What other biblical passages describe similar feelings of being overwhelmed by enemies? Setting the scene Psalm 22:12 — “Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.” David’s vivid picture of being hemmed in by powerful enemies is preserved word-for-word by the Spirit and ultimately points to Christ’s own sufferings. Echoes in the Psalms • Psalm 3:1-2 — “O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise up against me! Many say of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’” • Psalm 13:1-2 — “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? … How long will my enemy dominate me?” • Psalm 18:4-5 — “The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. The cords of Sheol entangled me…” • Psalm 27:2-3 — “When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh… Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear.” • Psalm 42:9-10 — “Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression? … my enemies taunt me.” • Psalm 55:4-5 — “My heart murmurs within me, and the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling grip me…” • Psalm 88:3-5 — “For my soul is full of troubles… I am set apart with the dead…” • Psalm 118:10-12 — “All the nations surrounded me… They swarmed around me like bees… in the name of the LORD I cut them off.” Prophets under siege • Jeremiah 20:10 — “I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!’…” • Lamentations 3:52-53 — “My enemies without cause hunted me like a bird; they dropped me alive into a pit…” • Micah 7:8 — “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise…” Battles in narrative books • 2 Samuel 22:5-7 — “The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me…” • 2 Chronicles 20:12 — “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” • Daniel 6:16-22 — Daniel literally surrounded by lions, rescued when God shut their mouths. New Testament parallels • Matthew 26:55-56 — Jesus, surrounded by armed men in Gethsemane, fulfilling Psalm 22. • 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 — “We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure… but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God…” • 2 Timothy 4:16-18 — “At my first defense no one stood with me… but the Lord stood by me and strengthened me.” Takeaway truths • Scripture treats the feeling of being overwhelmed as real, yet never final. • God hears every cry, records every tear, and rescues in His perfect time. • Christ, literally surrounded and victorious, guarantees deliverance for all who trust Him. Scripture quotations taken from the Berean Standard Bible. |
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