When an enlisted man delivers a message from a commanding general, he carries with him the authority of the officer who sent the message, regardless of the rank of the one receiving it.  The message itself bears the same power as if the order was given directly by the commander himself, as it is given in his name.  There exists no greater authority in all of creation than that of our creator, God.  By saying, “Save me by Your name,” David’s plea is that God would save Him as an act of unimpeachable, irrefutable, and irresistible authority. To call upon the name of the Lord is to call upon God Himself.

This Psalm consists of two general parts. The first is a plea for deliverance from violent men who seek David’s life (vs. 1-3). The second part is a statement of the confidence David has in God’s deliverance, and his confidence in his own standing before God. The song concludes with a profession of God’s worthiness of praise.

David’s confidence was not based on a simple feeling of God’s affection for him. It was firmly based on God’s promise to place him on the throne as King of the nation.  God would certainly deliver David from this threat for He always keeps His promises.  When reading the account in 1 Sam. we see that not only was David sure of this, but Jonathan and Saul were sure of it as well (1 Sam. 23:17).

In his commentary, William de Burgh tells us that the church has long regarded this psalm as one of several that point to the crucified Christ on the cross. Bonar points out that Jesus , just prior to His arrest, prayed along these same lines for his disciples when He prayed, “Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one as we are one,” (John 17:11).  Clearly, we see from this psalm where we are to turn for help in times of trouble. When facing the persecutions of this world, we have nowhere else to look but to the Lord. In His name are our defense, our salvation, and our strength. We can have confidence that He will always keep His promises. Our correct and necessary response to Him is unceasing praise. We praise Him because He has already delivered us from the destruction we rightly deserve.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10, NASB95)