December 29
Reading: Psalm 57
To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me.
Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
The events that inspired Psalm 57 are found in 1 Samuel 24. David was fleeing from Saul who was trying to kill him. David and his men had hidden themselves in a cave and Saul came alone into that cave to relieve himself. David could have killed him but did not.
This psalm is first a cry for mercy and salvation from God, then praise to God who rescues David from enemies, and finally thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness.
There are a few moments of fantastic imagery in this psalm. The wonder of the Psalter is not only in the truth expressed, but in how it is expressed.
In the first verse David, with his words, paints for us the image of hiding out from the storms of destruction “in the shadow of Your wings.” It is as if God is a great eagle, and we are the chicks safe under His wings, though the wind and rain whirl around us.
A second image shows up in verses 4-6. We lie down amid ravenous beasts who seek to trap us and kill us, but because God is exalted and His glory is everywhere, these same beasts end up falling into their own traps. I think again of Psalm 56:8-11. If God is for me, what can man do to me? Or think of what Paul writes in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
These are the thoughts we need to have in our minds as we go through life’s struggles. Yes, we have fears and worries like David did, but consider what he does with them in these psalms. He brings them before God, lays them out at His feet, and sees that God is faithful and “exalted above the heavens.” My problems seem big until I see that God is bigger.