The Problem of Unanswered Prayer (vv. 1-5). David had prayed fervently about his dangerous situation, but the Lord hadn’t answered him. (See 13:1; 35:22; 39:12; 40:17; 69:3; 83:1; 109:1; 119:82.) It has often been said that “God’s delays are not God’s denials,” and David was learning that important lesson. In verse 1, he called on the Lord, and in verse 2, he cried out to Him in desperation, but the Lord didn’t answer. The unchanging Rock had changed (31:2-3; 62:2)! Was the Lord silent because He could no longer hear and speak? David lifted his hands in worship as he prayed toward the sanctuary of God (63:4; 141:2; Lam. 2:19; 3:41; 1 Tim. 2:8), but the Lord apparently didn’t see him. But Jehovah is the “living God” who sees His people, hears their cries, and speaks His Word to them (115:1-8)! David felt like a dead man whose body was in the tomb and whose soul was in sheol, the realm of the departed (22:20; 30:9; 88:4; 143:7). He also felt like a criminal who was being dragged away with the wicked to be executed (vv. 3-5). They were hypocrites, but he was speaking the truth. They had no regard for the words and works of the Lord, but David was a servant of God who worshipped Him faithfully. According to God’s covenant with Israel, David’s idolatrous enemies should have been judged and condemned, but the Lord was doing nothing. How could God treat His anointed king like a criminal? But we should remind ourselves that the Father allowed His own Son to be unjustly treated like a common criminal (Isa. 53:7-8, 12; Luke 22:37). David’s prayer was not an expression of personal revenge but a call for God to fulfill His covenant and bring righteousness and peace into the land. “Let them reap what they have sown” was his request.