1. Other People Judge Us Wrongly (vv. 1-2). Cush lied about David; therefore, Saul persecuted and pursued David (vv. 1, 5, 13). David fled to the Lord for refuge (see 11:1; 16:1; 31:1; 57:1; 71:1l; 141:8) because the Lord knew that David was innocent of Saul’s accusations. David had saved his father’s sheep from the attacks of dangerous beasts (1 Sam. 17:34-37), and now he felt like he was the victim. (For animals as symbols of enemies, see 10:9; 17:12; 22:12-13, 16, 20-21; 35:17; 57:4; 58:6; 124:6.) David saw himself as a “dead dog,” a “flea,” or a hunted bird (1 Sam. 24:14; 26:20). Note that the King James Version and the New American Standard Bible move from the plural (v. 1) to the singular (v. 2), from Saul’s men to Saul himself. Saul’s judgment of David was false, and David trusted the Lord to protect and save him. When today people falsely accuse us and create problems for us, we should follow David’s example and find refuge in the Lord. But let’s be sure that we are suffering wrongfully and not because of our own foolishness or disobedience (Matt. 5:11-12; 1 Peter 3:13-17).