We are now in a Tehilim chapter 61, pasuk ד.
The background of this pasuk is that David Hamelech saying, שִׁמְעָה אֱלֹקים רִנָּתִי הַקְשִׁיבָה תְּפִלָּתִי
God, listen to my songs and hear my prayers.
He gives a reason, which is our pasuk-
כִּי־הָיִיתָ מַחְסֶה לִי מִגְדַּל־עֹז מִפְּנֵי אוֹיֵב
Because You were a refuge for me, a powerful tower against the enemy.
Then in the next pasuk, he says,
אָגוּרָה בְאׇהׇלְךָ עוֹלָמִים אֶחֱסֶה בְסֵתֶר כְּנָפֶיךָ סֶּלָה
Let me live in Your tent forever;
I should find refuge in the protection of Your wings forever.
As we’ve said before, sometimes it seems like David Hamelech is repetitive. He is often being chased by his enemies and asking for refuge. He went through many such situations in his life. There is much background to every chapter, and there are always lessons for us in the pesukim.
The first lesson from this pasuk is from the Seforno, on the words
כִּי־הָיִיתָ מַחְסֶה לִי
Because You were a refuge for me
David HaMelech is saying: You’ve saved me in the past, so for the honor of Your name, save me now, so that people shouldn’t say that You no longer have the ability.
This is a very important lesson. Moshe Rabbenu used this technique when asking Hashem not to wipe out the Jewish people. He asked Hashem-
למה יאמרו מצרים לאמר
Why should the Egyptians say…
..that Hashem couldn’t take on the 31 nations, so He killed them in the desert.
And David HaMelech asked Hashem
למה יאמרו הגוים איה נה אלקיהם
Why should the Goyim say, “Where is their God?”
This is a powerful technique. When one prays, he is saying, Hashem, do it for Your honor, because it doesn’t look good if You don’t.
David HaMelech is saying,
You’ve saved me in the past, You’ve shown me how much You love me in the past.
If you don’t save me now, it will look, halilah, like there is some inability.
David HaMelech used this technique in a famous line in Tehilim, 79,9 where it says,
עׇזְרֵנוּ ׀ אֱלֹקי יִשְׁעֵנוּ עַל־דְּבַר כְּבוֹד־שְׁמֶךָ
Save me, the God of my salvation for the sake of the honor of Your name.
The Sefer Ikarim says that this means- Save me for the honor of Your name because You are the God of my salvation.
You’ve helped me in the past. Everyone knows how You’ve saved me. I am not asking for my zechut. I am asking for Your name, that people shouldn’t say that You couldn’t do it this time. You have helped me until now, can’t You do it now as well?
When we pray with this approach, we have to ask ourselves- are we really concerned with Hashem‘s name, or do we just want to get out of trouble? It has to be real and sincere.
This was the feeling of David HaMelech..
כִּי־הָיִיתָ מַחְסֶה לִי
You’ve saved me in the past. You were a tower of strength to save me from the enemy. This time should be no different.
Another point to bring out from this pasuk is that David HaMelech says, You saved me from the enemy.
And then, in the next pasuk, he says he wants to dwell in Your tent forever.
David HaMelech is saying that the reason he wants to be saved from the enemy is not just in order to enjoy this world- It’s because he wants to use this world to get to Olam Haba. He doesn’t just want to saved from the physical enemy. He wants to be able to serve Hashem. He is telling Hashem he wants to be under Your wings and be connected to You.
He is asking Hashem, Give me the peace of mind to serve You properly.
These are two very powerful techniques in prayer (that have to be sincere and real):
1-Save Me for Your sake, for Your name
2- Save me (for Your sake), so that I can serve You
(we say in our prayers, during the the ten days of Teshuva).
For Your sake, for Your name, and for Your sake, so that I can serve You.
That is David HaMelech’s prayer, and that is David HaMelech’s Bitachon.
We have to try to somehow incorporate this, even just a little bit. The more we have these feelings of for Hashem’s sake, the more zechut we will have.
Have a wonderful day.