Psalm 55. Trust in God concerning the treachery of friends.

This psalm is famous for a reason we will shortly see. When you read it from the beginning, it reads quite like many other psalms, with perhaps a bit more intensity on the subject of the evil and the wicked who have come to afflict the speaker to the point of overwhelming him. He wishes he had the wings of a dove to fly away from his trouble.

But suddenly in verse 12 – and for several verses after that – a new slant on this complaint emerges. The speaker says that it was not an enemy who reproaches him, for then he could bear it; but “it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng…” (Psalm 55:12-14)

We might think of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. There are many opinions about what went on in the mind of Judas to bring him to the point of betraying the Lord. In this psalm, nothing is said about the person or the reason; only the speaker’s deep feelings are shared.

In Psalm 41:9 there is another set of words on betrayal, “Even my closest friend whom I trusted, the one who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”

And Psalm 88 at the end, echoes the desolation, saying “Loved one and friend you have put far from me, and my acquaintances into darkness.”

Betrayal and treachery go on in human lives, either unintentionally or deliberately. It is important for us to understand that human nature is imperfect and always needs salvation. But the deliberate treachery of a close friend with whom we took sweet counsel and went to the house of God, or however it is with any of us in meeting betrayal, it is heart-breaking and requires every atom of our spiritual strength to allow the Lord to bring us through it and not begin to hate in return. (Heaven and Hell 457.2)

Having said that, there is more to it when we look at this psalm spiritually. At a deep level, we can also see that our "enemies" are parts of our own personality that will do spiritual damage to us. “It was you, a man my equal…” can well apply to our own base emotions and desires at times which have the capacity to betray our deep love for the Lord and our promise to be faithful to him. Seen in this way, the first part of the psalm, about “being restless in my complaint and moaning noisily” as well as the “enemy who in their wrath hate me” describes how our own commitment to the Lord can feel horrified to see another part of ourselves betraying that sincere commitment we really want to keep. (Arcana Caelestia 1740.3)

So, it is essential for us to realise that this very tragic psalm speaks about us, and to appreciate very honestly that we can have this situation happening in our inner lives and states.

In mentioning the horrors that have overwhelmed the speaker, he confesses that if he had the wings of a dove he would fly away and be at rest; he would wander far off and remain in the wilderness. The thought of escaping from it all is intensely appealing. The spiritual meaning of this, however, is that faced with such realisations about ourselves, we have to strengthen our connection with the Lord (like the wings of the dove) yet face the reality of our own condition (verse 20 “the words of his mouth were smoother than butter but war was in his heart”). We have to bring this acceptance of our need to the Lord. (Doctrine of Life 95). Here, doves signify purification. (See True Christian Religion 144.)

This makes the last part of the psalm very relevant to our need and to the Lord’s ability to help us. “Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall sustain you.” While we have the capacity to have feelings against even the Lord, we are to ask the Lord to deliver us from evil. “But I will trust in You.”