What Can Man Do To Me?

The psalmist describes his situation of being hounded by enemies and oppressed by them. A very terrible situation to be in. But he trusts in the LORD and continues to praise God in the midst of trouble. The most courageous thought here is "What can flesh (man) do to me?"
The enemies twist his words and plots against him, yet he trusts in God. He knows that with God on his side, the enemies will be turned back. So he will not be afraid, again reminding that "What can man do to me? "


Psalm 56
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.”[a] A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

 1 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
         Fighting all day he oppresses me.
 2 My enemies would hound me all day,
         For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
        
 3 Whenever I am afraid,
         I will trust in You.
 4 In God (I will praise His word),
         In God I have put my trust;
         I will not fear.
         What can flesh do to me?
        
 5 All day they twist my words;
         All their thoughts are against me for evil.
 6 They gather together,
         They hide, they mark my steps,
         When they lie in wait for my life.
 7 Shall they escape by iniquity?
         In anger cast down the peoples, O God!
        
 8 You number my wanderings;
         Put my tears into Your bottle;
         Are they not in Your book?
 9 When I cry out to You,
         Then my enemies will turn back;
         This I know, because God is for me.
 10 In God (I will praise His word),
         In the LORD (I will praise His word),
 11 In God I have put my trust;
         I will not be afraid.
         What can man do to me?
        
 12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
         I will render praises to You,
 13 For You have delivered my soul from death.
         Have You not kept my feet from falling,
         That I may walk before God
         In the light of the living?