Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
Psalm 57 (NIV)
For the director of music. [To the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfils [his purpose] for me.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah
God sends his love and his faithfulness.
4 I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts –
men 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 spread a net for my feet –
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path –
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
Notes
1. Psalm 57 is a lament Psalm – a complaint to God about something that had gone wrong, seriously wrong. However, God responded and the situation was promptly resolved.
2. It is a well-balanced lament with a brief and polite request to God (Yahweh, God’s name, is not used in this psalm, the first time I have discovered that), a brief review of God’s previous faithfulness, an extensive statement of trust and a vow to praise God.
3. The reason for this balance may well be because God seems to have answered the prayer promptly. In vs. 2-3 he cries out to God who answers and ‘fulfils,’ ‘sends,’ ‘saves,’ ‘rebukes’ and ‘sends’ again, all of which creates a sense of immediacy and that is followed by exuberant praise and thanksgiving (5-11).
4. There are some parallels with Psalm 142 that is also said to be based ‘in the cave.’ His enemies set a snare for him and he finds refuge in Yahweh but in that psalm his prayers are not answered.
5. Verse 1 refers to a ‘disaster’ that is not explained but is hinted at in metaphors in verses 4 and 6 but still cannot be traced to a specific incident in David’s life. I think that is part of God’s inspiration of Scripture as it prevents us getting too absorbed in the writer’s story. It is easier then to apply the Psalm to our own disasters.
6. However, the heading claims this refers to, ‘when he had fled from Saul into the cave.’ That could refer to either 1 Samuel 22: 1-5 or 1 Samuel 24: 1-22. There is no clear evidence for this link in the Psalm itself so it could be an editorial conjecture. It is ancient though, as the Hebrew Bible incorporates this heading into the Psalm as the first verse, as happens with all early headings.
7. These ‘cave’ incidents do, though, illustrate the dangerous life that David led at that time so we are aware that Psalms 57 and 142 are not philosophical reflections but are based on real-life incidents that were fraught with danger and caused significant trauma.
8. Verse 5 is duplicated in verse 11 so this indicates how the Psalm is to be understood. They express the psalm’s core teaching: in all David’s troubles he understood God was supreme and in charge. The verbs ‘be’ and ‘let’ are the imperative form of the verbs. That can be a command but contextually it is more likely that David is expressing his strong hope that his requests will be fulfilled – that God will be exalted and his glory revealed.
9. Besides that, David understood that his personal troubles faded into insignificance.
10. Some information about the ‘disaster’ of verse 1 is explained in metaphors in verses 4 and 6.
11. Verse 4 refers to being trapped and surrounded by ‘hungry lions,’ enemies who are very close and attack both verbally and physically.
12. They were armed with spears, arrows and swords and laid a trap for him. However, something went wrong, from their point of view, as they fell into their own trap (v. 6).
13. That is all we know about the disaster. It is enough for David as he turns to praise God with music and singing and calls the world to join in!
14. It is easier to follow the psalm if the strophes are reordered into a narrative format, which is the English style of writing, like this:
Psalm 57
Reset in an English style
| 1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. | Begs for mercy and rescue from the current disaster. |
| 4 I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts – men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. | Explains his situation metaphorically. |
| 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfils [his purpose] for me. 3 He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness. | He cries out and God responds with rescue and comfort. |
| 6 They spread a net for my feet – I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path – but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah | His enemies had set a trap for him but had been caught in it themselves. |
| 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. 8 Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. | His faith is confirmed so he prepares to worship. |
| 9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. | He publicly worships and honours God. |
| 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. | He ends with a praise refrain. Do the nations and people join in, I wonder. |
15. Hebrew poetry follows a different style to English so there is more to be learned by examining the Hebrew style that uses parallels between the strophes.
16. The Psalm is in two stanzas that each end with the refrain, ‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.’ The first stanza is about the Disaster that has overtaken him while the second is about the Salvation he experienced as God intervened.
17. There are parallels between the matching strophes but they are about the idea featured in the strophe so do not necessarily use the same words especially if the idea is expressed in a contrast.
18. In this psalm, therefore, the parallels are not always obvious and may not, initially, be very convincing. Maybe you will see different parallels! Please let me know so we can learn from each other. Let me explain my findings.
Psalm 57
Prayer and its (sometimes) prompt answer
| Stanza 1 Disaster | ||
| A | 1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. | When disaster strikes salvation is in God. |
| B | 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfils [his purpose] for me. 3 He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness. | I cry out and God responds by rescuing me. |
| C | 4 I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts – men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. | The threat is very real and violent. |
| X | 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. | But God rules supreme. |
| Stanza 2 Salvation | ||
| A1 | 6 They spread a net for my feet – I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path – but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah | Salvation happens unexpectedly. |
| B1 | 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. 8 Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. | I respond to God in worship. |
| C1 | 9 I will praise you, O Lord (Adonnay), among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. | Whatever the threat, God’s resources are much greater. |
| X1 | 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. | For God rules supreme. |
19. In the first matching strophes, A-A1, the psalmist sees the ‘disaster/distress’ in the light of God’s mercy where he finds refuge. In strophe A he describes this metaphorically as, ‘in the shadow of your wings,’ a metaphor that raises an image of a mother bird protecting its offspring. It is used on three other occasions about Yahweh in Psalms 17, 34 and 63. This contrasts with where his enemies want him to be in strophe A1, for they had, ‘spread a net for my feet’ so he could be captured in a snare as they had ‘dug a pit in my path.’
20. The order in which the idea is expressed seems to be the wrong way round. I would expect the snare to feature in the Disaster stanza and the refuge in Salvation. However, the psalmist is writing, looking back, from a position of confidence with his faith in God confirmed, so he sees the Disaster in the light of God’s rescue and the snare is the danger that required a Salvation experience that was supplied by God’s miraculous intervention.
21. In strophe B he cries out in a desperate prayer while there is a contrast in strophe B1 as he joyfully sings and makes music but the idea matches as both are means of communication with God. He expands his singing with, ‘I will awaken the dawn.’ What a fabulous metaphor! In five words he tells us he wakes early before dawn, praising God. He calls on his harp and lyre to join him but he cannot play both at once so presumably he gets his waking household to join in! Just once – the next morning after God answers his prayer? I do not see any indication of how long that praise continued but such powerful imagery is used I sense it went on for a while. And was it loud? He felt it was powerful enough to call the day into being so perhaps it was – maybe the neighbourhood were also involved. Metaphors work so powerfully because they stir our imagination and memories. For me, this strophe brings a sense of joy, peace and an awareness of life renewed as the darkness gives way to light, whether it be real or metaphorical. I am reminded of:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).
22. But strophe B is primarily about how God responded to his cry. God ‘fulfils his purpose for me,’ (also NRSV), ‘who supplies my every need’ (GNT), ‘who does such wonders for me’ (TLB),’ ‘who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!’ (AMP) while the Interlinear Hebrew-English Bible simply has, ‘who works for me.’
23. The psalmist briefly responds in strophe B1 with his double declaration of ‘steadfastness.’ He is committed to God Most High (Elyon), a title that is used 31 times in OT as a focus on God’s supremacy in status and power. His response is not only in verbal worship but also in faithful, steadfast service to God, the Supreme Being.
24. Strophe C refers to his enemies as ‘lions’ and ‘ravenous beasts’ who surround him closely (‘in the midst’ and ‘I lie among’) that he then identifies as heavily armed men. This is a terrifying and nightmarish imagery of immediate, violent, life-ending threats yet there is no sense of panic, anger, being overwhelmed, helplessness or fear. Now, where did that Shalom peace come from? Were they real enemies or are such enemies a metaphor within a metaphor, even for David? They certainly are for us as we read. They create images in our minds of whatever or whoever is currently our ‘enemy.’ They might not be armed men but could be illness, broken relationships, financial troubles or danger and risks from something else. Can we too face such ‘enemies’ without any panic, anger, feeling overwhelmed, helpless or being ‘frightened to death’ (that is another metaphor!)? It is actually beyond human capabilities to face such serious trouble so composedly.
25. Then strophe C1 opens up a further perspective that demonstrates how a steadfast believer living by faith can cope.
26. Instead of being surrounded by threatening enemies, in strophe C1 the psalmist senses himself to be ‘among the nations’ and ‘among the people’ where he is praising God for his love and faithfulness – and those characteristics are paralleled with the weapons of his enemies! God’s resources in responding to enemy action are not only more powerful and greater than those of the enemy, they are different.
27. But how can love and faithfulness be weapons of warfare? But maybe God has a different battle to fight. Perhaps God is not as concerned about the physical battle than about the spiritual battle for hearts and minds. David’s vision is of God as a refuge even in the middle of life threatening trouble (strophe A); as the available source of means to obtain unexpected and even miraculous rescue (strophe A1) and as the reason he has no fear and does not panic.
28. The refrain in strophes X-X1, sums up the point of the psalm so X-X1 is used rather than D-D1. It is not about David’s personal salvation from danger as we might expect as an example of the miracles God wants to do for us.
29. The key message of these duplicated punch-lines is that we need to take our eyes off the troubles and cares that surround and even risk overwhelming us and focus on God’s agenda. Our aim in life is to see God exalted and his glory seen throughout the world.
30. This starts with the practical reality of a daily walk of faith, allowing God to take us into experiences and to meet people where he can use us to be channels of his blessing and grace as he takes control, guides and equips us.
31. This psalm relates to a specific episode in David’s life. His dramatic rescue and flamboyant praise did not happen every time he cried out to God. Psalm 142 seems to relate to the same period. Again it features enemies who set a snare for him. He cries out for a refuge and rescue but – silence! The psalm ends.
32. This contrast illustrates the reality of life. It happens to us all. We labour in prayer about adverse circumstances as in Psalm 142 but only occasionally experience dramatic answers as in Psalm 57. Sadly, it is all too easy to see prayer as a means of getting answers – and especially the answers we have already decided are needed! But prayer actually is a means for us to connect with God. And as we communicate with God we learn to know God better. As we walk with him, we can learn to pray as God wants us to pray. Prayer is no longer a shopping list but is communion with our Lord and Saviour. I think David expresses something of his understanding of this, especially in his call to praise, ‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.’
33. And this is consistent with other Scriptures.
34. We learn about the nature of prayer from Jesus’ attitude:
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:7-9).
Jesus had a reverent attitude that was the key to his prayers being heard and heeded. His prayers were passionate and persistent (Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12, 22:41-44) but God still said ‘No!’ to this prayer. God had an agenda that did not allow Jesus to escape death but God was satisfied with Jesus (Matthew 17:5). Reverence. Passion. Persistence. Unless these are features of our prayer life will we ever be truly aware of the nature of prayer? Jesus’ prayers were not always answered as he requested so why should we be treated any differently?
35. Jesus is now in glory and is still working on our behalf:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-23).
Prayer is one of the ways in which we can, ‘draw near to God.’ In prayer we connect with our God and Saviour in ways that develop our spiritual lives and enable us to learn how to pray as God wants us to pray.
36. The ultimate ‘answer’ to all our prayers is that God is exalted and glorified. The disciples’ request, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ (Luke 11:1) should be readily on our lips for, ‘if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us’ (1 John 5:14).
37. If a prayer is answered dramatically or unexpectedly it is not because of our goodness. God is not doing us a favour, rewarding us or even encouraging us, though all those effects may happen. It is to bring glory to God. Perhaps we too should have ‘praise parties’ when God answers our prayers and invite ‘the nations’ and ‘the peoples’ to rejoice with us!
38. And what about when our prayers are not answered as in Psalm 142? God is not letting us down, ignoring us or is displeased with us – though we need to check on that in case the Holy Spirit is seeking our attention to have resolution of something that is more important in God’s plans for us.
39. Sometimes the timing is not right. Perhaps Psalm 142 only finds its completion in Psalm 57.
40. This teaching about prayer is here in the psalms and in Psalm 57 in particular but it is not expressed as dogma. Instead it is revealed in the narrative of the psalmist’s experiences and in the insight his writings provide about his feelings and attitudes. And as always, we find Scripture explains Scripture. This not a unique teaching. It fits in with Scripture in both Old and New Testaments.
41. All this helps us learn more about God’s perspective and how that relates to us living a life of faith even in the twenty-first century 3,000 years after David and his fellow believers were working through the same issues and dilemmas as we do, though in very different circumstances.
PS. In case you are curious
42. Selah occurs twice in this psalm in verses 3 and 6. No none knows for sure what Selah means and why it is used. Best guess is that it is a musical marker.[1] It is used 71 times throughout Psalms. Its use in Psalm 57 is particularly odd as in verse 3 it appears in the middle of a poetic line.
43. ‘His purpose’ in verse 2, ‘I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfils [his purpose] for me,’ is in square brackets to indicate that it was not in the original Hebrew but has been added by the NIV translators as the context indicates it is needed so the meaning of the phrase is better expressed in English.
Footnote
[1] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72 (Aylesbury: IVP Academic, 2008) pp. 51-52.
Written: 12 September 2021
Published: 29 March 2023
Updated: 3 March 2024