Bible NotesGod's word is what he leans on, and when God fulfills it, that word will win praise for itself. The living word can never stand without a living God behind it… Faith may be timid, but Scripture is not. When we grasp the riches it guarantees us, we will never fear poverty again.
Summary
- Pressure — David's own bad choice put him among enemies. There he learned what man is when you lean on him.
- Trust — Verse 3 admits fear; verse 4 rises above it. The fear is not denied but checked, because trust has moved to God.
- Word — God Himself and His word are the two hinges of the psalm. Distress, not comfort, teaches the soul to value what God has said.
- Flesh — Calling the enemy "flesh" is a verdict, not bravado. He still records what they do, while remembering what they are.
- Freedom — Having no backup in the flesh is a mercy. It throws the believer wholly on God — and timid faith rests on Scripture that is never timid.