Psalm 17:9, Hide Me From Wicked People

(Hide me, protect me) from the presence of the wicked who treat me violently (who plunder me), my deadly enemies who surround me.
-Psalm 17:9 (CSB)

We need to be aware, wake up to the fact, that we have enemies; who are breathing down our necks and want to choke us off.

Don’t let my brutal enemies attack from all sides and kill me.
-Psalm 17:9 (CEV)

We have enemies who want to surround us, rip us off, disempower us, take away any power and authority we have, and cause us to fail in our mission.

The Psalms give us prayers to pray, like Psalm 17.

Save me from the wicked people who are trying to destroy me.
Protect me from those who come to hurt me.
-Psalm 17:9 (ERV)

Yes, there are actual people out there, engaged in trying to destroy us, you and me.

They want to hurt us.

We need saving, deliverance, or vindication.

Keep me from the wicked who attack me.
Protect me from my enemies who surround me.
-Psalm 17:9 (ICB)

Intimacy with God is the antidote for the poison of attacks.

Protect me as the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.
-Psalm 17:8 (CSB)


We are designed for warfare, with a defense, all ready for us; but we must step into it and avail ourselves to it.

The first step is awareness. Our enemies are happy if we are asleep, tranquilized, distracted, or blind and deaf to what they are doing.

Hide me from wicked people who violently attack me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.
-Psalm 17:9

This might come as a shock, but our enemies are not just the demonic; but actual people.
There are people who want us dead, silenced, or incapacitated.

My enemies encircle me with murder in their eyes.
-Psalm 17:9

How do we reconcile the Psalms, with Paul's words in Ephesians, "We wrestle not with flesh and blood", in regards to enemies and attacks on us?
Simply put, there are people on the Devil's side, who hate us; murderers.

Hide me from wicked people who violently attack me,
from my deadly enemies who surround me.
-Psalm 17:9

"My enemies" are people who are rebellious: they have been well provided for, perhaps even by the providence of God, but they have forgotten God and are now attacking the Lord's faithful servant.


Their arrogant speech shows their rebelliousness.


There are very bad people, who worship the Devil, and want to destroy all that is good from God, especially his children. They are going to be exposed, now.

Enemies like to work in darkness.
We want to see what they don't want us to see.
They work hidden and also work to hide things.
We can ask to be hidden from them.


Ephesians 5:6-11 says this:

Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth— testing what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made visible, for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said:

Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.

Being a believer is to wake up, be awakened; and then to be the light.

Should our light be so bright that the enemies of God are exposed and blinded by the light, so that we become hidden to them?

Hide me from wicked people who violently attack me,
from my deadly enemies who surround me.
-Psalm 17:9

David's enemies are rebellious people: they have been well provided for, by the providence of God, but they have forgotten God, and are now attacking the Lord's faithful servant.

Under the government of God there are two kinds of people, obedient and rebellious.

Jesus message, the gospel message, which is the church's message; is the kingdom of God, which is the government of God.

From the whole spectrum of the church, we have a variety of gospel messages that are not the gospel of the kingdom, from the health and wealth (prosperity) gospel, to the social justice gospel.  Oftentimes the gospel is either, "get saved and come to church", or, "come to church and get saved".  These could be called the gospel of the church.

The gospel of the kingdom says, "come under, surrender and be obedient to the government of God".  Those who say yes, become obedient to God's government and those who resist, become rebellious.

You can't opt out or sideline yourself from being obedient to God.  You are either friendly with God or his enemy.  People who say "no" to obedience become rebels who end up undermining God and his obedient ones.

David's enemies were people who were not submitting to his authority which was given to him by God.  Today, we are not living in a time where God places a king or a Moses over people; but he does promote certain people into positions of governmental authority.  Those persons and we all are under God's governmental authority.

Everyone is under God and we are either obedient or rebellious.  David was obedient, but he was surrounded by rebels, who were not choosing obedience; so they became wicked and violent.

Today, there are people in the church, in the community of Christ, who are rebels.  Some of these are even leaders.  How can this be?  God lets us choose.

The prodigal son and Judas were both rebels.  Was the prodigal son saved, but chose foolishness and sin?  And was Judas next to Jesus, doing ministry, but never saved, or did he lose his salvation?

People in the house of God, in the camp, close associates of Jesus; choose rebellion sometimes.  Can they still be saved?  Is there mercy from God for them?

This is what and who the enemies in Psalm 17 are.  

Christ is the center of God's story and the message of Christ is the kingdom of God.  He and his message are the interpretative key to the whole Bible.  This is how we can extrapolate this message from Psalm 17: that the government of God is being expressed, made known, in the earth; and we are either obedient to it or rebel against it.  Those who rebel become enemies of God and God's obedient ones.  

As we, the obedient people of God, move in God's government; bad people, who have become bad because they chose rebellion, become wicked, violent, and deadly towards people who are obedient to God's government.  

The obedient ones cry out to God, to hide us from these rebels, who are involved in insurrection and sedition against the government of God.

In the world today, there are two kinds of people.  One kind is obedient to God's government and the other kind are insubordinate to God.  It's not like one side is on the playing field and the other side is sitting on the sidelines.  The way it works and has always been, is that we are either on God's side or against God.  

Those who willfully choose not to obey God are called disobedient and rebellious.  They never just do their own thing, and just set up their own government or religion.  But they end up actively, wickedly and violently; attacking the obedient ones, who live under God's reign.

We are born into a war and being stealth is a huge advantage that we ask God to give us.

Hide me from wicked people who violently attack me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.

-Psalm 17:9