Deeper Commentary
Psalm 57:1
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of Do Not Destroy. A poem by
David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave-
"Do not destroy" may allude to Moses' prayer for Israel, "do
not destroy" (Dt. 9:26). They were rejected by God, but Moses' mediation
for God to "not destroy" them was heard, against all odds. This explains
David's appeal for "mercy" and his references to God's grace in this
psalm. David thus associates himself both with Moses, the prayer of the
prayer, and also with the weak Israel for whom Moses was interceding. He
prays like Moses, but for himself and his own salvation by grace. But
the words are those of David to Abishai in 1 Sam. 26:9 "Do not destroy
him", when urging him not to destroy Saul when he had the chance. And that
is the context here- of David in the cave having an earlier chance to
destroy Saul. But he kept singing himself the song "Do not destroy", to
strengthen himself against the advice he was being given to destroy Saul.
Many of the Psalms appear to be paired; Ps. 56 and Ps. 57 are an example. They are very similar. The title of Ps. 56 ["when seized by the Philistines in Gath"] therefore provides a context for Ps. 57, which was "A poem by David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave" (Ps. 57:1). David's time when seized by the Philistines in Gath could refer to some unrecorded capture and detention of him in Gath- the home town of Goliath, whose sons / relatives had also been slain by David's men, and David had slain "ten thousands" of Philistines. Or it could refer to the time when he was serving Achish king of Gath and had to feign himself mad in order to get released. Perhaps things were far tougher for David at that time than recorded in 1 Sam. 21:10-15. Whatever, David took comfort from his situation with Saul (the subject of Ps. 57) and reapplied it to his situation in Gath in Ps. 56. And this is how we too pass through life- experiences in one situation strengthen us for another.
Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in
You-
Yes, in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, until disaster
has passed-
Likewise David realized that the cherubim shadowing the
mercy seat were over him; he was as it were located on the very mercy
seat. But he was nowhere near the sanctuary, and possibly in a state of
ritual uncleanness and not technically obedient to the law. But
he perceived from that same law that God is in fact beyond the confines of
ritual. With God in his heart, he was as it were covered by His glory and
the blood of atonement on the mercy seat.
Understanding the "wings" as those of the cherubim over the
"mercy seat", the lid of the ark of the covenant, would fit well with
David's appeal to be shown mercy beneath the wings. But running to take
shelter under the shadow of wings is also the language of a bird running
to the mother bird, protected by her wings and warmed by the heat from the
mother's heart; and "wings" also by extension means the wings of a
garment, into which the frightened child would run.
Psalm 57:2
I cry out to God Most High, to God who accomplishes my requests for
me-
"Most High" might allude to how the saves of Adullam were on
high land, overlooking the valley of Elah. But David knew that despite
that apparently human advantage and strength, the only true height was in
God. The thought of the highness and power of God is an inspiration to
faith in prayer. The requests of prayer are "accomplished"; not answered
by a simple flash action, but involve working out so many facets of the
answer. The idea of the Hebrew is of God completing or perfecting
all things. David knew he was on the way to being perfected, even through
all the dramas in the cave. And he knew his prayers would be answered in
that context. He who has begun a good work in us will likewise work at
perfecting it / completing it until the day the Lord returns. "God, who
supplies my every need" (GNB) is surely alluded to in Phil. 4:19:"My God
shall supply all your need".
"I cry out to God" gives the idea of making a lot of noise, indeed David says in :8 he will praise God so loudly that he would as it were wake up the sun. But he felt these things in the cave, where silence was critical. Despite the constrictions of his immediate circumstances, he could in faith look forward to a day when he would loudly praise God, waking up the sun by the volume, and in fact be heard by the whole earth (:9). We too can look out from our own immediate constrictions, socially and otherwise, to the day when we shall be totally unlimited in our service of God. What's critical is that in our 'caves' we have that dream and desire. Are these the things we dream of? When life's pressures abate for a moment and our mind can wander... what are our daydreams? Are they of the things of the Lord and His Kingdom? For those momentary day dreams of a spare moment indicate where our deepest heart is.
Psalm 57:3
He will send from heaven and save me, He rebukes the one who is
pursuing me. Selah. God will send out His grace and His truth-
The word "send" is normally translated 'to send away, to let depart', implying physical movement away. This implies Angels are physically sent over space to answer prayer. The same word occurs in other verses where this same idea stands up well- e.g.
Ps. 144:7 "Send Your hand (an Angel) from Heaven...”. It seems that great stress is placed in Scripture on the Angels physically moving through space, both on the earth and between Heaven and earth, in order to fulfil their tasks, rather than being static in Heaven or earth and bringing things about by just willing them to happen. See on Gen. 18:10.
There is no record of Saul ever being rebuked for persecuting David. Quite
possibly Samuel did, but it is unrecorded. David's confidence that God
rebuked Saul may be an insight he had into the court of Heaven, where he
as it were saw Saul being rebuked, and Angels being sent from that same
Heavenly court to save David.
Psalm 57:4
My soul is among lions. I lie among those who are set on fire,
even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue
a sharp sword-
David fled from Saul's presence to the cave of Adullam, and
all manner of bitter men and women came to him there. Adullam is an area
near the Valley of Elah, where David killed Goliath, and has valleys with
many caves on the valley edges where the men could live: "David therefore
departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers
and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. Everyone
who was in distress, everyone who was in debt and everyone who was
discontented [LXX "troubled in mind"] gathered themselves to him and he
became their captain. About four hundred men were with him" (1 Sam.
22:1,2). The Lord's body of people likewise has this feature of attracting
alternative folks, or those disengaged with society, who may not have
anything spiritually in common with His true people. We wonder if the
snares dug by his enemies (:6) refer to some unrecorded intrigues against
him by his own men. If the psalm has reference to the time when David had
the chance to kill Saul in the cave, then we can better understand this
reference to the bad words of the men around him. For they urged him then
to slay Saul. The advice of friends is often not right. Against the noise
in his own mind of their bad advice, he beat out the tune of "Do not
destroy", possibly a well known song of the time. And this is how to use
spiritual music. To let the words beat in our mind, against the
temptations to go the wrong way in the heat of the moment. Without doubt,
these men who were "set on fire" in bitterness could be understood as a reference to the men with David. He
lay down to sleep next to them. David's men represent the followers of the
Lord Jesus (cp. Heb. 13:13). David's motley crew were bitter men, "them
that are set on fire... whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their
tongue a sharp sword" (Ps. 57:4). So rough were they that David says that
having to live with them almost destroyed him spiritually (1 Sam. 26:19).
This typology would explain why the body of Christ seems full of bitter
men and women with hard words- who eventually will be the rulers in
Messiah's Kingdom, after the pattern of David's men.
There can be no misunderstanding of David as some softie who let anything
go. Of course he was a sensitive man, with a soft heart. The way others’
words so hurt him is evidence enough of this (Ps. 57:4). Yet this was
marvellously blended with his clear recognition of evil and firmly
expressed desire not to mix with it.
Psalm 57:5
Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be above all
the earth!-
David had earlier lamented that Saul "My enemy" (= Saul,
1 Sam. 18:29; 19:17) was "exalted over me" (Ps. 13:2 s.w.). The David who
had once triumphed over his enemy Goliath now felt that Saul was
triumphing over him. This, in the bigger Divine picture, may have been to
keep David from pride at the amazing victory and triumph. And he learned
the lesson. David was indeed to triumph / be exalted over Saul (Ps.
18:48), but he saw it is God triumphing / being exalted (Ps. 18:46). His
praise Psalms are full of this word and idea- of the exaltation of God
(Ps. 57:5,11) and not himself. In extreme situations, as David was
in, we can too easily focus simply upon praying for our immediate
deliverance. But David commendably sees the glorification of God as being
of the essence. So much so that it is at times hard to understand this
prayer as in fact composed whilst in the cave hiding from Saul. But the
title tells us this was indeed the context. "Be exalted" is asking God to
exalt Himself, to visibly make His glory seen over the earth. In essence,
this was David's form of our desire for the Lord's coming and the visible
establishment of the Kingdom. This must always be our great desire even in
the midst of personal crisis. For this is the ultimate truth that gives
perspective to the immediate issues of this life, including death itself.
The language is very much of large scale freedom, God's glory soaring
above the heavens. And yet David these feelings within all the
constrictions of the cave- physical as well as social constriction, if we
have understood correctly the references to the men with him. We too live
very limited lives, but can soar above them with the thoughts of God's
glory. And again, as in so many of the Psalms, David begins in a crisis
situation- but within the prayer, goes on to confidently exalt in God's
salvation. It's one thing to praise God after the salvation has come, or
the problem has been resolved. David's example is of glorying in God right
in the midst of the crisis, and not afterwards. Although we could argue
that he is editing his thoughts after the deliverance from Saul.
Psalm 57:6
They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down,
they dig a snare before me. They fall into its midst themselves. Selah-
David had elsewhere prayed that the wicked would fall into
their own pit (Ps. 141:10) and seems to rejoice when this prayer was
answered (here and Ps. 7:15; 9:15). This is a far cry from the God who
takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Perhaps God tried to correct
him over this attitude when his son Absalom finally ends up dead in a pit,
after David praying this would happen to him. In the immediate context,
David perhaps reasoned that Saul's persecution of him had led him to hide
in a cave. But Saul entered that cave alone and thus David could easily
have slain him. Saul fell into the pit he had set for David, but David in
the end didn't slay Saul. He as it were allowed Saul to get up out of the
pit and go his way. Despite having eagerly prayed for such a moment, when
Saul would fall into the pit he had made for David. On one hand, David was
bitter with his enemies, but on the other hand, showed them amazing grace.
We see this both with Saul and Absalom. His grief when they die is sincere
and not at all theatrical. We too struggle between angry judgment of
people and yet showing them grace. David is presented as being so
absolutely human and like us all. But in the cave, grace triumphed. We
notice too the wild mood swings in David- from "my soul is bowed down" to
his enthusiasm to shout out in worship and wake up the sun with his praise
(:9).
It is a common theme that the wicked snare themselves, falling into their own pit, judged by their own words, rather than God specifically snaring them (e.g. Ps. 7:15; 9:15; 57:6; Prov. 26:27; 28:10; Ecc. 10:8). From their own mouth and words men will be judged (Mt. 12:37; Lk. 19:22 cp. 2 Sam. 1:16; 1 Kings 20:40). It could even be that the Lord cites the condemnatory words of the rejected uttered during their lifetimes and leaves these as their condemnation. Woe, therefore, to he or she who has said unrepentantly that they don’t want to be in the Kingdom if brother x or sister y are going to be there. “He that keeps his mouth keeps his life; but he that opens wide his lips [in this life] shall have destruction” at judgment day (Prov. 13:3).
The snare was dug "before me". Solomon alludes to this in Prov. 1:17 "For
in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird". All Solomon says is
inspired truth, but clearly he has a subtext of justifying his father
David; this was an obsession with him.
Psalm 57:7
My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing,
yes, I will sing praises-
David's "fixed" or steadfast heart (also mentioned in Ps.
108:1; 112:7) is the heart of the Lord Jesus who steadfastly set His face
to go to death in Jerusalem. To have a single hearted, set and fixed heart
position for God... is what it is, to be a Christian. David had earlier understood that for the humble and righteous, God can
"prepare their heart" (Ps. 10:17). This is evidence enough that God works
directly upon the human heart and psychology, which He does today through
the work of His Spirit upon the human spirit. For it is men who must
prepare their heart in prayer and relationship toward God (s.w. 2 Chron.
12:14; Job 11:13; Ps. 7:9). But God can also do this for the humble. Hence
David later asks God to create in him a 'prepared' heart (s.w. Ps. 51:10).
And God heard; for the same phrase is used of how God 'prepared' or (AV)
"fixed" / NEV 'made steadfast' his heart (Ps. 57:7; 108:1; 112:7). In
allusion to this, Solomon was to later reflect that God can direct or
'prepare' (s.w.) the heart of man, even if he is thinking to direct his
steps elsewhere (Prov. 16:9).
Psalm 57:8
Wake up, my glory! Wake up, psaltery and harp! I will wake up the
dawn-
This is again David's self-talk, as we find in so many of his
psalms. He is urging himself to awake in praise. It's one thing to thank
God after the victory, after the answer has come. But quite another to
praise God before the answer comes, or whilst the struggle is ongoing and
apparently undecided. This is the praise of faith.
Or as AV "I myself will awake early". The Psalms continually stress the importance of starting each day with the Lord; David gives the impression his heart was bursting with praise as he awoke, and he instinctively wanted to grab his harp and play and sing praise.
Psalm 57:9
I will give thanks to You, Lord, among the peoples, I will sing
praises to You among the nations-
This psalm was composed in the cave, hiding from Saul.
Although in a very hemmed in environment, David looked ahead to the day
when he would sing praise out loud to God amongst the Gentile world. We
too can look out of the tight confines of our social or economic space, to
the time of eternal freedom and glory ahead.
David knew his sinfulness, he knew his reliance upon the grace of God, more and more as he got older; and increasingly he wanted to spread the knowledge of Israel's God to the Gentile nations around him. One would have thought that after the Bathsheba incident, David would have kept his mouth shut so far as telling other people how to live was concerned. But instead, we find an increasing emphasis in the Psalms (chronologically) upon David's desire to teach others of God's ways- particularly the surrounding Gentile peoples, before whom David had been disgraced over Bathsheba, not to mention from his two faced allegiance to Achish (1 Sam. 27:8-12). There is real stress upon this evangelistic fervour of David (Ps. 4:3; 18:49; 22:25,31; 35:18; 40:9,10; 57:9; 62:8; 66:5,16; 95:1,8; 96:5-8,10; 100:1-4; 105:1,2; 119:27; 145:5,6,12). Indeed, Ps.71:18 records the "old and greyheaded" David pleading with God not to die until he had taught "thy strength unto this generation". As with Paul years later, the only reason he wanted to stay alive was in order to witness the Gospel of grace to others. David therefore coped with his deep inner traumas by looking out of himself to those around him, eagerly desiring to share with them the pureness of God's grace. He didn't do this as some kind of self-help psychiatry; it came naturally from a realization of his own sinfulness and God's mercy, and the wonderful willingness of God to extend this to men.
Psalm 57:10
For Your great grace reaches to the heavens, and Your truth to the
skies-
The message David wanted to preach to the Gentiles (:9) was that
God's grace stretches between heaven and earth. "Mercy / grace and truth"
is a phrase often used about the promises to Abraham. David saw these as
the parade example of God's grace, and he wanted to share that covenant
with the Gentiles (:9). But the observation could be made that nearly all
the "Gentiles" in the land [eretz] promised to Abraham were in
fact Abraham's seed in some way anyway. But David is directing them back
to their roots and urging them to accept the covenant made with their
forefather instead of the idols they had chosen. God's grace is
indescribable and beyond comprehension, reaching to Heaven.
Psalm 57:11
Be exalted, God, above the heavens. Let Your glory be over all the earth- The earth / eretz refers to the land promised to Abraham. It was David's desire that God be exalted there, lifted up to heaven, as it were, by the people living there. See on :10. David was a man of wide spiritual vision. The visible glory of God was in those days only seen over the ark of the covenant; but he had a vision of it spreading from there over the entire "earth", and here he is praying for that day to come about. But as noted on :9, he realized [as we must in our day] that this will only happen once the Gospel has been taken to "all the earth".
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